We discuss and demonstrate how Virtual Worlds available at the University of Bedfordshire have been used to teach Project Management using a ‘situated learning’ approach. In particular we have a closer look on the aspect of teaching risk management and identify how different aspects of risk are addressed in a variety of implementations of Virtual Worlds, namely Second Life, a Virtual World prov...

Educational institutions are increasingly exploring the affordances of 3D virtual worlds for instruction and research, but few studies have been done to document current practices and uses of this emerging technology. This observational survey examines the virtual presences of 170 accredited educational institutions found in one such 3D virtual world called Second Life®, created by SanFrancisco...

This paper describes the World Trade Model, a linear program that determines world prices, scarcity rents, and international trade flows based on comparative advantage in a world economy with m regions, n goods, and k factors. Major properties of the model are demonstrated, including the sources of the gains from trade for the world as a whole and for individual regions. Preliminary empirical r...

The book by Radhika Desai titled Geopolitical Economy: After US Hegemony, Globalization and Empire and part of The Future of World Capitalism book series, represents a profound introspection, as well as an overview of the most important politico-economic relations in the world, from the late-19thcentury until the current period. This book deconstructs common myths present in the mainstream lite...

Second Life by many is considered to be more than just a game. It is a social microcosmos in which fairly normal people behave normally and where (complex) social behaviour develops. As such it is an interesting environment to study social and legal phenomena. In this chapter we will look at the privacy and how privacy is regulated within Second Life. The analysis will point out shortcomings of...

Second Life (SL) is an immersive, 3D social interaction virtual environment developed by Linden Lab where business including monetary transactions can take place. SL is a virtual world that also provides support for virtual organisations; a group of individuals whose members and resources may be dispersed geographically, but who function as a coherent unit through the use of cyber infrastructur...

This article conjoins a foundation in moral philosophy with an empirical study on the un/acceptability of moral practices in ‘Second Life’ (SL). SL-residents were asked to rank morally charged SL-scenarios in a classification from ‘(most) unacceptable’ to ‘(most) acceptable’ and, while doing so, to reason out loud about their ranking. The analysis presented here focuses on their converging and ...

As virtual economies begin to interact more with real world economies, it is important to consider the in-game activities that players engage in, which create and transfer game currency. Specifically, we examine products and services that players offer to each other within MMORPGs. We use Bartle’s taxonomy of player types to illustrate the different behavioral approaches players have in consumi...

After the World War II, the world economy was disrupted and changed due to oil and its prices. The research in this paper presents the basic statistical features and economic characteristics of the Gulf economy. The main features of the Gulf economies and its heavy dependence on oil exports, its dualism between modern and traditional sectors and its rapidly increasing affluences are particularl...

The Internet and the Web have extended traditional business networks by allowing a Web of different digital resources to work together to create value for organizations. The most industrialized countries have entered a post-industrial era where their prosperity is largely created through a service economy. There is a clear transition from a manufacturing based economy to a service based economy...