Saturday, August 31, 2019
Assess Hume’s Reasons for Rejecting Miracles
Assess Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles Hume defined miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature†and consequently rejected their occurrence as both improbable and impractical. This view has been supported by modern scientists and philosophers such as Atkins, Dawkins and Wiles to a certain extent. However Aquinas, Tillich and Holland and Swinburne to a certain extent reject Hume’s reasons, instead arguing that miracles have a divine cause and that Hume’s arguments are weak.This essay will argue that Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles are not valid and in doing so consider his two main arguments; lack of probability and Hume’s practical argument. Hume’s first reason for rejecting miracles was a lack of probability. He argued that evidence from people’s experience of observing the world showed the laws of nature to be fixed and unvarying. However to suggest a miracle occurred was to say that the laws of nature had been violated, hence his definition of miracles being a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature. Miracles were reported has having occurred by eyewitnesses, as is stated in the Bible in the case of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. However for Hume it was far more likely that the eyewitnesses were mistaken in what they witnessed, than for Jesus to have actually raised Lazarus from the dead and in doing so violated fixed laws of nature. A violation of the laws of nature was therefore an improbable occurrence. Wiles’ agrees with Hume’s point that it is more likely the eyewitness was wrong than a miracle occurred, in doing so raising the problem of evil.It was illogical to suggest God was omnipotent and good if he showed clear favouritism through creating miracles whilst at the same time many people were suffering. It would be more likely that a witness made a mistake or did not understand what they saw than an ominbenevolant and omnipotent God showed clear signs of bia s and favouritism through miracles therefore Hume’s first argument is valid. Swinburne supports Hume’s view that laws of nature are defined by the experiences of people observing the world, as he believes that people’s observations are the basis for all natural laws.Additionally Hume’s argument that miracles are improbable is supported by Dawkin’s view that it would be highly unlikely that someone could simply learn to walk again after being paralysed as a result of a miracle, as this would constitute a violation of the laws of nature. This also supports the idea that Hume’s argument is valid. However he rejects Hume’s concept of the laws of nature being fixed and unvarying, as he believed them to be â€Å"corrigible†due the possibility new discoveries and observations about the world could result in them being altered in some way.Additionally Swinburne disagrees with Hume’s idea of what an improbable event is. Whilst f or Hume this means an event which it would be foolish to suggest occurs at all, such as the sun staying the sky, Swinburne argues that miracles are more â€Å"probalistic†such as picking out a red grain of sand, highly unlikely but not totally impossible therefore the validity of Hume’s first argument can be questioned.Additionally Swinburne criticises Hume’s definition of miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature†as he believes that whilst a miracle such as that of Jesus’ resurrection clearly does not fit in with the laws of nature, on it’s own it is not enough to prove the laws of nature have been violated, a view supported by Aquinas who suggests miracles have a divine origin. The contingency argument, supported by Holland and Tillich also criticises Hume’s definition of miracles as a â€Å"violation of the laws of nature. It uses evidence from the Bible, such as Jesus feeding the five thousand, to highlight that Godâ €™s aim with miracles is not to fit in with the framework of modern concepts but to for God to reveal Himself to the people. Tillich himself argues that miracles do not have to involve the violation of nature as they can be possible events, such as a train stopping just in front of a child on a crossing, which hold religious significance for some people. Therefore a miracle does not have to be an improbable event, suggesting that Hume’s argument is not significant.Hume’s second reason for rejecting miracles is presented in his practical argument. He considered levels of education to be a significant factor as miracles were only reported to have occurred by those who were not educated enough to understand the scientific explanation of an event. The stories these people reported were usually circulated and exaggerated, altering them significantly as is the case with urban myths, such as that after Hurricane Katrina stating that law and order had broken down.Hume also considered the general level of education of the country as a whole to be important. He highlighted how the early history of countries is full of miracles and visions due to the ignorant and barbarous populations, such as the very long life of Adam. However as the country becomes more developed and the populations better educated such stories disappear. Therefore for Hume, Adam living to 930 was simply a story made up by the uneducated, as living so long would suggest the laws of nature to be false.Additionally Hume believes that miracles used by religions to prove their religion true would be cancelled out, as not every religion could be true. Dawkins presents a key strength of Hume’s second argument, by supporting his belief that miracles are only reported by the uneducated, as he believes there is a scientific explanation for the effects, such as Jeanne Fretel being cured at Lourdes.The miracles of people being cured at Lourdes, as well as those reported in the Bible simp ly show that miracles were used to cover up a lack of understanding of a way the world worked and to increase people’s faith in God, something which is no longer necessary as most people no longer rely on God for guidance therefore Hume presents a relevant argument rejecting miracles. Atkins supports Hume’s argument that the typical educated person would not be inclined to report the occurrence of a miracle as they would know better.According to Atkins it is only the publicity seeker or someone deluded or hallucinating who would claim to have witnessed such an event as they may lack the scientific level of understanding of their peers, therefore Hume’s argument is relevant. However this view has been criticised by Swinburne as it raises questions about how to define terms Hume raises. It is unclear at what stage a person becomes â€Å"educated†sufficiently to reject miracles. It is also unfair to assume that a person believes in miracles simply because t hey do not know any better, as it is possible to both have a strong belief in God and a good understanding of Science.Further to this it is unclear what constitutes being â€Å"ignorant and barbarous†as whilst earlier nations may now seem uneducated compared to modern times, the nation may have been highly educated for the time as the standards change. Therefore the relevance of Hume’s second argument can be questioned. In conclusion Hume believes that miracles are â€Å"violations of the laws of nature†which are fixed and unvarying, and that they are only experienced by uneducated people who do not understand Science.This view rejected by Aquinas, Swinburne Holland and Tillich. Swinburne believes the laws of nature to be â€Å"corrigible†whilst Holland and Tillich argue that miracles are not violations of the laws of nature but sign events revealing God to the people. However Dawkins and Atkins support Hume’s view that miracles are only experie nced by the uneducated. Overall Hume’s reasons for rejecting miracles are valid to only a minimal extent, as he does not consider the different definitions of a miracle, and does not define what constitutes ignorant and barbarous.
Parliamentary Ombudsman Essay
The Ombudsman deals with issues that had resulted in questions in Parliament. The Ombudsman is the custodian of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. Schedule 2 of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967, requires of certain institutions to assist the Ombudsman in disclosing information on request. However there are fifteen exemptions that regulate the release of the information under this Code (Ministerial Accountability And Parliamentary Questions).            The Ombudsman investigates complaints from Members of Parliament that certain information that had been withheld as per the requirements of the Code, was to be revealed. The office of the Ombudsman has to deal with important papers and take decisions by exercising proper judgment. The office of the Ombudsman attempts to resolve complaints before any official action is initiated with regard to them, as such the work of the Ombudsman is informal or unofficial. There are certain restrictions that prevent the active participation of the Ombudsman. In 2005, it was declared that the Information Commissioner was to be bound by the provision of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and should act within the scope of those provisions. Another drawback is that several departments do not cooperate with the office of the Ombudsman and depict reluctance to accept its recommendations. There was an absence of cooperation between the office of the Ombudsman and other departments in resolving complaints. Furthermore, changes in the activities and role of the Ombudsman are subject to legislation (Ministerial Accountability And Parliamentary Questions).           The Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 sets out the job description, powers and responsibilities of the Commissioner. The institution of the Ombudsman is autonomous and       neither reports to the government nor is it a public servant. The Queen on the endorsement of Letters Patent appoints the Ombudsman. The Ombudsman’s responsibility is to inquire into complaints referred by members of the public in the event of their having sustained loss or injustice due to maladministration by the government departments or other public agencies. These complaints have to be forwarded by a Member of Parliament. The complainants have to first lodge their complaints with the concerned department and facilitate the concerned officials to act on the complaint before its transmission to some other agency. Not all matters are dealt with by the Ombudsman, because certain complaints are more appropriately redressed by an appeal to a tribunal or by filing a case in a court of law. Many departments can decide on the basis of their discretionary powers. For instance the Legal Aid Board and the Planning Inspectorate are empowered to take independent decisions. If it can be established that a discretionary decision entailed maladministration, then the Ombudsman can intervene and question such acts of maladministration. The Ombudsman can also investigate administrative decisions taken on behalf of courts and tribunals but not the decisions taken directly by courts and tribunals (Parry, 2004).            The rulings of the Ombudsman are subject to judicial review as in the case of ministerial decisions. In 1994, a court affirmed this important fact in a case. Under the judicial review, it is ascertained if the application of the legislative provisions had been done correctly, while taking a decision. However, the decisions of the Parliamentary Commissioner are rarely subjected to the judicial review process. In April 2004, the High Court rejected a judicial review petition of the representatives of the Equitable Members Action Group, who were contesting the decision taken by the Ombudsman with regard to the regulation of Equitable Life (Parry, 2004). The Ombudsman does not act as courts or tribunals. The Ombudsman’s duty is not to mediate or negotiate as in the case of alternative dispute resolutions. Although the Ombudsman is a distinctive platform for taking important decisions, it is not an alternative in the process of decision making. In R v Secretary of State for Pensions, on behalf of Bradley and others, judicial review was sought due to the refusal of the authorities to provide information relating to pension schemes. In that case, Justice Bean opined that the Ombudsman exercises very wide discretion under which the Ombudsman can permit a public adversarial hearing in order to educe facts. However such discretionary power of the Parliamentary Ombudsman or the Local Government Ombudsman is subject to Parliament discretion (R v Secretary of State for Pensions, on behalf of Bradley and others, 2007).  In the event of the occurrence of maladministration or failure to provide service the Ombudsman intervenes and decides the further course of action to be undertaken for effecting redressal. Despite the fact that the decisions of the Ombudsman are final, the courts can initiate a judicial review on these decisions (Principles of Good Administration).            The Ombudsman comes to the rescue of individuals in order to provide redressal of their complaints against the activities of the government agencies’ activities and other entities. Several types of Ombudsmen are established by legislation. The foremost amongst them is the Parliamentary Commissioner. There are other authorities who act as ombudsmen such as the Health Service Commissioners who deal with complaints lodged against the Health Service and the Local Commissioners or Local Government Ombudsmen who investigate complaints against local authorities. They resolve complaints by making the necessary recommendations to the departments against whom the complaints had been lodged. They can make public recommendations but they do not possess the power to enforce such recommendations. The Parliamentary Commissioner inquires only into complaints, which are lodged by a Member of Parliament. The general public can approach the Local Government Ombudsmen directly or through a local representative. Individuals are initially required to bring their complaints to a Councillor or an MP. Subsequently, if no action is initiated or if the action initiated is unsatisfactory then the complaint is forwarded to the Ombudsman (Ombudsman, 2004).            It is the responsibility of the Members of Parliament to ensure that the general public has access to relevant authorities, in order to secure redress for maladministration or poor service. However, if they fail to get satisfactory redress or action from those mechanisms then they can approach the Ombudsmen (The Ombudsman – who are her customers?).            Ombudsmen can resolve most of the complaints received by them. Efforts have been undertaken in the United Kingdom to attain a general cooperation among several Ombudsmen. There are certain barriers to this laudable objective. Some Ombudsmen are affiliated to the outdated legislative framework, their actions are subject to legislation and there is no direct access. The MPs have to forward complaints to the Ombudsmen if problems arise with public servants. Hence, the citizens need to have direct access to the office of Ombudsmen. There are a number of problems in reforming institutional aspects, in the context of the devolution and decentralization of powers. In the present scenario of multi agency service provision, a coherent complaint handling procedure is urgently needed (The Ombudsman – who are her customers?).            In order to eliminate potential restraints, there should be a Cabinet Office review of the activities and responsibilities of public sector ombudsmen. There should be institutional reform and the legislative framework should be modified to suit modern day challenges with regard to the operational scope of the Ombudsman (The Ombudsman – who are her customers?).            The House of Commons Public Administration Select Committee or the PACS had acrimoniously criticised several departments for maladministration and inefficiency. Some of these departments were the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, the Child Support Agency and the Legal Services Commission. In its report, based on the findings of the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the PACS pointed out a number of shortcomings in government bodies. The report criticised the obsolete IT systems of these departments, their failure and unanticipated delays in responding to questions relating to the Hinduja brothers’ case and the queries raised by the Member of Parliament, Peter Mandelson (Public Administration Select Committee).            The PACS pointed out the failures of administration, departmental apathy and the negative influence of political parties on the administrative process. It also exhorted the Government to respond to the report and initiate immediate action (Public Administration Select Committee).            The Home Office was also criticised for its reluctant and indifferent behaviour towards the Code on Access to Government Information. The Home Office had failed to carry out a decision of the Ombudsman when the latter ruled that the former had to reveal information regarding the number of times Ministers had declared their interests. This was the first time that a government department had refused to comply with the Ombudsman’s ruling. The PACS considered this to be a dangerous development. The Committee criticised the then Cabinet Secretary for failing to disclose the information on the specious claim that it was beyond the purview of the Ombudsman (Public Administration Select Committee).            The Home Office was further criticised for its indifferent response to the Ombudsman’s inquiries and his request for papers that relate to the case of the Hinduja brothers and Peter Mandelson MP. There were several repeated failures to reply to the Ombudsman’s letters coupled with extraordinary delays and the supply of incorrect and unrelated files to the Ombudsman Office. As such, it could be construed as a conspiracy to withhold the called for information and constituted an administrative failure in the Home Office. The PACS had recommended to the Government that it should immediately initiate action to correct such maladministration and to reform the entire Ombudsman system (Public Administration Select Committee).            The number of complaints with regard to tax credits, to the Parliamentary Ombudsman is gradually increasing. Nearly twenty – six percent of the total complaints pertain to tax credits. They fall under three categories, namely, the design of the system, mishandling and failures in handling complaints and unjust recovery of overpayments (Ombudsman says that HMRC is in danger of Getting it Wrong on Tax Credits, 2007).            The designing part of the system is a process which Parliament and the government have to consider. The principles of the annualised system are difficult to comprehend by the individuals. Under the present system, overpayments and underpayments are inevitable and take place despite the best possible administration. This leads to the dissatisfaction among individuals and gives rise to several complaints. Such dissatisfaction and distress are often experienced by the low income group families, who are required to return the debts unexpectedly. In some cases, they may be required to repay the debt after a long period of time had elapsed (Ombudsman says that HMRC is in danger of Getting it Wrong on Tax Credits, 2007).            The British Constitution had provided an important position to the Parliamentary Ombudsman. The fundamental role of the Ombudsman is to provide efficient and productive redress to the complainants against acts of maladministration by the government bodies. In achieving this efficient alternative redress provider status, the Parliamentary Ombudsman requires mutual cooperation between several departments and the office of the Ombudsman. However, the reality is otherwise and resistance and apathy are exhibited by several governments department, while responding to the inquiries of the office of the Ombudsman. For instance, during the period 2005 to 2006 the Parliamentary Ombudsman was compelled to submit a special report when the findings of the Ombudsmen were rejected by several government departments (Kirkhamn, Sep2006).            The Parliamentary Ombudsman submitted a special report with regard to the investigation in to the proceedings of the ex gratia schemes for the British groups engaged by the Japanese during the World War II. The Special Report was submitted to the Parliament under section 10(3) of the Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967. This report discussed the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s powers and their legal aspects in quite some detail. It also discussed the functions of the ombudsman and its powers in interpreting the inquiry process. It also focussed on the power of ombudsman to investigate acts of maladministration by government bodies. In one particular instance, the Ministry of Defence had challenged the authority of the ombudsman in investigating claims of maladministration against it and held that this constitute trespass into its authority. This Ministry contended that such a prerogative was solely the province of the courts and not that of the ombudsman (Kirkhamn, Sep2006).            This Special Report clearly established the authority of the government bodies and public authorities and the extent to which the ombudsman could conduct investigations into their alleged acts of maladministration. The conclusion to be reached from these developments is that the parliamentary ombudsman has become more or less redundant and does not serve any useful purpose. Moreover, this body cannot compel any government department to comply with its decisions (Kirkhamn, Sep2006). Another drawback with the ombudsman system is that the person, who lodges a complaint, has to wait for a considerable period of time, prior to any decision being taken with regard to the complaint. A number of cases were observed to have been abandoned by the complainants due to this inordinate delay. In comparison, the judicial process is much faster. Moreover, the ombudsman system cannot compel the government bodies to accept its decision. On an average, the time taken to take a decision by the ombudsman, in respect of a complaint, was around two years (Caplan, 2006. P. 203). References Caplan, R. (2006. P. 203). International Governance of War – Torn Territories: Rule and Reconstruction. Oxford University Press. Kirkhamn, R. (Sep2006). Challenging the Authority of the Ombudsman: The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s Special Report onWartime Detainees. Modern Law Review , Vol. 69 Issue 5, p792-818, 27p; DOI: 10.1111/j.1468-2230.2006.00610.x; (AN 21979909). Ministerial Accountability And Parliamentary Questions. (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmselect/cmpubadm/1086/108603.htm Ombudsman. (2004). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from In Dictionary of Politics and Government: http://www.credoreference.com/entry/6505736 Ombudsman says that HMRC is in danger of Getting it Wrong on Tax Credits. (2007, June). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from Press release: http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/news/press_releases/pr2007_06.html Parry, K. (2004, June 8). Ombudsman decisions: right of appeal. Retrieved November 25, 2007, from Parliament & Constitution Centre Standard Note: SN/PC/3079: http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/notes/snpc-03079.pdf Principles of Good Administration. (n.d.). Retrieved November 24, 2007, from http://www.ombudsman.org.uk/pdfs/pga.pdf Public Administration Select Committee. (n.d.). Pasc Attacks â€Å"Disturbing†Evidence Of Government Administrative Failure. Retrieved November 25, 2007, from Session 2002-03. Press Notice No.8: http://www.parliament.uk/parliamentary_committees/public_administration_select_committee/pasc_pn_8.cfm R v Secretary of State for Pensions, on behalf of Bradley and others, (2007) EWHC 242 Admin (2007). The Ombudsman – who are her customers? (n.d.). Retrieved November 25, 2007, from http://www.bioa.org.uk/otherinfo/AnnAbraham-LakemanLecture.pdf Â
Friday, August 30, 2019
Modesty in islam
Prophet Muhammad Muslims believe that Mohammad is the last and final Messenger of God to be sent to humanity. He was sent to complete the mission of the previous Messengers (including Abraham, Moses, Jesus and others) of calling people to believing in God and following the guidance and teachings of God. Muslims regard Prophet Mohammad as their highest role model and they aim to follow in his footsteps in all of their actions. This is why Muslims hold Prophet Mohammad in very high regard, and are seriously hurt when anyone tries to belittle him.Mohammad was born in the city of Makkah in Arabia in the year 570 AD. He was an orphan, having lost his father even before his birth, and was therefore raised by his grandfather and his uncle. Although he was from a noble family and tribe, as an orphan he had a difficult childhood. He later started to work as a trader, and through his dealings with the people was known to be extremely honest and trustworthy. In fact, he was nicknamed â€Å"the trustworthy†by the people of Makkah. At the age of 25, Prophet Mohammad got married to his wife Khadija.Mohammad (pbuh) always detested his people's way of life. He did not approve of their idol worship, nor did he approve of the lifestyle that ncluded drunkenness and illicit relations between men and women. Therefore, Mohammad (pbuh) regularly went away from the city to the desert to contemplate life and to seclude and distance himself from the actions and lifestyle of his people. At the age of 40, Mohammad (pbuh) started to receive revelations from God through the angel Gabriel. These revelations were the word of God, conveyed to Mohammad (pbuh) through the angel Gabriel.Mohammad (pbuh) was told by God that he was chosen as a Messenger to his people, and that the revelations he was receiving were the holy Qur'an and they were a messege from God to all of humanity. He was also nstructed to deliver the message to his people, and to teach and guide them. The revelations conti nued for 23 years until shortly before the death of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). Although Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) was known by his people as â€Å"the trustworthy†, many of them refused to believe in him when he started to teach his message to the people.The leaders of Makkah and the rich classes rejected the message not because they did not believe that Mohammad (pbuh) was saying the truth, and not because they did not believe that the Qur'an was the word of God. In fact, many of them later admitted that they had a feeling in their hearts that it was he truth. However, they rejected the message in order to protect their wealth and power. Mohammad (pbuh) taught people that all humans are equal, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity or tribe. He taught slaves that they had rights and that they were equal to their masters.He taught that the rich must pay a portion of their wealth to the poor. Mohammad (pbuh) was a revolutionary, fghting for freedom. His mission was to free humanity from worshipping false idols, to free the poor from the stranglehold of the rich and to free people from the oppression imposed on them by priests of false religions. All of these teachings scared those who were in power at the time. The leaders were afraid that they will lose their positions of power and leadership, which they had gained based only upon the false pretense that their tribe or tamily was superior to all others.The rich were atraid that they will nave to share their wealth with the poor, even though they had collected this wealth by taking advantage of the poor. The masters were afraid that their slaves would start to ask for their rights. The priests were afraid of losing their unjust hold on people's lives, which they were using to enrich themselves. Mohammad (pbuh) and his followers, the Muslims, were persecuted severely. They were subjected to torture, imprisonment, expulsion, economic and social boycotts. Many of them were killed because of their beliefs. But th ey remained patient and steadfast, and they held onto their new religion of Islam.Mohammad (pbuh) continued to teach his message to the people in secret and in public. After 13 years of enduring these conditions, the Muslims emigrated to A1-Madinah, a city more than 400 km (260 miles) north of Makkah. The Muslims established the first Muslim nation in A1-Madinah, and were ble to practice their religion freely for the first time. As the Muslims began to gain more followers and establish their power in A1-Madinah, their old enemies in Makkah became very uneasy. They saw that the balance of power was switching in favour of the Muslims as Arab tribes started to accept Islam.They attacked the Muslims and after several battles, the Muslims gained the upper hand. The Muslims then sent a large and well equipped army to Makkah to end the attacks once and for all. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) instructed his army not to harm anyone who did not engage them in fghting. Upon seeing the strength of the Muslim army, the people of Makkah surrendered without much fighting. The Muslims entered Makah once again, this time in a position of power. The Muslim army captured many prisoners, including many of those who had persecuted, tortured and killed Muslims for 13 years before they emigrated to A1-Medina.The prisoners were gathered in front of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh). He asked them: â€Å"What do you think I will do to you? †Knowing how they had treated Mohammad (pbuh) and his followers, the prisoners were afraid that their fate would be death as a punishment for their crimes. However, in an ttempt to ask for leniency, one of them replied: â€Å"You are a kind brother and nephew to us†, reminding Mohammad (pbuh) that they were his people and many of them were from the same tribe as Mohammad (pbuh).Mohammad (pbuh) replied to them: â€Å"You are all free to go! †After this point, the spread of Islam became even faster. Arab tribes began to come to Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) one by one to declare their Islam. Within ten years, Islam had spread throughout Arabia and became one of the main powers in the Middle East. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) passed away at the age of 63, leaving behind a message and a legacy that has survived to our day. Prophet Mohammad (pbuh) accomplished his mission of delivering the message to humanity.He has left us with the holy Qur'an (the word of God) and the Sunnah (the teachings of Mohammad (pbuh)). Through his sacrifices and those of his followers, Islam today is the largest and fastest growing religion in the world. One out of every five people in the world is a Muslim. It is for this reason that Michael H. Hart (an astrophysicist born in New York City in 1932), in his 1978 book â€Å"The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History†, ranked Mohammad (pbuh) as the single most influential person in the history of the world.
Thursday, August 29, 2019
A Message Without Words Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words
A Message Without Words - Essay Example ere is one that allows ladies and gents to adorn stylish, comfortable and practical clothing while still embracing their femininity and masculinity respectively. Weinberg (2009) insists that, before embarking on a marketing campaign, there is a need to clarify goals and the overall aim of the campaign. One has to define what they aim to achieve from the campaign. The team at Benetton aims at expanding the market share for the cashmere design presented in the above picture. A picture speaks a thousand words. The picture above, which is the center of this campaign, speaks to both ladies and gents alike. It does not segregate the genders and, in this way, it widens the market share extensively. That, on the other hand, is another objective of the campaign; to show the public that we can offer a design suiting both genders. The target group is age oriented. According to Jones (2005), age is one of the significant factors when categorizing target markets. The team at Benetton aims at capturing the individuals of the 20-35 years of age. This is the most active and fashion conscious group (Jones, 2005). The age bracket targeted above captures the college student and the young employees. College life accompanies a certain lifestyle and trendy fashion styles. The picture ad portrays both male and female genders posing in it. The team at Benetton concur with Jones (2005), who admits that, contrary to an earlier time when chain store displayed menswear in separate shops from women’s wear, today they chain shops display them together. The Picture ad silently states this ideal. Therefore, having covered the gender divide in the campaign, the team at Benetton can focus on ways of convincing the target group. The target group forms the majority of the growing population in any societal setup. This group will most likely be on a credit access of some kind. It may be for educational purposes or otherwise. In whichever case, the credit availability will also greatly influence
Wednesday, August 28, 2019
Pollution Caused By War Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Pollution Caused By War - Research Proposal Example Radioactivity, toxic chemicals, unexploded devices, and unsanitary health conditions will continue to scar the war zone for decades into the future. The human cost of this pollution is enormous and little is being done to hold the warring parties responsible for repairing the damage left behind. Landmines litter the playgrounds, toxins invade the food chain, and a plethora of health problems arise to further burden civilian population in the previously occupied lands. Recent decades have seen an explosion in wartime pollution and little has been accomplished to gain international agreement on the treatment and cleanup of affected areas. Wars have always left behind some form of pollution, usually in the form of unexploded ordinance that littered the landscape. During the US Civil War smoke was a major pollutant, but its effects were temporary as the smoke would clear and nature would reclaim the landscape scarred with craters. However, Vietnam would change that as "It is generally accepted that the extensive use of environmental destruction as a strategic practice in war dates from the use of defoliants during the war in Southeast Asia" (McCally 278). The forests in Vietnam were cleared with a chemical agent known as Agent Orange, a deadly herbicide that denied the enemy of food and cover. The amounts left behind in the soil and food chain had the greatest effects on the civilian population, which had little protection from the Geneva Convention or similar international agreements. Modern warfare had taken a leap and could no longer control the devastating effects of the pollution left behind. Another devastating pollutant has recently come in the form of depleted uranium (DU), a highly dense metal used for armament and armor plating in military applications. DU illegally litters the battlefields in Kosovo and Iraq and is spread throughout the environment after a contamination event. "Over the days and years following such an event, the contamination normally becomes dispersed into the wider natural environment by wind and rain. People living or working in affected areas may inhale contaminated dusts or consume contaminated food and drinking water" (Depleted Uranium). The effects of exposure to DU can range from kidney problems to lung cancer, and the World Health Organization warns that, "Small children could receive greater exposure to DU when playing in or near DU impact sites. Their typical hand-to-mouth activity could lead to high DU ingestion from contaminated soil" (Depleted Uranium). The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has been active in attempting to c lean up DU contaminated sites, but Henk van der Keur of the Laka Foundation1 contends that the use of DU is in direct violation of international law (A Day to Prevent Environmental). Cleaning up the damage may come to late for many that have already been exposed, and international groups are calling for an outright ban on DU. While the effects of Agent Orange and DU may linger unnoticed as an odorless and colorless poison, the effects of oil pollution in the Mideast have been more profound. The widespread fires from the ignited oil wells after the Kuwait War could be seen for miles, and "Iraq's release of about 10 million barrels of Kuwaiti oil into Gulf waters caused great stress to an ecosystem already suffering from decades of abuse" (McCally 278). At the time, there was little international
Tuesday, August 27, 2019
Forensic Science 3.2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Forensic Science 3.2 - Essay Example Imprints are heavily useful in forensic identification. The most common example of an imprint sample in terms of physical evidence is the presence of fingerprints. It is an example of an individualization pattern that can be â€Å"packaged†and brought inside the laboratory unlike a reconstruction pattern. Fingerprints found on physical evidences can now be stored and examined inside the laboratory and are important due to their ability to identify the unique individual associated with it. Friction ridge skin pattern is a method of analyzing fingerprints and comparing with other imprints found on evidences so as to identify a unique individual (Gaensslen, Harris and Lee, 2008). Indentation is a three dimensional pattern which results from soft contact with an object as opposed to an imprint (Gaensslen, Harris and Lee, 2008). A track and trail pattern made on sand, mud or earth can be described as an example of an indentation. This is due to the soft nature of surfaces such as sand which would result in an indentation. Indentations are useful marks that can allow useful examination of physical evidences as they indicate directions. In the case of track and trail pattern, drag marks can be followed and blood trails can be compared by means of chemical tests. Physical patterns include skid marks and other marks let by vehicle tires. Skid marks and other tire marks can be used for reconstructing car accidents and other incidents involving an automobile. Skid mark analysis is usually performed by an expert or a forensic engineer (Gaensslen, Harris and Lee, 2008). Various measurements such as length of a mark can direct towards different possibilities. These marks are documented either as a videotape or a photograph and then reconstructed and compared by means of a laboratory based examination. This can uncover many details regarding any failures that could have
Monday, August 26, 2019
Popular press Article (cloud computing for E-learning) Essay
Popular press Article (cloud computing for E-learning) - Essay Example There are several categories of cloud computing. The first one is where the public get to sell their services freely on the internet, which is, referred public cloud. Amazon and Google are the largest public cloud computing service providers where users from the public domain can access. Private cloud is a characteristic where the organization offering cloud computing services host their resources with limited access from the public. A virtual cloud is where the public cloud is created to be private. Scalable and easy IT services and computing resource are the main aim of cloud computing regardless of the characteristics of the cloud services. Amazon provides virtual server instance API, which is an example of Infrastructure-as-a-Service as a Web Service. Amazon provides virtual servers and storage space for their clients. Amazon calls its Cloud model service as Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2). This service is across several Operating system vendor versions such as Linux, Solaris and Window Operating system. Web development application is another form of cloud computing. Google is offering hardware services where developers upload their Python codes then they run the application. Cloud computing is compared to utility services such as electricity and water hence referred to utility computing. PaaS is a service offered in terms of software and product tools that are provided by the host company. Software are installed in a client machine via the web portal or a gateway. GoogleApps and Salesforce.com (Force.com) are an example of Platform-as-a-service. The standards for data exchange and standards for data portability currently some developers are still protecting their software and platform. The software-as-a-service in cloud computing is a model where the software product and the client interact via the front-end portal such as a
Sunday, August 25, 2019
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the referendum as a Essay
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the referendum as a decision mechanism to solve the principal agent problem in political representation - Essay Example The two common types of referendum include; obligatory and facultative referendums. Obligatory referendum emerges when electorate’s votes have the right and responsibility to vote for a particular policy as may be defined by the constitution (Dovi, 2011). The outcomes of electorate’s votes in a referendum are legally binding. On the other hand, facultative referendum involves a vote by certain groups such as parliamentarians, electorates, executives and electorates. Normally, facultative referendum may be carried out in order to make amendments in some sections of the constitution. Facultative referendum may be carried out if certain provisions within a constitution require some amendment (Local Direct Democracy in Europe, 2011). Whereby, citizens might be required to give their opinion by participating in a referendum. In above connection, the outcome of a referendum represents the voice of majority because all citizens participate collectively in a decision making pro cess (Republic of Moldova, 1999). However, the outcomes of a referendum may not always represent a true voice of the electorates because of some political influence before and during the referendum. Whereby, some politicians ay influence electorate’s decisions by manipulating them to accept or reject a particular legislation for their own personal gains (Tierney, 2012). Normally, politicians act as agents while the electorates/ citizens act like the principal. Therefore, the agents have the obligation to act at the best interest of their principle in order to ensure that there is proper agency relationship. This means that conflict of interest may occur when politicians tend to pursue their own personal interest at the expense of their citizens. For instance, politicians may pass those bills that suit their needs at the expense of the electorates (Schiller, 2011). In above connection, referendum may be involved
Saturday, August 24, 2019
Empire by purchase or rental, like the acquisition of property in a Research Paper
Empire by purchase or rental, like the acquisition of property in a Monopoly board game, remains a neglected but highly su - Research Paper Example Imperialism has existence since time immemorial taking different forms. In the ancient times, imperialism was in the form of one type of civilization or ethnicity having control of all then other around it. A good example is the Roman Empire. The earliest form of modern imperialism was in the form of colonial expansion overseas in the 14th to 19th century1. Countries in Europe were fighting over territories in Asia, the new world and Africa. The main aim of this form of imperialism was to be in control of trade and raw materials from its colonies thereby monopolizing the benefits from the transactions2. In the 19th century, there was a new form of imperialism which came with free trade. In this, countries would have control over others through diplomacy and economic agreement. Most formal empires came to an end after World War II. This did not last long but have been replaced by neocolonialism. This is the situation where the economic powerful countries such as the America have a lot of influence of third world countries. This article reviews the significance of empires, the motives behind empirial expansion and finally compares Alaska and Guantanamo. Significance of Empires Imperialism has had both positive and negative impact on the countries or people who were incorporated into the powerful states or nations depending on the form of imperialism. ... This ensured that the members of the weaker nations could now have better living standards, with reduced mortality compared to their earlier lives. However, Imperialism in the form of colonialism had several devastating impacts on the colonies. This I despite the fact that the mother countries invested in the development of these countries, their main focuses was in development of those areas related to the specific raw material that eh countries were interested in and not the others4. These developments did not therefore benefit these colonies but benefitted their master. In the end, this form of relationship ended up benefitting the mother colonies booting the development of these economies at their expense. A major significance of empires is that it results in the bringing together of people from different backgrounds. As a result, wealth from the different people and land is amassed and this creates an empire which now becomes more economically powerful5. This has been the case i n American which is made up of different states. Some of these states were bough for instance Alaska was bought from Russia. Because of this union of states and use of a common currency, America is today the most economically powerful nation in the world. Other important empires whose contribution has been significance to the world today are the British Empire which introduced the parliamentary democracy to countries around the world6. The Greek empire has had a lot of legacy in the present day society in terms of academic contribution, culture and art. The Roman Empire has also contributed to the development of the contemporary society7. Other empires whose impacts are felt today are the Muslim and Christian empire which dominates two thirds of
Friday, August 23, 2019
Homework # 01 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words
Homework # 01 - Essay Example red to particular situations and specific markets, nowadays economic models are customized to illustrate outstanding features of reality describing special problem under discussion.Even though many economists claimed that major economic problems were solved, unemployment by money wages was hard to solve. The economists were unable to identify the cause of economic growth. Growth theory led to a new modeling to help address the question. It was able to deal with goods, capital; that varied continuously in quality. In addition, the theory helped in discovering asymmetric information. Growth in education was able to explain growth residual hence accounting for increases in both labour force and capital. However, the asymmetric information needed further exploration before it is documented. With the help of the automobile market, Akerlof was able to discover that information asymmetry played a key role in business cycles. It is a major issue in those markets that quality of goods is hard to see without casual inspection. With the help of mathematics, he proved that asymmetric information could lead to the collapse of used cars market at the expense of new
Imogene King Theory of Goal Attainment Assignment
Imogene King Theory of Goal Attainment - Assignment Example Her success comes from her nursing conceptual system and the goal attainment goal. King developed this theory while trying to summarize a new graduate program content. Its basic purpose is to aid patients to achieve, maintain or regain their health. Her theory assumes that the focus in nursing is caring for human beings, while its goal is individual and group healthcare. According to this theory, human beings continuously interact with their environment, basically because humans are open systems (George, 2008). She links the theory to goal attainment, which assumes that communication between a nurse and a client results in information gathering, which helps them set mutual goals and aids in acting on the goals. She argues that everyone recognizes the world as a total person in formulating transactions between the environment and the individual. The transaction in this theory refers to the interaction between the â€Å"perceiver†and the object perceived. In this transaction, t he â€Å"person†gets into the position as an active participant, after which each is transformed from the experiences. Nurse-client interaction leads to certain assumptions. The first assumption is that the interaction between the two is influenced by their respective perceptions. The client and nurse’ goals and values influence the interaction process, clients have a right to information concerning them, clients should participate in decisions that have an impact on their lives, community, and health, and finally, that it is normal for clients and nurses’ goals to be incongruent. Human beings have three crucial health needs; the need for health information, care services to prevent illness and care services when they are unable to help themselves. This theory has two major concepts; the Interacting and the concepts provided for each system. The interacting systems include personal systems, interpersonal systems and the social system (Wills and McEwen, 2002). 2 .0 Point by point Critical analysis of the theory 2.1 Major concepts Concepts for personal systems includes perception, self, growth, and development, body image, space and time. Interpersonal system concepts include interaction, communication, transaction, role, and stress. Finally, the social system concept includes organization, authority, power, status and decision making. King defines perception as a concept, which influences the overall behavior of a human being. Ultimately, it is the concept upon which all other relationships too. Perception is also a process where an individual obtains personal data through his or her senses, and from which, the individual organizes his or her memory interprets it and transforms the obtained data. The â€Å"self†characteristics refer to the dynamic individual, whose is motivated to achieve their goals by several open systems. The self-includes feelings and thoughts that are linked to the individual’s awareness of being an inde pendent person. The thoughts and feelings also influence the individual’s perception of him/herself. The characteristics of body image are subjective, dynamic, learned and very personal. The body image characteristics usually change over time in relation to the individual’s redefinition of the self. Space, on the other hand, is a universal concept, whose definition depends on the individual. It is difficult to define space because culture influences an individual understands of space.Â
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Literary Criticism of Uncle Toms Cabin Essay Example for Free
Literary Criticism of Uncle Toms Cabin Essay Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote Uncle Toms Cabin in order to persuade the readers that slavery was bad. Her Christian views led her to do this and depict her characters as every-day life as she could and not be too over dramatic about everything that happened. Her story could be interpreted as a non-fiction if the reader does not know the history of it all, because she uses a very subtle approach to get to reader through making all events in the book seem very real as if she had really seen them. Stowes relationship with the book is that the book are her thoughts through a story. Not just any thoughts, but her abolitionist views and how much she disagreed with slavery. Stowe not only uses the book as a whole to convince of slaverys evils. She uses individual characters and their journies (emotional, physical, etc.) to get into the readers head and make everything believable to the point where one thinks that the book is non-fiction.. She doesnt use a very abrupt way of getting her message across. She tells things like they are. Not all southerners are evil, and northerners arent angels either. Every scene that Stowe needs to, persuades the reader that slavery is evil and non-Christian. Uncle Tom, the protaganist of this book, is used by Stowe to introduce slaves as not being ignorant, rag-wearing, illiterate people. Tom is a pious fellow as stated by Arthur Shelby: No; I mean, really, Tom is a good, steady, sensible, pious fellow. (Pg.4). Stowe also shows that Shelby is a good man himself, by showing that he actually cared for his slaves, and didnt treat them like objects. But, you could get a bit confused by Shelby when he showcases Elizas little boy to Mr. Haley as if he were some type of circus act, Now, Jim, show this man how you can dance and sing. (Pg.5). By giving two different views of Shelby at such an arly stage of the book, one cant really get a grasp on whether or not he really has sentiment, until further on in his and Mr. Haleys conversation. Mr. Haley, on the other hand is shown to be a wanna-be higher class type of man: He was a short, thick-set man, with coarse, commonplace features, and that swaggering air of pretension which marks a low man who is trying to elbow his way upward in the world. (Pg.3). Haley also seems to be a man who is very persuasive to get what he wants, but seems to make hollow promises: Howsomever, Ill do the very best I can in gettin Tom a good berth; as to my treatin on him bad. you neednt be a grain afeard. If theres anything that I thank the Lord for, it is that Im never noways cruel. (pg.33). When the reader is first introduced to Haley, he seems to be a kind slave trader who only wants Shelby to give him slaves, because of a debt. But, he decieves the reader, and ends up being a man that mistreats his slaves often through violence. The first a reader gets to see of Haleys ill-mannered side is when he has found out that Eliza has escaped with her son Harry (the child that was to be sold to him). Haley is enfuriated and cariies himself in an awful manner: I say now, Shelby, this yers a most extrornary business! said Haley, as he abruptly entered the parlor. It seems that gals off, with her young un.' (Pg.44). Even though it might not be much to read of somebody yelling, this incident does open the door for much more disastrous occurances further in the book. Elizas escape is not the beginning. Eliza Harris plays an enormous role that makes the reader think and also sympathize. Eliza is a young, beautiful, courageous slave. But nor only is she a slave. She is a mother and wife also. Elizas biggest part in the book is when she shows the reader what maternal attachments influence a woman to do when she knows her child will be taken from her. After discovering that her son is going to be sold to a slave trader in order to pay a debt, she decides that the only reasonable thing to do is take him, and escape so she can be by her childs side and never be separated from him. She consults Tom, and he says that he will not fight the decision made by his master to be sold, but he encourages his friend to, so she will not be away from her son. Eliza leaves and heads towards the Ohio river and Haley is looking for her. But, two slaves that Mr. Shelby sends with him to guide him lead him the wrong way to stall, but somehow ended up crossing paths with her and alert her. Once this happens. one of the biggest scenes in the book is shown: The huge green fragment of ice on which she alighted pitched and creaked as her weight came on it, but she staid there not a moment. With wild cries and desperate energy she leaped to another and still another cake; stumbling-leaping-slipping-springing upwards again! Her shoes are gone-her stockings cut from her feet-while blood marked every step; but she saw nothing, felt nothing, till dimly, as in a dream, she saw the Ohio side, and a man helping her up the bank. (Pg.62). Stowe draws a vivid image through her writing of this scene, of a mothers struggle to keep sons life with her and not in the hands of anybody else. Struggle is also seen, not just for life, but for what was morally right as a Christian. Senator John Bird was one of the people who voted in favor of the Fugitive Slave Act, clearly showing that he was not about to help any type of runaway slaves. But, his wife was a very Christian woman with morality that ran through her veins, and she lived by the Bible. Her struggle was to convince her husband that slavery was wrong and he should not agree with the law passed, because the Bible says that good will to all men was a must. Mrs. Bird informs, Now, John, I dont know anything about politics, but I can read my Bible; and there I see that I must feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and comfort the desolate. (Pg.82). By this, the reader has already been influenced positively and negatively by so many of the characters that Stowe brings into this well thought out persuasive piece of art. Christianity was what influenced her, and powered her abolitionist views. It led her to take abolitionism into her own hands, and educate the country (and in hopes, the world) of how negative slavery was. Being raised in a very strict Presbyterian home, she was taught all about the value of life through the gospel. Stowes religious views were imprinted into her mind and soul, and they set a path for her. Her path was to enlighten the southerners that agreed with slavery and were cruel to the people they held captive to do their bidding. Uncle Toms Cabin was written in response to the acts passed against slavery (e.g. Fugitive Slave Act). Each page of the story contains journey, experience, growth, development, and so much more with each and every character. With her characters, she uses them as her source of persuasion of the views opposite from the southern views. Stowe doesnt come straight out and say, Slavery is evil! Dont agree with it! She is very implicit with spreading her outlook on slavery (even though it is known that she is an abolitionist). Characters such as Quakers seem to invoke Harriet Beecher Stowe as a whole, for the simple fact that they are just as she was. Quakers are religious persons that helped slaves, because the Bible said they should help anybody and everybody that needed help. All the characters talked about before, seem to also take Stowes viewpoints. Even her bad guys have her point of views too. If you think about it, all that she is against is embodied in the slave traders and evil southerners of the book. Stowe does a phenomenal job of taking all her abolitionist views and putting it on paper, and conveying her deepest hates for slavery in such a well thought work of art. Her persuasion is easily seen through her characters. They grab you, shake you, and bring tears to your eyes. Stowe seems to know how to get into peoples heads. She does it just like when you have a set of headphones on and youre listening to your favorite song, and it sticks with you forever.
Wednesday, August 21, 2019
History and Demographics of Myanmar
History and Demographics of Myanmar Introduction Myanmar (Burma renamed Myanmar in 1989) has never seen sustained conflict-free periods since its independence in 1948. The military has ruled the country since 1962. In 1988, pro-democracy protests were crushed. In 1990, free and fair national elections were held in Myanmar for the first time in 30 years. The National League for Democracy, the main political movement led by Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi (1991 Nobel Peace Prize laureate), won 62% of the votes and 82% of the seats in elections.[1] While the purpose of these elections was never made fully clear (either to create a Constituent Assembly or a legislative Parliament), the military regime refused to honour the result. Since then, the senior political leaders and the army have remained the beneficiaries of the countrys self and externally imposed isolation. The population continues to live under political oppression, aggravated by economic difficulties. Detentions, intimidation and political oppression of activists are common place. In 2003, the military government presented a seven-step ‘roadmap for constitutional and political reform towards a ‘disciplined democracy. The first face of this roadmap was launched in 2004, with the reconvening of the National Convention to deliberate on basic principles for a new Constitution. Then in December 2007, the process of drafting a Constitution, based on those basic principles, began.[2] Unlike other political groups invited, the NLD refused to take part in the process. Although these first steps might indicate progress, the roadmap has come under criticism for being non-inclusive and lacking credibility. The economic situation stays highly problematic and potentially de-stabilising. The poor data quality and dubious governments statistics, which point to double-digit economic growth, are highly misleading to outside observers and attempt to obscure the countrys dire humanitarian situation. Because of political constraints, donor assistance levels to Myanmar remain grossly insufficient to cover the needs of the general population. In mid-August 2007, as a result of the dismal economic situation, street demonstrations were sparked over a sudden increase in fuel prices. The demonstrations grew into a nation-wide protest against the regimes policies. The Myanmar Sangha an influential institution in society showed overwhelming support for the protests. The government responded with a violent crackdown on the peaceful protests. This crackdown was condemned by the international community, which consequently renewed its pressure on the regime for political reform. As a result the European Union extended their existing sanctions on Myanmar in November 2007. Thus far, European sanctions do not seem to have pushed the government in the desired direction, and they may even have produced counterproductive effects. These include a hardened stance by the government, negative impact on Myanmar civil society and an undermining of the economy at large. Its often said that sanctions are, in and of themselves, a form of violence, employed as a political tool used for rhetoric rather that to create meaningful change. Nevertheless, it is questionable whether Myanmars progress towards a functional democracy would be accelerated by the absence of economic sanctions. The military government adheres to its Roadmap to ‘disciplined democracy, which can best be described as a fully controlled, slow transition to semi-civilian rule. This proceeds at the pace conducive to the generals in charge, protecting their interests and largely disregarding external criticism or pressure. In the governments point of view, Western sanctions are a hostile reaction towards its declared intention for a (controlled) transition. Since the SPDC can rely on sources of income outside the purview of sanctions (energy, commodities, etc.) it is hard to imagine that the regime will deviate from its declared goals as a reaction to sanctions or Western pressure. While experts often argue that economic sanctions have no impact on a targeted country, this report seeks to provide evidence of sanctions applied against Myanmar that have an economic, social and the political impact. For supporting this thesis the focus will be on the restrictive measures imposed by the European Union. It reviews the European Unions existing policies ‘supporting Myanmar to become a peaceful, democratic and prosperous country. Moreover, it will show that it is not enough to wait for a political breakthrough. Evidence suggests all sides, including the international community should have the courage to move away from these entrenched positions and try a different approach. After having given the necessary background and having shown why restrictive measures are applied by western communities, this report will provide recommendations for a different approach towards democracy in Myanmar. 1. Background In June 1989, the ruling military junta changed its name from Union of Burma to Myanmar, one year after the brutally suppressing of pro-democracy protests, where thousands were killed. The military junta claimed this name would be more neutral for a state of a huge ethnic diversity. Thus it would lead to greater harmony among the countrys desperate people and provide them a feeling of release from their British colonial past. The capitals name was also changed from Rangoon to Yangon.[3] The new name was accepted by most countries, including the United Nations, as a privilege of the Burmese government in power, but was not accepted by the United States.[4] Both terms are commonly used, with some people referring to the country as Burma and others referring to it as Myanmar. The same is also true for Rangoon; most people are more familiar with this name than Yangon. Myanmar is the largest country in Southeast Asia and in many ways a country defined by its geography, isolated and yet with a wealth of opportunities to work with its neighbouring countries. The country borders China, India, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand. Much of the country is the valley of the Irrawaddy River, which runs north to south, from the icy eastern curve of the Himalayas down over a thousand miles to the brackish tidal waters of the Andaman Sea.[5] To better understand modern Myanmar and the reasons behind its self-imposed isolation, their needs to be a greater focus on historical context. The inherent complexity of the issues involved is easier to understand if the various historical forces are analysed separately. The different strands of history, described below, will finally come together and shape the present and show that current issues which today concern the state are mainly rooted in the countrys complex and often dubious institutions and history. Indeed, it can be argued that the countrys current situation is a result of often well-meaning but definitely foolhardy attempts to apply popular political measures to a fragile system of social imperative. â€Å"Nationalism†, â€Å"socialism†, and â€Å"autarky†, as well as â€Å"federalism†, â€Å"autonomy†and â€Å"centralisation†, are systems that have been used by political rulers in post-colonial Myanmar.[6] 1.1 Colonial Past Myanmar was relatively distinct, coherent, and autonomous for almost 1,000 years before the British annexed the country in the 19th century.[7] The first Burmese empire was founded in the 11th century. Many communities which lived in remote places were rarely brought under central domination, but remained relatively distinct from each other in matters such as language, culture, patterns of production, and political traditions.[8] Burman kings built glorious capitals like Pagan and Mandalay and ruled over a rich and thriving civilisation. Moreover, they benefited from an increasing population and revenues, providing significant military and economic advantages over neighbouring polities. Several wars in the eighteenth century led to territorial expansion, which further strengthened the Burmese state and created a distinctive Burmese cultural identity. At the same time, the growth of external trade, both with China and the western world provided further revenues. But the era of Burman kingdoms could not last forever and ended in 1885 when the British deposed the last King Thibaw in Mandalay and made Burma a province of British India. With the invasion of the British, new powerful political concepts and models for later leaders were introduced.[9] The British annexed Burma in 1886 and divided the country into two main administrative areas: Ministerial Burma, which was mainly populated by the Burman majority, and the Frontier area.[10] The British wanted to establish law and order through a low cost central administration. They secured their economic interest by rationalisation and commercialisation of agriculture. The British occupation did provide certain stability, by unifying diverse indigenous ethnic groups under colonial rule. Nevertheless, the British colonial system significantly changed and damaged the Burmese social structure. The precolonial social organisation largely rested on the authority of local chieftains and Buddhists monks. Buddhism as the common faith shared among the Burman majority, the Arakanese and most Shan and Karen people, was the main source of social stability as this faith emphasises self-reliance and righteous behaviour. Moreover, education was offered by monks to all.[11] With the British occupation, authority of local chieftains was replaced by weak influence of salaried officials, who were more responsible to local government rather than to the local communities.[12] The influence of the monks was weakened and they were soon deprived of their main social function. In order to protect the interests of minorities, the British assigned them some key functions which the Burmans, the dominant ethnic group, could not participate. For example, the British mainly recruited Karens, Kachins and Chins in the colonial army and administration, whereas the Burman were kept out of such activities. According to Josef Silverstein, minority groups living on the frontiers were administered directly by the central British administration. They were separated from the rest of the country, and those living in Ministerial Burma were granted seats in the legislature.[13] Thus, ethnic minority groups were divided along occupational lines.[14] Moreover, the British displaced indigenous and non-indigenous to the South in the fertile delta region. Deprived of their traditional social structure, those newly established cultivators fully adopted the imported rule of law, tenan cy rights and money lending practices. These British policies made the Burmese people conscious of their ethnic and cultural differences for the first time. This led to social division that had not existed in the pre-colonial period.[15] With the British annexation of Burma the structures of foreign trade changed, as well. The Burmese economy under the informal empire had become dangerously dependent on the export of view primary commodities -cotton and teak in particular. At the same time, rice was being imported in ever larger quantities, and soon Burma became the worlds largest rice exporter. However, as a consequence, an exodus of landless farmers in 1930 led to competition between ethnic groups and violent intra-communal riots. The world depressions of the 1870s led to a dramatic decline in the relative prices of nearly all primary commodities, including all of Burmas main exports. But nevertheless, international rice prices stayed the same or even rose. Thus, at this time of attempted reform, in contrast to Siam (Thailand) which enjoyed the profits of growing international trade, Burma was plunged into increasing economic hardship and fiscal collapse.[16] Efforts to promote economic development failed as the state lost its autonomy to colonial powers and the economy became more fully integrated into global markets. Local reactions to European expansion lead to crisis and intervention. The failure of British rule in Burma, instability and state insolvency were caused largely due to underpayment by Western countries for goods and services. The rise and fall of cotton prices and, more generally, dependence on western markets, weakened the Burmese government, desperate to find the funds with which to finance reform.[17] This demonstrates that these conditions created an opportunity for Western nations to dominate the country, eventually leading to British colonial rule. Following the British withdrawal, the Japanese occupied Burma in summer 1942. But throughout their four years of control over Burma during the Pacific war, the Japanese did not succeed in bringing the Burmese population under their rule, nor could they manage to lessen the external menace of allied forces. To secure their position they promised to bring independence to Burma and support an indigenous army. By not following through on their promises, the Japanese precipitated the emergence Burmese nationalists, who consequently allied with the British. In March 1945, the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League was formed. Aung San, Chief of this Burmese army, became the head of the Anti-Fascist Peoples Freedom League. The AFPFL was first a resistance movement founded on Buddhist philosophy and open to all Burmese regardless their ethnic background, their political or religious beliefs. It later became a leading political party calling for national unity and federalism. During this transitional period to democracy, a Burmese government was created to handle administrative matters.[18] After the Japanese occupation ended in August 1945, the Burmese feared a regression to the British colonial economic order. Strikes and negotiations led in January 1947 to a meeting in London. There it was decided that a constituent assembly should be elected in April, and those living in Frontier Areas would have to decide whether or not to join Ministerial Burma. In a second meeting in Panlong on the 12th February 1947, the Chin, Kachin and Shan agreed to join the future federal union as autonomous communities. However, the Karen, Karenni, Rakhine (or Arakanese) and the Mon did not sign the Panglong agreement, which seriously challenged its credibility. To this day, dialogue between the Burman majority and ethnic minority groups is a rare and difficult proposition. As expected, the AFPFL won the elections, and Aung San was put in charge of writing the constitution, which espoused â€Å"unity in diversity†that could only be achieved by a federal system. His assassination in July 1947, as well as the deaths of other officials, left Burma without the means to pursue the democratisation process. And so, the declaration of Burmas independence from the Commonwealth on the 4th January 1948 did not prevent the hope of national unity to fall apart. After the Japanese occupation during World War II, the country gained independence from the British in 1948.[19] 1.2 Myanmar and its Ethnic Diversity With its estimated population of 50 million, Burma is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Due its central location, settlers from many different backgrounds have migrated to Burma. Today about two thirds of the population is Burman (Bamar) and the remaining one-thirds are ethnic minorities. This ethnically diversity is more than ever a critical issue and thus the ground of most of the countrys problems. Largely due to the fact that throughout history, Burma has experienced a great deal of inter-ethnic mingling.[20] Discussions about ethnicity are related to terms, such as â€Å"nationalities†and â€Å"national races†, referring back to the course which was introduced into Myanmar during the colonial era and became concretised with the countrys independence in 1948 when various constitutional models for multi-ethnic states were being discussed. The examples of Yugoslavia, Stalinist Russia, and the United Kingdom were considered as alternatives for Myanmar. It started in the 1930s when ideas of socialist and Marxist concepts had been introduced into Myanmar which took power in 1948 as the essence of the critique of British imperialism and colonial rule. The disproportionate wealth that European and Asian foreigners had gained during the colonial period, creating a situation where the Burmese were poor people in their own rich land, meant that the removal of alien economic domination became a key goal of nationalist policy.[21] The 1974 constitution, which is now being revised, divided Burma into seven ethnic states- the Rakhine, Shan, Mon, Chin, Kayin, Kayah (formerly Karenni) and Kachin and seven divisions, where ethnic Burman people held the majority.[22] Furthermore, the military junta distinguishes 135 sub-ethnic groups among the seven major ones. According to Analysist and social scientists the s can be distributed as following: Bamah 65%, Karen 9%, Shan 7% , Chin 2%, smaller groups like the Mon, Kachin and Wa at 1% each, and Indian 7% at least.[23] Due this huge ethnic diversity, locked into this small geographic zone, over hundreds of different dialects and languages have been identified. Most of the people would not be aware of such classification, if the countries military junta would not use this nomenclature for discriminative purposes. Ethnic minority groups are not excluded in cities populated by Burmans, but with the juntas assimilation into the Burmese Buddhist system, called â€Å"Burmanization†, they are faced severe discriminations, such as the deny of social, cultural and religious rights of ethnic minorities.[24] Moreover, with its xenophobia and oppressions against minorities, the military rule is responsible for the eclipse of huge parts of the peoples history. Minorities culturally and racially different from the dominating Burmans have been uprooted from their localities under the pretext of being â€Å"Kula†, â€Å"non- natives†, or even outright â€Å"foreigners†. In a multiethnic country like Myanmar, instead of following the democratic policy of unity and diversity, the military junta uses Burmanization as a guide and prosecutes the minorities, renames places, destroys minority places and replaces them with their ethnic names. The discrimination of minorities is reinforced by religious consideration, especially Christians, Hindus and above all Muslims communities are often target of many human rights abuses. Christianity is often associated with the Chin, Kachin and Karen, Hinduism with Indians, and the Islam, accounting for about 13% of the population, is mainly represented in Arakanese, Indian and Pakistanis communities. They often have no access to certain jobs, mainly in administration and in the army. Those who live in the remote zones are subjected to atrocities committed by unleashed military groups. The juntas propaganda portrayed ethnic minorities as trouble makers, and ordinary Burmans, besides the Tatmadaw, progressively share this view. Most popular targets of discrimination are the Royhingas, who are Muslims in religion and live in the Mon-State, bordering to Bangladesh.[25] ‘One party, one blood, one voice and one command was already the slogan of the Dobama movement, a motto which still lives on in the Burmese armed forces, the Tatmadaw.[26] Nevertheless, given the fact that Burma is struggling with ethnically and political problems it may be impossible to build unity with such a slogan, especially when 40% of the population is not seen as part of the Burmese society. 1.3 Post Colonial Era The country has been ruled by military dictatorship since 1962, when General Ne Win seized power from the Prime Minister U Nu. Only between 1974 and 1988 there is the exception of a period of one party rule. Ne Win introduced the â€Å"Burmese Way to Socialism†, which systematically referred to the decent of a country which had a 90 percent literacy rate and was rich in natural resources. Together with its regime, he dismantled the independent judiciary, the legislature, the multiparty system and finally cut Burma off from the outside world. This regime has been engaged in military operations against the Communist Party of Burma and various ethnic minorities fighting for autonomy or independence from the central government, which has traditionally been dominated by ethnic Burmans.[27] The current executive body, the State Peace and Development Council is a group of a dozen high-ranking soldiers. On state and division level, military Regional Commanders enjoy a limited autonomy granted by the regime. On township and village level, local Peace and Development Councils exist. In the cease-fire areas, ethnic leaders determine and implement policies, depending on the degree of their autonomy vis-à -vis the Regional Commanders and SPDC. Although the system of government seems centralised, from the outside world, in reality, it is highly fragmented, with opaque decision making procedures and means of governance.[28] The military is entrenched in every instant and institution of the state, including the Union Presidency, the Union Government, the Union Assembly and the Regional or State Assemblies. The constitution is fleshed out with repetitions and irrelevant provisions. In many respects the constitution is vague and confusing and open to conflicting interpretations. The military is above the constitution and above the law. The Chief of staff of the Defence Forces is the most powerful person under the constitution. His appointment and removal are not referred to the constitution. It is anticipated that he will be beyond the control of a civilian government. The Chief of staff of the Defence Forces and the military are regulated by the militarys own regulations, which enables them to override the constitution and serves as a justification for the military regime to stay in power. The President appoints the Chief Minister for each state and region. A partially elected Legislative Assembly is also established in each state and region.[29] The military regime, then under the name of State Law and Order Restoration Council, seized power in 1988. In August, widespread popular riots against the military regime, which were initiated by university students in Rangoon, were brutally suppressed and thousands were killed. People took to the streets and demanded an end to decades of military dictatorship and international isolation. The protests have been rumbling on for months, starting with students at the select Rangoon Institute for Technology, spreading through the sprawling capital and then upcountry. The price of food skyrocketed, and a mood of opportunity and imminent upheaval fused with long-pent-up anger and resentment against the authorities. In 1990 the SLORC held elections for a multiparty parliament. The NLD as the main political movement under the leadership of Mrs Aung San Suu Kyi won 82% of the seats in the National Assembly. However, the results of the elections were never recognised by the military regime whi ch maintained power. The military refused to step down and since then have kept tight control of the country. Aung San Suu Kyi has been under house arrest most of the time and only the leadership and the army have benefited from self-imposed and external isolation.[30] In October 1992 the SLORC formed the Commission for National Convention in order to draft fundamental principles of constitution. These principles underscoring six major points: Solidarity of the Union for Myanmar Solidarity of the national unity Perpetuation of national sovereignty Development of parliamentary democracy Development of justice, freedom and equality in the political arena The participation of Tatmadaw in the future states national politics. To determine these basic principles above, the SLORC convoked National Convention for Myanmars new constitution in August 1993.[31] The convention assembled less than 15% of the representatives elected in 1990 and the principles which were discussed had to conform to the objectives of the convention, pre-defined by the SLORC. Western States have passed many resolutions to encourage the junta to give a timetable for the convention. But so far, there is no clear sign of its near conclusion, and the NLD, which has left the Convention in 1995 due to undemocratic procedures, has been banned permanently from the convention by the SLORC. The SLORC was officially dissolved on 15 November 1997, reformulating itself as the State Peace and Development Council.[32] 2. Recent Development During the last four decades the regime has been effectively functioned under self-imposed isolation in an attempt to revitalise the ailing economy and avert popular pressure for political reform. To do so the regime operates without any respect of humans basic freedoms and rights. It is in particular the absence of an effective judicial system, and with that the fact that rule of law is not guaranteed by any means, which makes a transition to democracy incessant. The military junta keeps all media under tight control and limits the development of civil society. Torture and extra-judicial executions as well as forced labour also remain widespread measures in the regimes fight against political opponents and certain ethnic groups. By that, forced village relocations and armed resistance of especially Karen and Shan populations continue to cause internal displacement and a refugee influx in particular into Thailand.[33] The lack of good economic governance has led to widespread poverty among Myanmars population, structural un- and underemployment as well as under-funded health and education systems. Engagement of the international donor community remains limited due to the countrys political situation. It is also worrying that the junta spends high percentage of its budget for military hardware; as opposed to the few resources spend for public health and education. Concerns by the international community are aggravated by the widespread corruption inside the country as well as the uneven distribution of opportunities in urban and rural areas. So far, military rulers have been resisted external demands to turn over power to a democratic government and it seems that pressure from the international community has been mainly failed. Obviously it could not prevent the junta to seek almost total autonomy, although it seems that the present regime has opened up the country to some extent. However, the regi me remains suspicious of and resistant to external criticism and interference. This chapter seeks to present the countrys recent development on the economic and political front. It shows Myanmar from the perspective of the international community. Moreover, it will provide a deeper understanding in Myanmars economic structure and thus gives a basic background to understand how EU measures affect the country. 2.1 Myanmars Recent Economic Development-An Analysis With a real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 4.0 per cent in 2008, Myanmar is one of the poorest nations in the world.[34] Today, Myanmars economy is based on agriculture, gems, timber and oil. Although, the country is rich in natural resources, it has only weak linkages to the global economy. Over the past four decades, deep structural problems caused by the military-inspired policies and the absence of any rational economic and developmental strategies have led to diminishing living standards and widespread poverty among the general population in Myanmar. Political repression and impoverishment have drastically reduced the ability of communities to handle political or social change.[35] To give an economic overview and analysis of Myanmar, the focus in this section will be on macroeconomic indicators, such as GDP growth, exports and imports, inflation, investment and interest rates. Economic data, including s on foreign debt and investment are scarce. Data from the states Research Centre are mostly inaccurate or distorted. This can be explained partly through the fact that the SPDC are noted to be using older methods of calculating some key indicators, which are therefore difficult to compare to data used by most other nations today. For instance, the IMF suggests that official s used are significantly overestimated.[36] GDP Growth: According to the IMF, over the period 1997/98-2007/08, GDP growth has remained at an annual average of around 5 per cent, with the exception of 2003/04 when the banking system belatedly to fall out of the Asian Markets Crisis of 1997. The annual growth of 5 per cent would be considered quite healthy in comparison to regional GDP growth, were it not for the rampant inflation in the country, which dramatically undermines any gains made. To clarify, any additional GDP revenues would be swallowed up by the even higher rising costs. The EIU suggests that there has been solid growth in the energy and mining sector as well as significant growth in the service sectors over the last decade.[37] This would be somewhat encouraging, were those gains not negated by inflation. Evidence supporting this can be found by looking at the continued poor social development indicators and widespread poverty in the country.[38] A household survey conducted by UNDP shows that union-wide 32 per cent of the population lie below the poverty line and 10 per cent below the food poverty (i.e. cannot afford to buy food for basic nutritional requirements). This is also well illustrated by the fact that across the union 34.4 per cent of children under 5 years of age suffer from moderate malnutrition.[39] GDP by Sector: About 70 per cent of enterprises and firms (small and middle sized businesses) are in private poverty, the remaining 30 per cent (in particular large scaled enterprises) are still owned by the state, which work more often in deficit. The private sector is dominated by business people who are trusted by the government and often employ relatives of senior SPDC members. It has a share more than 90 per cent of the economic performance. However, Myanmars economy is predominantly shaped by agriculture.[40] Therefore the agricultural sector gains approximately 50 per cent of the countrys GDP. An estimated two thirds of all citizens are working as farmers or labourers. Contrary, the industrial sector including natural gas export segment contributes only 20 per cent of GDP and trade and services 36 per cent.[41] Myanmars economy was fully regulated by the state, but obviously the government is taking approaching steps to liberalize agriculture. Though it has ended some production controls and mandatory procedures as well as allowing to grow rice as a dry-season crop in irrigated areas. Some of the state owned enterprises which are contributing to the processing and supplying inputs of agriculture have been privatized. Myanmar has been one of the major rice exporters in the world until the government banned exports of rice and some other agricultural products to held domestic prices down. Only in 2006, the export ban could relax a bit and eased further in 2007.[42] GDP by Capita and Purchasing Power: As the chart below clearly shows, Myanmars GDP per capita in 2006 was, by some significant margin, the lowest in the region. This is partly down to the low levels of annual GDP gained by the economy. This could be attributed to numerous factors, such as poor productivity levels, significant trade restrictions and consequent low levels of trade, poor foreign direct investment and poor taxation collection system. According to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and IMF estimates, Myanmar has the lowest GDP per capita at Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) of all neighbouring countries (as shown below). To clarify, PPP is an indicator designed to negate the relative costs of living in the country data and show a comparable income level per person on an equitable basis. Needless to say, the low relative GDP per capita, even at PPP rates shows how low general income levels a
Tuesday, August 20, 2019
What Bring Students To Multimedia University Education Essay
What Bring Students To Multimedia University Education Essay During this era of globalization, more and more local universities in Malaysia offer various degrees for students who wish to further their studies. Most of the higher learning institution has quality but less qualified institution which not recognized by the Ministry of Education also exist. In Malaysia, there are two types of Institutions of Higher Education. These two types of institutions of higher learning are Public Institutions of Higher Learning (IPTA) and Private Institutions of Higher Learning (IPTS). Higher education in Malaysia has achieved status as a strategic commodity exports. This policy has been welcomed by both bodies to establish various forms of private higher education institutions either alone or collaborate with institutions of higher education and local public institutions of higher education abroad. To ensure the growth of private higher education was conducted in healthy, Parliament has approved two related acts in 1996, the Private Higher Education Act (Act 555) and National Accreditation Board Act (Act 556). Private Higher Education Act to act organizing the establishment and management of private educational institutions in order to provide high quality educational environment for all the students especially for the students from our country, Malaysia. Both types of institutions of higher learning must receive this recognition from Malaysians Qualifications Agency (MQA). The main role of MQA is to implement the Malaysian Qualifications Framework (Australian Qualifications Framework, MQF) as a foundation of higher education quality assurance system and a reference point national eligibility criteria and standards. MQA act as a single body overseeing and coordinating quality assurance and accreditation of higher education. MQA also functioned to maintain Malaysian qualification Register (MQR). Multimedia University (MMU) is one of the many higher learning institutions which have been recognized by the ministry of higher learning and Malaysia Qualification Agencies (MQA). As the first government-proved of higher learning, Multimedia University (MMU) is not only recognized at Malaysia but at some of foreign country such as United Kingdom, Iran etc.. Nowadays MMU is recognized as one of the top private universities in Malaysia with nearly 20,000 students at both Melaka and Cyberjaya branch. In order to be a premier university that propagates the generation and dissemination of knowledge in cutting edge technologies, Multimedia University tries to improve their service each day with its mission to which are to deliver quality academic program based on state-of-the-art RD, attract and nurture quality minds who will contribute towards the global knowledge economy, inculcate a strong research culture within a dynamic, efficient and effective team of academic and support staff, to be financially self-sustaining via education and the commercialization of RD products and services. Multimedia University (MMU) which has been established on 1996 and launch on 9 July 1999 by Malaysia 4th Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamed plays an important role in providing a world class education within the area of study of telecommunication, multimedia computers, digital art, animation, information technology, software development, and management. Multimedia University which have launched by Malaysia Prime Minister at that current time, signified responsibility for it to be a fully world class institution and become a catalyst of MSC and also the nation. Purpose The main purpose of this research project is to conduct a research on What Bring Students to Study in Multimedia University (MMU). Basically, many students intend to choose Multimedia University (MMU) rather than other universities. So, first of all, we would like to know what are the factors that encourage students to continue their studies in Multimedia University (MMU)? We also want to know what are the advantages of studying in MMU compared with other institutions of higher learning whether public institution or private institution. We also want to determine whether students choose to study at MMU because it has higher quality and recognized around the world or due to the other reasons. This research was conducted to make sure that the Multimedia University (MMU) will always be listed as one of the top universities in Malaysia and throughout the world. We would also want to make sure that MMU will improve all the weaknesses and improve the administration system to ensure that students would receive good and quality services from MMU. Scope The scope of this research would be based on students in Multimedia University (MMU) for Cyberjaya campus only. Students in Multimedia University (MMU) Melaka campus will not included in our research. Our result has indicated that students are most often to choose Multimedia University rather than other universities. This is based on the statistics we have obtained during the gathering of information. The information clearly shows that students are more interested in choosing MMU as their preferred university compared with other universities. Methodology To answer our research questions we handed out questionnaire that covers students background to make findings as somewhat precise as possible. From question 1 to 5 that is located in chapter A, we ask for the respondent background or general information about them, such as faculty, source of finance and other that are related. Findings of the student background would help to see the pattern in students background. If when various pattern found in student of MMU, we could conclude that MMU have student with various background and not just from a type/group in the society. Question in section A, section B, and section C consist in, before, during and after timeline. The reason is students that interested in studying at Multimedia University Cyberjaya have different reasons in choosing MMU as place to continue their higher learning. Where some students concern in after affect of studying in MMU, and some maybe concern more in during studying in MMU. The result will help highlight the real advantages MMU Cyberjaya have from other universities, thus answering our research question. With finding the advantages that attract student to MMU Cyberjaya within the before, during and after timeline, it could improve the understanding and find the more valid data from the MMU student themselves. Where from this findings MMU could emphasize more on this selected categories in their promotions, this would increase the effectiveness of promotion of MMU. By knowing where or how the student most hear about MMU could help in finding the most efficient way of promoting Multimedia University. By now this research has the finding that could help in increasing the effectiveness and efficiency in promoting Multimedia University to future students. Thus this achieves the importance of the research, to promote Multimedia University. The findings of the questionnaire would clarify our topic and answer our research questions which our findings are from current students in Multimedia University that we get by using questionnaire. It reaches our scope and also with various categories. Thus it will able us to have varieties of findings to get a better view or result from the students. The combination of this component or synthesis of it should cover our issues and the whole research. Issues and the whole research that is including the research questions, problem and importance of the whole research itself. This literature helps in guiding how to find relevant information or findings, so that reaches the purpose and the importance of the research. This research questionnaire which consist 10 questions, like stated above cover the student background, current and what they hope to achieve in the future as a Multimedia University Cyberjaya student. Question 1 until 5 will be covering the student background. This is important as result can be use in determining the Multimedia student trait. Student then will be put as a judge in deciding current Multimedia University Cyberjaya performance on the 6th to 7th question. On the 8th of the question, user needs to fill up their expectation in the future after graduating Multimedia University Cyberjaya. This question intended to be put up to know whether the student see a bright future at Multimedia University. Why personal information is important for our research? In this section, personal information is needed for our researches for us indentify from which faculty and level of study is they belonging to, the race of student which is compulsory for us to find the majority of student in MMU either they are international or local student. In this section also we need to know how they manage their financial to study in MMU. For local student of course we know some of them might do loan from PTPTN or MARA but for international, we do not know either they been sponsored by certain organization or self paying. In section C, consist of 2 types of questionnaire which is multiple choices of question and open-ended question. For open ended, qualitative data is our greatest opportunity to get actionable information from this survey. The selection and composition of qualitative survey items is even more important than for quantitative items. This is because you cannot ask nearly as many items that require people to respond freely. At most, you can probably only ask a handful of such items, so it is important to get them right. Literature Review A widespread of expansion of higher learning institution in Malaysia is on arising nowadays. All institution keeps competing in order to be the best Universities. Multimedia University that were established on 1996 which are the first private government approved university at Malaysia that are designed to serve Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) and the wider community by creating diverse educational opportunities still going strong throughout the year. So questions arise, what brings student to MMU? Despite there is so much option aside from Multimedia University in higher learning sector, student still are coming every year without exception on local or international student. Taken from the statistics of students population in Multimedia University as at 31 December 2009, we found that it has reaches out to 20404 that include Multimedia University both of Melaka and Cyberjaya campus and affiliate Colleges. From 2005 to 2009, number of graduates increased year by year although slightly falling in 2007 onwards. This minor fall is only differ by less 30 student, thus this fall is could have many factors that we consider as ambiguous. Multimedia University student consist of student from various country and continent all over the world from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe where the totals of 75 countries excluding Malaysia and still counting. Students that choose to study in Multimedia University are pursuing various level, from foundation to Master level and also Doctor of Philosophy level (PhD). As from the year 2000 to the year of 2009, the total number of graduates keeps increasing, and reached the grand total of 22840 on 2009 where the figure are collective of graduates of International and local students. Both numbers of international students graduates increased since 2001. When the numbers of graduates are broken down by levels, there is an uneven pattern of increase and decrease. Though the pattern of increase and decrease are not that significant the bachelor level (degree) in the year 2004, though it increase back on the following year till 2009. As caused of this is ambiguous as there would be various reasons to cause it to happen. But as a assumption on the decrease of degree students, as probably the event of tsunami hit Malaysia in 2004. That is most of the international student in Multimedia University pursue their study in degree level, rather than foundation or diploma. From increasing of graduates year by year, we conclude that students are interested in continuing study in Multimedia University. Where student who are not interested would drop out and find better university that attract them most. That is because students keep complaining but they still continue their study in Multimedia University, this also shows that students interested and prefer to study in Multimedia University. With this research we are able to narrow down some of the factors that contribute to make Multimedia University as one of their choices to pursue their study, where the result would not be precise of have definite answer. With this research would also find the most effective medium to promote Multimedia University as stated. From the increase in the number of graduates each year from the year 2000, shows that numbers of students enrolled in Multimedia University increased. The ongoing increase also shows that Multimedia University have been the choice for many to pursue their study, thus this research is to find out what major factors that attract students to Multimedia University. The list of factors could be endless, for that this research would result in the narrowed down of the factors, as it is more manageable answers to the research questions. As to support the purpose of this research, numbers of graduates are kept increasing thus showing students that enrolled in Multimedia University have been pursuing their study till they are graduating. As this to support the research questions, which is what factors that encourage the students to enter Multimedia University. Multimedia University Melaka and Cyberjaya campus both have differences in numbers of faculty and courses offered at the particular campus. Where some courses are not provided or not available at either of the campus, this somehow balanced the margin of number of student differences. Faculties in Cyberjaya campus are Faculty of Engineering, Faculty of Information Technology, Faculty of Creative Multimedia, Faculty of Management and Centre of Foundation studies and extension Education or mostly know as FOSEE. While in Melaka campus Faculty of Engineering Technology, Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Faculty of Business Law, Centre of Foundation Studies and Extension Education (FOSEE) and Centre for advance Diploma Program. Multimedia University is in partners with many of companies and also other universities. They are also varies in expertise where, most of the faculty in Multimedia University had partnered with company and some of them very well known in the respective field. Faculty of Creative Multimedia is in partners with many media agencies and other universities outside Malaysia which is Faculty of Engineering is in partners with companies in the Research and development field (RD). Faculty of Information Technology is in partners with various companies that are active in the information technology field. According to the research by times online Good University Guide, universities are rated in 8 categories where the best universities have the highest accumulated score in the 8 categories. The 8 categories are student satisfaction, research quality, student and staff ratio, services facilities spend, entry standards, completion, good honors, graduate prospects. Although this research is evaluating universities around United Kingdom, as for the method of evaluating an education institution there would not be a very much differences between universities in different country or continent. The first category is student satisfaction it is the general overview of the student on the institution. This is the first to be evaluate because of the most important role in an institution are the students. Because of the students would probably end or stop to continue their studies in an unsatisfying institution. This is also the first category, because the students is the one that are using and interact with the staff and administration and system. Next is the research quality, where research quality is also important as a medium portray capability of an institution to produce quality graduates. The research by the members of the university also portray the university have the knowledge to produce graduates that are relevant and able to be an contributor to the industry, where by these graduate can fulfill the industry needs that is not just knowledgeable worker but also hands on. This shows that the knowledge the graduates gained is relevant or met the knowledge needed in the real working world, and most importantly the graduates know to apply their knowledge. Student and staff ratio is to evaluate the management of the institution. That is how well the institution manages to control the students and administer the whole institution. This will show how smooth or organize an institution are with the administrative task. Student and staff ratio can also show that is the students are taught in a small or large group. Either it is better and more effective to teach students in a smaller group. Not just ratio on lecturers, staffs in the non-educational division such as the administration are also important to make sure all the administrative task can be handling effectively and efficiently. Service and facilities spend of an institution will show how the institution manage the welfare of their members, the students and also staff. Facilities provided such as sufficient labs for the students, and lecture halls that can accommodate the students in any given time. Facilities are not just the major infrastructure of an institution, where it is also important to provide minor facilities that would brings great benefits for example, sufficient parking spaces, sports complex, hostel or dormitory, food court, empty space/relocate space for events and also emergency. Other forms of services should be available for students are counseling and financial assistance to the students. Where by institution should assist in giving list or advertise to the students any financial assistance that is available to them to apply. Entry standards are the entry requirements set by the institution, which is to check whether people are eligible to apply or to enroll in the chosen institution. Entry standards are for the institution to balance their standard and rating, where by an institution would prefer the quality students to enroll. And entry standard is where the students can get the expectation of the learning level of that institution. Where is institution with higher requirements most likely having the toughest level of learning? Another category evaluate by the times online is completion, completion in their research is the number of student successfully completed their study. This somehow related with student satisfaction where student who are not satisfied with their university would most probably leave for a better institution. Either it may be an ambiguous factor on that. Good honors are the most common evaluation category for an education institution. Good honors in this means universities that produce the highest amount of students with high grades. As this also the point for parents and future student look for in a university as well as other features. A graduate prospect is the future possibility or expectations of the graduate after completion of study. The institution with the highest score in this category means that, most of its graduates are employed and not just that, they become successful or become and important role in the community or society. Student from this institution were looked up by firms, companies and establishments as the university or institution has the good name of producing good future worker that meet their industry requirements. The 8 categories made to evaluate the universities are very well combined, where as the research shows what is that particular university strength or advantage and also what that particular university lack of. This research can help evaluated universities to improve their service that is to win over students. And not just that it would be a great way to attract parents to invest their money to an education system that they can trust for their children. From the research by times online we took out the categories to evaluate Multimedia University, that is to found out what attract the current students of Multimedia University of choosing Multimedia University as their choice of institution. This will help in our research to narrow down and uncover few ambiguities on factors that makes Multimedia University the chosen university among other university not just to the local student (Malaysia) but also the international student. Nowadays there have been an increasing number of universities set up in Malaysia. Thus, every student knew that they must have to choose the best place for them to further their study. It is because it effects a lots of the students future life. For example, later on when they finishing their studies and applying for job position in one of the company in Malaysia or out of country, the company that the student applying for job might state that the student previous university is not recognize by that company and the certificate also might affected and probably the student will loosing the job even they have a good result. There is some of the cases that happen like this, but not most of the company will strictly doing that way, they might consider the student results. Whatever it is, the student must take an early precaution so that later on there is no problem like this will arise. The student must know if the university that they want to enter is approval by the Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) or not. It is important for all of the university and colleges in Malaysia must have approval accreditation by The National Accreditation Board and recognition of programmed by professional bodies or by the public service department (JPA). According to our research, as required by section 38, Private Higher Education Act 555, all Private Higher Educational Institutions (PHEI) are not allowed to conduct any academic program without the approval from the Ministry of Higher Education. Therefore, Multimedia University is one of the private universitys in Malaysia that had gone through all the process that required them to be approval by MOHE. Multimedia University also seeks for recognition by professional bodies such as Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM) and Malaysian Association of Certified Public Accountants (MICPA). It is necessary to have the recognition by these pr ofessional bodies to enable graduates from the programmes to gain professional recognition. In contrast, the recognition from Public Service Department (JPA) is necessary to enable graduates to be employed in the Public or Government sector. Without this, graduates can only gain employment in the private sector. If all university in Malaysia had done the process of approval from this particular department, so the student can choose any of the university that we have and not being afraid if their certificate is not certified and they cant be employed. But what is exactly the main thing that important in choosing a right university? To answer this, we have to know student expectation on the university. According to my review on a research of Yvonne Hill, Laurie Lomas and Janet MacGregor, they states that there is four expectations that emerged in relation to what students perceived quality education to be. It includes quality of the lecturer, student engagement with learning, social or emotional support systems and resources of library and IT. Hence, all four expectations that they had state is the most important thing that every university should consider must have and apply. This review indicates that student expect more on learning technique and sources that they can easily get from univers ity to proceed their study. Therefore, Multimedia University are one of the place that every student expect on. According to article of Reaz, M. Hussain, S., Khadem, (2007), In a very short span of time, Multimedia University approaches the proliferation of digital learning systems, e-governance throughout the twin campuses, and the maximum implementation of multimedia-based features in the school system. Hence, this will support that Multimedia University always provides good services to all of their students. Even nowadays, Multimedia University had always upgrades their services to be better and to be the best among the rest. In addition, Multimedia University had done many things in promoting the university to attract students from all over the country. According to Donaldson and McNicholas (2004), the reputation, nature of the courses, location and address, financial considerations, facilities, social climate of the department, programme structure and accreditation factors influence student choice of institution and course for studies. There are several criteria that attract student to further their study in university. It includes interest in the subject for example, personal preference, ability in handling the subject matter, challenging and enjoyable. It also includes influence of others such as advisors and parents. Besides that career also influence student in choosing their university. For example compensation in the way of earning potential and earning growth, job availability and growth in the way of employment opportunity and advancement opportunity and lastly job requirement that require to de aling with people and team work. Therefore, Multimedia University always do a research and survey to find out what that they have to do to improve their facilities and services to all students. This will help the universities to be alert with what are the needs and requirement that they have to provide and fulfill. Multimedia University always gave a very detail specification and provide many resources about their universities in many source of information such as internet, web pages, TV and newspaper advertisement. Besides that Multimedia University also had done a very effective ways to promote or market their universities such as involving in education exhibition fair, distribute brochures and making posters. According to Mayer et al. (1999), communication technologies, such as CDs and DVDs in university advertising and web page properties, have been considered before. Brochures, posters, meetings, sponsorships and billboards, web pages, TV, and newspaper advertisement are mostly used as some communication tools for university selection. Therefore, it is important for every company including university to have all that it takes to promote and market their product or services.
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