Tuesday, December 31, 2019

Money and Success, Who Wins Essay example - 964 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Great Expectations is the story of a young boy. He is quite poor, but as the tale moves on, he falls in love with a rich and spoiled girl. Despite her cruel ways, he devotes the rest of his life to winning her over. He aspires to become a gentleman with the aid of bundles of money that he inherits and sees this as the only way out of the common life he is leading. The boy connects success and happiness solely with money and possessions. Unfortunately, the association leads to the downfall of his character. This is the path taken by too many individuals in todays society. Although they make a correlation between money and success, this connection is substantially unjustified. It results in the disillusions of†¦show more content†¦They have no idea that incredible talent might be present within the minds of the people down the street. Their success has not just sprung up from their wealth and riches. They have, perhaps, earned every bit of their beauti ful house, cars, and other possessions that are so desired among observers. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;A definition of success should be established before going on. Success is defined as the achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted. If someone only desires material possessions, then, if achieved, they have reached success. This kind of success alone will not produce happiness in the lives of these people. The majority of individuals in our world aim for success through happiness, health, and prosperity. Aspirations to a money-related success are not likely to produce these valued possessions. Only in the world of television, advertisements, and movies, is that kind of life possible. The media is a prominent cause of people believing that money is the key to success. Fairy tale-type stories often present people as suddenly becoming happy and successful as the result of coming into a lot of money, perhaps by luck. One example of this is in advertisements. Their main catch is to show people who are using, or have used, their products. The aim is t o make the consumer believe that if you use whatever it is that they are trying to sell, then you will beShow MoreRelated‘Despite Several Attempts to Regulate Campaign Finance, Money Increasingly Dominates the U.S. Electoral Process and Is the Main Factor Contributing to a Candidates Success’ Discuss1270 Words   |  6 Pages‘Despite several attempts to regulate campaign finance, money increasingly dominates the U.S. Electoral process and is the main factor contributing to a candidates success’ Discuss (30 marks) Despite its popularity, there is no serious evidence that campaign finance regulation has actually accomplished any of the goals set out for it by its supporters. Efforts to regulate campaign finance have been little short of disastrous. They have distorted the political process, hindered grassroots politicalRead MoreMichael Jordan And The Transnational Marketing Of Professional Basketball863 Words   |  4 Pagescan be held responsible for driving the ambitions of young athletes like William and Arthur. Jordan was not just an athlete, but he was a black American athlete who earned thirty million from playing with the Bulls and nearly sixty million form endorsements. Everyone who grew up to watch Michael Jordan play had aspirations to reach success alike his. According to LaFerber â€Å"Jordan personified not only the imaginative, individual skills that Americans dreams of displaying in a society that adores gracefulRead MoreThe Success Of A Solid Relationship1061 Words   |  5 Pagesdepends on how one effectively utilizes their full potential. The successful individuals have smart decisions and keep their success strategies a secret. The major downfall for many is that people become too proud and exaggerate their achievements and success. This therefore makes individuals lose perspective on how much they have actually accomplished. Constantly repeating your success stories does not make it any real or genuine. To get forward, people must learn to use their brain s more rather thanRead MoreEssay On How Much Does It Cost To Run For Office1183 Words   |  5 Pagesis a lot thing that needs to know about how to run office in systematic ways. The amount of money that need to spend to run for office is totally depends on the candidate who is willing to run for office and depends on the situation. If the candidates who knows the best way how to run the office, then he/she do not need to spend more money. It is because that candidate will apply the techniques and save money. Also, the candidate should have good impression to the people about his/her background. 2Read MoreCompare Contrast Fiction Essay794 Words   |  4 PagesENGL 102_B40: Literature and Composition Spring 2011 Michaela Gates L23562144 APA Gambling, whether for life or money, is risky and success is not guaranteed, even if you ‘win’. Two different tales both involving risk. 1. Gambling for something valuable - One for life and the other for money 2. Characters’ Personalities - Paul was hopeful and cared deeply for his family - Tessie while also hopeful cared more about herself 3Read MorePerformance Enhancing Drugs is a Global Issue972 Words   |  4 Pagesdrugs and influence others to use these drugs because of their success. An issue is a disagreement between two or more parties in a public forum. Many people disagree with others about the topic, ‘Drug in sport.’ Some people believe that performance enhancing drugs make sport far more interesting and competitive. They believe this because they love to see records being broken, unbelievable finishes to games and the suspense of who will win. Other people believe that this does not make sense and thatRead MoreThe Measurement Of Team Success1408 Words   |  6 PagesSo what is the measurement of team success in professional sports? Is it number of wins? Is it the number of division titles or championships? Or is it the number of sellouts or amount of team revenue? Whatever it may be, the types of players you have on your team is important to reach any level of success. So how much money shou ld a team spend on their players? Salaries of professional sports players are way higher that the average person. Lately, salaries of players in the National BasketballRead MoreEssay on Summary of the Film Seabiscuit605 Words   |  3 Pages The movie Seabiscuit is based on the true story of Red Pollard and his achievement of self-fulfillment through his success as a jockey. At the start of the movie, Red is an unimportant, self-doubting boxer and jockey who has never experienced success in his life. As the movie continues, Red meets two other men, Charles Howard and Jim Smith, who feel as though they have no purpose in life. Throughout the course of the movie, these three men are able to use their passions and motivation to becomeRead MorePoker Game Through These Strategies1244 Words   |  5 PagesWin In Poker Game Through These Strategies If you want to win through poker game, you are necessary to follow few strategies. Poker is though called easy game, mastering is very difficult. It seems to be a greater challenge. In the poker strategy section, one will find out more resources to become winner of poker. The pokeronline has features to make one to win with poker strategy. The basic of poker game relies on four strategies and they are, †¢ Tight play †¢ Dynamic play †¢ Random play †¢ RealizeRead More Success Essay721 Words   |  3 Pagesendeavors to lead a life which they have imagined, they will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.† – Henry David Thoreau What is success? nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp; Is it the process of doing a task and receiving a positive result, or is it simply achieving ones own personal goals? One’s ability to succeed in life is almost directly related to an image of the perception of what success is. Many of Americas most successful businessmen, such as J.P. Morgan

Monday, December 23, 2019

Essay on What Makes Steve Jobs Successful - 539 Words

â€Å"You’ve got to find what you love,† I completely agree with Steve Jobs. Everyone searches for happiness and what they live for. He had gone through a lot to figure out what he loved. Steve’s three stories were very influencing. To be young and having to figure out what to do with his future and to make a living, was it worth it for him to do what he loves? He made me think that it was worth it in the end. Steve went through hard times, but ultimately he lived a very successful life. Steve had chosen a college that was not fairly cheap. He chose that school and did not even like attending it. His parents strived to even let him afford to go to college. Eventually he dropped out. He was making his parents happy for going, but he was not†¦show more content†¦Reading from when he dropped out, you would not think that much success would come to him. After he had gotten fired, he was lost for a while. He felt as if he let everyone down. It really dawned o n him, but he knew he wanted to continue doing what he loved. Steve, after five years, created a company called NeXT. Also another named Pixar. Not only did those two companies’ bring him happiness. He had even fallen in love with an amazing woman. To think none of this would have not even happened if he was not fired from Apple. He said that sometimes life hits you with a brick. It is true. But what matters is if you let it keep you down. You have to have faith in what you believe and want to achieve. Anything can happen in your future. Finally, Steve’s last story was about death. At this point I was thinking he had gone through enough and finally was going to gain the happiness he deserved. Unfortunately I was wrong. He had been diagnosed with cancer. He physically saw that in his scan there was a tumor. He went through everything you have to go to when you get diagnosed. He had planned to tell his children, prepare his loved ones, and set everything out for his fami ly. After all he had gone through to live a happy life, there was the brick he was talking about. Eventually Steve had a miracle. The cancer ended up being cured. Never less, to me, that showed that life is anything but predictable. You should not take anything for granted. AndShow MoreRelatedSteve Jobs : Leadership Qualities1703 Words   |  7 Pagesleaders, it would be difficult to overlook Steve Jobs, former CEO of Apple, Inc. There is argument regarding whether individuals are born with leadership qualities or if they are learned over time. Whether innate or learned, Steve Jobs was exhibiting leadership qualities at a young age. Steven Paul Jobs was born in San Francisco in 1955. Given up for adoption by his biological parents, he was adopted by Paul and Clara Jacobs of San Francisco. Steve and his adoptive parents moved to a suburbanRead MoreSteve Jobs : A Engineer Of The Highest Calibre1602 Words   |  7 Pagesproducts that many people use. Who was this person? That pe rson was Steve Jobs, the famous inventor and co-founder of Apple. He was born in San Francisco, California on February 24, 1955 and died on October 5, 2011. Most people know Steve Jobs for his work at Apple and his â€Å"Stevenotes,† which were his keynote speeches where he introduced new products and technologies. Throughout his life, he accomplished many admirable things. Steve Jobs is admirable because of his help in starting Apple Computer, hisRead MoreThe Truth About Successful People875 Words   |  4 Pages The Truth About Successful People ![Steve Jobs](http://i.imgur.com/xykOu2b.jpg) Don t we all want to be successful and admired? But how can we model our lives after those who have already been successful? Let s take a look at one person who almost everyone would call a success: Steve Jobs. Steve Jobs pounced on an opportunity when it came to him. And that opportunity, since he lived in Silicon Valley as a child and even died there, was in electronics. He really didn t search for opportunitiesRead MoreSteve Jobs : A Strong Leader1700 Words   |  7 Pagesforward progress. Steve Jobs, one of the most modern examples of a strong leader, is well-known for his highly successful company, Apple. Steve Jobs was a believer in achieving what others imagined impossible, and stayed true to his values while pursuing his visions. He did not follow a given set of rules; he rather went with his gut and had strong confidence in himself. Steve Jobs was a unique and extraordinary leader who brought technology in society to new heights. Steve Jobs was born on FebruaryRead MoreThe Success Of Steve Jobs1437 Words   |  6 PagesSteve Jobs by Amelia-Norzamini | studymode.com In this ever growing, rapid developing world as we can see today, there are many different successful leaders. As we know it, leaders are humans just like everyone else. How did they manage to stand out from the crowd? What did they do to achieve great success for an organization? As of all the successful leaders in the world, Steve Jobs is one of the successful leaders that managed to achieve great success for an organization. Therefore, Steve JobsRead Moresteve jobs leadership style Essay1105 Words   |  5 Pages Steve Job’s Leadership Style. Hoang Vu Dang Ha Bristol University Steve Job’s Leadership Style. Leadership style is a leaders style of providing direction, implementing plans, and motivating people. There are many different leadership styles such as leaders in the political, business or other fields. Steve Jobs (24th February, 1955 – 5th October, 2011) is one of the most remarkable leadership people in modern history and he is well-known as the co-founderRead MoreCritical Thinking About Steve Jobs1429 Words   |  6 PagesIntroduction 2 Steve Jobs is the chosen one 3 Explore myself and Successful lesson 4 Reference 5 Introduction In this assignment report gives us some different positions of one person and analyzes that to recognize strength or weakness of myself by using information from Critical Thinking Slides. I also define any changes in my mind when I have an opportunity to comparing my own with the chosen one. All this information was created by individual and collected from the books: * Steve Jobs a biographyRead MoreSteve Jobs1385 Words   |  6 Pagesmany different successful leaders. As we know it, leaders are humans just like everyone else. How did they manage to stand out from the crowd? What did they do to achieve great success for an organization? As of all the successful leaders in the world, Steve Jobs is one of the successful leaders that managed to achieve great success for an organization. Therefore, Steve Jobs is the leader that I personally admire and would like to emulate. According to Gallo (2011, p. 4), Jobs was named the best-performingRead MoreLeadership Is An Important Element Of The Management Function Essay983 Words   |  4 Pages1 Steve Jobs CEO, Apple Introduction Leadership is an important element of the management function. Leadership involves ability to integrate human resources and firm’s goals. Different situations may warrant different kinds of leadership. A business leader knows how to motivate people, accomplish goals, and get things done quickly. Leaders act as middlemen between employees and organization s objectives. Leaders reveal attributes of courage, creativity, and entrepreneurial energy. Strong leadersRead MoreSteve Jobs: The Success Story Essay875 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen †¦ very fortunate; it’s been able to introduce a few of these into the world. â€Å" (â€Å"Steve Jobs introducing the iPhone†) What continued was a loud cheering and clapping by the attendant of the Apple 2007 keynote, one of the most important events held by Apple, the world’s current most valuable company (â€Å"The Worlds Most Valuable Brands†) where Apple introduced the first iPhone. The voice of the man was Steve Job, the former CEO Apple. Born on February 24, 1955 in San Francisco, California, he was

Sunday, December 15, 2019

Anger Management Free Essays

Anger is an emotion we have all displayed every once in a while. However, when the anger gets out of control it is time to seek therapy. Here are some suggestions on how to handle anger management problems and how cognitive therapy may help. We will write a custom essay sample on Anger Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Controlling oneis anger is something we all have to deal with at some point. Yes, we tend to get angry with our spouse, the kids, co-workers and bosses. Or we vent our anger in situations involving motorists, or simply when someone pushes the wrong buttons. Anger management control via cognitive therapy is one way in which we can understand where the anger is coming from and how to effectively deal with any given situation in an appropriate and non-combative manner. In cognitive therapy sessions, certain techniques are utilized. These include relaxation methods and visualization techniques which allow the person to use certain images or words to relax when the anger inside rears its ugly head. For example, road rage has become quite prevalent in our society. One of the methods used in anger management is to have the person visualize an instance wherein they become angry at another motorist, and then use the relaxation methods to rid themselves of that anger. In cognitive therapy, psychologists offer different ways for patients to react to the anger. For example, they may ask the patient to look at a situation in a more appropriate and positive manner instead of flying off the handle in a negative way. There are several ways in which psychologists may use these techniques. The first is assisting their patients to become more aware of their anger. Secondly, they may show the patients how to avoid situations in which they can become angry. Thirdly, teaching patients how to recognize what exactly causes the anger. And finally, offering a plan that the patients can utilize to change the way they react to others and avoid situations that trigger the anger to begin with. The one thing that is emphasized by psychologists is that for any treatment to be effective, it should not entail a person ranting and raving about all of the things that make him or her angry. Instead, focusing on the cues that trigger the anger and utilizing relaxation techniques has been viewed as widely effective. While research is still ongoing to determine the underlying cause of anger, cognitive therapy is one method that is effective in controlling and monitoring such behavior. We all get angry, but it is how we deal with the anger that separates those who need anger management from those who do not. How many of you are guilty of yelling at your kids? If you are a yeller, these easy strategies to stop yelling at your kids may provide you with the help you need to change your yelling habits. For anyone who does yell at their kids, you know it’s a hard habit to break. You may be so used to yelling that you don’t even realize you’re doing it. Remember your children will learn more by example than what is told or explained to them. So if you yell a lot, your children are more likely to follow suit. Once you’ve broken that cycle of yelling, you’ll find life as a family is much calmer. Are your children loud? You may have started yelling out of necessity so you would be heard. However, in many cases, yelling is done to release frustrations. No matter the reason for it, many parents who yell are embarrassed and wish things could change. Plan ahead. You know your children are going to frustrate you at some point, so plan ahead how you will handle it. Pay attention to the warning signs such as clenching your teeth or fists, a slight raise to your voice or possibly shaking. * Ask for help. Allow them to give you a signal if your voice begins getting louder. This could be a ‘catch phrase’ which someone not in-the-kn ow won’t understand but you will recognize it as a clue to control yourself. * Develop coping mechanisms. Walk out of the room, take a deep breath or count to ten. Find a coping mechanism that works for you and continue using it when you realize you’re about to yell. Some people snap a rubber band which is around their wrist. * Think about your child’s temper tantrums. Why do they have a meltdown? They’re tired, hungry or frustrated. Are you experiencing the same things? * Pay attention to the times you’re more liable to yell. Perhaps you yell when you’re more stressed than usual. Once you understand when you yell, you’ll be better able to avoid those situations. * Find new ways to get your children’s attention. Don’t yell if your children aren’t paying attention to you. Use a whistle, stand on a chair or try anything out of the ordinary. * If all else fails, seek professional help. Some people have a hard time breaking habits and yelling is one of them. Speak to someone who can hold you accountable or a professional who deals with anger management. They may be able to provide you with the help you need. There are many reasons to stop yelling. It could affect your children’s self-esteem and it causes your blood pressure to rise. Using these easy strategies to stop yelling at your kids, you can change the dynamics of your home from stressful to peaceful. Give it a try and see if these methods work for you. One type of free anger management activity is relaxation, where the individual learns different techniques to help him to relax and calm down before saying or doing anything rash. Deep breathing is one technique individuals can use where they concentrate on breathing deeply in through the nose and out through the mouth, taking a minute to calm down. This breathing should be done through the diaphragm, which means the air should be pulled down toward the gut rather than just through the chest. While breathing, the individual can say a calming word or phrase to himself such as â€Å"calm down† and can picture a soothing scene or person in his mind. Exercise is another free anger management activity that individuals can use to calm down. This does not mean that an individual has to go to a sports gym, but can merely take a time out where he or she walks down the hallway or around the building a coupe of times to get some fresh air, expend some energy, breathe and work to calm down. Another free anger management activity is to work on changing the way a person thinks when he becomes irritated. This includes changing inner thoughts to more constructive patterns such as reminding himself that getting angry does not help or change anything about a situation, only finding a solution or resolution to the situation is helpful. Using a journal or notebook during this phase or reconditioning in free anger management activities can be helpful since some individuals process their thoughts better when written out on paper where they can review them to see which ones are rational and which ones might need to be re-evaluated. In addition to these free anger management activities, it is also wise to plan some fun time into every day so that the individual has time to unwind and let loose of all the burdens that he has been carrying over the course of the day. Many angry people are really at the root stressed out, feeling like they cannot carry any more burdens on their shoulders so that the least irritations seem huge and lead them to anger. Reducing stress also reduces anger in these people and building in personal time can help with this. How to cite Anger Management, Papers Anger Management Free Essays It can stem from feelings of frustration, hurt, annoyance or even disappointment. Sometimes displeasure, hostility or antagonism towards someone or something, usually combined with an urge to harm. It is a complex emotion and when released improperly, it can have devastating effects on the party on the receiving end regardless if the party is a mere object, or person. We will write a custom essay sample on Anger Management or any similar topic only for you Order Now Once someone is placed on that end, it is not unusual that they may want to escape the violent encounter. Not everyone is a natural born fighter. And then there are others†¦ The ones who become defensive. More often than not, these people stop listening or counter attack. Whether you run away or choose to fight, none of these results in any type of resolution whatsoever and most of the time sows more bad feelings that creep up behind us later on in life. Anger is a very natural emotion that is experienced by all people. Everyone with proper discipline could put anger in its place. Anger isn’t a bad thing. It becomes bad when released in a poor fashion. Today, I will be discussing anger. -Specifically, techniques that enhance interpersonal communication and in turn, possibly reducing and managing poorly expressed anger. Now let’s define what is meant by â€Å"anger management†. The term anger management commonly refers to a system of psychological therapeutic techniques and exercises by which someone with excessive or uncontrollable anger can reduce the triggers, degrees, and effects in an angered emotional state. In the paragraphs to follow I will discuss what communication authors, scholars and experts had to say about anger management, including my findings and conclusions drawn from experiments and observations I have conducted and have noted utilizing these techniques. Rationale: Admittedly, I wasn’t going to do my research paper on anger. I had to contemplate. I thought is this something that I have trouble dealing with at times as do the people that are around me. Every time I asked it, in any manner, the answer always remained the same. Why not? So it reeled me in like a fish on a hook. Through my experiments and research paper I hoped to encounter everyday methods to help me release my anger in a constructive way, as I do tend to bottle up feelings inside and then â€Å"blow my top†. I am grateful that I don’t have what is described as an anger â€Å"problem† by any means –as it isn’t frequent- but I do release it improperly at times. Sometimes being referred to as a child since children hold their feelings in and then make the world pay after, I would like to correct that. Furthermore, I had previous knowledge that a lot of research has been done on anger management and I was curious to see what was to be said on this topic since we all deal with angry people every day. Not only do I want to help myself, but I would rather like to help those that I know are less fortunate than I and spread the word to them so their lives could be a little less hectic then what it is. Research: When researching about this topic, I came across the following information by Henry Kellerman. He posted an article stating the following information: Anger all on its own is said to have its own personality. According to Henry Kellerman’s, Ph. D, Anger is the Key, he depicts anger as having, â€Å"six key characteristics. Those characteristics are described as the following: Anger is inborn so it has an aggressive drive. It makes itself expansive; wanting to get bigger and bigger. It wants to burst forth so it has explosive potential. Anger also constantly wants to attack. It has an entitled frame of mind feeling that it has the right to get tough. And lastly, it also sees itself as an empowerment so it eliminates feelings of helplessness. If one could keep in mind th e six main things that anger manifests itself by, then you could begin to learn to how to begin to work with you emotions. Meaning, we change how we see things. More so our perception. When we are angry or upset, we tend to view another’s behavior as, â€Å"controllable, characterological, and permanent. † Saying how you feel, why and what you want and calming down are all ways to prevent unwanted anger. Sometimes we may not be able to control the situations that we’re placed in so we look for ways to change the reaction even when changing the situation may not be possible. Let’s face it. We get angry and sometimes there is nothing we could really do. One way we can learn to lessen anger is by lessening the emotional impact so you would know how to express your anger in a manner that can promote resolution for the situation that triggered the anger in the first place. In my research I have found that anger is an expression of another emotion that lies underneath. In many situations, anger can be linked to intent to preserve personal worth to preserve essential needs, or to preserve basic convictions. Identifying these unmet needs is one of the goals of anger management counseling. Once these needs are identified, you may need to determine how to address those situations and relationships that may lack boundaries, or healthy structure. In the article Anger Management, by Harry Mills, he states that, â€Å"People tend to go through a predictable set of several stages while working through life-changes. Progress through the stages is largely due to a combination of motivation, technique and dedication. Some people move quickly through the stages, while others move more slowly, perhaps even taking a step or two backward before continuing on to complete their change. Since we want to enhance our communication skills, we need to first be able to learn effective anger management techniques which in turn would allow us to recognize the situations that make us angry so that we may be able to change. The four steps he says that can bring you better interpersonal skills are, awareness, preparation, action and maintaining gains. In awareness, the angry person seeks infor mation about anger management; what anger is, how anger affects health and relationships, and how anger can be controlled. In preparation, you make a decision to actually make a change in the way you will express anger. In the Action stage you start making real changes and perform the way you prepared to do. And finally, in the management stage you learn to accept the fact that you are not perfect, that you will make mistakes and act inappropriately and that you can recover from lapses in your behavior when they do occur. Achieving sustained behavior change is a project. It may take multiple attempts and multiple failures before you will achieve this goal. Each time you do lapse into old behavior, you can use the tools and strategies you have learned along the way to help you pick yourself up and recover. How to cite Anger Management, Papers

Saturday, December 7, 2019

Project Management and Virtual Teams free essay sample

Athabasca University Abstract Due to advanced communication technologies, globalization and outsourcing most of the project management teams are based on groups of individuals called virtual teams who work across time and space using communication technologies. Members of virtual teams may be employees of same company from same country, or they can be contractors, suppliers and company employees around the globe. Managing projects using virtual teams have some advantages and disadvantages. Also several studies have been done to try to determine the factors that are positively co-related to the effectiveness of virtual teams (Schwalbe, 2011). To manage virtual teams successfully in project management, the project manager must manage these factors successfully and also minimize the impact of disadvantages. This paper discusses the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual teams in project management and outlines the factors that are positively correlated to the success of projects based on virtual teams. The paper also outlines some of the recommendations to successfully manage the virtual team in information technology projects. We will write a custom essay sample on Project Management and Virtual Teams or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Keywords Globalization, outsourcing, virtual teams, video conferencing, telecommuting, Project Management, Trust and relationship, Advantages of Virtual teams, Disadvantages of virtual team. Introduction Imagine that you are a project manager in a multinational organization and managing a project to upgrade the server operating system and your team members are from different countries with different cultures and working in different time zones. To complete the project successfully that is based on virtual teams, project manager must understand the advantages and disadvantages of managing virtual teams and factors that positively affect the team members. Today most of the project management teams are based on virtual teams whose members work across time and space using communication technologies and project managers cannot rely on previous methods of project team management where they were able to build trust between team member by social interaction, face-to-face meetings, and direct observations of fellow team member commitment. Literature Review Virtual teams do have some advantages and disadvantages. Some of the advantages outlined by Kathy Schwalbe are: 24/7 availability of workers increasing competiveness and responsiveness, lowering the cost of project as many virtual team members do not need office space and support, providing more flexibility and expertise as project managers have access to the talent around the globe and increasing the work/life balance for team members by eliminating fixed office hours and the need to travel to work. (Schwalbe, 2011). Communication and trust are the most important factors that influence the virtual team performance. Saonee Sarker and others discussed the â€Å"theoretical linkages among trust, communication, and team member performance in virtual teams†. (Sarker1, Ajuja, Sarker, Kirkeby, 2001). To prove their argument the researchers identified and tested three proposed models (additive, interaction, and mediation) describing the role of trust in its relationship. The results of the study indicated that the â€Å"mediating† model best explains how communication and trust work together to influence the performance of virtual team members. In simple words them study proves that â€Å"a communicative individual will be more likely to be trusted and will therefore be more likely to be a high performer†. (Sarker1, Ajuja, Sarker, Kirkeby, 2001) Radostina K. Purvanova reviewed experimental literature and emerging field research on virtual teams. Author compared the â€Å"results from both type of literature and found that experimental literature has largely reported negative results for virtual teams, whereas ? eld investigations and case studies of real virtual teams employed by business organizations report positive outcomes for virtual teams. According to the article although results reported by experimental versus field studies are quite different, author concludes that both literatures have revealed negative attitudes toward virtual communication media. Advantages of Virtual Teams The main advantages of virtual teams include: The biggest advantage of virtual team enjoyed by an organization is the associated cost savings. The organization can save huge expenses on real estate, office spaces, utility bills such as gas, electricity, water etc. and executive’s travel. Team members can work from anywhere and anytime of the day. They can choose the place they work based on the mood and the comfort. You can recruit people for their skills and suitability to the job. The location does not matter. There is no time and money wasted for commuting and clothing. Physical handicaps are not an issue. Another advantage is the labour laws, some organizations prefer to have virtual teams because of strict local labour laws. Since the members span the time zones, there could be different team working on the same project 24/7, so when one member sleeps there will be another one somewhere else who would start work where the former had left. This shortens the product development time as well as faster response time to demands in both global and local markets. Disadvantages of Virtual Teams Disadvantages of virtual teams include: Since team members do not frequently meet or do not meet at all, the teamwork spirit may not be present. Some people prefer to be in a physical office when working. These people will be less productive in virtual environments. To work for virtual teams, individuals need to have a lot of self-discipline. If the individual is not disciplined, he or she may be less productive. The cultural difference between the members of virtual teams gives rise to number of conflicts. For example, while an employee from one part of the world would write a straightforward email describing a bad situation; this would be perceived as impolite by a member of the team from other part of the world. This would lead to conflicts, mistrust and difficulties in fruitful collaboration which is so vital for the success of virtual team functioning. These challenges are also precipitated by the absence of non-verbal cues so intrinsic to face-to-face interactions. Many members of virtual teams are adversely affected by the lack of physical interactions. Most of the communications in virtual environment is task-oriented. In today’s society where job is an important social force for most of us because many of our workplace colleagues also constitute our close friends, this gives a not-so-good feeling of social isolation. This in turn counter-effects productivity as well as leads to stress. In the virtual environment, it is better to communicate, clarify, and confirm everything to make sure that all members have the same understanding about the task at hand. This produces of ton of paperwork and files that could quickly fill your archives. Factors that positively affect virtual teams Succession planning and promotions involving virtual team members are important factors and if managed properly, virtual team members will feel that they are receiving recognition and credit and as a result they will be satisfied and their productivity will be increased. (Leonard, 2011) Since team members are not communicating face to face, constructive team and individual feedback early and often becomes more important and if managed properly can avoid many problems before hand. Trust between team members and project leader is an important factor that can affect the performance of team members. One important way to build trust between team members is effective communication. The more they communicate with each other and with project more they build the trust. Well defined and documented team process also important which saves a lot of time for especially new team members to find answers to their questions related to policies and procedures. A team member selection and role preference is also important factor to successfully manage the virtual teams. â€Å"Dr. Meredith Belbin defined a team role as a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way. 15 It is important to select team members carefully and to form a team where all roles are covered. Each virtual team member must also understand his or her role(s) on the team. † (Schwalbe, 2011) Discussion and Conclusions Organizations such as IBM, Microsoft, Whirlpool as well as SMEs are reaping the benefits of virtual teams for some time now. It has been a well-recognized fact that virtual team is not a passing tide but it is here to stay. Virtual teams are rising in numbers nowadays and even small technology companies are now adapting virtual team practice for recruiting the best people from all over the globe and reduce the cost. As outlined in previous sections, virtual teams do have advantaged and some disadvantages as well. To benefit from advantages and to minimize the impact of disadvantages a project manager can focus on factors that positively affect the virtual team’s performance. As indicated by previous researchers, increase in trust, comfort level and communication effectiveness leads to better project success. All of the above discussed disadvantages can be overcome by following a different leadership approach, trainings, greater role clarity and effective communication strategies. Also earlier discussed factors that affect virtual teams, if managed properly can result in a successful project. In addition, the companies using virtual teams can minimize their operating costs and maximize the profit margins. Additionally, the employees working in virtual teams are at advantages when it comes to working in their own home, own time, and reduction of commuting costs. Therefore, organizations should look into setting up virtual teams for different tasks whenever possible. To reap the benefits of virtual teams in projects and minimize the impact of disadvantages virtual team managers should manage the outlined factors properly and should also follow best practices outlined in next section. Best Practices When running virtual teams, some of the best practices include: An instant messaging program can be used to create a sense of presence amongst members of the team. Chat is a good way to have side conversations during meetings to gain consensus, confirm understanding or ask questions. Quick questions can be asked through instant messenger as a substitute for popping into someone’s cubicle. Services for syncing files, bug tracking, project management, source control, web conferencing, conference calls, screen recording, usability testing and so on. A virtual phone system allows mapping of phone extensions to any phone number. Advance features allow callers to dial by name, get placed into a phone queue or get recorded answers back from a phone tree. In-person meetings are also a good option; it helps build team cohesion and trust and can help people get to know each other on a deeper level. But they are by no means critical. Bringing everyone together once a year may cost a little, but it’s still often cheaper than paying local salaries and rent, and increases the efficiency of team.