Possible topics

(Note that wording here is just a guide)

1. 1.The experience of students and others living abroad. To what extent does internet technology reduce or improve the effect of cultural immersion for students or others living abroad?
   

2. 2.Virtual teams.
   

1. a.Building trust across cultures in virtual teams
   

2. b.Cultural dimensions
   

1. i.Task vs Relationship
   

2. ii.Strict Time Conscious vs Flexible Time Consciousness
   

3. iii.Explicit Communication (Low context/direct) vs Implicit Communication (High context/indirect)
   

4. iv.Egalitarian vs Hierarchical
   

5. v.Individual vs Group
   

6. vi.Achievement vs Status
   

7. vii.Tolerant of Uncertainty vs Preference for Certainty
   

8. h.Conversation timing – i.e. cultures that leave silences in conversations (e.g. Japanese) with those that don’t (e.g. French)
   

9. i.Other issues
   

1. i.What is failure/success?
   

2. ii.How does job sector affect organisation of the team?
   

3. iii.What is the impact of corporate culture?
   

4. iv.What constitutes motivation in different  cultures?
   

3. 3.Mental well-being in a virtual world – both work and personal.
   

4. 4.Generational issues. Is culture changed by online presence? Are behaviours different in the virtual world compared to the ‘real’ world?  Are those less familiar or comfortable with new technologies at a disadvantage in the world of work?
   

5. 5.Brain development – is the brain changing or adapting to the new environment?
   

6. 6.How does culture affect the use of applications such as facebook, twitter and others?
   

7. 7.The negative impact of life in the ‘internet’ – bullying and worse
   

8. 8.Is culture considered by designers of functionality of online tools–WebEx, Skype, facebook etc.  How should tools reflect particular cultural needs?