Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Essays

Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Essays Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Paper Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Paper Determination of the Enthalpy for Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Objective: To construct a coffee cup calorimeter, measure its calorimeter constant, and determine the enthalpy of decomposition and formation of hydrogen peroxide. Background: This experiment is a classic thermodynamics lab. In it, we attempt to measure the enthalpy (? H) of a chemical reaction. The main obstacle is that this is a quantity that cannot be measured directly. It instead is observed as heat from one substance is transferred to another while being monitored with a thermometer. A temperature change in a known substance (such as water) can be related to a certain amount of heat (q). q ? ? mass ? ?T f ? Ti ? ? Specific heat ? Our calorimeter is going to be a set of Styrofoam coffee cups. These cups are well known insulators, and they should keep most heat inside themselves. They are not perfect, however, and they will absorb some of the heat from the process, so we need to determine the calorimeter constant. For any process, the first law of thermodynamics must be followed. ?E ? 0 ? qsystem ? surroundings However, if the calorimeter itself is going to absorb some energy, it must be accounted for as well. ?E ? 0 ? qsystem ? qsurroundings ? qcalorimeter In the first portion of our experiment, a known mass of water with a known temperature will be used to determine how much energy is being absorbed by the calorimeter. Once this is known, the change in enthalpy from the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide can be determined. 2H2O2(aq) ? 2H2O(l) + O2(g) A solution o f hydrogen peroxide will be added to the calorimeter and its temperature will be monitored for a short time. A small amount of iron nitrate will be added to catalyze the reaction and produce a measureable temperature change. This temperature change will be plotted over time. Using this plot, the mass of solution, its specific heat, the calorimeter constant, and the temperature change, we will be able to determine the enthalpy for the reaction. Procedure Week One – Determination of the calorimeter constant Objective – To measure the amount of energy absorbed by the calorimeter while observing a change in temperature. 1. Using a top loading balance, determine the mass of Styrofoam cup and a stir bar. . Place about 100mL of warm deionized water in the cup. Monitor its temperature for 3-4 minutes. Record the temperature every minute. 3. Using a top loading balance, determine the mass of a second Styrofoam cup and a stir bar. 4. Place about 100mL of room temperature water in the cup. Monitor its temperature for 34 minutes. Record the temperature every minute. 5. When the temperatur e of the warm water is about 20? C above the room temperature water, quickly pour it into the room temperature water. Continue monitoring the temperature and recording it every minute. . After several minutes, when the temperature is no longer changing quickly, record the mass of the combined water. 7. Repeat this procedure at least one more time. Week One – Preparation of a standard potassium permanganate solution Objective: To prepare a potassium permanganate solution with a known concentration. This will be used in a second week to standardize a hydrogen peroxide solution. 1. Obtain enough potassium permanganate to make 250. 0mL of a 0. 02M solution. NOTE: Use the analytical balance for this operation. It is NOT necessary to get exactly the amount you calculated. It is only important to be close to this amount, and to record the amount you took accurately. 2. Dissolve this in a small amount of water before diluting it to a final volume of 250. 0mL in a volumetric flask. 3. Transfer this to a clean dry bottle, and store it for use next week. Week Two – Determination of the Concentration of hydrogen peroxide. Objective: Determine the concentration of hydrogen peroxide and use this result to know how many moles are being decomposed. 1. Pipet 2. 0mL of hydrogen peroxide into a small Erlenmeyer flask. Add about 10mL of 4. 0M H2SO4 and 50mL of deionized water. 2. Rinse and fill a buret with the potassium permanganate solution that was prepared last week. 3. Start to titrate the solution. It should stay clear until the end point is reached. The endpoint is the lightest permanent pink color that persists. 4. Repeat so that you have three precise trials. 5. Calculate the concentratio n of the hydrogen peroxide solution. The balanced chemical equation is written below. 2MnO4-(aq) + 5H2O2(aq) + 6H+(aq) ? Mn2+(aq) + 5O2(g) + 8H2O(l) Week Two – Enthalpy of Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide Objective: Use the calorimeter from last week to determine the enthalpy of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide. 1. Add 50. 0mL of hydrogen peroxide to the tared Styrofoam cup using a graduated cylinder. 2. Obtain 10. 0mL of 0. 5M iron(III)nitrate in a graduated cylinder. 3. Start recording the temperature of the hydrogen peroxide solution. At the five minute mark, quickly add the iron nitrate, but do not record the temperature. 4. At the six minute mark start recording temperatures again until you reach the 12 minute mark. . Dump out the solution, and repeat if time permits. Calorimeter Constant Calculations It is very straightforward to determine the energy that is gained or lost when a known mass of water is heated or cooled. ?E ? 0 ? qsystem ? qsurroundings ? qcalorimete r From the data above, you will need to plot the temperature of the room temperature water and extrapolate that line out a bit. That will be its initial temperature (T1). Extrapolate through the points after mixing, and this will be its final temperature (T2). From this the heat gained by the room temperature water can be calculated. qroom ? mass T2 ? T1 Cwater ? This is repeated for the warm water. Extrapolate the warm water’s temperature through the time when it is mixed. This is will be its initial temperature (T3). Extrapolate through the points after mixing and this will be its final temperature (T2). From this the heat lost by the warm water can be calculated. qwarm ? ? mass T3 ? T2 Cwater ? The Calorimeter constant will be the difference between these two. Whatever energy lost by the warm water should have been gained by the room temperature water, except for what was gained by the cup. qroom ? qwarm ? qcup ? T2 ? T1 ? ? Ccup ? A sample for the plot is below. The v ertical line is the time when the two water samples were mixed. Mixing Curve for Water 42 37 T3 Temp (C) Room Temp Water 32 27 T1 22 0 2 4 6 Time (min) 8 10 12 T2 Warm Water Calculations for the Enthalpy of Decomposition of Hydrogen Peroxide The solution here is mostly water, and it is assumed to have a specific heat of 4. 184 J/g? C. There are two things that would absorb the energy lost by hydrogen peroxide: the solution, and the cup. ? qH 2O2 ? qsolution ? qcup The ‘q’ of the solution is calculated in a way similar to that of water. The time and temperature information will have to be plotted. The only thing that is different here, is that the temperature of just one thing is being recorded. There will only be two temperatures, T1 and T2. qsolution ? ? mass T2 ? T1 ? 4. 184 J ? g ? C ? qcup ? ? Ccup ? ?T2 ? T1 ? Here Ccup was determined last week. To determine the ? H in terms of joules per mole, one will have to divide the energy by the number of moles in the solution. moles ? M H ? 2 O2 ? ? Volume ? H 2O2 Report Information taken from this lab included the following. Week One ? Mass of room temperature water ? Mass of cup(s) and stirring bar(s) ? Mass of warm water ? Mass of combined water ? Initial temperatures for water ? Post mixing temperatures for water ? Time ? Mass of potassium permanganate ? Volume of potassium permanganate solution Week Two ? Volume of hydrogen peroxide solution titrated. ? Volume of potassium permanganate used. ? Mass of cup and stirring bar. ? Mass of hydrogen peroxide ? Mass of mixed peroxide and iron ? Temperature prior to mixing. ? Temperature after mixing. ? Time From this, one will need to calculate: ? ? ? ? The concentration of potassium permanganate The concentration of hydrogen peroxide (averaged) The calorimeter constant (averaged) The enthalpy of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide (averaged) In a 1 – 2 page typed report please give the following: ? ? ? A brief 2-3 sentence abstract describing the experiment and the final result. Work detailing how quantities were determined. A brief one paragraph discussion dealing with the comparison of the result to the literature value of (-94. 6 kJ/mole). What specific sources of error might account for a difference between your result and the literature value.

French-Themed Celebrations

French-Themed Celebrations For Francophiles, any time is a good time to celebrate French, but there is one holiday in particular that cries out for a French-themed party: Bastille Day. Here are some ideas for a party with some French panache.DecorationsIf youre going for patriotic Bastille Day colors, Americans have it easy: you can just reuse your red, white, and blue bunting from the 4th of July. You might also consider investing in some posters, or make your own by blowing up your favorite photos of France. If youre feeling artistic or playful, decorate place card with little drawings of the Eiffel Tower, or make tiny berets or French flags as party favors.DiscussionsTo get people in a chatty mood, consider one of these topic ideas:  Ã‚  Ã‚  - French quotations - offer up a few of your favorite Francophone words of wisdom for discussion.  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Today in Francophone history - talk about famous French people who share each guests birthday.  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Travel stories - anyone who has been to France wi ll be eager to talk about it. Set up a projector to swap stories and photos.  Ã‚  Ã‚  - French culture - theres no shortage of discussion topics when it comes to French movies, plays, literature...  Ã‚  Ã‚  - French is better than... everything - I put this together just for fun; see if you can add to my lists, or come up with new ones.  Ã‚  Ã‚  - Spanish is easier than French - fact or fiction?EntertainmentDont forget to have some nice French music playing in the background, or even a movie.Food and DrinkNothing says fà ªte like good French food and drinks. Some classic foods are cheese, crà ªpes, fondue, French onion soup, pà ¢tà ©, pissaladià ¨re, quiche, ratatouille, croissants, and a variety of French breads. For dessert, try chocolate mousse, and crà ¨me brà »là ©e. As for beverages, theres wine, champagne, pastis, chartreuse, coffee, and Orangina. Bon appà ©tit  !Vive la France!

Training and Development Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Training and Development - Assignment Example To motivate companies to evaluate training programs, management personnel who are in charge of training and development must emphasize that an evaluation would provide management with the crucial information that defines the success or failure of training programs, depending on the goals that were stipulated. The evaluation of training programs would assist in generating data that would confirm the strengths, as well as effectiveness of training and development programs; and if there are evident weaknesses that need to be addressed. Thus, companies would be motivated to evaluate training programs through the provision of accurate information that relates the direct impact of these programs on the overall improvement of the organization in terms of performance, job satisfaction and financial success. 2. What are result outcomes? Why do you think that most organizations don't use results outcomes for evaluating their training programs? According to Zoe (2010), result outcomes are resul ts of training evaluations which are â€Å"used to determine the training program's payoff for the company† (p. 225). Examples of the results outcome apparently included standards of performance such as productivity, quality, costs, repeat customers, customer satisfaction, and even information on work-related accidents (Zoe, 2010, p. 222).

Toyota Aygo Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Toyota Aygo Marketing - Essay Example Then, there were only five car competitors for the urban youth market segment. However, competitors have grown to twenty today. Thus, in an effort to improve its position in the highly competitive segment, where customers are hard to win, in the year 2014, the company unveiled a new version of the Aygo model with modifications that make it more suitable for the young target customers. The model constitutes the largest individual market share of any Toyota model and has a remarkable track record of attracting new customers to the Toyota brand and winning their loyalty (Lap Lab). Young people have different tastes for cars from the older people. Firstly, they prefer small cars. Tus, in this respect, the Aygo model is small enough to suit the target customer needs. The car’s capacity is four people; the boot is also pretty small, though enough for a carry-on case/a few bags of shopping (Lap Lab). In addition, young people also want economical cars; they are young and not yet at financial peak. In this regard, Aygo is economical in two aspects. Its price is the cheapest of all Toyota models, the average list price in UK being  £8, 59. Further, insurance costs are also relatively lower, and the company offers attractive finance deals to make the car more affordable to the youth. Secondly, the model scores relatively high in fuel economy. The new recently launched model has a fuel efficiency of 68.8mpg, which is a big improvement from its predecessor (Lap Lab). In addition, the youth also want a stylish car with playful features. Styling is one area in which Toyota has majored in to achieve the upper hand in a competitive urban youth market segment. The new version has been designed with style and fun in mind which, the company says to have been inspired by the Japanese youth culture. While the previous Aygo looked tasteless, the new version has a fancy X arrangement that gives it

Economics of the movie business Essay Example for Free

Economics of the movie business Essay Most of the movies that are eventually released are cofinanced. This is a term that is used within the movie industry to describe those films for which there are more than one firm that share both the cost of production as well as the revenues. Nearly one-third of all the movies that are released are cofinanced. Various studies have shown that the main reason for cofinancing is to manage and share risk. Most of the major studios are in the category of publicly traded firms where the investors are free to carry out their own diversification decisions. Not always is the cofinancing decision related to the movie returns as the studios rarely cofinance highly risky films1. Demand is difficult to predict and thus financial risk remains to be a characteristic of the film industry since most of the cost is incurred long before the demand can be actualized. It’s thus the reason that most of the authors in this field have argued that the key variable that shapes the industry is the financing strategy adopted. Mainly, there are three ways in which cofinancing would reduce risk associated with the movie production. First, the cofinancing of the relatively risky films by the studios would give them the opportunity to participate in the less risky projects. Second, cofinancing would allow studios to fine tune their portfolios thus gaining the advantage of covariances of the gains across the movies. The third advantage of cofinancing is the simple law of large numbers to share a potential loss . Data collection The data to be used here in this paper is the information provided forth in Goettler, R. L and Leslie, P. (2004) where information on over 3,826 movies was exhibited in the US between 1987 to 2000. The primary source of the data was the Internet Movie Database (IMDb). The analysis focused mainly on ownership choices of the major studios. Out of the 3,826 movies examined, 1,305 were produced by the major studios. The analysis here focuses on ownership choices that have been made by the major studios. Movie profitability has been based on the return on investment, RIO, which is defined as the revenue divided by the cost. Revenue in this case was measured as the North America box office revenue and cost was obtained from the production budget. Film’s negative cost, which is the standard measure of production cost was also used. Other cost such as advertising are in most cases proportional to the cost of production and were thus not evaluated in this kind of study. Thus the ROI evaluated here was basically the relative profitability of the films but not the absolute profitability. Also the measure of revenues in this study excluded some revenues such as foreign box and video revenue. It would be ideal to use all the revenue sources but the approach would have limited the number of films in the analysis as most of this kind of data is only available only to a subset of films. At the same time limiting the analysis only to the films with this kind of extra data may introduce selection bias as most of this data maybe limited to the successful films only1. Identification of cofinanced films The listing of a production company is the first sign that there are cofinancing partners but this is not a sufficient condition. The most important criteria is to know if a firm contributes towards the production cost. Its worth to note that a firm can be credited for having contributed into the production company of a film after initiating then selling the project to a major studio even without retaining revenue shares. This kind of arrangement referred to as â€Å"first-look deal† is common between a semi-independent production company and a studio in a long-term relationship. The criteria used here in determining if a film is cofinanced is that first if a major studio is on the list of the production company for a certain film, then the assumption is that the studio has some ownership stake in the film. Second, Variety magazine was a source of those firms with the first-look deals from the â€Å"Facts on Pacts† list and those that are equity partners. The assumption here was that a firm was a joint owner if it was on the production company list and also on the equity partner2. For those movie that an independent firm and a major studio cofinanced, the question of whether either of these two had the option of being sole-owner remains. In simple term, one may also question which among the two firms initiated the entire project? The available information suggest that the studio usually has the mandate to decide if it will co-own or just be a sole-owner. This kind of decision called â€Å"greenlighting† is usually made during decision point of whether to make the movie or not. Complications do arise like when two companies have the same subsidiary structure such as having the same parent company and at the same time end up owning the same movie. In such cases, it was assumed that the movie was not cofinanced since the production divisions happen to work as integrated components of the parent studio rather than as being competitors. Another point of ownership ignored was the cases where the directors or the star actors negotiate a part of the movie revenues. This was so because most of this happens as a result of the directors/actors strong bargaining power to have a share of the revenue once the movie is successful rather than a strong will to share and manage risk.

Robinson Crusoe :: essays research papers

From the beginning of some life, people make many choices that affect their personal growth and livelihood, choices like what they should wear and/or what they should do. Even the littlest choices that they make could make a big difference in their lives. In the book, Robinson Crusoe retold by Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe, while on the island, made many choices, big and small, that affected his personal growth and contributed to why he survived for so long. On the island he made a lot of smart decisions of what to do in order to stay a live. On his second day he made a choice to go back to the ship to explore what was there. He spent a lot of time building his home when he could have done something more important. He also took a risk and helped out a person that he did not know. These were some of many choices that Robinson Crusoe made throughout his many years on the island. While on a trip off the coast of England, rough winds threw Robinson Crusoe and his crew of sixteen members off course. Right after one of the crew yelled out “land ahoy'; the ship hit a rock and went down. Everybody drowned except Robinson Crusoe, who washed up on a nearby island; he was the only survivor. The next morning he realized what had happened and became scared of dying, because without food or clothes he could not survive. Not knowing what to do, he made a small shack and settled on the island for that night. The very next morning he made a choice to build a raft and go out to the broken boat and explore for items he could find. He was hardworking and smart even in a bad situation. His decision to go back to the boat and risk a chance of being killed by sharks changed his life span. It also proved that he was smart. By making smart decision and thinking wisely, it proved that he was a smart man. “I at once found some food, for I was hungry'; (15). If he had not gone back to the ship he could have starved to death. Robinson needed food and his choice to get it made him survive for a longer time. Even though Robinson had food and shelter he had nobody there to keep him company.

A Life of Her Own

The first thing that is noticeable in the way Emilie Carles wrote â€Å"A Life of Her Own†, her autobiography, is the almost straightforward narration that she used in depicting what her life as a little girl living in a rural mountain valley of Alpine, France.As a married woman, a mother, a schoolteacher and later an activist, had been during the pre-World War and the postwar development phase that took place in France and the world’s history. Straightforward, in the sense that no time was given to dwelling in sentimentalities.Every word written and every image that were portrayed were significant and true in her eyes as a child and as an adult. The purpose of this paper is to show the difference of Emilie Carles from other women because what she wanted to impose in her book is not as easy as making a fictional biography of a woman in the twentieth-century.Emilie Carles narrated how the people in her village, including her family, confront life’s challenges in a day-to-day basis. She depicted a life that is led by poverty, hard grueling work and an almost passive acceptance of the fate and destiny of the people. In her village, she highlighted the importance of the bull or cows and its ability to produce calves, milk and other products to enable a family of four (or more) carry on with their lives.Her opening statement in her book showed the seeming â€Å"unconcerned† attitude of her father to her, even when she fell down the 2-storey house where they live. The bull that he had to buy is far more important than the situation of his daughter. French peasants in Carles’ village would usually cry due to a cow’s death than family members. As she have stated, â€Å"the torment of poverty outweigh the ruling of the heart†.[1]Through her stories, she helped the readers envisioned a pre-war life in France that is full patriarchal in nature; and almost all marriages are arranged, like her parents’. She wrote that women’s lives are usually broken due to its inability to choose whom to marry. Marriages, during her early childhood, are business contracts between two families that are usually decided by the male members. It is usually considered as marriage of convenience, a business contract where land and products will be combined to enable the peasants to live a little more easily.Her mother tried to fight this culture by running to a benefactor, her revered godmother, to ask for her blessing and advice in not marrying Joseph Carles and instead, marry the one she loves. She was thwarted by her godmother and was informed that to follow the course of her fate is the best advice she could to her. Otherwise, she will become an outcast in their Alpine village. Though her mother did not love Joseph Carles, she gave herself into taking care of her family, becoming the â€Å"sap† to her father’s â€Å"tree†; the â€Å"branch† to his â€Å"tree† and life and s trength of the family.Her mother was unable to defy the system in the village but she was strong-willed and spoke her own mind when she thinks it is needed. She is generous and knows how to please people such that after her death, people will come to Emilie to tell her that her mother is a remarkable woman. Perhaps, this characteristic of her mother is one of those that Emilie inherited, giving her the willpower and the strength of mind and soul to pursue her career as a schoolteacher and as a mother, as well as being an activist later in life.Due to the inability of his father to take care of the four siblings left behind by his wife, the youngest, a four-month old, had to be alternately nursed by mothers in the village. Emilie herself was sent to her uncle’s place to be taken cared of, as promised by their relative. She will become a schoolteacher later on with the help of her uncle, although life with her uncle had been full of tribulations as her aunt somehow maltreated h er by always finding little faults in her.[1] Carles, Emilie and Destanque, Robert. A Life of Her Own: The Transformation of a Countrywoman in 20th-Century France. 1992. Reed Business Information, Inc.

Project Management and Virtual Teams Essay

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. 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.

Workplace Etiquette10 of the Most Obnoxious Things You Can Do at Work

Workplace Etiquette10 of the Most Obnoxious Things You Can Do at Work The rules for workplace etiquette aren’t exactly posted in every office for convenient reference. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t learn and follow them. It’s never to late to make sure your behavior isn’t going to offend anyone or keep you from getting ahead. Here are 10 things you should make sure you never do at work.1. Talk, loudly, on your phoneYou think it’s okay to answer your cell at your desk? Then roam down the hall talking at full volume as you walk to get a cup of coffee or a photocopy? Think again. You’re actually being very disrespectful. Not to mention disrupting everyone you pass.2. Chew or slurp out loudIt’s gross and it annoys people. Keep your noodle/soup/coffee/ice chips sounds to yourself. Yes, even at your cubicle.3.  Not change after the gymGood for you for working out during your work day! But don’t you dare go back to your desk without showering or changing clothes. Ew.4. Fight loudly on the phoneSure, arguing with your S.O./parent/roommate is a necessary thing sometimes. But don’t take the call in a public setting and force everyone around you to listen in.5.  Apply stinky beauty productsDon’t take off or apply nail polish (or nail polish remover) at your desk- or anywhere in nose-shot. It’s not a work activity, plus a lot of people are allergic or sensitive to the smell. For that matter, go easy on the perfume or cologne as well.6. Bash your coworkersNever try to talk smack about one co-worker with another co-worker. It will not end well for you.7. Show up late and moochDon’t show up to the meeting late, first of all. Second of all, don’t expect the people who were on time to fill you in. It’s your bad and your responsibility to catch up. Don’t waste everybody else’s time.8. Talk private money mattersNo matter how broke you are, or how curious, talking salary is never a good idea at work. Keep your financial st atus to yourself and let others do so too.9. Be a jerkYou want to invite one co-worker to lunch or happy hour, but you just can’t do it if there’s another co-worker in ear shot, or worse, standing right there with you. Send an email or a text if you want to be exclusive.10. Get politicalKeep your political (and religious, for that matter!) views to yourself.Just think how much easier our work lives would be if everybody knew and followed these few easy rules.

Getting Your Book Coverage in the National Press

Getting Your Book Coverage in the National Press Getting Your Book Coverage in the National Press This is a guest post by Douglas Wight, freelance journalist, author, publisher and book serialization specialist. He explains how authors can get book coverage in the national press†¦ and get paid for it!Book Coverage: Making A SplashHow many â€Å"likes†, how many â€Å"followers†, how’s your â€Å"discoverability†, what are your â€Å"signs of life†, are you on top of your profiles, what are your hits on â€Å"YouTube†?Life can be baffling for an author these days. The pressure not just to have a digital presence but one that’s firing hourly on multiple platforms is not just daunting, but increasingly terrifying.But imagine a platform that would pay for your content. That’s right. Hard cash. Not only that but it will guarantee an audience of millions. And these millions aren’t just digital consumers but actual readers. In addition, at no cost to you, it will take on the heavy lifting of promotion. This platform mig ht even advertise your book, plug it extensively online, tweet links to your material, sell your content on to other outlets, giving you a share of the spoils and run discount price offers so the audience can directly purchase your book.Sounds not bad, eh? And what is this amazing new platform that can promise all this?Actually, it’s oldest known to mankind. The humble newspaper.A Great Success StoryIn the digital age, not much attention is paid to â€Å"old media†. Newspapers are dinosaurs, right, losing readers by the millions, out-dated and out-of-touch?On the contrary, newspapers are in many ways the great success story. They’ve survived the arrival of radio and television and, after a rocky period, are navigating a passage through the Internet age. Crucially, for authors, they love books. True, many titles have done away with specialist literary editors but newspapers appreciate the kudos a book can bring. A good serialization can work wonders for both news paper and author. And, in an age of declining sales, all round publishers and the fourth estate need each other more than ever. If you write non-fiction, there’s a good chance your book could find a home in a newspaper. If you’re the author of a non-fiction book, there’s a good chance it could find a home in a newspaper. The only criteria, be it for a celebrity biography, strong real-life or historical story or a ‘mind, body, spirit’ book, is that it’s new, or offers readers something different. And, as long as it’s properly researched and credible, they’re happy to promote self-published books, which can be a massive boost for a fledgling author or imprint.Modern-day serializations have evolved from the days when newspapers would pay tens, even hundreds of thousands to gut a big celebrity title over several days. As advances have come down, so too has the money newspapers expect to pay to run content, but this has opened up the market. These days a ‘serial’ is more likely to be a one-day hit but it can be a fantastic launch pad for any new book. "A ‘serial’ can be a fantastic launch pad for any new book." – @dougwight Although newspapers demand exclusivity, other media – magazines, online news sources, television and radio stations – are happy to follow, offering new pathways to publicity and promotion.And the good news is that, certainly where tabloids are concerned, they are still willing to pay for content. The sums involved might not make you rich but in an era of ridiculously small advances they can almost take the place of an advance for self-published work.With journalist Jennifer Wiley, I recently self-published an unauthorised biography of the pop singer Rita Ora. A serial deal with the Sun meant we were able to print a hardback and attract interest from a major high street retailer. The Sun’s coverage was picked up around the world and led to extensive secondary publicity. This won’t be everyone’s experience but it showed the potential of strong newspaper coverage.In another example, a book published solely through Amazon’s Print on Demand went o n to sell thousands of copies after a tabloid serialisation brought it to the public’s attention.Get Serious About SerialWhether you are an independent author, self-publisher or have a forthcoming book with a traditional publisher it’s important to think about the merits of serialisation.Most publishers have a rights department whose job it is to secure serial deals. Sadly, however, away from the big titles it can often be the case that a smaller book gets overlooked or not much effort is put into achieving national coverage.So, take an interest. Think of ways to make your text appealing to newspapers. Some authors are guilty of thinking that once their manuscript is sent a team of specialists will mold their work to make it publicity friendly. The reality is that the best you can hope for is that a rights manager will flag it up to a paper and send over the manuscript. If you’re a books editor or features editor you might have ten manuscripts a week vying for y our attention.If, however, you’ve dissected your text and teased out the killer new lines, in which chapters to find them and set out exactly what’s fresh and interesting, then you’re helping push your book to the top of the pile. Dissect your text and tease out the killer new lines, then pitch it to the press. It also means you’re starting to control part of the process.Newspapers are visual beasts so think photos and images. If your book is photo-free suggest images available online that might help them illustrate it. The more visually grabbing your piece is the better chance it has of making it past the editorial conferences held to decide which stories are placed  in newspapers (and where).Fiction is harder to place or feature with anything more than a review. However, if you have a good back story or a remarkable real-life event sparked the idea for a novel this could pave the way for an interview to plug your new book.It’s worth noting, however, that newspapers traditionally don’t pay for author interviews, just extracts. They will, however, plug the actual book, possibly with an off the page reader offer, and front cover.If you’re not writing for a publisher, work with a serialisation expert, or ring up the paper you think is best suited to the material. Features editors are desperate for brilliant ideas.Often, retailers monitor press coverage and increase their orders accordingly. There’s no guarantee that happens all the time and publishers might well argue that the press’s influence on sales is not what it was†¦ but any publicity is good publicity and the more prompters readers get to the existence of a new book the better.So, in this digital age, think ink and see how Fleet Street can help your book get on the High Street.Looking to get some book  coverage in the press or on specialist blogs?  Pitch our  Reedsy publicists here  and ask them for free quotes!Have you tried to pitch your book to newspapers? Do you believe in the power of the "old media" in the digital age? Share your thoughts and experiences with us, or ask Douglas any question, in the comments below!

Journal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 31

Journal - Assignment Example One strongly believes that a universal standard in physical examination should be designed and followed; regardless of demographic or cultural orientation of patients or doctors. This would ensure that high ideals of professionalism are adhered to; as well as prevents tendencies for legal sanctions that could ensue. Actually, from one’s personal experience, it has always been presumed that being examined by a doctor, especially in body parts below the waist, would really necessitate the presence of a family member or a chaperone; especially if the doctor is of the opposite sex. It is perfectly understood that doctors have, by nature of their profession and experience, been exposed and oriented on proper conduct and decorum while doing the physical examination. However, one is convinced that doctors are just human beings, whose senses and emotions are influenced by what is perceived. Therefore, to avoid any untoward incident that could jeopardize the patient-doctor relationship, a set of uniform professional standards should be clearly and explicitly designed on a global