Malaysia-Singapore Relations

MALAYSIA-SINGAPORE RELATIONS UNDER MOHD. NAJIB TUN RAZAK 1: By Rusdi Omar Mas Juliana Mukhtaruddin Senior Lecturer, Department of International Studies, College of Law, Government and International Studies (COLGIS), Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM), Sintok, Malaysia ABSTRACT Malaysia and Singapore enjoy and share a special relationship due to their geographical, historical, familial, cultural, political, economic and strategic features. Their relationship is characterized by interdependence.The competitive world has brought about a close neighborly cooperation between the two nations to build resilience and strength. This article will examine the state of bilateral relations between these two countries under Malaysia's Prime Minister Mohd. Najib, and will analyze the future prospect of Malaysia and Singapore under his era. Under his era, Malaysia has been embarking on a series of initiatives in improving her relationship with Singapore, leaving tensions that took place during Mahathir era.Looking at the history of relations between the two countries, the role of leadership has played important role in the up and down of relationship. Under new generation of leaders in these two countries, we expect that they have new visions and put more efforts to nurture good relations. Personal contacts involving leaders and government officials of both countries still become the bases of relations between these two closed neighbors. The understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries has been and remain the fundamental to preserving long term mutual benefits.Leaders of both countries can play significant roles in overcoming conflicts and finding solutions to the problems that besieged the relations between the two countries. If both countries could maintain the momentum and capitalize the benefits of these initiatives, we foresee 1 This paper will be presenting to the 1st International Conference on International Relations and Development at Thammasat University, B angkok, Thailand, 19-20 May 2011. that both countries will not enter into troubled relationships like the revious periods, but it augurs well for strengthened relationships in the future. INTRODUCTION The aim of this study is to examine the state of bilateral relations between two sovereign countries under Najib. Both countries have experienced a common colonial experience but have failed to achieve a successful unification on gaining independence. Malaysia and Singapore relations are unique and special due to factors such as geography, history, politics, ideology, economy, culture and ethnicity. These factors sometimes have created tensions between both countries.The uniqueness of the relationship is perhaps reflected by the various terms used to describe the state of rivalry between the two countries such as â€Å"Siamese twins†, â€Å"sibling rivalry† or â€Å"family quarrel†, suggesting a complex love-hate relationship that has grown out of a shared common h istory and cultural background, coloured by political differences and, ironically, by economic competition and interdependency. 2 Both countries have emphasized from time to time their economic interdependence and defence indivisibility.Even though they have been characterized by competition in economic and social matters, because of a very high level of economic interdependence as major trading partners, the geographical proximity of the two causeway neighbours have made their economic, security, and prosperity indivisible. 3 Since Singapore’s independence from the Federation of Malaysia in 1965, the bilateral relationship between Singapore and Malaysia has been described as symbiotic and interdependent. However, this mutually beneficial relationship has been marred by a number of problems that threaten this cooperation.In explaining this relationship, the Rusdi Omar, et. al. (2005). Hubungan Malaysia-Singapura Era Mahathir. Sintok: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia. p. 2. 3 K. S. Nathan. (2002). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Retrospect and Prospect. Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24(2), p. 388. 2 then Singapore First Deputy Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong says: `its relationship with Malaysia was one of its most important and complex foreign relations’. 4 Whereas, the former Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir remarked that: `It’s impossible to be friendly with Singapore because of the neighbouring city states unfriendliness towards Malaysia.Singapore gets into that kind of mood that they reject anything that comes from Malaysia. We try to be as friendly as possible but it’s impossible’. 5 Despite the inherent tensions between Singapore and Malaysia, their inter-connected histories resemble the complex relationship of `inseparable twins’. 6 There are various underlying reasons for this alternating relationship of cordiality and tension between both countries. It proceeds from the assumption that many factors com bine to make the Malaysia-Singapore relationship a special as well as â€Å"a complicated and delicate one†.The period stretching from 1997 to 2002 under Mahathir administration was by far the most stressful in the short history of relations between Singapore and Malaysia, with a number of issues reaching confrontational level and thus rendering them more difficult to resolve. The impasse came to an end when Abdullah Badawi becoming the Prime Minister of Malaysia on 30 October 2003. Since Abdullah Badawi became Prime Minister, there have been enhanced contacts and cooperation between the governments and peoples of the two countries.He is to revive and inject the G-to-G relations between both countries with a heavy dose of sensitivities and sensibilities, which, in turn, has had an immediate spill over effect in the enhancement of the P-to-P relations, which were bereft of the kind of sensitivities and sensibilities that formed the P-to-P relations during the Mahathir era. Dur ing Najib’s era, he does the same things like Abdullah did. He emphasize of G-to-G relations and P-to-P relations for strengthening the bilateral New Straits Times. (2003). May 5. p. 22. Asian Economic News. (2002). 14 October 14. p. 19. 6 Ghazali Shafie. 1990). â€Å"Singapore and Malaysia: Inseparable Twins†, in Trends, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Straits Times, December 21. 4 5 relations between two countries. Joint venture companies also played a major role in building good relationships between Malaysia and Singapore. 7 The rapprochement between the two countries should also be viewed against the background of changing local and international developments. These include the rise of religious extremism, the spread of international terrorism and the threat of epidemics such as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the avian influenza.These common cross-border problems brought home to the leadership of both countries the necessity and wisdom of maint aining good relations. The move towards greater contacts and cooperation was also dictated by globalization and the rise of China and India as well as the slowdown in the flows of foreign investment to both countries. THE ROLE OF THE LEADERS Leaders as social actors play an important part in determining the direction of conflict. They must play an effective role in overcoming conflict and finding solutions to the problems.If they know their function, they can play their role correctly and contribute to the preservation and stability of peace. 8 The role of the leaders of Malaysia and Singapore are crucial in determining the future relations between the two countries. The failure of diplomacy suggests the failure of the instruments of foreign policy. Patterns, channel and devices of communication must be made readily available to encourage close rapport between leaders of the two countries. The traditional wisdom occurred when once leadership change. It can augur general changes will happen, either for the better or for worse.Although the foreign policy does not change in total, but some how rather there is little substantive change. It could be seen when the transition of leaders taken place in both countries. 7 8 New Straits Times. (2010). May 25. Chandran Jeshurun, et. al. , Op. cit. , p. 11. Singaporean leaders like Mr. Goh Chok Tong and Mr. Lee Hsien Loong are widely perceived as merely continuing Mr. Lee Kuan Yew’s policy and as such there will not be major changes in the direction of Singapore’s foreign policy towards Malaysia. Meanwhile Malaysia’s foreign policy has been redirected to suit the priorities of the current leaders.Tunku Abdul Rahman was understanding and sympathetic towards Singapore. Tun Abdul Razak was more aggressive with Singapore, while, Tun Hussein Onn was just continuing the prevailing policies at the time. The biggest paradigm shift in Malaysia-Singapore relations could be seen during the tenure of Dr. Mahathir. His vision 2020 policy was more challenging to Singapore than other neighbouring countries. The leadership styles of Mahathir and Lee Kuan Yew have been a strong influence in the manner bilateral issues between the two countries.Both leaders were aggressive in dealing with the issues. Both were also influenced by their past experience and the pre and post separation political baggage. Mahathir’s view towards Singapore may have been coloured by his experience as a medical student in Singapore whilst Lee Kuan Yew’s views towards Malaysia were mainly coloured by his involvement in Malaysian politics during the short period Singapore was in the Malaysian Federation and relations with Malaysia during the period immediately after the separation. Nevertheless, after the retirement of Dr.Mahathir in 2003 and under Abdullah Badawi and Najib as Malaysia’s Prime Ministers, it may show a better result of the bilateral relations in future. Malaysia, with Abdullah at the hel m, has set a very different tone at the personal level, which carry over into institutional level. In January 2004, during his first visit to Singapore as Prime Minister of Malaysia, Abdullah spoke of working through all of the outstanding bilateral problems. Under his era, he tries to move forward to improve the relations with Singapore, and then Malaysia has been embarking on a series of initiatives to improve her relationship with Singapore.Similar with Najib’s era, he has been working with his counterpart of Singapore in resolving all the outstanding issues with a win-win situation approach. There were several visits and meetings have been done by both leaders in tackling these issue. As a result, they have finally agreed to settle the KTM land issue in Singapore during their recently meeting in Singapore. 9 So under his leadership, he tries to move forward in improving her relations with Singapore and then Malaysia has made several efforts to improve her relationship wit h Singapore in future.Despite the outstanding issues, the tone of relations has changed for the better in recent time with the rise of new leaders on both sides- Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak in Malaysia and Lee Hsien Loong in Singapore. There is strong political will to improve bilateral relations, especially in bilateral economic relations. INITIATIVES/EFFORTS IN IMPROVING THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP Singapore-Malaysia relations are marked by close inter-dependence. Singapore and Malaysia have always shared strong economic and people-to-people linkages.From Singapore's standpoint, the relationship should be based on mutual respect, mutual benefit, and adherence to international law and agreements. Singapore will continue to seek new areas of cooperation to strengthen bilateral relations with Malaysia even further. From Malaysia’s side, the relationship must be on â€Å"win-win† situation approach, which means both countries will get benefit from that relationship. Fr om my point of view, both Malaysia and Singapore know the importance of their relationship towards the development of their respective countries.We can not deny that we are interdependent in terms of economic, security and social aspects. For example, in term of economic aspect, most Malaysians know Singapore is one of the biggest investors in Malaysia and vice versa. There are several initiatives/efforts that will improve the relationship between both countries, such as intensifying official visits (government-to-government relations); developing people-to-people (P-P) contacts; deepening public sector economic links; expanding private sector economic links ; and renewing educational and sporting events. 0 If both countries could maintain the momentum and capitalize the benefits of 9 10 The Malaysian Insider. (2010). September 20. Saw Swee-Hock & K. Kesavapany. Op. cit. 2006. these initiatives, I see that both countries will not enter into troubled relationships like the previous p eriods, but it augurs well for strengthened relationships in the future. The first initiative that will improve the relationship between two countries is to intensify official visits of both countries.Official visits by heads of government, ministers, senior officials and etcetera must be intensified from time to time. Under the current leadership of both countries, many efforts have been taken to overcome these problems, for example, regular meetings that incorporate informal social activities such as annual golf and sports meetings between cabinet members of both countries, and the holding of joint cultural and religious festivals that involve the leaders from both sides of the causeway (e. g. Hari Raya and Chinese New Year celebrations held in Johor).Also, the number increase of visits between two countries at ministerial, senior officials and technical levels. All these efforts are designed to enhance peoples’ relationships so they can withstand the possible turbulence cr eated by political and other friction that might surface from time to time. Thus, it creates the necessary goodwill and positive atmosphere conducive to resolving issues and problems. The visit of Singaporean political leaders to Malaysia to meet their counterparts of Malaysia is a right time and very important event for both countries.May be from this visit, both countries can achieve some approaches in handling and resolving the unsettled issues, although I know it is impossible to settle all their problems which have long roots in history. The current infomal meetings and talks of the leadership of both countries for example is one approach for both countries to design a pathway to resume talks on bilateral issues. Although, I am sceptical that the recent informal meetings would achieve some tangible solutions on outstanding bilateral issues between the two neighbours, the existing meetings show us that both countries are now more open towards each other.Both leaders currently ex press their desire to improve bilateral relations of both countries and seem to have adopted a positive attitude towards each other. If both countries practice the principles of â€Å"win-win† situation, both will achieve outcomes which are mutually beneficial, whether politically, in security matters or in the economic sphere, we think both sides can resolve the outstanding bilateral issues in future. Secondly, both countries must develop people-to people contacts.We should encourage more visits, more tourist arrival from Singapore and Malaysia and vice versa and also explore ways to develop these contacts. Thereby, they will create the necessary goodwill and tolerance among their peoples. In promoting greater P-P contacts, both countries introduced the student exchange programs and the joint overseas youth exchange program and etcetera. These programs were for important for the new generations to know each others and they help to enhance understanding among the younger gene ration in the two countries. Mass media is an important instrument to flow information to the peoples.Mass media from both countries must be professional in flowing information about their people life and no to be emotional in flowing information of their sensitive issues. The information will help people on both sides to keep up with developments in the two countries and foster better understanding and bilateral ties. Thirdly, both countries must expand the public sector economic links. The current leadership in both countries made it a point to send the right signals to the business communities in sector both the private sector and the public sector with governmentlinked companies.Encouraged by the new political and business atmosphere, both of government and private sector have moved quickly in areas such strategic investments, corporate purchases and joint business ventures. From 2004, there was a surge in investment activities led by government-linked companies of both countrie s. The emergence of Temasek Holdings, the embodiment of Singapore Inc. , as a strategic stakeholder in Malaysia's largest listed company could mark a watershed in often-strained relations between the neighbours. It acquired 5 percent of Telekom Malaysia for RM2. billion, its first major direct investment in Malaysia. 11 This was followed by other government-link companies such as GIC Real Estate Pte Ltd bought 100 percent stake in Johore Bahru City Square Mall, it made investments in Sunway Pyramid Mall, Sunway City Berhad, Menara Standard Chartered, RB Land Sdn Bhd and bought 5 percent stake in Gamuda Bhd and Malaysia’s Shell Refining Co. Mapletree Capital Management, 11 â€Å"AMMB in Talks to Buy Out of Fraser Securities†, New Straits Times. (2005). February 2. Aranda Investments and Keppel Energy companies invested in Malaysia.One of the more significant investment flows from Malaysia was the purchase of a stake in Singapore’s Mobile One Ltd in August 2005 by Sun Share Investments Ltd, a joint venture between Khazanah Nasional and Telekom Malaysia. Fourthly, both countries must develop the private sector economic links. The private sector from both countries took advantage made investments in both sides under the current leadership. A lot of Malaysian private companies invest in Singapore and vice versa, such as Sime Darby, MISC, Berjaya Group, CIMB, AMMB Holdings, OSK Holdings, MCL Land, Parkway, United Oversea Land and etcetera.The close ties between the private sectors of both countries are important in globalizing world. The companies from both countries could collaborate and cooperate to tap opportunities arising from deeper economic integration. The leader’s positive stance towards better economic cooperation between the two countries was another reflection of the improving relations between the two neighbours since Abdullah Badawi and Najib took over the leadership of Malaysia government.Fifthly, both countries must take i nitiative in renewing educational and sporting events. First initiative was undertaken by the University of Malaya (UM) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) in introducing the exchange program of students and staffs between them. These joint programs will create a healthy environment in forging close ties among students and staffs of both countries. We must create linking among industry sectors and the institutions such as a unique cooperation between the NUS and KUB Malaysia Berhad.The establishment of joint programs for student exchange program for secondary school of both countries and etcetera. Yet, the traditional sporting activities between officials of the two countries, such as golf, football, tennis, badminton and etcetera need to continue. Under current leadership, the sport activities have play pivotal role inculcate the people’s goodwill. These series of sport activities will renew friendly and build a good relationship among the peoples of both countrie s.The intensity of cooperations in various areas has been made possible by the warming of the relationship between the two countries in recent years. Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia (Malaysian Head of State) during the officials visit to Singapore in 23 January 2006 has said that; â€Å" No doubt, the positive political environment, growing trade figures and investment flows, increasing exchange of visits and strengtherning cooperation in various areas, augur well for the future outlook in our bilateral relations†. 12PROSPECT OF MALAYSIA AND SINGAPORE UNDER NAJIB Currently, it appears that both leaders in Malaysia and Singapore have shown some lights of cooperation and mutual understanding between them in accordance to the principle of prosper thy neighbour or to prosper its neighbours through economic aspects in order to realization their potential. Although having the outstanding issues, both countries will be able to remain friendly and cordial. According to Democratic P eace Theory, this states that democratic countries do not go to war with other democratic countries.According to this theory, democratic countries would refrain from using force against each other, because they are accountable to their citizens. In the context of Malaysia-Singapore relations, both countries do not go to war because they are democratic countries and prefers to resolve the outstanding issues either through diplomacy talks or the third parties involvement. In case of bilateral relations between Malaysia and Singapore, although these two states do not implement complete aspects of liberal democracy such as full freedom of speech and freedom to form organizations, they also do not use military force to settle their problems.They use dialogs and other peaceful measures to negotiate their bilateral 12 Ibid. , p. 20. issues. Therefore, despite the many bilateral issues that have surfaced in the course of Malaysia and Singapore relations, armed conflict is very unlikely to b e a possibility, and certainly not when both countries are practising democratic forms of governance. Given this situation, we need to search for additional factors to explain the no war situation between Malaysia and Singapore. As in many newly independent countries, the role of leadership is one factor that can bring a country to be a war-prone or peace-prone state.The new regimes of leadership will play important roles in fostering the relationship of both countries in relation to democratic peacekeeping. If Malaysia and Singapore did become engaged in a full scale war, we would have to discount the popular argument that democracies are not likely to go into war against each other, given the fact that both Malaysia and Singapore are governed on democratic principles. It may be argued that the apparent flaws in their brands of democratic system of government would be given as the reasons.However, both governments are led by rational and pragmatic leaders who understand the extent of the negative consequences of war to both countries, and therefore this worst-case situation is not possible. In connection with improving Malaysia-Singapore relationship, economic interdependence is very significant for both countries in terms of their development process. With the importance of Singapore as a centre of commerce for most of Southeast Asia region, and in particular Malaysia, has much to gain in terms of trade and commerce.Similarly, Singapore, because of its own lack economic resources, will look towards Malaysia for its economic needs, such as investment in Malaysia, water and labour supplies etcetera. Such economic interdependence has long been recognized as important by both states as being important, and is arguably a reason that trade and investment between them remained substantial for several decades. The volume of bilateral trade between them has increased remarkably over the years. As it stands today, Singapore and Malaysia have somewhat established thems elves as largest trading partners in ASEAN.In future, we foresee that bilateral relations between two sovereign countries will augur well and confident it will be built a better future for the two neighbours in resolving other issues for the sake of their people based on the above-mentioned facts. CONCLUSION The intensity of cooperation in various areas has been made possible by the warming of the relationship between the two countries in recent year. There is some concern about the enormous scope and advantage of working together for mutual benefits even as they compete where they must and collaborate where they can.Nevertheless, as with any two neighbours, the prospect of downturns in bilateral relations, arising often unforeseen circumstances, cannot and should not precluded. It is in the interest of both nations and their peoples to guard against such downturns by careful management of the relationship, and this has certainly been made easier by the goodwill and cooperative spir it engendered under Najib. In fact, one of Najib’s achievements in the area of international relations is the much-improved bilateral ties between the two close neighbours.In conclusion, Malaysia and Singapore enjoy and share a special relationship, due to their historical and cultural linkages, and their geographical proximity. The current challenging world has brought about a close neighbourly co-operation between the two nations to build resilience and strength. Both Malaysia and Singapore, are acutely aware of the mutual importance of each other, and continually look for ways and means to improve relations between the two countries. It should however be implemented based on the principles that would lead to a â€Å"win-win† situation, and adhering to the rules of International Law.Singapore’s well being is important to Malaysia as Singapore is one of its largest trading partners. The establishment of good relations with Singapore is therefore economically vi tal to Malaysia. The win-win situation can only be achieved if both parties are willing to accept the fact that the key to solving the outstanding bilteral issues is their willingness to compromise. Malaysia would argue that this is something that has been commonly practiced by Malaysia and therefore an act that is not difficult to get into. Singapore on the other hand is beginning to realize its economic and social vulnerability.It is aware of the importance of regional goodwill and cooperation in combatting issues such as the outbreak of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and the avian influenza, terrorism and religious extremism issues etcetera. The realisation by both nations that compromise is the key to better relations could eventually lead to its adoption and therefore better relations. Despite the differences in the approaches taken by both countries in resolving their bilateral issues, it is obvious that Malaysia and Singapore are mutually dependant on each other.Loo king at the history of relations between the two countries, the role of leadership has played important role in the up and down of relationship. Under new generation of leaders in these two countries, we expect that they have new visions and put more efforts to nurture good relations. Personal contacts involving leaders and government officials of both countries still become the bases of relations between these two closed neighbours. The understanding reached by the leaders of the two countries has been and remain the fundamental to preserving long term mutual benefits.Leaders of both countries can play significant roles in overcoming conflicts and finding solutions to the problems that besieged the relations between the two countries. Future direction in the relations should be focused on developing more cordial and tactful relations. Instead of competing, there is always the possibility of entering a smart partnership venture in a fast developing regional economy. This would defin itely create a win-win situation for both countries instead of perpetual conflict. Under Najib Tun Razak the current Malaysian Prime Minister, there are signs of better bilateral relation in the future.With several good initiatives has been done by both countries leaders in resolving some legacy issues between them, such as Malaysia-Singapore Points of Agreement of 1990 (POA), over the issue of the future of railway land owned by the Malaysian government through Malayan Railways (Keretapi Tanah Melayu or KTM) in Singapore. I foresee that bilateral relations between two sovereign countries will augur well in the future and confident it will be built a better future for the two neighbours in resolving other issues for the sake of their people. REFERENCES Chandran Jeshurun, et. l. (January-March 2003). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: A Case Study of Conflict-prone Bilateral Ties. The Southeast Asia Conflict Studies Network Bulletin. p. 8. Chang Li Lin. (2003). Singapore’s Troubled Relations with Malaysia: A Singapore Perspective. Southeast Asian Affairs. p. 259-274. Ganesan, N. (1999). Bilateral Tension in Post-Cold War ASEAN. Pacific Strategic Papers. Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). Lee Poh Onn. (2003). The Water Issue Between Singapore and Malaysia: No Solution in Sight. ISEAS Working Papers on Economics and Finance No. . Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. Kyodo News. 2005. Singapore and Malaysia resolve land reclamation dispute. April 26. http://www. channelnewsasia. com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/144527/1/. htm l Nathan, K. S. (August 2002). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Retrospect and Prospect. Contemporary Southeast Asia. 24(2), p. 401. New Straits Times. (2010). May 25. Rusdi Omar, et. al. (2005). Hubungan Malaysia-Singapura Era Mahathir. Sintok: Penerbit Universiti Utara Malaysia. Saw Swee-Hock & K. Kesavapany. 2006. Singapore-Malaysia Relations.Singapore: Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS). Smith , A. L. (2004). Malaysia-Singapore Relations: Never Mind the rhetoric. APCSS, Hawaii. p. 143 -144. Star. (1999). June 5. Sun. (2000). January 22. Sunday Star. (1994). October 23 Trost, H. R. (1993). Historical Legal Claims: A Study of Disputed Sovereignty Over Pulau Batu Putih (Pedra Branca). Maritime Briefing. Vol. 1, No. 1. p. 28. _________. (2003). Water: The Singapore-Malaysia Dispute and the Facts. Kuala Lumpur: National Economic Action Council. The Malaysian Insider. (2010). September 20.

7 Top Tips for International Students

If you’re an International Student, then you know that studying abroad isn’t one big holiday. It can be daunting to move away from your friends and family, and sometimes your language! It can be a culture shock moving to another place, but at the same time an amazing experience. Here are 7 essential tips that might help some of you during the unique and exciting experience of being an international student: 1. Learn the language. You’d think that going from one English speaking country to another meant no language barrier, rightWrong! The more you can speak like a local the more you’ll blend in and the easier university work will be – even if it’s the same language. Additionally, many international students who do not speak English as a first language can really struggle when it comes to writing their essays in English. If you feel like you need help or support making sure your English is correct, then our site Proofreading Services can help.2. Explore!Not only is walking great exercise for mind and body but it is also one of the best ways to learn about your new environment. Stay safe and find a walking partner if you can. Walk from your campus to the city centre and back again. Take in every sight, sound and smell. 3. Ask visitors to bring a taste of home when they come to see you. Make sure that when family & friends came to visit they bring all the foods and things that you’ve been missing – you might be surprised to find that the taste of a familiar food will help hugely if you feel homesick. 4. Being a foreigner will make you unique. Your classmates will be interested in how you grew up, where you’ve been and even learning your language. Make the most of standing out by offering a unique perspective and fresh outlook. 5. Make friends with your classmates Living in a new country can be lonely. Fortunately, international students have it easy when it comes to making friends as there are instant buddies to be made right there in the lecture room. Turn around, smile, introduce yourself and say where you’re from. That’s all it takes to build lifelong friendships. 6. Take a lot of photos. Memories are great. But images capture a moment so it can be relived forever. Even better, add a soundtrack made up of local hits so you can smile every time THAT song comes on. 7. Be fearless. You’ve not travelled all that way to hide in a corner! Make the most of every single second. You may have family and friends who can’t wait to hear about your adventures; give them something to really be proud of you about. It’s not always easy to be brave, however, so if you feel like you need some support then please contact our site – we are here to help!

Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 13

Questions - Essay Example He also stated that the importance and allegation of myth depends on the investigation pertaining to a particular philosophy. In terms of philosophical investigations, Plato revealed that myths are considered to be full of errors. This is decided based on the type of myth and the philosophy in which it is being utilized. Phaedo, Plato’s innovative work describes about death and the myths that revolve around the concept of death. It also defines the opposites and their arguments which in turn emphasize on the fact that myths are considered to be a concept which relies on arguments and opposites. Acceptance of a philosophy or a theory and the knowledge of that theory depends on the reality. The theories must comply well with its existence even before it is perceived to become a reality. The special conditions and limits define the way in which a myth is understood and conceived. Metaphysics was named as Aristotle’s first philosophy and it described the universal principles and the existence of human beings. This theory emphasized on the wisdom and its nature and this was explained in a scientific manner. Aristotle aimed at rediscovering the scientific facts which is considered to be a turning point in the field of science. Even the existence of universe and humanity where explained in a different perspective. His opinion about was also different and he made it a point to explain them in each and every work of his. (Cohen, 2005). Myth donned a completely different role in Aristotle’s metaphysics. Though Aristotle was a follower of Plato, his opinion and judgment on myth was entirely different when compared to that of Plato’s. Aristotle’s idea of myth was considered to be harsh in most of his philosophies. But in certain situations, he appreciates the concept of myth and defines it in a cosmological and

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS STUDY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

EMPLOYEE RELATIONS STUDY - Essay Example For instance, this exploration prioritizes the individual, as opposed to collective relationship, which varies among companies based on values of management (Cradden, 2005, 44). Nonetheless, it is necessary to understand that relationships occur in a range of circumstances, different degrees and impinge upon relationship. For example, a legal context that involves a level of individual in legally enforceable contracts that prevail between employees and employers. Unitarism This is a perspective through which companies are considered to be an individual or groups sharing a common interest, objective and values, which are pleasant and integrated. On the other hand, the management has right to manage employees, legitimately and rationally, thereby representing organizations and interests of capital. In this case, this perception is considered to be a single focus of employees’ loyalty; in fact, this becomes a basis of establishing legitimate authority with the organization (Bacon and Storey, 2000, 407). Moreover, unitarism is a perspective, which is related to management’s supports and interests. Besides, it is a perspective, which has been attributed to ‘team’ approach. ... Apparently, unitarist perspective focuses on the role management in establishing a situation where employees and organization are gaining, thereby considering alignment of their interests. In this case, this perspective is a compulsion for managers to surpass their managerial styles in the process of managing their employees' relations, thereby emphasising on leadership capabilities (Cradden, 2005, 44). Moreover, this perspective encourages managers to be convincing and influential leaders in the organization, thereby eliminating the need for a trade union. Unitarist perspective leads to an assumption that considers stakeholders to be rational members with aims of identifying common interests. Actually, this is a perception, which offers a steady rationale, which stresses common objectives to facilitate achievement of a stable employee relations system. Furthermore, unitarist perspective is in essence individualists in its approach towards employees’ relation; in fact, this wo rks best for individualist in IR systems. There has been a shift of numerous IR systems from trade unions to individualist paradigms; thus, unitarist perspective has proofed to be significant in relation to this form of IR perspectives. Weaknesses of unitarist perspective Unitarist perspective has a limitation caused failure to realize that there are powers associated with inequalities between employees and employers. Moreover, the inequality between employees and employers leads to generation of diverse forms of conflicts in the organization (Kessler and Purcell 2003, 315). On the other hand, there are expectations that managers should exert significant power over

Human Resource Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Human Resource Management - Essay Example According to Dr. Alfes, the most significant factor in developing an engaged workforce, is to determine whether or not employees find a meaning in their job. Therefore, it is necessary to involve all employees in an effective communication system, so as to determine how they contribute to the organization (McGovern & Shelly 97). As much as Dr. Alfes stressed that employees should be committed to their jobs, she also warned against excessive commitment to job. She said that if employees are unable to switch off from work, then they are likely to lower their performance and productivity, since working for longer hours is not sustainable (McGovern & Shelly 103). Dr. Alfes was categorical when she said that their research work and report were specifically relevant in the current economic environment. She said that their research successfully determined the positive impacts of employees’ engagement on both an individual’s wellbeing and organization’s success, especial ly during times of economic down play (Price 302). She argued that engaged employees usually do not mind going extra miles to achieve the company’s goals, when their organization is struggling to survive during economic recession. In one of their case study organizations, they established that plastic firms under pressure to cut production costs, made saving by encouraging employee engagement (Price 311). Initially, the plastic company did not give effective communication to employees a higher priority, but after establishing a more open culture that allowed employees suggesting how they wanted to work more productively and efficiently, this company was capable of cutting production costs. The significance of effective communication between employees and managers in improving productivity and... This essay refers to some international researches that have established that keeping employees happy is one of the most appropriate means of cutting production costs in the current economic environment. From the researches highlighted in the essay, it is obvious that happy people execute their duties better than unhappy people. Happy employees are a lot more fun to associate with, and consequently have better relations at work with each other. A happy employee has better teamwork with his/her colleagues, a happy manager has better employee relations, a happy sales person improves sales and a happy customer service employee improves customers’ satisfaction. The essay discusses that a happy workforce is determined to achieve the company’s set goals and standards, even during hard economic recess. Although fostering a happy workforce is one of the key challenges faced by most organizations, human resource managers should struggle to ensure that their staffs are happy, as this will increase their productivity and increase the organization’s revenue. A happy workforce is highly innovative, stress free and wise decision maker. In comparison, unhappy employees on the other hand, have fixed minds, and this implies that they only work under strict supervision, and this in turn lowers their productivity and efficiency. It is, therefore, recommendable by the researcher that all organizations should create and develop a happy workforce as this will significantly improve their profit margins and increase their success.

Case Analysis The International Committee of the Red Cross Essay

Case Analysis The International Committee of the Red Cross - Essay Example The case study demonstrates how the ICRC established a strategy that promoted employees into management and ensure that there is continuity of the values and tradition of the organization’s method of management (Forsythe, 2005). The restructuring provided a new dimension of management in ICRC, which would ensure that employees are encouraged to work for the company. The case study illustrates the importance of continuity in an organization and establishing a system of promotion as a method of motivating employees. Initial Problems in Management Prior to 2007, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) utilized a poor structure of management, which did not foster any form of development. The problem stemmed from the ideology of employees working in the same group for less than a year. From the on-set, it was evident that the company’s strategy was flawed, because employees were often re-assigned or placed in new teams on regular intervals, which limited their ab ility to develop important skills relevant to the ideologies of the organization (Deresky, 2008). ... The latter can identify a problem of a person, give advice and the person can change their behavior. This illustrates development using a co-worker. However, constantly changing groups will limit the aspect of a person being able to receive tips or advice on how they can change certain elements of how they operate. This was the main problem that demonstrated the poor management strategy implemented by the ICRC prior to 2007. (Merson, 2006) Another problem stemmed from the aspect of bias in the organization. ICRC was originally considered a ‘Swiss Company’, hence their focus related to having Swiss individuals in high positions in the organization, regardless of qualification. This proved to be a hindrance for several employees, who were eager to move on if they found promotion close to impossible. The bias influenced the development of the organization, because on Swiss individuals had a chance of becoming managers in the company. Another problem was ICRC was gender bias . ICRC focused on promoting male individuals to higher positions in the organizations, the Swiss males were the only individuals that would last for a long time in the field before gaining promotion in the firm, and it limited the women’s ability to develop any adequate experience in the field. The main management strategy focused on Swiss males, and it pushed other employees to work short-term for the ICRC. (Forsythe, 2005) The Restructure of Management In 2007, ICRC developed a strategic plan, which was intended to last the following three years. The organization focused on improving the Human Resource Management (HRM) to employ quality managers. ICRC concentrated on three aspects: accountability, multidiscipline, and

The Pricing of Health Costs and its Effect on the Poor in the United Dissertation

The Pricing of Health Costs and its Effect on the Poor in the United States - Dissertation Example This part of the research paper focuses on reviewing relevant literatures about healthcare cost in the US and how it affects poor people who are relatively more needy to the healthcare-services than others. By reviewing various literatures, this part of the research develops a model presenting the relation between healthcare insurance claims and health risks. Healthcare pricing in the US According to Porter and Teisberg (2006), the US healthcare system is on a dangerous path due to toxic combination of high costs, uneven quality, frequent errors and peoples’ limited access to the services (p. 17). Out of these indicators, high cost seems to be a most challenging to the public, mainly to the poor. The healthcare services in the US are mainly delivered through private hands, but still, it is partially governed by free market forces. Healthcare service delivery and consumption do not meet the basic elements of a free market and is therefore often described as quasi-or imperfect m arket. In a free-market, there will be many patients- service buyers and many sellers, service providers who act independently. In such a situation, price is neither fixed by any external agency nor providers collude to fix it, but rather, prices are automatically governed by the forces of free-market due to the interaction of supply and demand forces (Shi and Singh, 2008, p. 12). But, when it comes to the US healthcare market, the consumers are general public with diseases who need quality medical services, payers are Medicare and Medicaid and sellers or providers are private or otherwise healthcare institutions. In such a marketing condition, prices are theoretically determined by the payers and not by market forces of demand and supply. Healthcare cost in the US has been rapidly increasing since 1960s, due to a number of factors including aging population, patient demand for high technology, need for best care available, technological advances, increasing therapeutic options and general economic factors like inflation (McCarthy and Schafermeyer, 2004, p. 649). A country can be said to spend in excess when it there is a differences between its spending per person on healthcare and its gross domestic product per person (Reinhardt, 2008). More specifically, the spending on healthcare in the US is more than that of other industrialized nations in the world and this cost increases surpasses the growth of various other important components of the US economy. most researchers found that Americans in general are highly dissatisfied of high cost of healthcare and its system as well (McCarthy and Schafermeyer, 2004, p. 649). How much does healthcare cost? Healthcare alone accounts to be one seventh of US national economy. The total spending on healthcare in the US in 1997 has been accounted to be $1,092 billion, which was twice as much as on education and three times as much as on national defenses. This spending also can be considered as one and half times as much a s on healthcare per capita spending of Canada (Heshmat, 2001, p. 67). The growth of healthcare costs has been slowing down dramatically since 1992, with 4.8 % in 1992, 3.1 % in 1993, 1.5 % in 1995 and so on. Healthcare cost growth, but in declining level, thus has been an unusual one in the recent history of US healthcare spending. Though there were greater advances in managed care and there were much efforts from

The Blogosphere Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Blogosphere - Essay Example To summarize, I will then describe my own views of the blogosphere and its importance to society in the areas of media and communication. While conducting research to find a solid definition of blogosphere, though not typically known for its reliability, Wikipedia actually offered the most compounded definition of what a blogosphere is, calling it an interconnected community made up of all blogs (Wikipedia.org). In simple terms, the blogosphere is basically an internal web all its own of blog sites found on the world wide web that connects various blog cites through a network community. When looking online for some of the most high quality blogs online, I found information in regards to tips of how to build high quality blogs. Website, Blogotion, is a collection of blogs that only allow â€Å"high quality† blogs on its website. When evaluating its most popular blogs, it had its own list of the top 20. When looking at them, they were all highly ranked by people who had read the blog and followed it. The very top blog had the topic of Peruvian Cuisine while others were about real life events such as a woman who was a Sports Authority from Australia while another was from the perspective of a homeless man. However, others were more generic such as Baby Topics, one by a popular business marketer and another that is all honest perspective articles about current events and culture. (Blogotion.com). The topics of popular blogs on this website varied but what one could determine was that they were all primarily interesting subjects, some that were up and coming or s ome that people could relate to. Many blogs are based on societal trends or current events so it seems. When conducting research to find the top blogs, I came across a website, eBizMBA.com, that consistently updates their top 15 most popular blogs on a regular basis to determine each sites popularity. According to the statistics ran by eBizMBA.com, the top blog as base on the

Cambodia Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Cambodia - Assignment Example cribed as a third-world nation, its people poor and most towns ragged and dirty but its natural beauty and ancient architecture make it a tourist destination. Angkor Wat, located in province of Siem Reap, was built in the 1200’s to honor the god Vishnu. It served as the capital and state temple of the Khmer Empire, an ancient nation that was almost as large as all of present day Southeast Asia. Discovered by French explorers during the 18th Century, the ancient structure of Angkor Wat (translated as â€Å"Temple City†) is considered one of the Eight Wonders of the World. The height of classical Khmer architectural style and grandeur, Angkor Wat is a national symbol appearing prominently on the Cambodian flag. The Killing Fields refer to several places where massive numbers of people were massacred and buried by the Khmer Rouge, a regime that took control following the Cambodian Revolution in the mid-‘70’s. By the end of its reign of terror in 1979 more than a million had been brutally butchered, people considered dangerous such as intellectuals and those aligned with the previous government. (â€Å"Travel and T ourism,†2001). Tourism has made a comeback in Cambodia following the end of political unrest in neighboring Thailand two years ago. Many tourists, about one-third, enter Cambodia through Bangkok, Thailand. The government is promoting ecotourism, both encouraging visitors while sustaining the natural beauty and quiet serenity of its more than 800 ancient temples. Tourists enjoy both daytime and nighttime excursions of Cambodian temples and other heritage sites. What may be the more attractive feature of Cambodia are the areas that have yet to be discovered. The city of Sihanoukville, located on the shores of the Gulf of Thailand has recently become a tourist destination. The government reopened the airport there and is redeveloping the city in addition to encouraging the building of hotels, shopping centers and a casino that opened just last year.