International Business Globalization and Trade, Multinational Research Paper

International Business Globalization and Trade, Multinational Enterprise - Research Paper Example China and India are becoming economic giants and this evident by the way their products are competing perfectively with goods from developed countries like the U.S, UK, and Germany. The two nations have embraced ‘frugal innovation’ system which advocates for producing more for less. The frugal invention helps in cutting production cost of production and this has been an added advantage to Companies operating in the two upcoming economic superpowers. (Urata and Chia et al., 2006). Factors leading to Economic growth in Asian States Innovation is the application of improved solutions which meet the new requirements, inarticulate needs or the existing market needs. This is achieved through more effective products, processes, services, technologies or ideas which are readily available to markets, governments and society. This is happening in Asia where China and India have decided to end developing country life and join the group of developed countries. Frugal innovation has been highly used in China and India. Frugal innovation is the process of reducing the complexity and cost of production of a product. This kind of innovation helps firms in growing at a faster rate by reducing production cost. Frugal innovation has made many firms in Asia to have a competitive advantage (Mason, 2001). Reverse innovation is the kind of innovation used by most of the developing countries. This is a kind of innovation whereby goods developed as inexpensive models to meet the needs of the developing nations. (Govindarajan and Trimble, 2012). Jugaad invention is in full force in both China and India. This is a process of improvising production materials due to lack of enough resources for production. China and India have been using and producing their products using their local readily available resources. These forms of innovations used by the two Asian nations has played a big role in product development (Radjou and Prabhu et al., 2012). China and India incorporated gl obalization in their system. This process has helped the two nations in borrowing technology from developed countries and use them in the production of high-quality affordable products. Frugal innovation in Asia The origin of Frugal Innovation Using the concept of innovation, frugal innovation develops on the theories of movements and capabilities that have been there before. Frugal innovation can be traced back from the appropriate technology movement. This was as a result of a publication by Schumer in 1975 with the topic, ‘Small is beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered’ this was aimed in campaigning the local development of low technology, labour-intensive, environmentally technologies as the substitute to depending on technology- transfer from developed countries. After growing as a global movement, the attractiveness of the intermediate which later became appropriate technology sends a warning message, for it was increasing the implications of second class qua lity. Due to threats like environmental challenges due to ozone layer depletion, the appropriate technology was overtaken by sustainable development which forced countries like China and India to come up with ways of growing their economy (Bound & Thortin 2012). The evolution of frugal innovation was influenced by several factors. The factors included; social movements which helped in the globalization of science technology and innovation. There was the availability of technology for the two countries had tapped it from some developing countries. The growth of the private sector increased networking of the global innovation system as multinational firms explored new locations for R&D.

My Counseling Theory Paper Essay Example for Free

My Counseling Theory Paper Essay Running head: Finding Meaning Finding Meaning in Life Sandy Patty Made Up University Abstract What is to be said about life and circumstances? There are many different theories and perspectives about it, but my concern is when someone feels they have to be subject to their circumstance. Further in this paper I will discuss my personal counseling theory and how I believe that not one person has to be ruled by a certain circumstance and that they are not by any means validated by one person because they have the opportunity to discover meaning in their life for themselves and discover an array of opportunities in life. Finding Meaning in Life Introduction My story is not something new or one that has never been told before, but it is unique to me and bears significant value due to the way that it shaped and formed me into the person I am today and the reason for me pursuing a career in counseling. I come from a mixed, biracial, and very religious family. The women in my family all seem to have gone through significant and grave hardships and/or traumatic experiences. My grandmother was sold as a sex slave when she was 3 years old because her Mother was dirt poor and needed money to sustain her drug/alcohol addiction. At an early age my grandmother was forced into prostitution as a way of life and a means to sustain herself. She then later met my grandfather who was a minister in a local religious church and they married. My mother was born into a very religious environment, strict dress codes, no jewelry, makeup, pants, they were forcefully instructed that they were the lesser of men, and they were to always obey their husband regardless of the issue or circumstance. During my Mother’s adolescent years she was a victim of child molest and the perpetrator was an important figure in the church. When my Mother attempted to tell my grandmother what had happened, she was severely physically punished and accused of lying. Since then, she never once told a soul as it continued to occur. She had become a pin-cushion for a â€Å"religious leader† within the church. Later on in life, my Mother met my father who was a young youth pastor in town and they married. My father was also a very religious man and held strongly to his beliefs. My parents struggled financially and experienced many hardships due to church and family. I believe my parents were somewhat forced in marriage at such an early age due to their religious setting and they were not prepared at all for what faced them ahead. My mother had children by age 19 and her life changed dramatically. My one and only older sibling was born and he became the closest thing to a mentor that I had. I too, grew up in a very religious and strict home environment. We were taught that there was only one way to live and it was according to the Bible and the rules taught in Church, anything else was unacceptable and reprimanded. My father was always a very hard worker and was hardly home due to working so many jobs in order to provide for the family. When he was home, I remember him and my mother arguing constantly due to issues with his family interfering with their marriage and finances. From an early age, I remember my mother crying and coming to me to talk about what was bothering her or issues with my father. I would just listen and offer advice as best as an 8 yr. old could and I remember thinking to myself, â€Å"Is this normal, am I supposed to be doing this? It felt strange and hard to not be biased in a situation involving my family, but I learned at a very young age things a child should not know or experience. I definitely had to grow up quick and learned to figure things out on my own. My older brother pretty much raised me and was the only person I could confide in or talk to. My family was not very affectionate, but rather very cold and distant and always brought everything back to a religio us setting. I have always been told I was very mature for my age and I attribute this to my childhood or lack thereof and being forced to play an adult role due to circumstance. I do not write this story for pity, but rather because I believe it played a significant role in me pursuing counseling as a career path. It feels so natural for me when I’m talking to people because it was something I can always remember doing. From such an early age, I have always been engaged with older people and hearing about issues from failed relationships to traumatic/crisis situations. I strongly believe that this is one of the reasons I am not a very judgmental person because I feel I have experienced so much that I know what it is like to go through many different situations and not so pleasant circumstances. Core Theoretical Principles My counseling theory is that even though human beings have the need for approval or longing of someone else to bring substantial meaning in their life, they are not by any means validated by any one person or situation because you focus on the present and future and make the most of your circumstance. I experienced that in my childhood every time I saw my mother and father arguing and later I would hear from her what exactly happened between them. I remember thinking to myself that why would someone stay in an abusive situation or at least not stand up for themselves. I concluded that she needed to be validated by the relationship and for her to leave the relationship or stand up for herself would mean to defy her husband, church, and God. The Existential theory really brought insight into my life because it helped me understand what I always knew and from what I had experienced at an early age. In essence Existentialism states that we are not victims of circumstance because, to a large extent, we are what we choose to be (Corey, 2009, pg. 133). It is about recognizing certain tragedies experienced in life, but also embracing and understanding the positive opportunities that lie ahead, and to also comprehend the fact that we are human and what it means to be just that. It is a difficult concept to grasp at first because society teaches us that it is about building relationships and finding someone to validate who you are as a person, but existentialism is about understanding and facing the fact that we are essentially alone and facing that anxiety. It is in this theory that we tend to discover just who we are as a person and are able to discover more about ourselves and make sense of our existence. According to Carl Rogers, his experience taught him that if one is able to get to the core of an individual, one finds a trustworthy, positive center. He believed that people are trustworthy, resourceful, capable of self-understanding and self-direction, able to make constructive changes, and able to live effective and productive lives. In this theory, I believe that despite circumstance, a person is able to â€Å"bounce back† and still be able to live a healthy and high functioning life. I would incorporate what Car Rogers expressed as the three main attributes needed to foster change, Congruence, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Accurate Empathic Understanding. For me, it has always been very important for me to deal with someone on a personal level, never forgetting that we are all humans and not above anyone else. I honestly believe that when you treat someone with respect regardless of age, gender, race, etc. then trust and respect is created and that is the number one element in any counseling relationship. Gestalt is another form of holistic psychology theory and one that I would strongly employ because I am a firm believer in perception and the meaning-making process. Gestalt therapy suggests that the objective is to enable the client to become more fully and creatively alive and to become free from the blocks and unfinished business that may diminish satisfaction, fulfillment, and growth, and to experiment with new ways of being (Corey, 2009, pg. 204). It looks at the bigger picture as a whole not just one part of the whole because I believe in order to truly understand someone you need to perhaps dissect pieces, but only in order to understand the whole. Anticipated Settings I currently am employed at a Child Family Advocacy Center that helps victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse. I have always been interested in the helping profession and because of my childhood and the many different experiences and circumstances I encountered, I have always known I wanted to work in this specific area in order to attempt to make a change and help people who fall victims of such a terrible circumstance. As a future counselor I would like to remain relatively in the same field of helping victims of a crime, which include sexual assault, child molest, and domestic violence. I have seen and experienced all of this personally whether with family or friends and I have a passion and urge to help make a difference. I believe that life is definitely not fair, people are played the cards they are dealt, but also that a person is not validated by their past circumstances or anyone and it is up to them to find meaning in their life and discover who they are and want to become. Techniques I believe that it is necessary to provide adequate education and training to all the community because there are many people who unaware of the laws that can protect them from crimes and they are also unaware of the many various options they have to change their situation. I would employ an ongoing community education program offering free training to local offices, schools, day cares, etc. , just to spread the word of the different community resources available to help the people. In working closely with and advocacy center, I would incorporate a domestic violence group that is not biased and one that actually helpful to people and does not enable them. Unfortunately, services in this area are limited to the same service providers and people are left with limited options. Too many times, clients have approached me with disappointment in therapist they have encountered and they are turned off by the idea of counseling because of several negative experiences. I am very passionate about this type of work specifically because of my past and I would like to genuinely be able to help people in these types of situations and therefore, would in the future, like to offer counseling services specifically to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or child abuse. I would not be biased, and because of my past I understand what it is like to live in that type of situation and I also understand leaving is not always the easiest decision a person can make because there are many factors to consider. People in these types of situations are very unique in the fact that they have learned to survive on their own and know what they need to do or to say the right thing in order to survive. This is not a situation where one counseling theory covers all clients, so I would tailor each to the specific person because I understand their situation is unique and requires a technique to match. Also, I believe that it is vital to establish a healthy relationship with the client in order for them to trust you and open up to you. I would incorporate many of the Rogerian techniques regarding the genuine relationship with the client, trusting environment. Victims of any of these types of crime have been through some of the most horrendous situations and they have learned to adapt to the perpetrators needs and threats. If a counselor walks into a session with an â€Å"all knowing† authoritative attitude it will discourage the victim from speaking the truth and the counselor will have lost, which may have been the only opportunity, to help the victim possible change their circumstance. I would enter into the counselor/client relationship giving respect and trust on my part and genuinely attempting to get to know the client and their unique situation. I would also involve the client every step of the way because it is this same client that returns to their situation at home and not me so I would always need to have their best interest and safety in mind. The clients would not just be another file on my desk, but rather a person who’s life can be altered by perhaps just one meeting in counseling so what better change to reach out and try and help someone. It is with this that I would definitely incorporate many of the existential techniques in helping clients find meaning in their life by exploring their different life situations. Limitations A very common limitation that I experience already in the line of work I do now is the fact that even though I am passionate about this field, the actuality of it is that I cannot change a person, they have to decide for themselves when that change is appropriate. Many times I have seen counselors burnout in this field because they feel they are not making any significant change due to many victims returning to the same abusive relationship or circumstance. So in theory, all of these techniques and theories are wonderful, but in reality they are dependent on the client. Summary Life is simple, it’s just not easy. People have to play the cards they are dealt. Life is not fair by any means and we could use this as an excuse to wallow in pity or use it to motivate us to overcome and conquer our situation. We are not validated by any one circumstance or person, we can choose to discover for ourselves who we are and who we wish to become. My personal counseling theory is just that, very personal because it was unknowingly developed over time due mostly through what I have experienced in life.

Pinpoint Colluding Attackers for Software-as-a-Service Cloud

Pinpoint Colluding Attackers for Software-as-a-Service Cloud Abstract- Software as a Service (SaaS) is a distribution model of software in which service provider or vendor develops applications and these are accessible by the customers over a network. SaaS clouds are vulnerable to malicious attacks because of their sharing nature. IntTest, service integrity attestation framework has been anticipated and it uses a novel integrated attestation graph analysis scheme to pinpoint attackers. But IntTest has still a limitation that attackers can still escape the detection if they have less inconsistency links than benign service providers. In this paper, we present Function Combination Generator along with the IntTest in order to detect the attackers more in number. Also, Result Auto Correction is provided to correct the incorrect results provided by the attackers. Our experimental results shows that our scheme is effective and can achieve higher accuracy in pinpointing the attackers more in number than the existing approaches. Index Terms- Cloud Computing, Integrity Attestation, Multitenant, SaaS, Function Combination Generator 1 INTRODUCTION Cloud computing depends on resource sharing over a network. Cloud computing mainly relies on improving the efficiency of shared resources. Cloud provides services like Software as a Service (SaaS), Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), and Platform as a Service (PaaS). This paper mainly deals with Software-as-a-service. Software as a Service depicts any cloud service where providers deploy their applications and consumers use those applications through a client interface such as web browser. Software as a Service and Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) [4] provides certain concepts for the evolution of Software as a Service clouds [1] (e.g., Amazon Web Service (AWS) [2] and Google App Engine [3]). SaaS clouds provide a way for application service providers (ASPs)[5], [6] to transport their applications through the huge cloud computing infrastructure [7]. Figure 1 shows the origin of Software as a Service deployed on either public, private or hybrid cloud and its relation with the end u ser. As ASPs from different security domains shares Cloud Computing infrastructures, they are vulnerable to attacks. As Cloud Computing attracts many providers due to its cost-effective concept, it has become very popular at recent. This paper concentrates on service integrity attacks on SaaS clouds. The user gets the bad results due to these integrity attacks when requested for a service. Figure 2 shows the integrity attacks in SaaS clouds. Multitenant architecture is one that is responsible for most of the SaaS cloud solutions. In the previous research, only privacy protection and confidentiality problems have been widely stated, but the service integrity attestation was not clearly addressed. Service integrity is one of the main problems that need to be solved despite whether the public or private clouds process the data. Various researchers have presented certain service integrity attestation schemes but the problem is that they require secure kernel or trusted hardware support. Because of these problems, Multitenant cloud computing does not carry those schemes. Later, Juan Du has proposed IntT est, an efficient framework for large scale cloud systems. A novel integrated attestation graph analysis scheme has been provided by the IntTest that detects the attackers more when compared to the existing schemes. But the problem here is that the attackers can still escape the detection if they have less inconsistency links than benign service providers. i.e., If only one order of service functions is given by the providers for a service, the attacker acts as genuine and colludes with other attackers and provides fake results. With this, all the inconsistent results caused by the attackers are not detected completely and the fake results are assumed as good one and provided to the users. With this, we can say that that IntTest cannot detect the colluding attackers. In this Paper, Function Combination Generator is provided for the IntTest to overcome the limitation. Function Combination Generator along with IntTest can attain more attacker identifying accuracy than existing schemes like Run Test and AdapTest. In particular, AdapTest and RunTest with the other conventional voting schemes wants to believe that benevolent service providers take bulk in every service function. Figure 1: Software-as-a Service To make the targeted service functions as malicious, several attackers may launch on colluding attacks in large scale multitenant cloud systems. In order to overcome this problem, IntTest with FCG adopts a systematic method by exploring the both consistency and inconsistency relationships between various service providers in the whole cloud system. The per-function consistency graphs and global inconsistency graphs have been validated by the IntTest. The attackers can be detected more effectively, it does not allow the attackers to escape as well as reduces the scope of damage caused by the attackers by using Function Combination Generator with IntTest. With the scalable IntTest along with Function Combination Generator, the burden provided with attestation can be reduced to an extent than any other schemes. This paper provides the below implementations: IntTest, an efficient and scalable service integrity attestation framework for broad cloud computing infrastructures. Function Combination Generator that generates different set of orders for a particular set of functions for the given service. Baseline and Integrated attestation schemes that attains more attackers pinpointing than the existing schemes. Result auto correction method that eventually replaces the fake results provided by the colluding attackers with the correct results. The rest of this paper is organized as follows. Section 2 presents the related work. Section 3 presents the proposed Work in detail. Section 4 presents the design. Finally, the paper concludes in section 5. Figure 2: Integrity attacks in cloud based data processing Where, Sn= different service components n= {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7} VM= Virtual Machines 2 RELATED WORK SaaS clouds are given with various integrity attestation schemes in recent years. The BIND scheme, TEAS, RunTest and AdapTest are some of the schemes but these in turn have some issues that are to be dealt with. Some of them want trusted hardware and support of secure kernel. BIND [10] (Binding Information and Data) is one that requires secure kernel or a third party support. To verify the service integrity for SaaS clouds, BIND exhibits the fine grained attestation framework. This BIND scheme follows these steps. 1) Attestation annotation mechanism. 2) Sandbox mechanism. 3) Verification of authenticator through hash. In order to address the service integrity attestation, Diffee-Hellman key has been used by the BIND scheme. TEAS [11] (Timed Executable Agent System) is another provided scheme that address the integrity for SaaS clouds. It uses Agent generation and verification algorithm. But the problem is that it is not scalable and does require trusted hardware. RunTest [8] has been proposed later with further corrections. RunTest, a scalable runtime integrity attestation framework attains the data flow processing integrity in cloud. It promotes light-weight application level attestation mechanism. With this, it identifies the attackers when inconsistent results are detected and also integrity of data processing results is examined. This RunTest gives the information on who are benign service providers and also the attackers’ stealthy behaviour. The disadvantage that RunTest has is its low performance. The AdapTest [9] is another existing scheme that presents a novel adaptive data driven runtime service integrity attestation framework to verify the service integrity in SaaS clouds. It reduces the detection delay and also the attestation overhead. It treats all the service components as black boxes so any special hardware support is not needed by the AdapTest. The disadvantage is that detection rate is low. So later, to overcome all th e limitations of the existing schemes, IntTest has been proposed. Any secure kernel or hardware support is not needed by IntTest as it also treats the components as black boxes. IntTest provides more detecting accuracy than above all the existing schemes. But still the IntTest has a limitation that attackers try to escape the detection by colluding with the other attackers. So, we proposed Function Combination Generator technique to be used with IntTest to overcome the limitation. With this Function Combination Generator with IntTest, there is no chance for the attackers to escape. 3 PROPOSED WORK Software as a Service clouds are evolved from the basic concepts of Software as a Service and Service Oriented Architecture. It provides a way for the application service providers to build their applications and transport them through cloud computing infrastructure. Here, we are proposing a new technique called Function Combination Generator for IntTest. To pinpoint all the colluding attackers is the main goal of IntTest with Function Combination Generator. And it should not make attackers to escape from detection. Various service providers are negotiated by a single attacker in multitenant cloud systems. Here, certain assumptions are made by the IntTest. First, in the entire cloud system the total number of benign service providers is greater than the malicious service providers. Without this assumption, the IntTest scheme does not work properly. Second, the data processing services are input deterministic. Whatever input is given by the benign service component, it should produce the similar output. Third, the hardware and software faults that grounds the result inconsistency are marked by fault detection schemes [12] and can be removed them as malicious attacks. Figure 3 depicts the overall architecture of our proposed work. The architecture flows like this. At first the user requests the cloud for a particular service, and that requested service is deployed in the cloud and promotes that request to SaaS. SaaS cloud process the request and generates the result to the cloud. Next, Function Combination Generator regulates different set of orders for service functions and then IntTest checks the consistency and inconsistency relationships and then identify the malicious attackers. Result autocorrection corrects the bad results produced by the attackers and stores the corrected data and finally corresponding good results are sent to the user. Figure 3: Architecture 4 DESIGN In this section we present the design of the proposed system. First, we present the Function Combination Generator. We then describe baseline and integrated attestation schemes and next, we present the result autocorrection scheme. 4.1 Function Combination Generator Service is one that consists of several components that in turn consists of different number of functions. Service may contain any number of functions like f1, f2, f3, f4 etc. When the SaaS cloud generates the service as per requested by the user, then the Function Combination Generator generates different set of patterns for the functions such as f1, f3, f2, f4 and f2, f3, f4, f1 and soon. By generating like this, there we can see that the attackers can’t escape from detection. Function Combination Generator is an efficient technique provided with the IntTest to detect the colluding attackers in large number. 4.2 Baseline Attestation Scheme IntTest is mainly used to detect the service integrity attack in SaaS clouds and also pinpoint malicious service providers. In Cloud Computing, several providers develop the same function as they are popular. Function Combination Generator after generating patterns sends the results to the IntTest. IntTest then obtains the consistency and inconsistency relationships among the different service providers for a particular set of service function generated. Figure 4 depicts the consistency check mechanism. As shown in the figure 4, the service providers are p1, p2 and p3. The same function f is developed by all the providers. Portal node is one that has global information like number of ASPs etc., It acts as a gateway to use the services. Provider p1 first receives the original data input p1 from the portal node and generates the result f(d1). Again provider p3 receives the duplicate of d1 and generates the result f(d1’). Next the relationship between the providers is derived. If both the providers generate the same result, they are said to be consistent with each other. If not they are inconsistent with each other, then we can say that one of them is malicious. Like this, we derive the relationships among various service providers. Figure 4: Consistency Check 4.3 Integrated Attestation Scheme Now, an integrated attestation graph analysis algorithm is given here. Step 1: Consistency analysis: Based on the consistency relationships derived by the Baseline attestation scheme, we derive per-function consistency graph as shown in figure 4(a).. With this, the distrustful service providers can be identified. The consistency graph presents certain consistency links among a set of service providers. Those service providers give same results for every specific service function. Like if service providers p1, p2 give consistent results for a function f1, they give the same consistent results for all functions like f2, f3, f4 and so on. The benign service providers who give consistent results for a particular function will form a clique in terms of consistency links. With this per-function consistency graph, we cannot clearly identify who the attacker is. So, we must also consider inconsistency graph too. Figure 4: Attestation Graphs Step 2: Inconsistency analysis: The global inconsistency graph as shown in figure 4(b) is derived from the inconsistency relationships drawn by Baseline attestation scheme. This graph contains only inconsistency links, there may involve various possible combinations of benign node set and malicious node set. Here, we have to believe that total number of malicious service providers is not greater than max number of malicious service. Function Combination Generator generated different set of patterns for a particular service. By generating like this, there is no chance for the attackers to escape as they give inconsistent results with all the patterns when consistency check is done. If any provider gives only incorrect results with all the patterns, we confirm that provider as a corrupted one. Like this, we will find the attackers more in number. 4.4 Result Auto Correction To regularly correct the bad results provided by the attackers, Result Autocorrection is provided. IntTest with Function Combination Generator can not only pinpoint malicious service providers and even autocorrects the bad results with good results and thus improving the result quality of the cloud data processing service. With the absence of attestation scheme, any malicious attacker can change original input data and with this the processing result of that input will be corrupted which will result in degraded result quality. IntTest presents attestation data and correct compromised data processing results. Function Combination Generator given with IntTest, it can achieve higher detection accuracy than any other techniques when malicious service providers attack more nodes. This method will identify the attackers even though they attack a very low percentage of services. This technique can achieve higher detection rate than any other existing scheme and will have low false alarm rate than others. Comparison Study Below is the table that compares various parameters like detection rate, time and attestation overhead among various approaches like AdapTest, RunTest, and IntTest with no Function Combination Generator and IntTest with Function Combination Generator. 5 CONCLUSION In this paper we introduced a technique called Function Combination Generator for IntTest, a novel integrated service integrity attestation graph analysis scheme for multitenant software-as-a-service cloud system. Function Combination Generator generates diffsaerent set of patterns for service functions and then IntTest uses a reply based consistency check to verify the service providers. IntTest with Function Combination Generator analyses both the consistency and inconsistency graphs to find the malicious attackers efficiently than any other existing techniques. And also it provides a result auto correction to improve result quality.

Online Dating Essay -- Internet Date Singles

A Brief History of Courtship "Courtship takes many forms, depending mainly on the point in history and the culture in which it exists" (Cate, 1992) Many popular love songs claim that being in love is similar to being under a magical spell. Some state that "all you need is love," and still others affirm that "love lifts us up where we belong." People dream about finding their one and only soul mate, and in this day and age, the pursuit for love and happiness is closer to home than ever before......in fact, it's only a mouse-click away. Of course, dating hasn't always been so convenient. In the early 19th Century, marriages were arranged with little emphasis on romance or love. Marriage itself was considered to be an economic union, and without a good family name and large plot of land, it was difficult for anyone to find a suitor. Colonel Fitzwilliam says it best in the 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice, stating, "there are not many in my rank of life who can afford to marry without a great deal of attention to money" (Austen, 1995). In the late 1800s, romantic love moved into the spotlight, and courtship became the norm; although, this custom was not without its rules and regulations. A great deal of etiquette was employed when arranging the details of a date, and oftentimes, this event was set to take place inside the female's home. "Parlor dates" were very popular, and by opening up one's home, the woman was able to display her homemaking skills -- an area of expertise that was highly valued by the male community. During the early 20th Century, courtship began to take place outside of the home, and although the strict formalities of the dating game were generally loosened, many new conventions were impose... ....N. (2001). Self-disclosure in computer-mediated communication: The role of self-awareness and visual anonymity. European Journal of Social Psychology, 11, 191-204. Scharlott, B.W. and Christ, W.G. (1995). Overcoming relationship-initiation barriers: The impact of a computer-dating system on sex role, shyness, and appearance inhibitions. Computer in Human Behavior, 11, 191-204. Sproull, L. and Kiesler, S. (1986). Reducing social context cues: Electronic mail in organizational communication. Management Science, 32, 1492-1512. Stanley, T. (2006). Online Dating Sites get Stood up by Consumers. Advertising Age, 77, 10. Turkle, S. (1995). Life on the Screen: Identity in the age of the Internet. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Whitty, M. and Carr, A. (2006). Cyberspace Romance: The Psychology of Online Relationships. New York, New York: Palgrave MacMillan.

Ramadan

In the article â€Å"Young Saudis Reinvent Ramadan,† the author highlights some issues involved in the celebration of Ramadan, or the month meant for fasting. In most places, particularly in the rich country of Saudi, young and old turn night into day to be able to eat, watch and do other things, while spending the day sleeping. Even some services are available until dawn. These practices are highly contradictory to the real essence of Ramadan, which is to sacrifice by fasting during the day in order to atone for past sins and be reborn after the month is over. Sleeping during the day undermines the value of sacrifice since those who do this are free to indulge during the night. The government and its people have practiced Ramadan for a long time but the practice had been superficial, as pointed out by the author. Another issue that the author highlights is how many Saudis have taken a new look at the puritanical approach to Islam after the fateful 911 attack. Many Saudis have now realized that extremism does not necessarily mean you are doing things for God. The students and young people described in the article are modernist because they chose to return to the real essence of Islam, which is making God the center of everything. Modernism makes God the center of the universe and the ultimate authority. Modernism is also about making the religious practice adapt to the times. They used their belief to apply to the modern world by helping to alleviate even for a while the needs of the people around them. They did not eliminate God from the center, instead, they refocused and found new meaning. The article as a whole speaks of hope and better understanding spreading among the youths of Saudi. They saw the excesses of the population during Ramadan and want to take a lead in reviving the real spirit of fasting. By giving to the poor, the young Saudi persons hope that the rest of the population would follow and remain true to the spirit of Ramadan.

The Nature of Equality as it Relates to the New Internet Culture essays

The Nature of Equality as it Relates to the New Internet Culture essays Human equality in the context of social and political institutions in human society is characterized to be more conservative and rigid when compared in the context of Internet culture and society. This claim is an illustration of how Internet as a new communication medium becomes an influential and pervasive tool wherein globalization is developed not only in Internet communities, but in human societies as well. The concept of globalization in the Internet culture is an adaptation of Marshall McLuhan's famous "global village," a concept he formed when he observed that the development of new media innovations such as the television, radio, telephone, and computers show an increase in the proliferation of information and interaction among people in various However, a more recent version of McLuhan's "global village" concept is the emergence of two important movements in the Internet culture: the emergence of both the globalization and localization processes among various people in the world, specifically the Internet users. In globalization, people from all over the globe become acquainted with the cultures of different societies, while localization gave way to the emergence of local cultures to become known not only to outsiders of that society, but to members of that society as well. These two movements show how Internet culture educates people about the cultures and kind of societies existing and available all over the world. How do globalization and localization of societies and cultures contribute to the development of equality in human society via the Internet culture' These concepts show how the Internet further intensifies equality by breaking the barriers that demarcate those peoples that have different nationalities and cultures. Becoming aware of other cultures and societies help people becomes understanding and more receptive to ...

Finding, Founding, and Funding

Finding, Founding, and Funding Finding, Founding, and Funding Finding, Founding, and Funding By Mark Nichol Find, found, and fund could conceivably be related on the basis of the notion of obtaining something, but the words (except in the case of the link between find and one of three broad senses of found) stem from independent sources. This post defines these words and others derived from them. Find, in the sense of discovery, is from the Old English verb findan, meaning â€Å"come upon,† â€Å"discover,† or â€Å"obtain.† The past tense is found, but the homograph found, from the Latin verb fundere, meaning â€Å"cast,† â€Å"melt,† or â€Å"pour out,† is unrelated, as is founder (â€Å"collapse,† â€Å"disable,† â€Å"fail,† or â€Å"sink†), stemming ultimately from fundus, a Latin noun meaning â€Å"bottom,† by way of the verb form fundare. A find is something discovered or located, including a person, place, or thing with exceptional qualities. Someone who finds is a finder, as in the phrase â€Å"finder’s fee,† which describes a commission received for helping someone identify a financial opportunity. A finder is also an auxiliary telescope, and a viewfinder is a device on a camera that aids the user in focusing on the photographic subject. A finding is the result of an examination or investigation, while found serves as an adjective as well as a verb, as in the phrase â€Å"found object.† From the past tense of found, foundling describes an abandoned infant who is discovered, and something newfound has just recently been located or discovered. As mentioned, found in the sense of â€Å"establish† has a distinct etymology, as do its kin: founder (â€Å"one who establishes†); founding (a verb and adjective referring to establishment, as in the phrase â€Å"Founding Fathers† to refer to the men instrumental in establishing the United States); and foundation, which pertains to establishment, to an organization that supports an endeavor, to the substructure of a building, or to a cosmetic base or a supporting undergarment. Foundational and foundationally are the adjectival and adverbial forms. Something that is well founded exists with literal or figurative support, such as an organization or a theory, respectively. Something unfounded, by contrast, has no basis of support, as in the case of a rumor; foundationless is also employed for this sense. (These terms apply only to the figurative sense, however.) Fundus, mentioned above as the forebear of founder, is also the basis of fundament, meaning â€Å"base,† and its adjectival form, fundamental. That word is also a noun pertaining to basic principles, thus the use of fundamentalist and fundamentalism to refer to Christians who interpret the Bible literally. Profound, meanwhile, retains only the figurative sense of its ancestor, profundus, and means â€Å"intellectually deep,† and fundus was borrowed directly into English in the anatomical sense of the part of a hollow organ opposite its opening, such as the back of the eye. From fundus we also derive fund, meaning â€Å"capital† or â€Å"stock† in the sense of a financial base (as a verb, it means â€Å"supply with money†); funds and funding refer to money, the former in a basic sense and the latter in the sense of providing funds. Someone who funds is a funder, the withdrawal of funds is defunding, and the return of funds is a refund, while replenishment of funds is re-funding; something without financial support is unfunded. A fund-raiser (the word is sometimes styled fundraiser), meanwhile, refers to an event intended to raise money from admission fees and donations, and crowdfunding (also called microfunding) is a funding strategy involving encouraging widespread but modest financial support for a project from the general public rather than focusing on a small number of large-scale investors. The verb found in the sense of â€Å"cast metal† and the noun form founder are rare, but foundry, referring to the art of casting metal or to a location where the art occurs, is somewhat more familiar. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:15 Terms for Those Who Tell the FutureTime Words: Era, Epoch, and EonWhat Is a Doctor?

Free Essays on Satanism

Devà ­ "He blessed nonentity with every curse/ And spiced with sorrow the dull soul of sense,/ Breathed life into the sterile universe,/ With love and Knowledge drove out innocence/ The Key of Joy is disobedience." (Crowley). Aleister Crowley, a widely believed â€Å"maker† of Satanism itself, wrote about nothing but Satanism. In this passage from the writings of Crowley, he speaks of Lucifer himself, the spirit of this misinterpreted religion. Crowley explains how the devil, or Satan, works. Satan is less about abstinence and obligations, and more about self prosperity. Although Satanists are very unique in the way that there are very few of them today, they still exist, beneath the shadows. According to the website , only 1.5 percent of the population of the United States today consists of satanic followers (Uri Dowbenko). Most commonly interpreted to be all about disturbance, bloodshed, and anger, Satanism is an uncommon religion that practices self indulgence, although not including violence. This uncommon religion is relatively new, which is believed to have started by a few different ways, but the actual origin is unknown. Although there is no exact known â€Å"start† of Satanism, it was credited to take form in the beginning of the 17th century, during the Renaissance. says that a popular belief of when the religion originally started was, surprisingly, in the Catholic Church. Basically, satanic beliefs spread when Catholic priests discovered black magic and how to use it. Many priests secretly used black magic for selfish and greedy reasons. When priests ‘evil’ actions were discovered, they were condemned for corrupting a holy mass; but that didn’t stop the development of a new religion. This created a chain-like reaction to start a club that rolled in selfish needs, The Hellfire Club, founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in 1750. This club of â€Å"Medmenham Monks† participated in things such as sexual plea... Free Essays on Satanism Free Essays on Satanism Devà ­ "He blessed nonentity with every curse/ And spiced with sorrow the dull soul of sense,/ Breathed life into the sterile universe,/ With love and Knowledge drove out innocence/ The Key of Joy is disobedience." (Crowley). Aleister Crowley, a widely believed â€Å"maker† of Satanism itself, wrote about nothing but Satanism. In this passage from the writings of Crowley, he speaks of Lucifer himself, the spirit of this misinterpreted religion. Crowley explains how the devil, or Satan, works. Satan is less about abstinence and obligations, and more about self prosperity. Although Satanists are very unique in the way that there are very few of them today, they still exist, beneath the shadows. According to the website , only 1.5 percent of the population of the United States today consists of satanic followers (Uri Dowbenko). Most commonly interpreted to be all about disturbance, bloodshed, and anger, Satanism is an uncommon religion that practices self indulgence, although not including violence. This uncommon religion is relatively new, which is believed to have started by a few different ways, but the actual origin is unknown. Although there is no exact known â€Å"start† of Satanism, it was credited to take form in the beginning of the 17th century, during the Renaissance. says that a popular belief of when the religion originally started was, surprisingly, in the Catholic Church. Basically, satanic beliefs spread when Catholic priests discovered black magic and how to use it. Many priests secretly used black magic for selfish and greedy reasons. When priests ‘evil’ actions were discovered, they were condemned for corrupting a holy mass; but that didn’t stop the development of a new religion. This created a chain-like reaction to start a club that rolled in selfish needs, The Hellfire Club, founded by Sir Francis Dashwood in 1750. This club of â€Å"Medmenham Monks† participated in things such as sexual plea...

Probation Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Probation - Coursework Example He asserts that effective school-based programs can help youths to keep off drugs and avoid juvenile delinquencies. The article further explores community-based initiatives aimed at transforming first-time offenders to help them avoid future abrasion with the law. In the article, Greenwood discovers that evidence-based programs can be cost saving. The author utilizes a case of Washington legislature, the result of the analysis in 2006 indicated that doubling high-quality programs investment would suffice the need for more prison capacity. The author thus provides a case that adds to the credibility of the information provided in the article about the effectiveness of evidence-based programs. He recommends that the jurisdiction should adopt evidence-based approach in implementing working programs. When implementing blueprint models, the author recommends that proper choice of program model that focuses on the needs of clients and the agency. Greenwood also recommends that training should be offered by the jurisdiction to personnel involved so that its implementation can be successful. Further, the jurisdiction should recruit the right staff to steer the program, market the program to the clients and organization, organize for monitoring and feedback system to improve the program and institute quality assurance schedule to ensure high level of efficiency. Greenwood, P. (2008). Prevention and intervention programs for juvenile offenders. The future of Children, 18(2), 185-210. Retrieved on December 2, 2014 from

Facebook Marketing for Dummies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Facebook Marketing for Dummies - Essay Example People just need to put some basic information in the required fields by Facebook such as email address, age, date of birth, gender etc and then they can start with it. (Facebook 2014) Â  Facebook is the web portal that provides multiple ways to interact and connect with the friends. There is an option of networking where people can join networks of their choice. The networks are arranged into different categories, such as the regions, the workplaces of the people, high schools, and the colleges. On joining any network the members can go through the lists of all members and they can evaluate them on the basis of their age, gender, relationship status mentioned or on the basis of other specific characteristics that they mention about themselves. (Strickland 2013) Â  Facebook could be synchronized with many other websites such as Twitter, Freelancer, Scribd etc and there is no need for the people to create separate accounts on each web portal. They can sign in using their Facebook account and can operate the way they want to. Further, Facebook itself works as a search engine and provides an option to look for the specific people, place, thing or any community the user wants to see through. When people search using the Facebook search engine, it provides all the options that match the name. (Nelson & Herndon 2012) Â  Facebook has become one of the biggest promotional websites. A large number of companies and users have their pages and groups on the Facebook and those pages are used for the promotions of products, services, schemes, packages, pricing, and designs etc. Facebook has now expanded over so many applications and software that it serves as the complete internet for its users. (Haydon, Dunay & Krueger 2012) Â  

Evaluation of Agency's Public Personnel Administration, Part 2 Essay

Evaluation of Agency's Public Personnel Administration, Part 2 - Essay Example Coaching sessions are always targeted on their senior employees and managers of various units. The organization has enough and sufficient resources for purposes of developing and training its employees. The organization is funded by user’s fees. The organization charges fees on various services it offers. Such fees include the visa processing fees, fees paid to access the various forms that the organization offers. For example, in 2008, the congress allocated 1% of the federal budget to fund the activities of USCIS. The remaining 99% emanated from the various fees charged to users. These financial resources help the organization to train its employees for purposes of imparting the necessary skills that the organization needs. The organization manages to clearly identify its mission statement, and core values to its employees. In communicating these messages, the organization uses their official websites, at the about us page. The organization values integrity, vigilance, respe ct and ingenuity. Employees of the organization have to work hard to satisfy these values (About Us, 2013). Weaknesses of US Citizenship and Immigration Services: One major weakness of the organization is that its employees are not trained on the capability to enforce the various immigration laws. The responsibility to enforce these laws lies on the federal and state security organs. For instance, immigration officials cannot arrest nor detain a suspected drug trafficker using falsified immigration documents at the border. All they have to do is to notify the police so an arrest can be made (Kretsedemas, 2012). Employees of the organization are also faced with too much work. This is because the employees have to verify and check on the profiles of numerous applications. The number of people applying for citizenship and visa always range to millions. There is a need for relevant technology to help in these areas (Kretsedemas, 2012). Linkages and Personnel Management: The organization has a presence on almost all the countries of the world. This is because of an interest by citizens of other countries to visit the States. This organization seconds its employees to the various embassies of the country, who in turn offer their services there. Due to their international presence, the organization normally trains its international employees on the various aspects of international relations. This knowledge is necessary because it will help them interact with the communities in which they are sent to work in (Eastman, 2012). On this basis, the organization will post its employees to work in positions that they have skills in. The best human resource management theory that explains this approach is the motivational theory. According to this theory, the management has to motivate its human resource personnel for purposes of achieving the best results. Providing education on international relations is an important way of motivating these staff. Personnel Recruitment and Hiring Practices: One of the major components of the organizations systems goals and practices is to identify and develop the necessary talent amongst its employees. Talent identification is a major goal of the various human resources policies of the company. This involves conducting performance appraisals for purposes of identifying top performers. The organization will either promote these people, or train them further for purposes of

Module participants' are required to produce a structured reflection Essay

Module participants' are required to produce a structured reflection on their own personal group experiences. A structured ref - Essay Example And it is generalisations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively.’(Gibbs 1988) The following essay presents a reflection of my experiences in a group assignment undertook as part of a Cross Cultural Issues module. On reflection I realise that, during the project, our group went through Tuckman’s (1965) four stages of group development. namely Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. During the formation process, several issues arose which resulted in lack of critical analysis on the research, and unsystematic decision making within the group. In this report I am going use Gibbs’ (1988) model of reflection in order to look at the issues and to find solutions to overcome the problems in future. This evaluation is the first step in ascertaining how my beliefs and assumptions as well as my background and experiences may impact on my future organisational functioning as I search for a career in management. I will use cognitive complexity (Bieri 1955) by utilising a wide variety of theories of practice to support my reflection. Figure Gibbs reflective model 1 Contents Page 1 Abstract.....................................................................................................2 2 Contents page...........................................................................................3 3 Introduction...............................................................................................4 4 Problem & context....................................................................................4 5 Self-awareness..........................................................................................5 6 Evaluation..................................................................................................6 7 Analysis......................................................................................................9 8 Conclusion............................................................................................ ....10 9 Action plan................................................................................................11 10 Appendix...................................................................................................13 11 Bibliography.............................................................................................14 12 Reference list...........................................................................................17 1 Introduction Diversity in the workplace has taken on new importance (Thomas 2004) as changing economic circumstances prompt many companies to downsize and restructure themselves into flatter, more decentralized entities. The result is that today's corporations are built around groups that must find answers to novel and complicated business issues. These teams bring together diverse groups of people who incorporate a variety of backgrounds, ideas, and personalities. A reflection on my study would provide important bearing for me in prep aration for workplace dynamics. 1 Problem & context As part of the Cross Cultural issues module, we had to prepare a group presentation based on a critical analysis of the cross cultural issues a UK based firm would encounter establishing an Indian subsidiary. My diverse group of six comprised of three females: one British (X), one Polish (Y) and one Brazilian (Z). and three males: two British (J and A) and one Zimbabwean

Ethics in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ethics in Management - Essay Example Values which we believe guide us on how we should act and behave are said to be moral values, for example: respect, honesty, fairness, responsibility etc. if you put these values in Statements, they would be called ethical principles. (Free Management Library, 1997) The concept of Business Ethics means different things to different people, but generally it refers to being aware in an organization about what is the right or wrong step in the workplace and then doing the right thing. Ethics are all about making decisions that may or may not be to your benefit but you make them because they are the most socially acceptable solutions. In organizations, being ethical is not considered a good thing or is thought to have a negative effect. This is because the organizations are usually about doing what's best for becoming the top organization, this mean sometimes not doing the right thing. This is especially with regard to effects of products and services and with the relationship and organization has with its stakeholders. Giving importance to business ethics has become extremely critical during times of elemental change, this change in the way organizations work both profit and non-profit has come with the changing perceptions of people especially bu siness professionals. Values and beliefs that were previously ignored and taken lightly are now strongly questioned. Many of these values that are ethical and socially acceptable are no longer given attention; as a result, there is no clear moral mentor or employee to guide future leaders through difficult problems and about what is right or wrong. When people start working and behaving ethically, they become more sensitive to their colleagues and subordinates. The best example for this would be when the leader and his or her employee maintain a strong and moral attitude during a time of crises. (Brotherton, 2003) (Free Management Library, 1997) Being ethical in an organization can have negative effects on the profitability of the organization and this may be something that the stakeholder might be unhappy with but it is very important for both the stakeholder and the organization to understand that long term goals and objectives are more important and fruitful than short term goals and by being morally sound and sensitized organization you will win the long term trust of the customers therefore be beneficial to the stakeholders indirectly. (Free Management Library, 1997) Business ethics is now being considered a management discipline, especially after the social responsibility movement in the 1960s and policies like affirmative action policies that addressed society's most sensitive moral and ethical issue, discrimination against color, caste and race. In that era, social awareness movements increased the expectations of organizations especially multinational corporations to use their strong financial and social influence to throw light on some of the major social problems such as poverty, crime, environmental protection, equal rights, and public health and literacy programs. (Brotherton, 2003) A growing amount of population emphasized on that organizations were making a profit from using our country's resources, human capital and natural; these organization had the responsibility to improve society for the welfare of the country (Jaszay, 2001). Many

Internal Communication between Managers and Employees Research Paper - 1

Internal Communication between Managers and Employees - Research Paper Example The study will be concluding with recommendations and conclusions for these employers that should be taken into consideration while dealing with the three factors. The procedure of collection of the data followed by its analysis and interpretation of the result while finding a solution to any research problem is known as the research philosophy. It mainly comprises of two approaches. One is the positivism and the other is interpretive. The positivist style gives establishing theory prior to the research conduct. This type of research can be carried out by means of experimental and descriptive research method. It is positively associated with the natural sciences. On the other hand, interpretive gives the establishing theory after conducting the research. The interpretive research model works on the basis of the human perceptions. It helps to understand mainly the nonstatistical variables like the human perceptions, their social behavior, social motives etc. In this research, the inte rpretive research model has been chosen for finding out the internal communication between the managers and the employees, the strategy of the company in developing the brand and the expansion strategy of the company in marketing its products. The two main types of research strategies are qualitative and quantitative research strategies. Both qualitative and quantitative research strategies hold equal importance while finding a solution to any research problem. Quantitative research strategy involves various statistical calculations, different computational techniques, and procedures. It mainly considers close ended surveys. A qualitative research strategy is just the opposite of quantitative research strategy. It gives the description of the individuals in the natural situation and tries to find solutions to the research.

Module participants' are required to produce a structured reflection Essay

Module participants' are required to produce a structured reflection on their own personal group experiences. A structured ref - Essay Example And it is generalisations that allow new situations to be tackled effectively.’(Gibbs 1988) The following essay presents a reflection of my experiences in a group assignment undertook as part of a Cross Cultural Issues module. On reflection I realise that, during the project, our group went through Tuckman’s (1965) four stages of group development. namely Forming, Storming, Norming and Performing. During the formation process, several issues arose which resulted in lack of critical analysis on the research, and unsystematic decision making within the group. In this report I am going use Gibbs’ (1988) model of reflection in order to look at the issues and to find solutions to overcome the problems in future. This evaluation is the first step in ascertaining how my beliefs and assumptions as well as my background and experiences may impact on my future organisational functioning as I search for a career in management. I will use cognitive complexity (Bieri 1955) by utilising a wide variety of theories of practice to support my reflection. Figure Gibbs reflective model 1 Contents Page 1 Abstract.....................................................................................................2 2 Contents page...........................................................................................3 3 Introduction...............................................................................................4 4 Problem & context....................................................................................4 5 Self-awareness..........................................................................................5 6 Evaluation..................................................................................................6 7 Analysis......................................................................................................9 8 Conclusion............................................................................................ ....10 9 Action plan................................................................................................11 10 Appendix...................................................................................................13 11 Bibliography.............................................................................................14 12 Reference list...........................................................................................17 1 Introduction Diversity in the workplace has taken on new importance (Thomas 2004) as changing economic circumstances prompt many companies to downsize and restructure themselves into flatter, more decentralized entities. The result is that today's corporations are built around groups that must find answers to novel and complicated business issues. These teams bring together diverse groups of people who incorporate a variety of backgrounds, ideas, and personalities. A reflection on my study would provide important bearing for me in prep aration for workplace dynamics. 1 Problem & context As part of the Cross Cultural issues module, we had to prepare a group presentation based on a critical analysis of the cross cultural issues a UK based firm would encounter establishing an Indian subsidiary. My diverse group of six comprised of three females: one British (X), one Polish (Y) and one Brazilian (Z). and three males: two British (J and A) and one Zimbabwean

Internal Communication between Managers and Employees Research Paper - 1

Internal Communication between Managers and Employees - Research Paper Example The study will be concluding with recommendations and conclusions for these employers that should be taken into consideration while dealing with the three factors. The procedure of collection of the data followed by its analysis and interpretation of the result while finding a solution to any research problem is known as the research philosophy. It mainly comprises of two approaches. One is the positivism and the other is interpretive. The positivist style gives establishing theory prior to the research conduct. This type of research can be carried out by means of experimental and descriptive research method. It is positively associated with the natural sciences. On the other hand, interpretive gives the establishing theory after conducting the research. The interpretive research model works on the basis of the human perceptions. It helps to understand mainly the nonstatistical variables like the human perceptions, their social behavior, social motives etc. In this research, the inte rpretive research model has been chosen for finding out the internal communication between the managers and the employees, the strategy of the company in developing the brand and the expansion strategy of the company in marketing its products. The two main types of research strategies are qualitative and quantitative research strategies. Both qualitative and quantitative research strategies hold equal importance while finding a solution to any research problem. Quantitative research strategy involves various statistical calculations, different computational techniques, and procedures. It mainly considers close ended surveys. A qualitative research strategy is just the opposite of quantitative research strategy. It gives the description of the individuals in the natural situation and tries to find solutions to the research.

King Leopold Essay Example for Free

King Leopold Essay 1. Between 1880 and 1920, the population of the Congo was slashed in half: some ten million people were victims of murder, starvation, exhaustion, exposure, disease and a plummeting birth rate. Why do you think this massive carnage has remained virtually unknown in the United States and Europe? 2. Hochschild writes of Joseph Conrad that he â€Å"was so horrified by the greed and brutality among white men he saw in the Congo that his view of human nature was permanently changed.† Judging from Hochschild’s account and from Heart of Darkness, in what way was Conrad’s view changed? How is this true of other individuals about whom Hochschild writes? In what way has this book affected your view of human nature? 3. The death toll in King Leopold’s Congo was on a scale comparable to the Holocaust and Stalin’s purges. Can Leopold II be viewed as a precursor to the masterminds behind the Nazi death camps and the Gulag? Did these three and other twentieth century mass killings arise from similar psychological, social, political, economic, and cultural sources? 4. Those who plundered the Congo and other parts of Africa (and Asia) did so in the name of progress, civilization, and Christianity. Was this hypocritical and if so, how? What justifications for colonial imperialism and exploitation have been put forward over the past five centuries? 5. Morel, Sheppard, Williams, Casement, and others boldly spoke out against the Congo atrocities, often at great danger to themselves. Many others rationalized those same atrocities or said nothing. How do you account for Leopold’s, Stanley’s, and others’ murderous rapaciousness, on the one hand, and Morel’s, Casement’s, and others’ outrage and committed activism, on the other? 6. The European conquest and plunder of the Congo and the rest of Africa was brutal, but so was the European settlement of North America and, long before that, the conquest of most of Europe by the Romans. Hasn’t history always proceeded in this way? 7. Hochschild begins his book with what he calls Edmund Morel’s â€Å"flash of moral recognition† on the Antwerp docks. What other flashes of moral recognition does Hochschild identify, and what were their consequences? In what ways may Hochschild’s book itself be seen as a flash of moral recognition? What more recent flashes of moral recognition and indignation can you identify? 8. Hochschild quotes the Swedish missionary, C. N. Bà ¶rrisson: â€Å"It is strange that people who claim to be civilized think they can treat their fellow man — even though he is of a different color — any which way.† How may we explain the disregard of â€Å"civilized† individuals and groups for the humanity and life of others because of skin color, nationality, religion, ethnic background, or other factors? Why do this disregard and resulting cruelties persist? 9. What are the similarities between the colonial and imperial aspirations of pre- and early twentieth-century nations and the corporate and market aspirations of today’s multinational companies? Whether rapacious or beneficent, most actors in the Congo, and in Africa at large, seem to have been motivated principally by profit. In what ways do business objectives continue to shape the policies and actions of national governments and international organizations? 10. Hochschild writes that Leopold â€Å"found a number of tools at his disposal that had not been available to empire builders of earlier times.† What new technologies and technological advances contributed to Leopold’s exploitation of the Congo? What impact have these tools had on both the advancement and degradation of colonial or subject peoples? 11. The â€Å"burgeoning hierarchy of imperial rule† in the Congo Free State was, Hochschild writes, reflected in â€Å"the plethora of medals† and attendant grades and ranks. What were the reasons for this extensive hierarchy and for the bureaucracy it reflected and maintained? Are there any contemporary parallels? Of what historical examples can we say that the more heinous the political or governmental crimes, the larger and more frequently rewarded the bureaucracy? 12. How does Hochschild answer his own question, â€Å"What made it possible for the functionaries in the Congo to so blithely watch the chicotte in action and . . . to deal out pain and death in other ways as well†? How would you answer this question, in regard to Leopold’s Congo and to other officially sanctioned atrocities? 13. Hochschild quotes Roger Casement as insisting to Edmund Morel, â€Å"I do not agree with you that England and America are the two great humanitarian powers. . . . [They are] materialistic first and humanitarian only a century after.† What evidence supports or refutes Casement’s judgment? Would Casement be justified in making the same statement today? 14. After stating that several other mass murders â€Å"went largely unnoticed,† Hochschild asks, â€Å"why, in England and the United States, was there such a storm of righteous protest about the Congo?†

The Women In Love Essay

The Women In Love Essay Women in Love is a novel about two young ladies, the Brangwen sisters, Urusula and Gudrun and how they fall in love and lead two completely different relationships with the men they meet, Rupert Birkin and Gerald Crich, with who they gradually fall in love. Birkin, a school inspector, visits Ursula who teaches at the school however Hermione, the woman previously involved with Birkin, intrudes on their conversation and invites Ursula and Gudrun to stay with her in Breadalby. Ursula and Gudrun travel to Breadalby to stay with Hermione where Gerald officially meets the two. He saw them again, while they were at home waiting for the train to pass. This sets an awful impression of Gerald to the sisters as he was torturing a horse, training her to withstand the fear. The Brangwen sisters then see Gerald again, whilst sketching along side Wiley Water. He was with Hermione who caused commotion between Gudrun and Gerald after dropping her sketchbook in the water. In the meantime, Ursula had wandered off towards the hill where she met Birkin sawing and hammering away. This was the first sign of a relationship between the two and he eventually sent a note to invite the sisters to tea. Feeling desire for Birkin to speak only to her, she didnt tell Gudrun about the invite where they discuss the concepts of love and their feelings. The couple met again at Mr. Crichs annual water-party on the lake. Gerald organises a small boat for Gudrun and Ursula who row to a little stream. After hours on end, the men arrive in worry. The four begin to row back to the estate but Geralds sister, Diana, drowns causing grief for the Crichs. Gudrun then becomes the teacher of Geralds youngest sister, Winifred. There relationship was a tight bond and soon she moves into a studio which was built for the two girls. After many thought and consideration, Birkin visits the Brangwens to ask for Ursulas hand in marriage however Birkin left without an answer. Enraged, he walks to Shortlands where he finds Gerald. Ursula then meets with Hermione who belittles Birkin and encourages Ursula not to marry him. Birkin then buys Ursula three rings which leads her to agreeing to marriage. Mr. Crich sadly then passes away and after the funeral, in devastation Gerald spends the night with Gudrun. Gerald then thinks about marrying Gudrun and he suggests for the four to travel to the Tyrol although Birkin and Ursula left early to Verona. Gerald is infuriated by Gudruns verbal abuse and her refusal of his manhood as well as Loerke who Gudrun begins a friendship with. On the slopes, Gerald strangles Gudrun yet let go when Loerke called for him. Gerald continued up the slope but he slipped and fell and immediately went to sleep. His body was returned to England to be buried, together with Ursula and Birkin. Gudrun went to Dresden to visit Loerke. The impact of Geralds death on Birkin was inevitable, he loved him just as much as he loved Urusla however Ursula could not understand this. Narrative Style This novel is written in third person singular with an omniscient style. It pleased Ursula, what he said, pleased her very much. She herself knew too well the actuality of humanity, its hideous actually. The pronouns he and she are frequently used and characters are continuously addressed by their names. Character Analysis Ursula: is an independent, strong-willed lady who doesnt enjoy being told what to do. She likes to make her own decisions, no matter what the situation. This is shown through the conversation held between, herself, her father and Birkin when he proposes to her; You both want me to force me into something That is an illusion of your own. She also needs certainty to make those decisions which is shown through her constant questioning of if Birkin loves her. She is reliable for Birkin as she devotes her everything to him however she seems to misunderstand the importance of a relationship between the men and seems she is jealous that Birkin doesnt only need her. Gudrun: is a very kind and compassionate woman as she takes the time and effort to sit with Winifred and paint. Her loving character is shown when she feels uneasy about telling Winifred that her dad will die when asked what she thinks. She isnt a trustworthy person as she leaves Gerald for Loerke in the Alps and feels what Gerald and she had, was over although Gerald didnt feel this way. Birkin: has an aspect of a true gentleman. This is shown through his love and devotion to Ursula because he states that he doesnt want to serve him; I who am at the beck and call of the woman, than she at mine. His love for Ursula and Gerald also shows that he can maintain love with romance and love with friendship; eternal union with a man too: another kind of love. Gerald: is a determined man as he has hope that his sister was still alive when he tries to save her and he never gives up. These experiences made Gerald the strong, determined man he was, as he had suffered of loss of those close to him. However he is not independent as when his father passes away he finds himself at the graveyard then walks to Gudruns house seeking comfort and affection. Gerald is also a proud character as he is proud of his estate that his father owns and doesnt let the past affect his present. Language Diction Women in Love is a very descriptive novel that uses both short and long sentences. The language is highly developed and long sentences are used to describe feelings and objects, for example; And Gerald, watching, saw the amazing attractive goodliness of his eyes, a young, spontaneous goodness that attracted the other man infinitely, yet filled him with bitter chagrin, because he mistrusted it so much. Short sentences are used more often during dialogue such as; I see, and I must remember another time. In this novel the author also uses similes for instance; The mare rebounded like a drop of water from hot iron and Yet he seemed as calm as a ray of cold sunshine. There are also French and German phrases during dialogue for example; Ist er auch ein Wunder? and Quest ce quun chancelier?. Imagery The imagery is evident throughout the novel because all stimuli are aroused. Tactile imagery is evident when Ursula and Birkin have admitted their love for one another; She cleaved to him, and he could feel his blood changing like quicksilver. One can imagine how faster his blood was pumping now that Ursula lay closer towards him. Taste and sense of smell are linked with the description of the meal provided; venison pasty, a large broad-faced cut ham, eggs and cresses. Visual imagery is foreseen throughout the novel when the statuette is explain; it was a woman, with hair dressed high, like a melon-shaped dome à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ with such protuberant buttocks, so weighty and unexpected below her slim long loins. Auditory imagery is evident when Geralds voice startles Gudrun for example; The timbre of his voice, like something vibrating at a high pitch, unnerved Gudrun. Themes Marriage is a theme shown through Ursula and Gudrun when it is first mentioned at the beginning of the novel. This theme is revealed throughout the novel as their relationships continue to build which gradually leads to a proposal by Birkin to Ursula. A theme of religion is also apparent throughout the novel by Mr. Crich as he is related to God often and speaks of being a Christian. Another theme present is individual versus society as Ursula, Gudrun, Birkin and Gerald are often deeply concerned with the questions of society and the relationships between men and women. This theme is shown through Birkin and Ursulas conversation how one must devote themselves to one another as Birkin believes love can reach further and past heaven. Setting This novel is set in England, this is evident because of the places mentioned such as London, Oxford, Beldover and Piccadilly Circus. It is also represented throughout the relation to the currency for example; Three-hapence, pennies and Hundreds of pounds. The setting is also shown through certain objects such as The Daily Telegraph, a popular newspaper in England as well as lawn rather than garden. Genre The genre is romance as love is such a deep and dominant theme throughout the novel. The genre starts with the when Gudrun and Ursula Brangwen discuss their feelings towards marriage. It is encouraged throughout the novel by Gudrun and Gerald falling in love and Ursula and Birkin getting married. It is also shown through Birkin and Geralds friendship as Birkin finds their friendship the perfect relationship with a man. Aspects I liked I enjoyed the fact that Mr. Crich had such a strong will to stay alive, he made time and effort for the ones he loved dearly such as his daughter Winifred. He also said to Winifred that he was better whenever he asked, meanwhile they both knew the truth. However I didnt emjoy the fact that Hermione belittled Birkin whilst talking to Ursula, she encourages Ursula not to marry Birkin because of her jealousy over their relationship. Hermoine wanted with Birkin what Urusla has and she belittles Birkin to alter Ursulas feelings but Ursula ignores Hermoines comments and continues to feel the love she has for Birkin. Recommendations I would recommend this novel to one who enjoys an emotional relationship which encounters tension commonly because of love and the meaning it implies. I would also recommend this novel to one who shares a relationship with God as one of the characters shares a strong relationship with God; He wanted to be a pure Christian, one and equal with all men. He even wanted to give away all he had, to the poor. Throughout the novel, God is often referred to which is why I would recommend this novel to a Christian. I would recommend this novel to a person who enjoys strong willed characters who are strained with their sensitivity.

Homework #1 :: essays papers

Homework #1 When I was growing up there were very few computer games that could be used as learning tools. As a child I did have computer class, however this class was used to practice typing or for playing recreational games such as Frogger. When thinking about what to write this paper on I thought of one game that has been on the up rise with children as well as adults. This game is called The SIMS. I thought that this game would be a perfect learning device to teach a variety of important subjects to the age groups ranging from 10-13 years old. My idea is that it would be incorporated in to a family living/economics/home economics class, most likely in a junior high setting. I think it would be best if each student had a computer of their own and worked individually. As their teacher I would pre-set other families for their â€Å"sim† or â€Å"sims† to interact with. In The SIMS you have to create a family. The student can have a single person or a larger family (the limit is eight). The student can choose everything from the color of their skin down to what outfit the character can wear. The next step is to create a personality for your â€Å"sim.† You can choose from a variety of qualities such as cleanliness, kindness and playfulness. Each family starts with $20,000 in the bank. This start up money is used to buy property or a house to live in. Here the students will be taught how to budget their money wisely, because just as in the real world there are extravagant and frivolous things you can purchase in the game. Once the house is set up it is time to look for a job. There are ten job tracks to choose from: business, entertainment, law enforcement, life of crime, medicine, military, politics, pro athlete, science and x-treme. Each of these lets your â€Å"sim† move up in their field if they keep up their training in activities such as cooking, mechanical, charisma, body, logic and creativity. Without keeping up with these tasks your sim cannot keep his/her job. Also important in The SIMS is to interact with other sims. A sim can move in with another sim, date, propose as well as get married (same sex or not). Just as important is keeping to your sims bodily needs such as sleep, hygiene, eating and fun.

Environmental Air Pollution :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My views of the environment are rooted in my belief in creation. I do not believe that life on earth began spontaneously, nor do I believe that the earth is so delicately balanced. I don’t believe that the earth and its ecosystem are fragile. Many radical environmentalists do, they believe man can come along, all by themselves and change everything for worse. After hundreds of millions of years, they believe that we are the last two generations of human existence. And they think we can destroy the earth all by ourselves?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I simply cannot believe this view of man and his works. I refuse to believe that people, which is also a result of Creation, can destroy the best creation in the universe. Although some arrogant radical scientists believe that they are capable of unlocking every door of the universe and above all else, capable of understanding it, it is a fact that there are some things in this world that man just can’t understand, and cannot understand, and we must accept these things in faith.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This one small planet has the conditions that are necessary for life and is perfectly placed in our solar system. If we were placed a little further from the sun, we would be a really big ice cube. If we were a little closer, we would be roasting in one big oven. And the placement of the Earth is not by chance, it was placed here for a reason.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We humans had nothing to do with earth’s creation, nor did we have anything to do with it’s placement or it’s functioning. We are only a part of it. We are as much part of it as the Spotted Owl, which is a bird. But environmentalists picture humans as a natural enemy of nature. According to them, we are capable of destroying earth merely by being ourselves. I also don’t understand how these â€Å"scientists† of whom which say we are powerful enough to destroy earth, can also say we are no better than a frog. Unfortunately for them, this is what they believe.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  They seem to think that all life forms on the planet, other than humans, peacefully exist together. They think that humans destroy. Most animals and insects depend on each other for food and do not peacefully co-exist.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  We could not destroy the earth even if we wanted to. The earth is over 4 billion years old.

Behaviour Change Model-Reflection

I chose this tact as I believed my diet was eating my requirements for both macro and microinstructions and was closely aligned with recommended servings in The Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. (1) upon reflection of the first days food record, I saw that my diet was inadequate. I was not meeting the serving suggestions for most of the food groups and I was lacking in calcium and iron. So, the next day I concentrated on hitting the targets for calcium and Iron. It was a full day of classes at University, so I had to make sure I ate a lunch that was rich In Iron and had servings from the required food groups. ) usually when I have a full day at university, Ill have a large breakfast at home and if I do eat between classes, it will be a piece of fruit. I chose a lamb and lentil curry, which is high in iron and also contains calcium. After eating I felt very full and did not enjoy the meal. By dinner time I was still full and not looking forward to dinner, but knew that there were st ill nutrients I needed to consume and food groups I had to have serves from. Before bed that day I felt very uncomfortable as If I had eaten far too much food.But everything I ate was In line with The Australian Gulled to Healthy(l) eating as well as the Nutrient Reference Values set out in Australian guidelines for pregnant women. (2) On Friday I woke early in the morning for work and had a family wedding in the evening. I was unable to eat anything for most of that day as it was so busy. For the first time since starting the diet, I thought about alcohol as it was being served all around me and I was constantly asked by staff and family if I wanted a drink.Having to politely say no to people all night and explaining to family members hat I wasn't actually pregnant, was difficult and frustrating. Influencing factors The reason I decided to not pro-actively ensure that my diet met the requirements for a pregnant female, was because I truly believed by eliminating foods that were a p otential source of listener, mercury, vitamin A, alcohol and caffeine, my diet would closely meet the necessary guidelines. My theory was incorrect and I realize that to meet these requirements I would need to do a lot of planning and pre preparation of meals and find times to eat them.The external factors that influenced my decision making were environmental and physical. I ate what was available at the time and was limited by this. Alternative strategy and when. By not taking a proactive approach to your daily menu, it is left up to what is available in fast food options, which are often large greasy meals that you cannot be sure of preparation and ingredients. Learning To meet the necessary requirements, a pregnant woman needs to eat a large amount of food and plan and pre prepare meals.

Cultural Influences on Service: Chinese Travellers in France

CULTURAL INFLUENCES ON SERVICE- INTRODUCTION Culture has many definitions, and it affects everything people do in their society because of their ideas, values, attitudes, and normative or expected patterns of behaviour. By Mulholland Culture is a complex concept, and no single definition of it has achieved consensus in the literature. So, out of the many possible definitions examined, the following definition guides this study: culture is a set of shared and enduring meaning, values, and beliefs that characterize national, ethnic, or other groups and orient their behaviour.It is said that culture exists only by comparison. The country scores on the dimensions are relative – societies are compared to other societies. Without make a comparison a country score is meaningless. These relative scores have been proven to be quite stable over decades. The forces that cause cultures to shift tend to be global or continent-wide. This means that they affect many countries at the same tim e, so that if their cultures shift, they shift together, and their relative positions remain the same (Hofstede, 2012).National culture is an important factor influencing expectations and perceptions of service quality and its satisfaction. Different cultural groups attach different importance to service quality criteria. Tourism is one of the many sectors of the economy, which services cater directly to tourist needs. However, tourists create demand for indirect services(financial, medical, electricity,.. ) as well. Resulting all of this, a tourism product is mostly a service rather than a tangible product.As far as service encounter, we define 3 process steps, which are: 1, interaction between the customer and the firm or service provider, 2,a period of time during which a provider and a customer confront each other, 3, a â€Å"moment of truth†, which means the quality of the services offered to customer. We know three classes of service: the first one is a maintenance-inte ractive (e. g. fast food restaurant), second is task-interactive (e. g. banking services) and besides these two we define one more, personal-interactive services where belongs tourism.Services are in general defined by 6 key characteristics. Intangibility of services means that they can not be seen, touched and so on before use/ purchase. Heterogeneity is another characteristic that talks about services which vary because they are delivered by people-to-people. In tourism, services are firstly sold and subsequently consumed. This is called â€Å"Inseparability†. Tourism services are perishable, they cannot be stored. They must be consumed at the point of production.When the tourist pays the price for tourist services, he or she pays for the benefits and experiences received, it doesn’t lead to ownership. The last characteristic is called â€Å"People-based and personality-dependent†. Tourism, hospitality and leisure services are provided by people and for people . Very important thing about Cultural influences on service is a perception of service. Those are very subjective. When the customers? cultural expectations and needs are met, service quality is perceived as good and vice versa.Cultural differences in expectations from services vary from country to country. This means that what is supposed to be a good service in China, must not be good in USA. When we are talking about service quality, it refers to the appropriateness of assistance and support provides to a customer and the value and benefits received for the price paid. When it comes to reliability evaluation, the only two could be the price and physical environment. However it is difficult to evaluate by price as this is set up the producer.In order to facilitate the evaluation of service quality, several distinct quality dimensions were identified: (1) physical, (2) corporate, (3) interactive, (4) procedural, (5) convivial, (6) technical, (7) functional. The importance attached by customers to service quality criteria and dimensions differs among various cultures. Tourists from different countries have various expectations for the tangibles and empathy dimensions in terms of hotel service.There can be a problem with cultural differences and the mismatch between service quality expectations and perceptions of customers from foreign countries, and quality expectations and perceptions of domestic providers. Services are in general very specific and they have a lot of different characteristics. They are people based and so the cultural effect is very strong in this field. Different foreign tourists attach different importance to service quality criteria.

How To Prepare for the TOEFL

Applying to colleges is never a simple process. There are applications to fill out, essays to write, and recommendations to collect. It’s enough to intimidate even the best prepared and organized of students. But applying to college can be even more intimidating if English isn’t your first language. You’ll still need too complete everything that a native English speaker does to complete your profile as a competitive applicant. Beyond that, you may have to take an additional standardized test to show that you are prepared to undertake college-level work in the English language. The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is one of two tests commonly accepted and sometimes required by colleges and universities in the United States. The purpose of the test is to measure the ability of non-native English speakers to use and understand the English language as it is heard, spoken, read and written in a college classroom. The TOEFL is administered by the Educational Testing Service (ETS), the same company contracted by the CollegeBoard to administer the SAT.    Each year, nearly a million students take the test, hoping to earn a place at an English-speaking college or university. The test is also sometimes used as an admission standard to private high schools or as an assessment for job-readiness. Many colleges or universities require the TOEFL or a similar test to prove your English language skills if English is not your first language, but the exact requirements vary from college to college. Many schools waive their requirement if you have attended school in the United States for a minimum amount of time or have achieved a high verbal SAT score. For specific requirements about which schools require a TOEFL, you should check the individual school’s website. In this post, we will outline the format and content of the TOEFL before moving on to our insider tips for the best, free TOEFL study resources available. With our top tips on how to prepare for the TOEFL, you’ll arrive for the test confident and receive a score that reflects the peak of your ability. The TOEFL assesses your skills in four areas: listening, reading, speaking, and writing. During the test, you will also be asked to complete tasks that combine the application of these skills. For example, you might be asked to listen and then speak in response to a question about what you’ve heard, or read a written piece and then respond to it verbally. There are four primary sections of the TOEFL, each corresponding to one of the key skills that the test aims to assess. The Reading section comes first. It contains 36-56 questions that are based on three or four passages from academic texts. You will have 60-80 minutes to read the texts and respond to the corresponding questions about them. The Listening section comes next. It is composed of 34-51 questions that are based on lectures, classroom discussions, and conversations you’ll listen to in the 60-90 minutes that you spend on this section. After the Listening section, you will have a ten-minute break. During this time, you will have the chance to use the restroom, or have a drink and a snack. Following your break, you will complete the Speaking section of the test. In this section you are given 20 minutes to complete six oral tasks. You will be asked to express an opinion on a familiar topic and give verbal answers in response to questions about reading and listening tasks. Finally, you will take the Writing section of the test. In this section you will have 50 minutes to complete two tasks. For the first task, you’ll have 20 minutes to read a short passage, listen to a short lecture, and write a response to them. The second task will be a more open-ended essay for which you’ll have 30 minutes.   The best way to prepare for the TOEFL is by practicing your grasp of English, ideally in an academic context. You can practice your speaking skills by having conversations about current events or academic subjects with English speaking friends. You can read the newspaper or, if you’re still just getting started, try this list of great English learning sites from the New York Public Library.   Aside from the standard real world experience of practicing your skills with friends and family, there are a number of online resources that are either specifically designed for TOEFL prep, or are otherwise useful for that purpose. Here are our favorites: TOEFL Interactive Sampler provides free unlimited access to past TOEFL iBT questions from all four sections of the test. TOEFL iBT Test Questions provide a free set of TOEFL iBT questions used in previous tests. TOEFL Test Prep Planner provides an eight-week plan to prepare for the TOEFL test, but some of the references it recommends are paid services. TOEFL iBT Quick Prep is a free practice tool with real TOEFL iBT questions from past tests. Each Quick Prep volume includes questions from all four sections of the test. There are also many paid resources from ETS, available on their website . Podcasts are a great way to practice your English listening skills. The TOEFL Podcast provides some great tips for taking the exam. If you’re looking for more authentic content, many top universities also have podcasts that post content similar to what you might expect on the listening section of the TOEFL. These will help you to become accustomed to hearing formal, academic discussions in the English language. You can find podcasts from Harvard , Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) , Stanford , and Yale , along with many other top universities. The Purdue Online Writing Lab is a great resource for preparing for the writing section of the TOEFL. It provides free resources to assist with writing, research, grammar and mechanics, and even has a section specifically devoted to ESL (English as a Second Language ). This independent site is rich in preparation materials, including links to free tutorials on Youtube, a step-by-step essay guide, and sample essays. While there are some services on the site that you will have to pay to access, there is a wealth of material available for no charge. EdX is known for providing free online courses in a variety of content. The TOEFL Test Preparation: The Insider’s Guide is produced by ETS, so you know that it’s accurate. This highly interactive course helps you understand what you can do to achieve your best TOEFL test score. Instructors guide you through each section of the test using archived test questions. Specific information is given about how to register for the test, how it is scored, and how to prepare for test day. While there are discounted test prep offers included throughout the course, there are also many free resources. ThoughtCo is a site that is committed to lifelong learning. It provides instructional materials in many subject areas ranging from science, tech, and math, to arts, music, and exploration. The ThoughtCo Free Online TOEFL Study Guides compilation is a comprehensive collection of free online study guides from a broad variety of sources. This site includes specific links to grammar and structure, vocabulary, reading, and listening practice. It also includes general standardized test-taking tips, which can be easily forgotten when preparing for a specialized test like the TOEFL. Of course, the amount of preparation that you’ll need to put into the TOEFL will depend on your existing English skills. Some students find that they can perform well on the test with only a few practice tests in the week or two leading up to it, while others find that they need to study and work extensively to perform well. The bottom line is that any student who wants or needs to take the TOEFL should begin preparing about a month or two in advance, by taking an initial practice test to gauge their readiness. From that initial test, a comprehensive study plan can be created, using these resources to focus on your specific strengths and weaknesses.