Virtuality and Non-Virtuality in Remote Stock Trading

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Abstract:

Advances in information technology allow for remote working, leading to suggestions that remote individuals can operate in virtual instead of face-to-face teams. This paper considers the continuation of face-to-face communication in a European group
of stock traders, despite the capabilities of information technology to individuate the work. The case illustrates that traders
prefer and need to work in face-to-face settings for various reasons. Short-term reasons arise from a need for instant and
effortless communication in their manipulation of market prices and for instant knowledge sharing, leading to both higher
individual and collective profits. Long-term reasons arise from a need for continuous learning by novices and experts, as
stock markets and stock prices settle into behavioral patterns over longer periods of time. The implications for computing
and work are discussed.