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"How to Create Your Own Online Course: 100 Tools, Guides, and Resources [del.icio.us] [Digg] [Facebook] [Mixx] [Reddit] [StumbleUpon] [Twitter] [Email] Perhaps you have a special skill, talent, or knowledge-base that you want to share with others, and maybe you've heard that teaching online courses can make you a little extra money. The resources below will help you discover how to combine both what you have to offer and what you wish to gain by guiding you through creating and establishing an online course. No matter what age of student, subject you want to teach, or size of the class, you will find resources and information to bring your class online. Learning Management Systems Learning Management Systems host your online class and provide a place for students to receive and turn in assignments, class communication, and more. Moodle. This free and very popular course management system allows you to design a course for thousands or only a few students and gives access to creating forums, wikis, databases, and much more. Blackboard Learn . Blackboard is used by many institutes of higher learning, as well as other organizations, as a source of online classroom management. eLearningZoom. Take advantage of the free trial to see how this application works for education, organizations, and businesses. Nicenet's Internet Classroom Assistant. Set up your course here and have access to conferencing, scheduling, document sharing, personal messaging, and link sharing. FlexTraining. This e-learning system offers a low-cost solution to providing online training and education. The home page also offers plenty of thinking-points for considering a learning management system. Backpack. While not specifically a learning management system, this app is great for organizing groups and sharing information-and is available at no charge for the basic services. OPEN Learning Management System. This open-source management system helps online teachers w

"1. Critical factors for new product developments in SMEs virtual team [48.294%] Ale Ebrahim, Nader & Ahmed, Shamsuddin & Taha, Zahari (2010) Downloadable! Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are considered as an engine for economic growth all over the world and especially for developing countries. During the past decade, new product development (NPD) has increasingly been recognized as a critical factor in ensuring the continued survival of SMEs. On the other hand, the rapid rate of market and technological changes has accelerated in the past decade, so this turbulent environment requires new methods and techniques to bring successful new products to the marketplace. Virtual team can be a solution to answer the requested demand. However, literature have shown no significant differences between traditional NPD and virtual NPD in general, whereas NPD in SME's virtual team has not been systematically investigated in developing countries. This paper aims to bridge this gap by first reviewing the NPD and its relationship with virtuality and then identifies the critical factors of NPD in virtual teams. The statistical method was utilized to perform th 2. Virtual R&D teams and SMEs growth: A comparative study between Iranian and Malaysian SMEs [48.294%] Ale Ebrahim, Nader & Ahmed, Shamsuddin & Taha, Zahari (2010) Downloadable! This paper explores potential advantages of using virtual teams for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a comprehensive review on various aspects of virtual teams. Based on the standing of the pertinent literature, attempt has been made to study the aspects by online survey method in Iran and Malaysia. In both countries, SMEs play an important role in their economies, employments, and capacity building. Virtual R&D team can be one of the means to increase SMEs efficiency and competitiveness in their local as well as global markets. In this context, surveys have been conducted to evaluate the effects of virtuality to th

"Review Article Toward a Theoretical Concept of E-Collaboration through Project Management in SMEs for Reducing Time and Cost in New Product: A Review M. Mohammadjafari, S.Z.M. Dawal, S. Ahmed and H. Zayandehroodi ABSTRACT Reducing time and efficient project execution is an objective in many industries and project management is one of the important keys for lead the company to this allegation. The project manager needs some tools for lead the firm to the success. Collaboration is one way to success and collaboration has many types, one kind is electronic collaboration. On the other hand, small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) are a part of manufacturing industries. Combining a literature review with our empirical experience we found that relationship between the project manager and related departments for production is essential for reducing time and cost in new product development. In this study, we describe about some definition of project management, E-collaboration, SMEs and new product and review some articles around this area. Services E-mail This Article Related Articles in ASCI Similar Articles in this Journal Search in Google Scholar View Citation Report Citation How to cite this article: M. Mohammadjafari, S.Z.M. Dawal, S. Ahmed and H. Zayandehroodi, 2011. Toward a Theoretical Concept of E-Collaboration through Project Management in SMEs for Reducing Time and Cost in New Product: A Review. Journal of Applied Sciences, 11: 174-182. DOI: 10.3923/jas.2011.174.182 URL: http://scialert.net/abstract/?doi=jas.2011.174.182 Received: August 16, 2010; Accepted: September 30, 2010; Published: November 10, 2010 INTRODUCTION Manufacturing industries play a vital role in many countries. SMEs are a part of manufacturing industries, but they have some limitation for attending and also for remaining in the market, especially in the global market (Mohammadjafari et al., 2010a). SMEs cannot compete with big companies, unless, they attend to customer needs.

"1. The Effectiveness of Virtual R&D Teams in SMEs:... by Nader Ale Ebrahim The Effectiveness of Virtual R&D Teams in SMEs: Experiences of Malaysian SMEs by Nader Ale Ebrahim; Salwa Hanim Abdul Rashid; Shamsuddin Ahmed; Zahari Taha Article Article Language: English Publication: Industrial Engineeering & Management Systems, v10 n2 (20110601): 109-114 Database: DBpia 2. Knowledge management in Iran by Nader Ale_Ebrahim. Knowledge management in Iran by Nader Ale_Ebrahim.; Ali Ghazizadeh.; Arash Golnam. Article : Conference publication : Government publication Language: English Publication: KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE & EXHIBITION, (2006 : Kuala Lumpur) : 6p. Database: WorldCat 3. A conceptual model of virtual product development... by Nader Ale_Ebrahim. A conceptual model of virtual product development process by Nader Ale_Ebrahim.; Shamsuddin Ahmed; Zahari Taha. Article : Conference publication : Government publication Language: English Publication: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY : 2ND SEMINAR ON ENGINEERING AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY : SEMINAR PROCEEDINGS, 8th-9th July 2009, School of Engineering and Information Technology, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia / p. 191-196 Database: WorldCat 4. Concurrent collaboration in research and development by Nader Ale_Ebrahim. Concurrent collaboration in research and development by Nader Ale_Ebrahim.; Shamsuddin Ahmed; Zahari Taha. Article : Conference publication : Government publication Language: English Publication: DESIGN EXCELLENCE FOR MANUFACTURING SUSTAINABILITY : PROCEEDING OF THE NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DESIGN AND CONCURRENT ENGINEERING 2008, 28-29 October 2008, Avilion Legacy Hotel, Melaka / p. 313-316 Database: WorldCat 5. View online Virtual marketing in virtual enterprises Virtual marketing in virtual enterprises by Nader Ale Ebrahim Downloadable article Publication: Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Fattahi, Hamaid

"1. View online Virtual marketing in virtual enterprises Virtual marketing in virtual enterprises by Nader Ale Ebrahim Downloadable article Publication: Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Fattahi, Hamaid Ali and Golnam, Arash (2008): Virtual marketing in virtual enterprises. Published in: In: 2nd International Marketing Management conference, Tehran, Iran. pp. 1-12. (22. January 2008): pp. 1-12. Database: OAIster Libraries that own this item: WorldCat Libraries View Now 2. View online Innovation and R&D Activities in Virtual Team Innovation and R&D Activities in Virtual Team by Nader Ale Ebrahim Downloadable article Publication: Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin and Taha, Zahari (2009): Innovation and R&D Activities in Virtual Team. Published in: European Journal of Scientific Research , Vol. 34, No. 3 (2009): pp. 297-307. Database: OAIster Libraries that own this item: WorldCat Libraries View Now Editions and formats » 3. View online The Effectiveness of Virtual R&D Teams in SMEs:... The Effectiveness of Virtual R&D Teams in SMEs: Experiences of Malaysian SMEs by Nader Ale Ebrahim Downloadable article Publication: Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Abdul Rashid, Salwa Hanim and Taha, Zahari (2010): The Effectiveness of Virtual R&D Teams in SMEs: Experiences of Malaysian SMEs. Published in: In: The 11th Asia Pacific Industrial Engineering and Management Systems Conference (APIEMS 2010), Melaka, Malaysia. (09. December 2010): pp. 1-6. Database: OAIster Libraries that own this item: WorldCat Libraries View Now Editions and formats » 4. View online New Product Development in Virtual Environment New Product Development in Virtual Environment by Nader Ale Ebrahim Downloadable article Publication: Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin and Taha, Zahari (2008): New Product Development in Virtual Environment. Published in: International Conference on Technology Management and Innovation in China: Challenges and Opportunities in the 21s

"Virtual teams for new product development: an innovative experience for R&D engineers Ale Ebrahim, Nader and Ahmed, S. and Taha, Zahari (2009) Virtual teams for new product development: an innovative experience for R&D engineers. [Journal (Paginated)] Full text available as: [img] PDF - Published Version 433Kb Abstract New interaction tools such as internet allow companies to gain valuable input from research and development (R\&D) engineers via virtual teams. Consequently, engineers also get more expertise in diminutive time frames. Virtual R\&D teams present the key impetus to the technology acquisition process. The present knowledge-economy era is characterized by short product life-cycles. Virtual R&D teams may reduce time-to-market, make available a large pool of new product know-how and provide greater flexibilities, which are the key success factors in a competitive market. This comprehensive review contains almost 100 references and covers the recent literature with emphasis on the topic. The review has focused on authentic and reputed publications and extracts the results. This article presents the type of virtual teams and their main features and explains how virtual R&D team can play a prominent role in developing new products. The article is evolved future study guideline and also illustrates how to apply virtual interaction tools and integrate engineers into the innovation process. Management of virtual R&D teams in new product development (NPD) processes in an innovative, effective and efficient is of a high importance, but the issue has been poorly addressed in the previous studies. Findings show that virtual R&D team provides valuable input for new product development and R&D engineers are able to attain virtual experience. Item Type: Journal (Paginated) Keywords: Virtual R&D Teams, New Product Development, Virtual Experience, R&D Engineers Subjects: JOURNALS Computer Science > Human Computer Interaction Electronic Publishing > Peer Review ID Cod

" 1. Virtual R&D teams and SMEs growth: a comparative... by SSOAR - Social Science Open Access Repository Virtual R&D teams and SMEs growth: a comparative study between Iranian and Malaysian SMEs by SSOAR - Social Science Open Access Repository; Taha, Zahari; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Ale Ebrahim, Nader Downloadable archival material Added 2012-08-08 12:26 2. Technology Use in the Virtual R&D Teams by Ale Ebrahim, Nader Technology Use in the Virtual R&D Teams by Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Abdul Rashid, Salwa Hanim; Taha, Zahari Downloadable article Publication: American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences Added 2012-08-08 12:26 3. WORK TOGETHER... WHEN APART CHALLENGES AND WHAT... by Mr. R. R., Raval WORK TOGETHER... WHEN APART CHALLENGES AND WHAT IS NEED FOR EFFECTIVE VIRTUAL TEAMS by Mr. R. R., Raval; Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Taha, Zahari Downloadable article Publication: Journal of Information, Knowledge and Research in Business Management and Administration Added 2012-08-08 12:26 4. Virtual teams: a literature review by SSOAR - Social Science Open Access Repository Virtual teams: a literature review by SSOAR - Social Science Open Access Repository; Taha, Zahari; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Ale Ebrahim, Nader Downloadable archival material Added 2012-08-08 12:26 5. Virtual R&D Teams: A potential growth of education-industry... by Ale Ebrahim, Nader Virtual R&D Teams: A potential growth of education-industry collaboration by Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Taha, Zahari Downloadable article Publication: Academic Leadership Journal Added 2012-08-08 12:26 6. Critical Factors for New Product Developments... by Ale Ebrahim, Nader Critical Factors for New Product Developments in SMEs Virtual Team by Ale Ebrahim, Nader; Ahmed, Shamsuddin; Taha, Zahari Downloadable article Publication: African Journal of Business Management Added 2012-08-08 12:26 7. Virtual Teams: a Literature Review by Ale Ebrahi

"Technology Use in the Virtual R&D Teams - Nader Ale Ebrahim ALE EBRAHIM, N., AHMED, S., ABDUL RASHID, S. H. & TAHA, Z. 2012. Technology Use in the Virtual R&D Teams. American Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 5, 9-14. Keywords: Collaboration teams; questionnaires; performance; cross-functional teams; product development; structural equation modeling; measurement model; literature review Downloads: 61 [texts] UM HIR Special Feature Nader Ale Ebrahim ( 27 5 2013) Edited - Nader Ale Ebrahim Abstract:The number of citations has over 30% share in Times Higher Education (THE) world university ranking system. Therefore, most of the researchers are looking for some helpful techniques to increase their citation record. Nader is developing a module for increasing the visibility of the research which directly influences the number of citations. This article reports just some of the key points of the module for improving the citation counts.Citation:N... Keywords: Research Tools; Increase H-index; Increase citations; Maximize visibility Downloads: 12 [texts] Maryam Farhadi's Paper In JATIT - Nader Ale Ebrahim M. FARHADI, H. SALEHI, M. A. EMBI, M. FOOLADI, H. FARHADI, A. AGHAEI CHADEGANI, and N. ALE EBRAHIM, "Contribution of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Country'S H-Index," Journal of Theoretical and Applied Information Technology, vol. 57, no. 1, 10 November, 2013. Keywords: Information and Communication Technology (ICT) development; H-index; Middle East Downloads: 14 [texts] Relationship among Economic Growth, Internet Usage and Publication Productivity: Comparison among ASEAN and World's Best Countries - Nader Ale Ebrahim Gholizadeh, H., Salehi, H., Embi, M. A., Danaee, M., Motahar, S. M., Ale Ebrahim, N., . . . Osman, N. A. A. (2014). Relationship among Economic Growth, Internet Usage and Publication Productivity: Comparison among ASEAN and World's Best Countries. Modern Applied Science, 8(2), 160-170. doi: 10.5539/mas.v8n2p160

" Virtual R&D Teams for NPD in SMEs:Past, Present and Future Trend [Quick Edit] (2008) by Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsudin Ahmed, Zahari Taha posted to *file-import-10-10-31 virtual team small review rd papers nader medium literature enterprises ebrahims conference and ale by aleebrahim to the group Virtual R&D Teams on 2010-10-31 17:37:38 *****/ This copy of the article hasn't been liked by anyone yet(0) Abstract Copy My Attachments My Copy Abstract This paper provides a comprehensive review on different aspects of virtual teams based on authentic and reputed publications. The purpose of the state-of-the-art literature review is to provide an overview of what is known about the structure and dynamics of R&D collaboration in SMEs. SMEs are the backbone of the world business. The focus of the investigation is on virtual R&D teams in SMEs. After providing a definition and importance of virtual teams, research and development (R&D), small and medium enterprises ... Virtual R&D Teams: A Sustainable Infrastructure for Promoting SMEs [Quick Edit] (2008), pp. 217-223. by Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Zahari Taha posted to *file-import-10-10-31 virtual teams smes small sized review rd medium literature enterprises and by aleebrahim to the group Virtual R&D Teams on 2010-10-31 17:37:38 *****/ This copy of the article hasn't been liked by anyone yet(0) Abstract Copy My Attachments My Copy Abstract Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are a major part of the industrial economies. Their survival and growth has therefore been a prominent issue. Research and development (R&D) enables firms to create new technologies and/or to build on existing technologies obtained through technology transfer. Nowadays unpredictable environment suggests that many firms seek new ways of conducting their business through some kind of R&D activities to make a profit and stay ahead of the competition. To survive in the global economy SMEs ... SMEs: ERP or Virtual Collaboration Te

"The CTSA as an Exemplar Framework for Developing Multidisciplinary Translational Teams William J. Calhoun M.D.1,2,†, Kevin Wooten Ph.D.1,3,†, Suresh Bhavnani Ph.D.1,4, Karl E. Anderson M.D.1,2,4, Jean Freeman Ph.D.1,2,4, Allan R. Brasier M.D.1,2 Article first published online: 17 OCT 2012 DOI: 10.1111/cts.12004 © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Issue Cover image for Vol. 5 Issue 5 Clinical and Translational Science Early View (Online Version of Record published before inclusion in an issue) Additional Information(Show All) How to CiteAuthor InformationPublication History SEARCH Search Scope Search String Advanced > Saved Searches > ARTICLE TOOLS Get PDF (7156K) Save to My Profile E-mail Link to this Article Export Citation for this Article Get Citation Alerts Request Permissions More Sharing ServicesShare|Share on citeulikeShare on connoteaShare on deliciousShare on www.mendeley.comShare on twitter Abstract Article References Supporting Information Cited By View Full Article with Supporting Information (HTML) Get PDF (7156K) Keywords: team science; multidisciplinary teams; translational research Abstract Translational science requires that scientists from multiple disciplines work together to improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of human disease. Although a literature exists on the design and management of multidisciplinary teams, little has been written on multidisciplinary translational teams (MTTs). MTTs are distinct hybrid entities, with goals taken from both industry and academic models. We identified 30 design factors in 10 domains from a literature survey relevant to our MTT model: specific goals, structures, and processes. These dimensions were adapted to our own institutional environment in the selection and management of 11 MTTs that exploited resources of University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) Clinical and Translational Sciences Award

"Critical Factors for New Product Developments in SMEs Virtual Team African Journal of Business Management Vol. 4(11), pp. 2247-2257, 4 September, 2010 Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are considered as an engine for economic growth all over the world and especially for developing countries. During the past decade, new product development (NPD) has increasingly been recognized as a critical factor in ensuring the continued survival of SMEs. On the other hand, the rapid rate of market and technological changes has accelerated in the past decade, so this turbulent environment requires new methods and techniques to bring successful new products to the marketplace. Virtual team can be a solution to answer the requested demand. However, literature have shown no significant differences between traditional NPD and virtual NPD in general, whereas NPD in SME's virtual team has not been systematically investigated in developing countries. This paper aims to bridge this gap by first reviewing the NPD and its relationship with virtuality and then identifies the critical factors of NPD in virtual teams. The statistical method was utilized to perform the required analysis of data from the survey. The results were achieved through factor analysis at the perspective of NPD in some Malaysian and Iranian manufacturing firms (N = 191). The 20 new product development factors were grouped into five higher level constructs. It gives valuable insight and guidelines, which hopefully will help managers of firms in developing countries to consider the main factors in NPD. Virtual R&D Teams and SMEs Growth: A Comparative Study between Iranian and Malaysian SMEs African Journal of Business Management Vol. 4(11), pp. 2368-2379, 4 September, 2010 This paper explores potential advantages of using virtual teams for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with a comprehensive review on various aspects of virtual teams. Based on the standing of the pertinent literature, attempt has bee

"Home > Vol 18, No 1 (2016) > Dube Original Research Bookmark and Share A conceptual model to improve performance in virtual teams Shopee Dube, Carl Marnewick SA Journal of Information Management; Vol 18, No 1 (2016), 10 pages. doi: 10.4102/sajim.v18i1.674 Submitted: 01 March 2015 Published: 28 September 2016 Abstract Background: The vast improvement in communication technologies and sophisticated project management tools, methods and techniques has allowed geographically and culturally diverse groups to operate and function in a virtual environment. To succeed in this virtual environment where time and space are becoming increasingly irrelevant, organisations must define new ways of implementing initiatives. This virtual environment phenomenon has brought about the formation of virtual project teams that allow organisations to harness the skills and knowhow of the best resources, irrespective of their location. Objectives: The aim of this article was to investigate performance criteria and develop a conceptual model which can be applied to enhance the success of virtual project teams. There are no clear guidelines of the performance criteria in managing virtual project teams. Method: A qualitative research methodology was used in this article. The purpose of content analysis was to explore the literature to understand the concept of performance in virtual project teams and to summarise the findings of the literature reviewed. Results: The research identified a set of performance criteria for the virtual project teams as follows: leadership, trust, communication, team cooperation, reliability, motivation, comfort and social interaction. These were used to conceptualise the model. Conclusion: The conceptual model can be used in a holistic way to determine the overall performance of the virtual project team, but each factor can be analysed individually to determine the impact on the overall performance. The knowledge of performance criteria for virtual proj

"Posted by Brad Egeland virtual team11 300x233 Virtual Teams: Key Success Factors Part 1The business justification for virtual teams is strong. They increase speed and agility and leverage expertise and vertical integration between organizations to make resources readily available. Virtual teams also lessen the disruption of people's lives because the people do not have to travel to meet. And in today's business world that's big. That's green. Team members can also broaden their careers and perspectives by working across organizations and cultures and on a variety of projects and tasks. Although the effective use of electronic communication and collaboration technologies is fundamental to the success of a virtual team, virtual teams entail much more than technology and computers. When virtual teams and their leaders are asked about successes and failures, they rarely mention technology as a primary reason for either. While it's important that software packages such as Seavus' Project Planner or Project Viewer are used to keep virtual teams informed and in sync, it's not all about technology. There are seven key success factors for virtual teams, of which technology is only one. Others are human resource policies, training and development for team leaders and team members, standard organizational and team processes, organizational culture, leadership, and leader and member competencies. We'll look at these in more detail in the next article. Not all of the key success factors need to be in place for virtual teams to succeed. The implementation of virtual teams within an organization can actually push toward the attainment of key success factors. Successful virtual teams seem to demand certain conditions, and the existence of the teams will, over time, help to create the infrastructure conditions that make them work. NORTEL's Information Systems Group implemented virtual teams before it had attained many of the key success factors. The t

"Managing virtual teams in multinational companies Mogale, Lizzy; Sutherland, Margaret URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2263/15316 Date: 2010 Abstract: Globalisation and advances in technology have led to the rapid increase in permanent virtual teams in multinational companies as a form of competitive advantage. The main purpose of this research was to identify perceptions on leadership preferences and factors enabling or inhibiting the effective leadership of virtual teams. The qualitative phase of this research generated in-depth knowledge on the constructs for phase 2, which consisted of a survey of 59 respondents from four continents. The outcome revealed that socio-emotional leadership capabilities are key to success in the leadership of multinational virtual teams. Specific recommendations are made to virtual team leaders on the basis of consistent views expressed by managers and subordinates on findings on the relative importance of key leadership skills, plus the enablers and inhibitors of managing virtual teams. Show full item record Files in this item Icon Name: Mogale_Managing(2 ... Size: 213.9Kb Format: PDF Description: Article View/Open This item appears in the following Collection(s) Research Articles (GIBS) [75] OpenUP (Research Articles University of Pretoria) [7971] This collection contains published research articles authored and co-authored by members of staff, students and affiliates of the University of Pretoria. Related Items Items By Author: "Space creation" : a strategy for achieving employment equity at senior management level Selby, Kalien; Sutherland, Margaret (Graduate School of Business Leadership and the Department of Business Management, University of South Africa, 2006) This research set out to establish whether "space creation" is a viable strategy for accelerating employment equity. In this exploratory qualitative research a series of in-depth interviews were conducted with acknowledged ... Obtaining employ

"eam Performance Management Volume 23, Issue 5-6, 2017, Pages 227-242 Working separately but together: appraising virtual project team challenges(Article) Zuofa, T.aEmail Author, Ochieng, E.G.bEmail Author View Correspondence (jump link) aFaculty of Engineering, Environment and Computing, Coventry, United Kingdom bCranfield School of Management, Cranfield University, Cranfield, United Kingdom Abstract View references (72) Purpose: This paper aims to extend the extant knowledge on virtual teams by examining the challenges of virtual project teams in organisations in Nigeria. Design/methodology/approach: Data were collected through semi-structured interviews. Totally, 20 interviews were recorded, transcribed and analysed. Validity and reliability were achieved by first assessing the plausibility in terms of already existing knowledge on some of the virtual project team issues identified by participants. Findings: The findings from this study confirmed the growing relevance of virtual project teams in highly competitive global business environments. It emerged that some of the challenges identified in the study had some level of congruence with those previously identified from similar studies from other geographical locations. The findings also suggested that challenges in virtual project teams can be linked to the organisation, the project team and the virtual environment or even a combination of all. Practical implications: The present study corroborates the position that managing virtual project teams requires additional efforts to attain their objectives through effective communications and the adoption of appropriate technology. Originality/value: The originality of this study lies in its exploration of virtual project team challenges in a sub-Saharan Africa country (Nigeria). By identifying the challenges associated with virtual project teams, stakeholders will be better able to successfully establish and manage virtual project teams better. © 2

"Virtual R&D teams in small and medium enterprises: a literature review Ale Ebrahim, Nader and Ahmed, S. and Taha, Zahari (2009) Virtual R&D teams in small and medium enterprises: a literature review. [Journal (Paginated)] Full text available as: [img] PDF - Published Version 387Kb Abstract Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the driving engine behind economic growth. While SMEs play a critical role in generating employment and supporting trade, they face numerous challenges, the prominent among them are the need to respond to fasting time-to-market, low-cost and rapid solutions to complex organizational problems. Towards that end, research and development (R & D) aspect deserves particular attention to promote and facilitate the operations of SMEs. Virtual R & D team could be a viable option. However, literature shows that virtual R & D teaming in SMEs is still at its infancy. This article provides a comprehensive literature review on different aspects of virtual R & D teams collected from the reputed publications. The purpose of the state-of-the-art literature review is to provide an overview on the structure and dynamics of R & D collaboration in SMEs. Specifying the foundation and importance of virtual teams, the relationship between virtual R & D team and SMEs has been examined. It concludes with the identification of the gaps in the existing literature's and calls for future research. It is argued that setting-up an infrastructure for virtual R & D team in SMEs still requires a large amount of engineering efforts and deserves consideration at top level management. Item Type: Journal (Paginated) Keywords: Virtual teams, small and medium enterprises, literature review Subjects: JOURNALS Computer Science > Human Computer Interaction Electronic Publishing > Peer Review ID Code: 7804 Deposited By: Ale Ebrahim, Nader Deposited On: 16 Dec 2011 00:00 Last Modified: 16 Dec 2011 00:00 References in Article Select the SEEK icon to attempt to find the referenced a

"Assessing the Quality of Collaboration in Virtual Teams Posted in June 12th, 2008 by Betsy Carroll in Challenges, Collaboration, Leadership, Teamwork For those who are interested in virtual team collaboration, the concept of teamwork is crucial. But rarely is "teamwork" actually defined. Just as the adage goes, we know it when we see it, but we may have trouble explicitly saying what makes for good teamwork. This week, Surinder sent me an academic journal article by Martin Hoegl and Hans Georg Gemuenden that has great practical application for defining what good collaboration or teamwork consists of. The authors call their concept "teamwork quality", and define it in terms of 6 facets. They are: Communication Coordination Balance of member contributions Mutual support Effort Cohesion The authors found evidence that teamwork quality is related both to team performance (defined by quality and efficiency) and personal success of team members (defined by satisfaction and learning). This post, based on that article, has two pieces. First, I will briefly define and describe each facet of teamwork quality. This should be useful for people in the field to assess the quality of their virtual teamwork. Second, I will discuss some ways to foster teamwork quality when the team is virtual, something the authors of the article don't specifically discuss. Please note that the term "teamwork quality" in this article does not include the nature of the team's task or the quality of interactions with others outside the team - it is only about the processes within a team. 1. Communication: How frequent, informal, direct, and open is your team's communication? Generally, more frequent communication is productive, but this should be relative to what is sufficient or necessary for the task. The authors describe informal communication as being more spontaneous. Direct communication happens when people talk to one another rather than relayi

"Virtual Teams: a Literature Review by Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Zahari Taha - AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF BASIC AND APPLIED SCIENCES , 2009 "... In the competitive market, virtual teams represent a growing response to the need for fasting time-to-market, low-cost and rapid solutions to complex organizational problems. Virtual teams enable organizations to pool the talents and expertise of employees and non-employees by eliminating time and s ..." Abstract - Cited by 5 (4 self) - Add to MetaCart In the competitive market, virtual teams represent a growing response to the need for fasting time-to-market, low-cost and rapid solutions to complex organizational problems. Virtual teams enable organizations to pool the talents and expertise of employees and non-employees by eliminating time and space barriers. Nowadays, companies are heavily investing in virtual team to enhance their performance and competitiveness. Despite virtual teams growing prevalence, relatively little is known about this new form of team. Hence the study offers an extensive literature review with definitions of virtual teams and a structured analysis of the present body of knowledge of virtual teams. First, we distinguish virtual teams from conventional teams, different types of virtual teams to identify where current knowledge applies. Second, we distinguish what is needed for effective virtual team considering the people, process and technology point of view and underlying characteristics of virtual teams and challenges they entail. Finally, we have identified and extended 12 key factors that need to be considered, and describes a methodology focused on supporting virtual team working, with a new approach that has not been specifically addressed in the existing literature and some guide line for future research extracted. Innovation and R&D Activities in Virtual Team by Nader Ale Ebrahim, Shamsuddin Ahmed, Zahari Taha "... Innovation plays a central role in economic development, at regional

"Virtual Teams: Selection and Assessment of Team Members Stephen M. Urquhart Webster University Abstract This paper reviews current literature spanning theoretical and practical research of virtual teams. Ultimately, the paper will identify the most likely predictors of success to aid in the selection and assignment of employees and other members to a virtual team. Four key areas of research are covered: the virtual team environment; critical success factors in a virtual team; individual behaviors and success factors; and current practices for vetting and assigning virtual team members. Finally, a research approach is proposed to build on the currently defined success factors, measured in the context of how they would be applied in a virtual team setting. Introduction "Ever-greater virtualization is eating away at organizational structures and replacing them with networks of free agents." - Michael Malone, The Virtual Corporation (Ante, 2009) The concept of virtual teams has existed for more than two decades (Terrie, 1987; Kirkman, Rosen, Gibson, Tesluk and McPherson, 1995; Coyle and Schnaar, 1995), however, the technology to fully optimize the benefits of a team with members in different parts of the world in support of a common set of goals is relatively new and appears to be evolving. It is conceivable that the pace of technology has in some ways outstripped the capability of workers to keep up and adapt in a way where they can make a proactive and substantive contribution to organizational goals. Based on initial research into this area of concern, there appears to be insufficient guidance available to human resource (HR) practitioners and business managers in determining which employees are a good fit for a virtual team, what predictors can be used to accurately determine suitability, and how to effectively evaluate candidates for virtual assignments in advance to avoid failures and degraded productivity. This paper will evaluate the current lite