Wednesday, December 25, 2019

Alcoholism An Exploration Of Alcoholism - 2043 Words

Rachel Hines Mr. Allen Period 6/7 3 June 2015 One Drink Too Many: An Exploration of Alcoholism Many adults can enjoy a drink or two from time to time without any issues, but just one drink can cause over seventeen million Americans’ lives to spiral out of control. Though most people do not have issues with drinking alcoholic beverages, many have a condition which causes their brain to function differently when they consume alcohol. This disease can be deadly for both the alcoholic and those around them. Alcoholism can control someone’s life, and even though it is a societal issue that is still being addressed, more people are seeking treatment to better themselves. Alcoholism, excessive consumption of alcohol that results in dependence, is caused by genetics and environmental factors that result in harmful effects on the body of the drinker and the safety of society; however, therapy and support groups are helping alcoholics recover today, and medications undergoing trial could allow them to live normal lives in th e future. Alcoholism is a major social issue around the world today. The ProQuest Staff of SIRS Researcher defines alcoholism as excessive use of alcohol that eventually results in dependence, or addiction where the body craves a drug. There are roughly 140 million alcoholics currently in the world, which results in higher rates of crime, abuse, illness, car crashes, and lower productivity in work (ProQuest Staff). According to Dr. Mark Willenbring, mostShow MoreRelatedThe Base Of Ethical Analysis Of Alcoholism1012 Words   |  5 Pagesdone this task on the base of ethical analysis of alcoholism. Here I have applied Aristotle’s virtue ethics to social-psychological interpretation of one kind of alcoholism. I did it in order to enhance our understanding of the phenomenon of alcoholism and to illustrate the pertinence of Aristotle’s ethics. My finding can further explains understanding of contemporary problems such as alcoholism. After lot of research I have found that alcoholism is not a non-controversial medical debases. I foundRead MoreThe Effects Of Home Life On Children s Development896 Words   |  4 Pagesfactors is alcoholism in the family. Randy and Tana Page (2011) on alcoholism: Alcoholism is a complex, progressive disease involving a progressive preoccupation with drinking that leads to physical, mental, social, and/or economic dysfunction. The complexity of alcoholism results from various causes and factors- genetic, psychological, familial, and social- many of which are not clearly understood (p. 278) Currently in the U.S., approximately 26.8 million children are exposed to alcoholism in the familyRead MoreAlcoholism And Drug Abuse And Alcoholism1231 Words   |  5 PagesAlcoholism and drug abuse are a plague ailing this country and the world at large. Many people think that an alcoholic or an addict is a weak individual, they are often not. They are suffering from a medical condition that hinges on various risk factors. Over 125,000 Americans die yearly due to drug addiction and alcoholism. Genetics, personality and environment contribute majorly in the risk of alcoholism and drug abuse. Genetically if a member of your family had a problem with substanceRead MoreFamily Systems Theory, By Van Wyck Brooks1208 Words   |  5 Pagesin family functioning (Curtis, 1999). The MTP, as applied to addiction, assumes that chemical dependency of one individual in the system is a symptom of an historical and multigenerational familial pattern of dysfunctionality. According to BFST, alcoholism and other addictive disorders are transmitted through generations of the family system, precisely because chemical dependency affects the organization, functioning, and communication patterns of entire families. Through this transmission processRead MoreTennessee Williams A Streetcar Named Desire854 Words   |  4 Pagestolerance and broadening views, women were still stereotyped as the weak, dependent, and feminine figures. In the play, William’s highlights gender imbalance through his characters, specifically Stanley Kowalski and Blanche Dubois. For me, Williams’ exploration of the gender roles of the late 1940s is what lingers in the mind, the conflict between masculinity and femininity being the reason for Streetcar’s success. Sam: Surely Stanley and Blanche exaggerate their conflict far beyond simple gender stereotypesRead MoreAn Economists Response to the Alcohol Problem1005 Words   |  4 PagesEconomists Response to Alcohol Problem Alcoholism to the economist would be more than the effect it has on the immediate consumer. An economist would look at the problem from the perspective of its effects on the immediate family members and society as a whole. Economists will consider what are the extra costs (externalities) are likely to be incurred by the alcohol consumption to the immediate family and society? Externality refers to the costs associated to consumption or production of a commodityRead MoreHow Drinking Addiction Is Under Challenge1403 Words   |  6 Pages Nowadays as science and technology develop rapidly, traditional theory of explaining drinking addiction is under challenge. More and more neuroscientists, psychologists and biologists contribute to the exploration of chemical mechanisms working behind alcohol and addiction. As one of the most well-known neuroscientist, Marc Lewis (2011) offers his point of view is that alcohol ultimately affects the brain, which is the source of all our expe rience (p.22). As we all know, brain is the primaryRead MoreThe Development Of Drug Addiction Essay814 Words   |  4 Pagesinheritance and genetic factors. Of course, there are numerous debates in the discussion labelled as nature or nurture, but the inheritance cannot be ignored. One of the research establishes that alcoholism and antisocial personal disorder in the adopted children proves are at a higher level of achieving alcoholism. (Cadoret et al., 1987). No attention is paid to the personal factors predisposing of women to drug addiction. Among the factors which interpret the presence of drug addicts among friends andRead More The Psychological Effects Of LSD Essay1677 Words   |  7 Pagesinfluence of LSD. One interesting analogy was made by Professor Jeffrey M. Blum of the University of Buffalo School of Law: quot;The problems posed by LSD, for example, in some ways resemble those presented by scuba diving. Each is seen as a form of exploration that opens new vistas. Hence participants often find the activity enormously stimulating and inspiring. Each activity poses a small but significant risk of serious personal harm, these being death in one and aggravation of pre-existing states ofRead MoreThe, Mystery And The Macabre By Edgar Allan Poe1261 Words   |  6 PagesMurders in the Rue Morgue.† He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction through the influence of his works on writers such as Jules Verne. His works were marked by a departure from established themes with his exploration of horror and the macabre to the extent that he adhered to the adage, â€Å"The Artist s Feeling is his Law† by Caspar David Friedrich. Poe was a proponent of Romanticism and was brought up as a foster child following the death of his mother and abandonment

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

An Effective Total Rewards Program For Increase Profitability

Organizations that use a salesforce to help promote its business for increase profitability are challenged to develop a compensation plan that aligns the company’s overall goals. A sales compensation plan is more than a tactical focus, but it is a strategic focus for an organization to that enables the company to remain competitive in the business industry (Thoreson, 2014). State Farm was founded in 1922 by G.J. Merchele, as an auto insurance company. Today, it is one of the leading providers of insurance and financial services with more than 18,000 agents that serve almost 82 million policies and accounts all over the United States (Statefarm.com, 2015). State farm offers several employee incentive programs that allow small business owners to give back to its employees (Statefarm.com, 2015). In this paper, the author will describe the six features of an effective total rewards program that can contribute to motivating a sale force to produce a high number of clients. The auth or will describe the behaviors of the sales force that are targeted with the compensation plan. This paper will assess how a value proposition is achieved for current and future employees in the outlined plan. Lastly, the author will indicate how future salespeople may be attracted to this plan. Six features of an effective total rewards program The sales organization within a company may require the involvement of the HR department to ensure that the organization’s compensation plan is aligned withShow MoreRelatedTotal Rewards1512 Words   |  7 Pagesï » ¿Assignment 1 Geico Total Rewards Program Case Study Advantages to a Total Rewards Approach There are several advantages to using a total rewards approach to compensating the workforce. The top five are described in the text (pp. 15—17). The following paragraphs discuss the facets of the Geico total rewards program that align with these advantages: The first facet is â€Å"Health and Well-Being†. Geico offers a variety of medical plans to their employees such as PPO’s, HMO’s, dentalRead MoreCase Study: Geico1428 Words   |  6 PagesDetermine which facets of the Geico total rewards program align with the five (5) top advantages of a total rewards program outlined in Chapter 2 of the textbook and discuss your reasoning. As communities continue to grow so does the diversity within those communities. With so many different people from all different walks of life enter the workforce, companies are seeing a huge increase in the diversity of their employees. It’s no longer just one particular group of people who are the drivingRead MoreEssay Geico Case Study1498 Words   |  6 PagesStudy : Geico 1 1. Determine which facets of the Geico total rewards program align with the five (5) top advantages of a total rewards program outlined in Chapter 2 of the textbook and discuss your reasoning. Geico offers a variety of benefits programs just to name a few would be: medical, dental and vision coverage. This program also includes work/life balance programs and physical fitness program (http://careers.geico.com). Geico believes in benefitingRead MoreEssay on Harrahs Business Plan1068 Words   |  5 Pagesused information technology to create what people consider the most effective marketing organization in the service industry. Harrah’s operates fifty-three casinos, employing more that eighty five thousand workers on five continents. The secret to Harrah’s success is data. Through Harrah’s total reward card program the firm is able to collect information on almost every interaction made at their properties. Even though the program is optional, members enjoy additional benefits that non-members doRead MoreTotal Rewards1191 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: TOTAL REWARDS Total Rewards: Strategically Achieving Business Results Strayer University Abstract Total Rewards reflects what employees’ value from its employer. It focuses on five elements that attract, motivate, and retain the talent to achieve business goals. These elements are: Compensation, Benefits, Work- Life, Performance and Recognition and Development and Career Opportunities (WorldatWork, 2007, p. 4). This paper describes the five advantages of a total rewards approachRead MoreGeico1427 Words   |  6 PagesAssignment 1 Name: Jolene Grof For Dr. Larry Byrd HRM533 Date: April 25, 2014 Geico Advantages to a Total Rewards Approach There are several advantages to using a total rewards approach to compensating the workforce. The top five are described in the text. The following paragraphs discuss the facets of the Geico total rewards program that align with these advantages: The first facet is increased flexibility. Gieco offers full-time employees the optionRead MoreCompensation Program for Walt Disney Company1890 Words   |  7 PagesCompensation Program for Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Company is an expanded global company with operations in four major business segments i.e. Studio Entertainment, Media Networks, Consumer Products and Parks and Resorts. The company has a workforce of more than 15,000 employees in more than 40 countries across the globe. In addition to having a huge workforce, the firm is largely renowned for its success and profitability in all its business segments on an annual basis. One of the most importantRead MoreCompensation And Benefits Of Employees921 Words   |  4 PagesInternet sales. Your company is steadily growing in revenue and profitability. The company realizes that in order to retain the solid, highly productive workforce it currently has in place, it is important to enhance the base compensation and benefits package offered to the employees. The company currently offers a basic compensation program and only federally mandated benefits. Employee surveys suggest the compensation and benefits program may be out of date . Employees are beginning to consider leavingRead MorePlan Management1335 Words   |  6 PagesProject Management Plan Employee Incentive Program CPMGT/301 October 13, 2014 Project Management Plan Attracting skilled employees is often important and often difficult. Employers face major challenges when they consider the increasing difficulty of finding skilled people every company should have an employee incentive program if it is sales and especially for university enrollment advisors because they are the ones that bring business into the university. The project scope of Title IV of theRead MoreBsa 310 Kudler Frequent Shopper Program1557 Words   |  7 Pages Kudler also desires to increase the consumer purchase cycle which they hope will result in an increase of both profitability as well as loyalty. Kudler s latest idea to increase its revenue is to implement a customer rewards program that will record customer purchases that will and allow them to monitor trends in purch asing that will allow to customize their purchasing to allow them to satisfy the customers better. Prior to implementing the customer rewards program, Kudler s will be forced

Monday, December 9, 2019

Alfred Stieglitz The Steerage free essay sample

Against this horizontally are implementers vertical and nearly vertical elements that create trapezoids and triangles. The large mast is the most dominant of these upright diagonals. Its complement is the narrow, crescent-topped pole holding up the gangway, as well as the stanchions leaning to and fro on the gangway, the handrails of the metal staircase, and the many standing figures on both levels. The result is a formal organization that is all at once ponderous and weightless.The effect is off massive structure suspended within the frame, attached (as it were) where the center beam touches the left and right edges. This beam becomes a kind of a pivoting axis on which the whole scene is liable to swing forward and backward into space, as if to mimic the lapping movements of the vessel. 3. What is the creators intention? How can you tell? From my research of Alfred Zeitgeist, his intentions behind this photograph were, as said 35 years after the photo was taken, He was watching the men and women and children on the lower steerage deck. We will write a custom essay sample on Alfred Stieglitz The Steerage or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Only men were on the upper deck. The whole scene fascinated me. I longed to escape from my surroundings and join these people. You can tell that Zeitgeist is detached from what is happening in the photograph because of the distance he puts between himself and what is happening in the scene. 4. In what way(s) does the visual medium present the message that a written text message could not? Zeitgeist was a pioneer of modern photography and was always willing to experiment with new ideas. Also during that time many magazines and newspapers were writing about the problem of the crowding of steerage on immigration.Pictures are much more hard hitting than words, and for people o see the over crowding of steerage, it is much more affective than text on the subject. 6. Does the photograph condemn or celebrate the immigration movement? Would qualify this argument to say that it neither condemns nor celebrates, but demonstrates the tactful ability of the passengers to endure life immigrating to the United States. The reason why would qualify this argument is because Zeitgeist does not take the photo to show the terribleness of the lower class living space. If he had, the photo would have looked much more different.

Sunday, December 1, 2019

The Digestive System Anatomy Review Essay Example

The Digestive System: Anatomy Review Essay The Digestive System: Anatomy Review 1. List two main divisions of the digestive system. a. Gastrointestinal tract b. Accessory digestive 2. The four main layers of the digestive tract wall are a. Mucosa b. Submucosa c. Muscularis Externa d. Serosa 3. Label the diagram below with the four main layers you listed in question 6. 4. The mucosa includes a type of columnar __cell______that forms the inner lining of the lumen 5. Blood and lymph vessels of the mucosa are found in its _epithelial cell_ connective tissue layer. . The function of epithelial goblet cells is to secrete _substances used in digestion_. 7. _Enteroendocrine_ cells of the mucosa secrete hormones into the blood. 8. Absorption of nutrients occurs through the mucosal epithelium and into either _blood capillaries_ or _lymph vessels_ vessels. 9. Using the following diagram, label the vessels you listed in the previous question. 10. The built-in (intrinsic) network of nerve cells in the submucosa is the _submucosal plexus. 11. The two types of movements produced by contractions of the muscularis externa are _peristalsis_and _segmentation_. 12. List the four regions of the stomach: a. _cardia_________ b. _fundus________ c. _body_________ d. _pyloric region_ 13. List the three sheets of muscle in the stomach’s muscularis externa: a. _ longitudinal muscle layer b. _ circular muscle layer c. _ oblique muscle layer 14. Label the three sheets of muscle in the stomach’s muscularis externa in the diagram below. 15. List, in order from the pylorus to the colon, the three regions of the small intestine: a. _duodenum b. _jejunum c. _ileum 16. From largest to smallest, list the three modifications of the small intestine’s inner wall that function to increase surface area: a. _plicae circulares b. _villa c. _microvilla 17. Label two of the modifications of the intestine to increase surface area in the diagram below. 18. The microvilli of the small intestine’s epithelial cells form the _brush_ border. 19. We will write a custom essay sample on The Digestive System: Anatomy Review specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on The Digestive System: Anatomy Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on The Digestive System: Anatomy Review specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Starting from the ileocecal valve, trace the path of undigested material through the large intestine. 20. List the six sphincters of the digestive tract: a. upper esophageal sphincter (UES) b. the cardiac sphincter c. the pyloric sphincter d. the ileocecal sphincter e. the involuntary f. voluntary anal sphincters. 21. The single digestive function of the liver is to produce _bile_. 22. The main digestive enzyme-producing organ in the body is the _pancreas_. 23. Three pairs of _salivary glands_ function to moisten food in the mouth.

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

Taiping Rebellion in Qing China

Taiping Rebellion in Qing China The Taiping Rebellion (1851-1864) was a millenarian uprising in southern China that began as a peasant rebellion  and turned into an extremely bloody civil war. It broke out in 1851, a Han Chinese reaction against the Qing Dynasty, which was ethnically Manchu. The rebellion was sparked by a famine in Guangxi Province, and Qing government repression of the resulting peasant protests. A would-be scholar named Hong Xiuquan, from the Hakka minority, had tried for years to pass the exacting imperial civil service examinations  but had failed each time. While suffering from a fever, Hong learned from a vision that he was the younger brother of Jesus Christ  and that he had a mission to rid China of Manchu rule and of Confucian ideas. Hong was influenced by an eccentric Baptist missionary from the United States named Issachar Jacox Roberts. Hong Xiuquans teachings and the famine sparked a January 1851 uprising in Jintian (now called Guiping), which the government quashed. In response, a rebel army of 10,000 men and women marched to Jintian and overran the garrison of Qing troops stationed there; this marks the official start of the Taiping Rebellion. Taiping Heavenly Kingdom To celebrate the victory, Hong Xiuquan announced the formation of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom, with himself as king. His followers tied red cloths around their heads. The men also grew out their hair, which had been kept in the queue style as per Qing regulations. Growing long hair was a capital offense under Qing law. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdom had other policies that put it at odds with Beijing. It abolished private ownership of property, in an interesting foreshadowing of Maos communist ideology. Also, like the communists, the Taiping Kingdom declared men and women equal  and abolished social classes. However, based on Hongs understanding of Christianity, men and women were kept strictly segregated, and even married couples were prohibited from living together or having sex. This restriction did not apply to Hong himself, of courseas self-proclaimed king, he had a large number of concubines. The Heavenly Kingdom also outlawed foot binding, based its civil service exams on the Bible instead of Confucian texts, used a lunar calendar rather than a solar one, and outlawed vices such as opium, tobacco, alcohol, gambling, and prostitution. The Rebels The Taiping rebels early military success made them quite popular with the peasants of Guangxi, but their efforts to attract support from the middle-class landowners and from Europeans failed. Leadership of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom began to fracture, as well, and Hong Xiuquan went into seclusion. He issued proclamations, mostly of a religious nature, while the Machiavellian rebel general Yang Xiuqing took over military and political operations for the rebellion. Hong Xiuquans followers rose up against Yang in 1856, killing him, his family, and the rebel soldiers loyal to him. The Taiping Rebellion began to fail in 1861  when the rebels proved unable to take Shanghai. A coalition of Qing troops and Chinese soldiers under European officers defended the city, then set out to crush the rebellion in the southern provinces. After three years of bloody fighting, the Qing government had retaken most of the rebel areas. Hong Xiuquan died of food poisoning in June of 1864, leaving his hapless 15-year-old son on the throne. The Taiping Heavenly Kingdoms capital at Nanjing fell the following month after hard urban fighting, and the Qing troops executed the rebel leaders. At its peak, the Taiping Heavenly Army likely fielded approximately 500,000 soldiers, male and female. It initiated the idea of total war - every citizen living within the boundaries of the Heavenly Kingdom was trained to fight, thus civilians on either side could expect no mercy from the opposing army. Both opponents used scorched earth tactics, as well as mass executions. As a result, the Taiping Rebellion was likely the bloodiest war of the nineteenth century, with an estimated 20 - 30 million casualties, mostly civilians. Around 600 entire cities in Guangxi, Anhui, Nanjing, and Guangdong Provinces were wiped from the map. Despite this horrific outcome, and the founders millennial Christian inspiration, the Taiping Rebellion proved motivational for Mao Zedongs Red Army during the Chinese Civil War the following century. The Jintian Uprising that started it all has a prominent place on the Monument to the Peoples Heroes that stands today in Tiananmen Square, central Beijing.

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Third Ventricle Function and Anatomy

Third Ventricle Function and Anatomy The third ventricle is a narrow cavity located between the two hemispheres of the diencephalon of the forebrain. The third ventricle is part of a network of linked cavities (cerebral ventricles) in the brain that extend to form the central canal of the spinal cord. The cerebral ventricles consist of the lateral ventricles, third ventricle, and fourth ventricle. Key Takeaways The third ventricle is one of four brain ventricles. It is a cavity filled with cerebrospinal fluid located between the two hemispheres of the diencephalon of the forebrain.The third ventricle helps to protect the brain from trauma and injury.The third ventricle is also involved in the transport of both nutrients and waste from the bodys central nervous system.It is also involved in the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid. The ventricles contain cerebrospinal fluid, which is produced by specialized epithelium located within the ventricles called the choroid plexus. The third ventricle is connected to the fourth ventricle via the cerebral aqueduct, which extends through the midbrain. Third Ventricle Function The third ventricle is involved in several functions of the body including: Protection of the Brain From TraumaPathway for the Circulation of Cerebrospinal FluidTransportation of  Nutrients to and Waste from the Central Nervous System Third Ventricle Location Directionally, the third ventricle is situated in the middle of the cerebral hemispheres, between the right and left lateral ventricles. The third ventricle is inferior to the fornix and corpus callosum. Third Ventricle Structure The third ventricle is surrounded by a number of structures of the diencephalon. The diencephalon is a division of the forebrain that relays sensory information between brain regions and controls many autonomic functions. It links endocrine system, nervous system, and limbic system structures. The third ventricle  can be described as having six components: a roof, a floor, and four walls. The roof of the third ventricle is formed by a part of the  choroid plexus known as the tela chorioidea. The tela chorioidea is a dense network of capillaries that is surrounded by ependymal cells. These cells produce cerebrospinal fluid. The floor of the third ventricle is formed by a number of structures including the hypothalamus, subthalamus,  mammilary bodies,  infundibulum (pituitary stalk), and the tectum of the midbrain. The lateral walls of the third ventricle are formed by the walls of the left and right thalamus. The anterior wall is formed by the anterior commissure (white matter nerve fibers), lamina terminalis, and optic chiasma. The posterior wall is formed by the pineal gland and habenular commissures. Attached to the external walls of the third ventricle are  interthalamic adhesions (bands of gray matter) that cross the third ventricle cavity and connect the two thalami. The third ventricle is connected to the lateral ventricles by channels called interventricular foramina or foramina of Monro. These channels allow cerebrospinal fluid to flow from the lateral ventricles to the third ventricle. The cerebral aqueduct connects the third ventricle to the fourth ventricle. The third ventricle also has small indentations known as recesses. Recesses of the third ventricle include the preoptic recess (near the optic chiasma), infundibular recess (funnel shaped recess that extends downward into the pituitary stalk), mammillary recess (formed by protrusions of the mammilary bodies into the third ventricle), and pineal recess (extends into the pineal gland). Third Ventricle Abnormalities CT scan of a brain of a patient with intracerebral hemorrhage from stroke with bleeding into the third ventricle. Sopone Nawoot/iStock/Getty Images Plus Third ventricle issues and abnormalities can occur in a variety of conditions like stroke, meningitis and hydrocephalus. A relatively common cause of an abnormality of the third ventricle occurs with congenital hydrocephalus (abnormal contour with a dilated third ventricle). Ventricular System of the Brain The ventricular system consists of two lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle. More Information For additional information on the third ventricle, see: The Third Ventricle Anatomy of the Brain The brain is the bodys control center. It receives, interprets, and directs sensory information in the body. Find out more about the brains anatomy. Divisions of the Brain Forebrain - encompasses the cerebral cortex and brain lobes.Midbrain - connects the forebrain to the hindbrain.Hindbrain - regulates autonomic functions and coordinates movement. Sources Glastonbury, Christine M., et al. â€Å"Masses and Malformations of the Third Ventricle: Normal Anatomic Relationships and Differential Diagnoses.† RadioGraphics, pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/rg.317115083.

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Virtual groups and how they effect group communication Research Paper

Virtual groups and how they effect group communication - Research Paper Example Instead they connect through communication technologies and computers, provide an unparalleled amount of flexibility (Powell, Piccoli & Ives, 2004) and are unified only by a shared function or rationale (Lurey & Raisinghani, 2000). This paper aims to review the literature and research that focuses on the characteristics of small virtual groups in an effort to determine how virtual group interaction affects performance and to make comparisons between performance of small virtual teams and more traditional co-located small teams. Small groups usually consist of three to fifteen members (Socha, 1997) with the ideal size being five to seven (Cragan & Wright, 1999) with every member having an influence on each other and are interdependent. In other words if something occurs to or influences one member it impacts on other group members; the behavior of one group member effects both the way other group members relate to each other (relational behavior) and how they finish the task or attain their goal (task behavior) (Bertcher, 1994). According to Myers & Anderson (2008) interdependence is a fundamental characteristic of a small group and at the end of the day will influence how the group achieves its goal or task which is the initial and most important reason the group is formed. Tasks can be additive, wherein the small group members work separately on one component of a task and when all components are completed they amalgamate their endeavors to produce one ultimate outcome, or they can be conjunctive, wherein the group works together to produce the final outcome (Steiner, 1972). In the case of additive tasks the small group is not interdependent until the end when they unite their work but with conjunctive tasks they are interdependent from start to finish. Apart from the task, interdependence and size, Myers & Anderson (2008) claimed that small groups contain three further features of communication which are ‘norms, identity and talk’ (p.9). He furth er claimed that the norms of small group behavior are the rules or regulations pertaining to members of the group, and can be social, procedural or task based, and if not upheld by a group member sanctions may be imposed on that member. Norms therefore shape small group behavior and govern the way in which group members undertake their task, interact and create their identity - the physical and psychological limits that differentiate small groups and group members. Communication is the most important feature of small groups in terms of defining their identity and consists of four different types of talk as posited by Cragan & Wright (1999) that include role talk, problem-solving talk, encounter talk and consciousness-raising talk. Myers & Anderson (2008) claimed that a small group that is able to balance all four talk types will be more effective and succeed in its task, whereas a small group that places too much emphasis on one type over another or does not employ any one type may alienate some members and not accomplish their task. To summarize the characteristics of small group communication there are three major qualities – size, interdependence and task, and three minor qualities – norms, talk and identity, that influence the way in which group members interact and communicate. Research shows that much has been suggested and purported in terms of virtual communication