How Ancient Hunters Used Desert Kites

A desert kite (or kite) is a variation on a type of communal hunting technology used by hunter-gatherers throughout the world. Like similar ancient technologies such as buffalo jumps or pit traps, desert kites involve a collection of people purposefully herding a large group of animals into pits, enclosures, or off steep cliff edges. Desert kites consist of two long, low walls generally built of unmortared fieldstone and arranged in a V- or funnel shape, broad at one end and with a narrow opening leading to an enclosure or pit at the other end. A group of hunters would chase or herd large game animals into the wide end and then chase them down the funnel to the narrow end where they would be trapped in a pit or stone enclosure and easily slaughtered en masse. Archaeological evidence suggests that the walls dont have to be tall or even very substantial--historical kite use suggest that a row of posts with rag banners will work just as well as a stone wall. However, kites cannot be used by a single hunter: it is a hunting technique that involves a group of people planning in advance and working communally to herd and eventually slaughter the animals. Identifying Desert Kites Desert kites were first identified in the 1920s by Royal Air Force pilots flying over the eastern desert of Jordan; the pilots named them kites because their outlines as seen from the air reminded them of the childrens toy kites. Extant remnants of kites number in the thousands, and are distributed throughout the Arabian and Sinai peninsulas and as far northward as southeastern Turkey. Over a thousand have been documented in Jordan alone. The earliest desert kites are dated to the Pre-Pottery Neolithic B period of 9th-11th millennia BP, but the technology was used as recently as the 1940s to hunt the Persian goitered gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa). Ethnographic and historic reports of these activities state that typically 40-60 gazelles could be trapped and killed in a single event; on occasion, up to 500-600 animals could be killed at once. Remote sensing techniques have identified well over 3,000 extant desert kites, in a wide variety of shapes and configurations. Archaeology and Desert Kites Over the decades since the kites were first identified, their function has been debated in archaeological circles. Until about 1970, a majority of archaeologists believed that the walls were used to herd animals into defensive corrals in times of danger. But archaeological evidence and ethnographic reports including documented historic slaughtering episodes have led most researchers to discard the defensive explanation. Archaeological evidence for the use and dating of kites includes intact, or partially intact stone walls extending out for a distance from a few meters to a few kilometers. Generally, they are built where the natural environment helps the effort, on flat land between narrow deeply incised gullies or wadis. Some kites have constructed ramps leading gently upward to increase the drop-off at the end. Stone-walled or oval pits at the narrow end are generally between six and 15 meters deep; they are also stone-walled and in some cases are built into cells so that the animals cant gain enough speed to leap out. Radiocarbon dates on charcoal within the kite pits are used to date the time that the kites were in use. Charcoal isnt typically found along the walls, at least not associated with the hunting strategy, and luminescence of the rock walls has been used to date them. Mass Extinction and Desert Kites Faunal remains in the pits are rare, but include gazelle (Gazella subgutturosa or G. dorcas), Arabian oryx (Oryx leucoryx), hartebeest (Alcelaphus bucelaphus), wild asses (Equus africanus and Equus hemionus), and ostrich (Struthio camelus); all of these species are now rare or extirpated from the Levant. Archaeological research at the Mesopotamian site of Tell Kuran, Syria, has identified what appears to be a deposit from a mass kill resulting from the use of a kite; researchers believe that the overuse of desert kites may have led to the extinction of these species, but it might also be climate change in the region leading to changes in regional fauna. Sources Bar-Oz, G., et al. â€Å"Role of Mass-Kill Hunting Strategies in the Extirpation of Persian Gazelle (Gazella Subgutturosa) in the Northern Levant.†Ã‚  Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 108, no. 18, 2011, pp. 7345–7350.Holzer, A., et al. â€Å"Desert Kites in the Negev Desert and Northeast Sinai: Their Function, Chronology and Ecology.†Ã‚  Journal of Arid Environments, vol. 74, no. 7, 2010, pp. 806–817.Kennedy, David. â€Å"The ‘Works of the Old Men’ in Arabia: Remote Sensing in Interior Arabia.†Ã‚  Journal of Archaeological Science, vol. 38, no. 12, 2011, pp. 3185–3203.Kennedy, David. â€Å"Kites - New Discoveries and a New Type.†Ã‚  Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy, vol. 23, no. 2, 2012, pp. 145–155.Nadel, Dani, et al. â€Å"Walls, Ramps and Pits: the Construction of the Samar Desert Kites, Southern Negev, Israel.†Ã‚  Antiquity, vol. 84, no. 326, 2010, pp. 976–992.Rees, L.W.B. â⠂¬Å"The Transjordan Desert.†Ã‚  Antiquity, vol. 3, no. 12, 1929, pp. 389–407.

Ethical case Example

Essays on Ethical case Essay Mubark Company Affiliation: Are there any ethical issues that face Maryam Mohammed, the Chief Financial Officer of Mubark Company, as a result of the request made by the managing director, Mr. Rashid? By changing the transaction from a liability to revenue, the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) is compromising the integrity of the work. This is brought about by intimidation and fear of his employment but it is still ethically wrong. The compromise of the integrity will lead to creation of false statements of the company’s financial statement hence not only lying to the management but the employees and the public as well. The request has also led to creation of another ethical issue for the CFO leading to potential conflict with the fundamental principles of accounting. As the Chief Financial Officer, Maryam is supposed to comply with all the International Ethics Standards Board for Accountants (IESBA) and by complying with this request he will be breaking the ethical codes and hence could be held liable without any blame falling on Mr. Rashid (International Federation of Accountants, 2013). 2. Who are the stakeholders that are affected by the request made by Mr. Rashid? The money Mr. Rashid tells Maryam to put down as revenue belongs to the Gulf Water Company as well as Mubark Company. These two are the main stakeholders who will be affected if this ethical misconduct is unveiled. The Gulf Water Company is bound to lose its customers as well as potential customers due to the fraud being conducted by Mr. Rashid. The Gulf Water Company will also be affected negatively as they risk to not only losing their money but they are bound to lose the elevator service and hence have to use another sum of money to subcontract another elevator service company. The charities that benefit from the company as well as the shareholders and investors will be on losing end as well if this fraud is unraveled in future and they will lose their money in the long run. 3. Identify the alternative courses of action that Maryam Mohammed could consider? Mr. Rashid is only subcontracted to improve the profits and overall performance of the company and hence not an employee. Mr. Mohammed should take the issue and report it to the CEO of the organization. If he can get Mr. Rashid to ask the same of him under pretense of clarification and then record him, he can have proof of the allegations. He will save himself from liability of committing unethical behavior as well as protect the stakeholders mentioned above from the suffering they are bound to receive if he agrees to the issue. The other alternative is to refuse to do as told and continue handling the accounting as he has always done. Mr. Rashid cannot force him to act unethically and if this happens, he can ask for internal audit to verify his accounting practices. This will prevent the looming problem. 4. What action would you advise the Maryam to take? The best action in this case is for Mr. Mohammed to do nothing and take no action in regards to the advice Mr. Rashid provided to him. By so doing, he will avoid implicating himself and the company as well losing the little remaining money and business for the business. Taking this action will indicate that he is an honest man and is also ethical as he will have followed strictly the ethical codes which prevents him from engaging in such illegal and unethical activities. The relationship with the customer Gulf Water Company will remain cordial and might even lead to other companies contracting their services in future hence increasing their revenue and profit. The downside to taking this action is that Mr. Rashid might fabricate some lie to have Mr. Mohammed fired or suspended simply because he disobeyed his direct orders. 5. "Ethics are important in the accounting profession† Briefly discuss this statement in by addressing the following issues: a) The importance and the role of ethics in the accounting profession. Ethics ensure that the accountants and the others in the finance sector maintain objectivity. Objectivity means that these individuals are not selfish and do not take part in any egotistical behavior and in the process jeopardizing their work, the stakeholders and the company’s fortune. Other than objectivity, ethics ensure maintenance of professionalism for those in the finance sector. Resisting monetary temptations which are what forms the basis for the unethical behavior is a true test of professionalism. The other role of ethics is it avoids conflict of interests. b) Give examples of the accounting ethical standards that should be followed by the accountant The situation such as the one faced by Maryam is that of a conflict of interest where his job is on the line if he does not accept to the unethical situation. He should seek legal advice, act with sufficient expertise and finally consult with superiors (International Federation of Accountants, 2013). References International Federation of Accountants. (2013). Handbook of the Code of Ethics for Professional Accountants. New York: International Federation of Accountants.

The Postive and Negative Health Effects free essay sample

What are possible effects of cell phones on teenagers? There are several ways in which cell phones can affect teenagers, such as educational, social and health, which can all be both positive and negative. Social effects of cell phones can be sex-ting, cyberbullying and social networking. Educational effects are effects relating school and education of a teenager. Health effects are health risks and benefits for a teenager while using a cell phone. There are many different effects of cell phones on teenagers but the ost important ones that are mainly looked at are educational, social and health. This essay will cover the positive and negative educational, social and health effects of cell phones specifically on teenagers. 2. 0 Discussion 2. 1 Positive and Negative Social Effects of Cell Phones on Teenagers Firstly, mobile infrastructure has changed during the past decade and this increase has become so apparent that you hardly ever come in contact with someone who does not possess a mobile phone or other mobile device. We will write a custom essay sample on The Postive and Negative Health Effects or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page It is becoming increasingly easy and inexpensive for teenagers to contact friends and access information via their mobile phones (Reid and Reid 2007, p. 424). Teenagers run their social lives on cell phones and today, 77 percent of teenagers aged 12-17 report having a cell phone (Tippin 2012). Cell phones have become prominent aspect of teenager’s everyday life; in fact the mobile phones have turned from a technological tool to a social tool. Especially text messaging has increased significantly and is teenagers most frequent way of communicating. Study shows that 63% of all teens said they exchanged text messages on a daily basis (Tippin 2012). As it is evident that majority of teen’s posses a cell phone it is important to understand the positive as well as negative social effects of it on teenagers. â€Å"Research on cyberbullying sponsored by Opennet has found that teenager who are heavy cell phone users are more likely to engage in the practice of bullying online, as well as become bullied themselves† (Osborne 2012). Cyberbullying is bullying with the intention to torment a person with the use of technology. Statistics show that 46 percent of heavy cell phone users experience cyberbullying on their phones (Osborne 2012). Cyberbullying through a cell phone can be a serious issue and can cause very negative effects on a teenager, in fact kids that are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep. Such negative effects of bullying are often overlooked, because many victims feel the need to hide the fact that they are being bullied, they become shy and fearful of further abuse. Typically they tend to become anxious, less confident, and quieter. As a result, bullying can be a hindrance to their academic performance. Therefore, bullying is a problem that if left unattended, can be a significant obstacle in child’s social development. (â€Å"American Osteopathic Association,† n. d). Even though there are negative social effects of cell phones on teenagers such as cyberbullying there are positive advantages as well. An obvious advantage of a mobile phone is that it can help teens to communicate with others. If a teenager was lost perhaps he or she can seek help immediately by a cell phone at any time, in any place and cell phones also allow its users to make long distance calls which makes it a lot easier for them to communicate with friends and family who are distant. With cell phones video and camera functions, teens now have more opportunities to record and report any criminal events which they have witnessed. These pieces of evidence could greatly help authorities solve crimes faster (Baker 2012). Cell phones are very useful devices for communication as well as they are compulsory as they used as safety devices especially in emergencies (Ravidchandran, 2009). Therefore it is important to understand the social effects of cell phones on teenagers because although it could harm teenager’s development, it can also benefit as well as provide safety and security for the child. 2. 2 Positive and Negative Educational Effects of Cell Phones on Teenagers Secondly, the topic of cell phones affecting teenagers’ education is very controversial. Cell phones can be a major distraction to learning when students use them improperly. Cell phones can affect teenagers’ grades by being distracted with sending text messages, playing games on their phones and receiving zeros if they are caught cheating during a test. When texting teenagers use short acronyms such as laugh out loud (LOL), be right back (BRB), talk to you later (TTYL) which can significantly lead to a decline in their language and grammar skills. (Connie, 2012). Edutopia, an educational website, conducted an online poll regarding this issue of whether text messaging harms students writing skills. Out of 3359 votes, 1788 votes (53%) chose â€Å"Yes, I believe students are carrying over the writing habits they pick up through text messaging into school assignments. † 851 votes (25%) chose â€Å"No. I believe students can write one way to their friends and another way in class. They can keep the two methods separate. † 613 votes (18%) chose â€Å"Maybe. Although text messaging may have some impact on how students write, I dont think its a significant problem† (Ring, 2009). As it is evident that the majority voted that students are using their habits they have picked up through text messages in school assignments, it shows the decline of teenage students grammar skills. Although cell phones can have such a negative effect on teenagers’ education it can also provide positive benefits such as an aid for learning. With a cell phone, the students could make organizers, research work and do their projects. Cell phones have applications which can be installed individually and there are thousands of useful apps that a teenager could use at school for education, such as dictionaries to define words and phrases. Students can now take part in a mobile device learning program called â€Å"Hotsteat,† which allows students to post comments on a Twitter-like feed from a question posted by a professor, and can be accessed through a mobile device with the app. Another program called â€Å"Remind101† which  is a free site that is created for teachers and students to create text, reminders for projects quizzes, test, labs, class activities and homework. Teacher have to create an account and upload all class projects, activities, homework and assignments, then students can log in to the website, subscribe to their class and automatically receive all reminders (Dunn, 2011). Therefore, it is important to understand the educational effects of cell phones on teenagers because although schools report that student’s mobile phone use disrupts teaching and reduces student’s attention in class, which results in a negative educational outcome. It is also important to understand the benefits that cell phones bring to teenagers education by having organizers, notes, reminders and discussion groups all at their finger tips. For these reasons, teenagers get more encouragement to initiate their learning. 2. 3 Positive and Negative Health Effects of Cell Phones on Teenagers Lastly, â€Å"teenagers who overuse cell phone texting or social networking Web sites have disturbingly high rates of a wide range of  health  risk  behaviors† (Jancin, 2011). Gaby Badre, M. D. , Ph. D. of Sahlgrens Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden conducted research on the affects of cell phone usage on sleep patterns in teens. Research focused on two groups: a control group of three men and seven women compared with variable group of three men and eight women. When compared the control group against the variable group, Badre found that adolescents with excessive cell phone habits are more habituated to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress, more c onsumption of stimulating beverages and fatigue (â€Å"American Academy of Sleep Medicine† 2008). According to Badre, addiction to cell phone is becoming common. Youngsters (teenagers) feel a  group pressure  to remain inter-connected and reachable round the clock. Children start to use mobile phones at an early stage of their life. There seem to be a connection between intensive use of cell phones and health compromising behaviour such as smoking, snuffing and use of alcohol (â€Å"American Academy of Sleep Medicine† 2008). Dr. Frank conducted a survey which was completed by 4,257  teens  at 20 schools in Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Based upon the responses these â€Å"hypertexters† who are teenagers that have self-reported texting an average of 120 or more times per day on school days are â€Å"twofold more likely to have ever tried alcohol, 43% more likely to be binge drinkers, 32% more likely to be current users of marijuana, and 40% more likely to have tried cigarettes than kids who texted less or, as was true for 22% of students, not at all† (Jancin, 2011). This shows the significant impact of cell phone effects on teenagers’ health, but although there are so many negative health effects of cell phones there are just as much positive effects. Certainly it is true that for teenagers, cell phones offer openings for conversations as well as ways of keeping up appearances by looking busy, appearing confident, popular, or relieving meeting boredom. And phones, like smoking, can be used as a defence mechanism, attention speaking behaviour as well as a way to stand out from the ‘Lonely Crowd’ (Cross, 2006) Texting with cell phones can provide health education, to campaign against smoking and behavior. For example in New Zealand an experiment was conducted with two groups, first group received text message support and the other group did not receive any text messages. The results showed that the number of people who stopped smoking was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group which did not receive text message based support. â€Å"Add this to the Action on Smoking findings five years ago and there is a real case for hailing mobile phone effectiveness in limiting smoking amongst Teenagers† (Cross, 2006) Although in this program cell phones did not provide direct health benefits but by constantly texting teenagers and giving them support it significantly decreased the number of smokers. Therefore it is important to understand the health effects of cell phones on teenagers because although mobile phones can have negative effects such as lead teenagers into drinking and drug use, it can also have positive effects and be used as a defence mechanism to cope with anxiety. 3. 0 Summary Cell phones are a tool of convenience and that is why almost 80% of all teenagers use one (Tippin, 2012). However having cell phones can be very negative effect on teenagers, â€Å"research on cyberbullying sponsored by Opennet has found that teenager who are heavy cell phone users are more likely to engage in the practice of bullying online, as well as become bullied themselves† (Osborne 2012) and teenagers that are bullied are likely to experience anxiety, depression, loneliness, unhappiness, and poor sleep. These social effects of cell phones on teenagers can also affect their health. Gaby Badre, M. D. , Ph. D. of Sahlgrens Academy in Gothenburg, Sweden conducted research and found that adolescents with excessive cell phone habits are more habituated to disrupted sleep, restlessness, stress, more consumption of stimulating beverages and fatigue (â€Å"American Academy of Sleep Medicine† 2008), which all contribute to negative health effects. Teenagers advantage of having cell phone at their finger tips can affect their school grades by being distracted with sending text messages, playing games on their phones and receiving zeros if they are caught cheating during a test. But having a cell phone now makes people reachable in almost any location and this makes individuals easier to contact. Ease of access is not the only benefit of cell phones; they offer features that have many other benefits. Cell phones have become an important part of society today, while schools think that cell phone usage should not occur in schools, it is imperative that they acknowledge that cell phones are extremely important to the safety of our children in school. Several schools state that you could use the telephone in the main office to call home in an emergency, but if there ever was a true emergency the phone in the main office would be surrounded by people trying to get in contact with their loved ones and chaos would be lurking. Having a cell phone enables them to contact loved ones with ease during an emergency. Also computers at schools can malfunction and stop students from getting information. However, new technology on cell phones allows them to access the internet and enable them to complete research with ease. Cell phones have organizers which help students write down their homework and help them to keep organized. 4. 0 Conclusion Cell phones are great invention. However, most schools in Ontario ban cell phone use at schools although, as it was stated in â€Å"The Japan Times† article â€Å"banning cell phones does not succeed in teaching students how, when and where an adult would use a  cell  phone (â€Å"The Japan Times†, 2008). Therefore, schools should not simply ban cell phones because of their negative effects on teenage students but teach them when and where the appropriate time and place is to use one. Schools should also look at positive side of cell phone use on teenagers because they can be a great educational tool. As Lisa Baker has mentioned â€Å"some high schools take advantage of educational games for cell phones. Educators can teach students how to use their phones as research tools, which encourages youth to take more initiative in their own learning (Baker, 2012). There are also social and health effects of cell phones on teenagers, which can be both also negative as well as positive. Before looking at negative effects of cell phone on teenagers, we should understand why they were first invented and the benefits they bring to our daily life. Therefore, although there are so many effects of cell phones on teenagers it is important to understand the main ones that are mainly looked at such as social, educational and health effects.

Skin Cancer Essays (1727 words) - RTT, Carcinoma,

"Skin Cancer" ------------------ Gone are the days when people sent children outside to play to get a little color in their cheeks. They know too much about the dangers of unprotected sun exposure and the threat of skin cancer. Or do they? Despite the fact that 58% of parents remembered hearing about the importance of protecting their children from the sun, children are still playing in the sun without sunscreen or protective clothing (3., p 1). Sunburn is the most preventable risk factor of skin cancer. Skin type and family history cannot be changed. Protection from the sun and education of the potential hazards of the sun need serious attention. The American Cancer Society estimates that over 850,000 cases of skin cancer will occur in the United States during 1996. Of those cases, they predict that 9,430 will end in death (4., p 1). Apparently, Americans still do not have an adequate amount of prevention information to help reduce the disfigurement and mortality from this cancer. Exposure to the ultraviolet radiation from the sun is the most frequently blamed source of skin cancer. Due to the reduction of ozone in the earth's atmosphere, UV radiation is higher today than it was several years ago. Ozone serves as a filter to screen out and reduce the UV light that reaches the earth's surface and its people. Very simply, sunburn and UV light can damage the skin and lead to skin cancer (1., p 1). The American Cancer Society also faulted repeated exposure to x-rays, artificial forms of UV radiation like tanning beds, and contact with chemicals like coal tar and arsenic as other causes of skin cancer (4., p 1). Additionally, if there is a history of skin cancer in the family, an individual may be at a higher risk (1., p 1). Individuals who have experienced only one serious sunburn have increased their risk of skin cancer by as much as 50% (1., p 4). There are three main types of skin cancer: basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, and malignant melanoma. Basal cell carcinoma usually imposes itself on areas of the skin that have been exposed to the sun. It usually appears as a small raised bump with a smooth shiny surface. Another type resembles a scar that is firm to the touch. Although this specific type of skin cancer may spread to tissue directly surrounding the cancer area, it usually does not spread to other areas of the body (9., pp 2-3). Squamous cell carcinoma growths also appear most frequently on areas of the body that have been exposed to the sun. These areas can include the hands, lower lip, forehead, and the top of the nose. Additionally, skin that has been exposed to x-rays, chemicals, or has been sunburned can host these tumors. The squamous tumors may feel scaly or develop a crusty appearance. Some growths may bleed. These particular tumors may spread to lymph nodes in the surrounding area (9., pp 2 -3). Malignant melanoma is a far more serious type of skin cancer. It can spread quickly to other parts of the body through the lymph system or blood. This type of skin cancer is more common among adults. Findings have indicated that men most often develop melanoma on the trunk of the body. Whereas, women most often develop it on the arms and legs (6., pp 2-3). The warning signs of melanoma are: changes in the color, size, or shape of a mole, bleeding or oozing from a mole, or a mole that is hard, lumpy, swollen, and is tender to the touch, or feels itchy. A new mole can also be an indicator of melanoma. A simple "ABCD" rule outlines the warning signs of melanoma. "A" is for asymmetry. One half of the mole does not match the other. "B" is for border irregularity. The edges are ragged, notched, or blurred. "C" is for color. The pigmentation is not uniform. "D" is for a diameter of greater than 6mm. Any progressive increase in size should be of particular concern (8., p 1). For both basal and squamous cell carcinomas, surgery is the most common treatment. Electrosurgery is the process in which the cancer is scooped out with a sharp instrument and then an electric current is used to burn the edges around the site to kill

Virtual team - Organizational Behaviour free essay sample

A virtual team is a team whose members operate across space, time and organizational boundaries, and are linked through information technologies to achieve organizational tasks. [1] With more and more corporations having their business operations going global and being enabled by the advancement of technology, virtual team becomes an emerging new-age trend. [2] Virtual teams offer several advantages and disadvantages to organizations that require exploration. [3] Advantages of Virtual Teams -Cost savings One of the advantages an organization would enjoy through creating virtual team is cost saving. The organization will be able to eliminate costs associating to office spaces, utilities, executives’ travels, co-locations of global teams. [4] -Improved productivity and customer service With the members of the virtual team spreading over the time zones, there could be people working on the same project or serving customers on a 24*7 basis. The project or the service keeps running without being interrupted when any team member needs to be off work for rest. We will write a custom essay sample on Virtual team Organizational Behaviour or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page This shortens the product development time as well as enables the firm to respond more quickly to the demands of customers in both global and local markets. [5] -Access to previously unavailable expertise and talents Virtual Teams allows organizations to look for expertise beyond their geographical locations of operation. This brings together the experts and specialists from across the globe to work together on the project. It also creates the opportunity for organization to hire talents who are less mobile and hesitant to relocate due to either family requirement or physical challenge. [6] -Knowledge sharing and transfer: Virtual teams represent a natural part of the organizational learning process because employees are encouraged to share and use knowledge where geography limits more direct forms of collaboration. Increased knowledge sharing and greater innovation happen as organization’s human capital share their understanding of global and local markets as well as best business practices. [7] Online meetings, remote computer access, wireless technology, and conferencing systems offer a way for participants to join a complex discussion from anywhere in the world. This benefit can enable most companies to compete on a global scale. [8] Disadvantages of Virtual Teams -Conflicts and collaboration issues Very likely, members of the virtual team come from different cultures, especially in big organizations. The cultural differences among virtual team members may create misunderstanding or even conflicts. If the lack of awareness towards culture differences goes on, the willingness among team members to collaborate with each other will be reduced. This could lead to mistrust and difficulties in team work which, however, is vital for the success of virtual team functioning. [9] -Communication deficiency: Another disadvantage virtual team may suffer from is the loss of efficiency in communication due to constraints in virtual communication mediums. People communicate better through face to face interactions primarily because it would enable them to read the sub-context through the non-verbal language such as facial expression, tones and body moves. Limited by the inherent nature of virtual interaction, teams will inevitably face challenges that the assumptions and judgment could be incorrect when messages are not laid out clearly. [10] -Leadership and management challenges: Poor leadership can result in the failure of any team, whether virtual or not; however, it becomes a much more prominent problem in virtual teams. As members of the virtual team can be based out of everywhere and across different time zones, the manager of team may face huge challenges in order to provide sufficient level of supervision towards team performance and offer appropriate support and counseling advice to individual team member when needed. [11] -Social Isolation Many members of virtual teams are adversely affected by the lack of physical interactions as most of the communications in virtual environment is task-oriented. Lack of social interaction with colleagues who very often become friends gives people who work in virtual team a not-so-good feeling of social isolation. This in turn counter-effects productivity as well as leads to stress. [12] Factors for Virtual Team to be successful: Face-to-face meeting early in the team development process It helps with team building and also contributes to form the team trust through creating opportunity for people to get to know each other [13] -Sufficient structures: Shared operational objective, work processes, clearly defined roles and responsibilities A team is more likely to be effective with shared goals as it enables greater collaboration, communication, and a greater degree of unity. Shared goals also create a culture of accountability, which encourage teams to take a public position and motivate one another to fulfill their promises. [14] Clear definition for each team member’s roles and responsibilities are also crucial. Each team member knows exactly what he/she is expected to perform. It will, to a great extent, avoid the situation that some people are extremely busy in the team while some others are idle, which may eventually result in complains, distrust and conflict -Good communication technology skills, strong self-leadership skills to motivate and guide each team member’s behaviour without peers or bosses nearby [15] -High emotional intelligence People can decipher the feeling of others from email and other limited communication media, able to sense and identify the early risks associating with culture/ background difference [16] -Efficient communication mechanism and the freedom to choose the best communication channels [17] -Culture for cooperation, trust and respect [18] -Effective team leadership -Clear criteria for measuring both individual member’s performance and team success 2. Describe the kinds of behaviours that individual team members can engage in that positively impact overall team effectiveness. (10 marks) There are certain behaviours that would positively impact the team effectiveness: -Demonstrate ownership mentality Instead of only taking assignments and completing them without a thought as to how individual efforts impact the success of the business, virtual team members, when have ownership mentalities, enthusiastically give the extra effort and choose strive for bigger and better results [19] -Highly motivated to team activities [20] -Self- Disciplined and self-reliance If every individual of the virtual team walks the talk and never fails to meet any commitment, people then know they can count on each other during the course of pursuing team success [21] -Ability to tolerant ambiguity Virtual team inevitably faces ambiguity as many other types of teams do. High tolerance of ambiguity allows people to absorb large amounts of disruptive change while showing a low level of dysfunctional behavior which may significantly detract individual or team from quality and productivity [22] -Openly communicate but meanwhile maintain respects to individual and cultural difference Expressing ideas in a direct but respectful way and treating other people with consideration and courtesy will significantly reduce the conflicts in the team and help create a healthy working environment -Offer support to others Providing support through offering positive feedbacks, and helps when needed contributes to a healthy team environment and improves the team efficiency 3. Describe the kinds of behaviours that individual team members can engage in that negatively impact overall team effectiveness. (10 marks) There are also behaviours adversely impact team effectiveness: -Avoid accountability When team members aren’t accountable for their own actions, they hurt their own performance. And when they duck responsibility for calling out other team members for their behaviours, the performance of the whole team suffers [23] -Focus on personal agenda rather than team objectives The shared objective among team members helps to create a synergy effect within the teams. An individual though can accomplish much by acting alone, but a group of people acting together in a unified force can accomplish more. If people focus more on their personal agendas, synergy then no longer exists. The competitive advantage obtained through teamwork goes away [24] -Not consistent between words and deeds Repeatedly fail to deliver on promises and commitments eventually lead to distrust among members in a virtual team. A team without members trusting each other dooms to failure. -Stingy to share important information -Passive-Aggressive Behaviors Behaviours such as making chronic excuses for lack of follow-through or poor performance, or being unresponsive or non-communicative to avoid discomfort or conflict will inevitably lead to tension, depletion of energy and conflict in the virtual team and hence result in deficiency of the team work [25] 4. Outline how you intend to approach participation in your group project, explaining how your plans for participation will likely impact your project team. Include an analysis of your results from the Group/Team Skills activity you completed from the Module 6 reading. (10 marks) To participate in my group project, I will: -Actively participate to group discussion -Make efforts in team coordination -Seek first to understand, then to be understood (7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey) -Provide constructive feedbacks to other team members and meanwhile be open to others’ comments -Do exactly what I commit to -Offer helps to others when needed I would anticipate that my plans for participation would positively contribute to build team trust and cohesion. As it is a newly established project team, there may be a certain level of trust. However, it is very fragile and could be easily broken if any of the team member drop the ball or demonstrate the social loafing behavior. The consequence of working in the project team without trust is that the efficiency of the team is significantly handicapped. Besides, I would anticipate that my behavior would help me build rapport with other team members, which, in turn will establish the emotional tie within the team and contribute in team cohesion. Good team cohesion will enhance the performance of the team too. Results of Group/Team Skills Activity Skill Area ItemsAssessment – Dimension Scores Developing and Maintaining Rapport1-524 Listening to others6-1028 Displaying Sensitivity to Others’ Needs11-1528 Eliciting Ideas, Feelings and Perceptions16-2030 Presenting Feedbacks21-2526 Total Scores135 According to the result of this activity, I scored high in ‘listening to others’, ‘displaying sensitivity to others’ needs’ and ‘eliciting ideas, feelings and perceptions’, however, my score was comparably lower in ‘developing and maintaining rapport’. It indicates that I tend to be open to ideas and maintain sensitivity to others’ needs. However, it also indicates that I tend to build up relationship with others more slowly, which might be relating to my personal characteristics. According to the MBTI result, my profile is INTJ and my profile with DISC is High D, High C, above average S. Introverts might take longer time establishing rapport with others. Moreover, the ‘J’ in MBTI and ‘D’ in ‘DISC’ both indicate that I am a result-driven person. In the team setting, I may want to take the lead to drive for final result which can be an advantage but also be the potential area of improvement that I should be aware of. Sometimes I might seem to be pushy and overconfident of my judgment, which could cause problems when working with others.

Southern Horrors and Other Writings essays

Southern Horrors and Other Writings essays What is mob violence? Well, nowadays, mob violence differs in comparison to mob violence in the nineteenth century. In the years following the Civil War, there was a lot of mistreatment of African Americans. Ida B. Wells, a young African American journalist, investigated and accounted for the violence acted upon the African Americans during the Post-Reconstruction period. Wells wrote about her investigations because she belied it was the " first step to tell the world the facts" and to make lynching "a crime against American values"(27). In the book Southern Horrors and Other Writings, Royster discussed the mob violence of the lower South and the steps that Wells took to end this violence. During the nineteenth century, a lot of different acts of mob violence were done to the African Americans in the South. Wells focused on lynching of African Americans by the mob. The reasons given for lynching were "allegations of murder, burglary, arson, poisoning water and livestock, insulting whites, being insolent, and other perceived 'offenses,' and sometimes they were lynched on no charges at all"(29). These reasons were not very legitimate. The lynchings could have been handled in a different way as in a court and jury, not by a mob. The mob violence really attacked the African Americans to a point where they had no say in the doings. The people that were mistreated were men, women, and children. Ida B. Wells reported in A Red Record that "during a single year, 1892, 241 men, women, and children across 26 states were lynched. Of the 241, 160 people were identified as African Americans, which represented an increase of 200 percent over the ten-year period since 1882"( 10). This shows that at the time of Reconstruction, violence toward African Americans increased rapidly. Often, African Americans were lynched for odd reasons. Many African American men were lynched for alleged rape of white women even though they had been in a...

American History Since 1900 assignment four Essay

American History Since 1900 assignment four - Essay Example This of course leads to abuses against due process that is guaranteed in the constitution. The idea that someone is innocent until proven guilty was perverted by the weight of congressional hearings during the McCarthy Era. If a person chose to refuse to incriminate himself or herself by claiming their 5th amendment rights, they would be viewed as guilty. On the other hand, if they chose to testify on their own behalf, then they could be forced to incriminate others. This placed citizens accused of un-American activities in an unjust situation. One Hollywood personality that chose to testify was Edward Dmytryk. He naively thought that if he testified, the public would back him and the left-leaning friends he had would come to his rescue. He attempted to testify and he was made to appear guilty. He lost many friends and his job as a result. Lillian Hillman refused to testify by invoking her 5th amendment rights. Many thought this would only serve to make her appear guilty, but she rep orts hearing individuals in the audience making positive comments about her willingness to stand-up to the congressional committee. Vietnam was another country in Asia that was under pressure to become a Communist country. President Kennedy described the countries falling in Asia as dominoes. If one falls then another will follow. America tried to create a government in the south to withstand Communist pressure from the north. This failed so the United States chose to escalate the war through a campaign of bombing. Ground troops were added but proved largely ineffective. America divided between supporters and protestors of the war in Vietnam. President Nixon finally got the Vietcong to come to the peace table. The war was a defeat for America. With the election of President Reagan in 1980, America took a large turn towards becoming a more conservative nation. President Reagan worked hard to incorporate a new conservative agenda into domestic policy. Government funding of abortions t hrough Medicaid was banned. Many gains for gays and lesbians at the local lever were overturned and the overall size of government was reduced. Taxes were cut because Reagan believed that free enterprise was the best way to grow an economy. Spending on the military was increased in an effort to out-produce the Soviet Union. This resulted in the Soviet Union failing eventually, but also made government deficits. Richard Nixon’s political strategy reflected the racial and radicalism of his era in several ways. He ran on a strong platform of law and order. He wanted to show America that the hippies and their kind were actually the minority of people in America, not the majority. The complete chaos created by rioting minorities in urban areas and the debacle of the Democratic convention in Chicago played into Nixon’s hand. Many Americans actually expressed their view that the students at Kent State deserved to get shot. This need for law and order is what Nixon was able to tap into. He was easily elected as President. The main causes of the Watergate Scandal were the illegal and unethical methods that the Nixon administration were employing to find out about their Democratic challenger’s strategy. They hired individuals to steal secrets and the thieves were caught. What added to the scandal was the fact that Nixon denied that