An Islamic voice for openness and human development in education : the relevance of Ibn Khaldun's ideas to Australian teacher education programs today

Raewyn Connell in her discussion of Southern social science theories, considers Ibn Khaldun’s contribution to the understanding of civilisation and sociology as so rich and important that it is still relevant today. This paper builds on Connell’s introduction to Ibn Khaldun’s work by first reviewing his ideas of education in the Muqaddimah and then investigating the extent of their contemporary relevance, for example, in teacher education programs today in Australia’s multicultural society. Ibn Khaldun was a Muslim scholar born in what is now called Tunisia, North Africa, in 1332. His writings, which encompassed history, philosophy of history, sociology, education and pedagogy, are best exemplified in his greatest work, the Muqaddimah, written as an introduction and commentary on his universal history. Ibn Khaldun provided a long and detailed discussion of the concept of education and pedagogy in Chapter Six of the Muqaddimah. His classification of knowledge according to classical Islamic tradition is a valuable guide to the range of sciences in existence at that time. He also provided his views on teaching and learning issues which have their counterparts in today’s classrooms. The latter part of this paper looks at the nature of curriculum in current teacher education programs in Australia and considers the development of a more inclusive approach in relation to Islamic communities in Australia. Such a move could result in Ibn Khaldun’s ideas on education being incorporated into teacher education programs in Australia.peer-reviewe

Interorganizational learning for knowledge management

This paper begins with some discussion on definitional understanding of knowledge management, intelligent organization and interorganizational learning.The approach towards the creation of intelligent and cooperative nations through development and management of knowledge is described through the organizational learning perspective.This paper serves knowledge managers with suggestion to approach knowledge management through interorganizational learning activities via collaborative means.Approaches of interorganizational learning such as joint ventures, knowledge networks, strategic learning alliances and e-knowledge networks for e-business are forwarded. Some issues pertaining to these approaches are also described

Public-Private Partnerships for E-Government Services: Lessons from Malaysia

Implementation of e-government is seen as a tool to improve government service delivery to citizens, businesses and within government agencies. The benefits could be more transparency, greater convenience, less corruption, revenue growth and cost reduction. However, lack of financial resources, and low levels of skills and limited capacity of governments are some of the main obstacles faced in pursuance of e-government nationwide. The introduction of Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) is seen as a solution to overcome many of the obstacles and challenges faced by governments in realizing the objectives of e-government projects. PPP model is expected to increase opportunities for both the public and private sectors to serve their customers more effectively and efficiently. The main aim of this paper is to explore the need for PPP in e-government service delivery. This is done by discussing some success stories and looking at lessons learned by the Malaysian government to serve the stakeholders better in line with its vision and mission.- public-private partnership, information, communication, technology, e-government

Thermal And Flicker Noise Analysis In Sample And Hold Circuit

In low-frequency applications, noise is becoming more of an issue as the MOS size reduced. Therefore, the flicker noise and thermal noise are one of the issues found in low-frequency applications. In this work, the thermal noise and flicker noise are modelled and measured on the sample-and-hold circuit, based on Fully Differential Folded Cascode with Common Mode Feedback. The thermal noise analysis and flicker noise analysis are performed by varying the capacitance value and transistor sizes in the sample-and-hold circuit. In thermal noise analysis, the maximum output SNR measured is -120.28dB with 0.642uV/√Hz input thermal noise and transistor size for NMOS is set to 8μm. The maximum output SNR obtained for flicker noise is -83.27dB for 1uA input noise with low capacitance value 0.5pF and is measured at 1Hz frequency in sample-and-hold circuit

A comparative study of construction waste generation rate based on different construction methods used in construction projects in Malaysia

In Malaysia, the huge generation of construction waste (CW) has led to negative impact on the environment. Limited data is available on quantification methods of CW in the country. The lack of quantification methods has resulted to the improper management of CW. The consequence of the improper CW management has shortened the lifespan of landfills. The aim of this study is to compare the construction waste generation rate between different construction methods. In order to obtain CW data in terms of volume and weight, the site visit (SV) method was carried out for a 3-month period. There are two types of SV methods applied in this study, namely direct measurement and indirect measurement. The data were collected from 12 social amenities projects at the construction stage which can be divided into the Conventional Construction Method (CCM), the Mixed Construction Method (MCM) and the Industrialised Building System (IBS). The waste (tonnes) obtained from each construction method is divided by gross floor area (m2) to attain the Waste Generation Rate (WGR). Finally, the result of the study revealed that the WGRs for IBS, MCM and CCM are 0.018 tonne/m2, 0.030 tonne/m2 and 0.046 tonne/m2 respectively. It can be concluded that the IBS method is the most effective method to reduce CW generation on site. This finding will be a contribution for construction players, policy makers and authorities in the country to promote IBS methods more rigorously

Tolerance Towards Malaysian English As a New Variety of English

New Englishes have emerged all over the world and are seen as developing from what can be called the established native speaker variety. Malaysian English is a non-native variety distinct from the Standard British English. The consolidation of this variety in its present form or its continuity evolving into a form even further from its roots, depends on the attitudes of its speech community. Malaysian English has emerged in a systematic and consistent manner both in spoken and written forms. The results of the survey indicate that there is tolerance for Malaysian English both in the spoken and written mode

Antecedents, Outcomes and Controls of Staff Turnover in Selected Hotels in Malaysia

The research was carried out to obtain more information on the staff turnover scenario in the Malaysian lodging industry. To do this, four main areas related to staff turnover were studied. The areas are rate of turnover, antecedents or causes of turnover, outcomes of turnover and controls of turnover. The methodology used to gamer the required data and information was survey research technique, using a pre-tested questionnaire as the instrument. Response from seventy- nine hotels and resorts were analysed pertaining to the topic and the four areas. Detailed analysis of turnover rate showed that most hotels face an alarming rate of turnover. The average turnover rate of the sample is 9.97%, with hotels averaging at 9.80% and the resorts at 10.03%. Although the t-test showed no significant differences between hotels and resorts, the higher turnover rate in resorts is due to the nature of business requiring more staff per room. The expansion of resorts was too fast in a tight labour market situation, rendering mass employment of foreign labour on a contract basis. The fluctuating nature of the hospitality business was not in favour of staff retention and together with other factors such as individual work related variables and availability of alternate jobs became antecedents to high staff turnover. Similar causes were also true for hotels

THEORIZING CAREER SUCCESS PERCEPTION AS A MEDIATOR BETWEEN MANAGERIAL LEARNING AND THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

This analytical research paper was prepared by using literature review on the relationships among three variables composed of managerial learning, career success perception and the learning organization. Managerial learning is the exogenous variable whereas the learning organization is the endogenous variable. Career success perception is the third variable. Supported by literature review on the linkages among the three variables on the premises of cause and effect, the role of career success perception as a mediator was justified using Baron & Kenny’s (1986) criteria on properties of variables to distinctively differentiate between mediating and moderating variables. Henceforth, a model was suggested for future research using career success perception as the mediator between managerial learning and the learning organization

Life events and parasuicides in Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Objective: The aim of this study is to compare the prevalence of life events among parasuicide patients with the prevalence of similar life events among age, sex and race matched patients with non-chronic medical illness. Methods: A hospital-based case-control study using convenience sampling method was conducted in Hospital Kuala Lumpur for a period of three and a half months. A total of 50 patients admitted consecutively after an episode of parasuicide and who fulfilled criteria for entry into the study agreed to participate. For each case one age-, sex- and race-matched control was selected from the list of patients who were admitted to the same hospital for non-chronic medical illness. Result: Statistical analysis showed that compared with medically ill patients, parasuicide patients had significantly higher prevalence of threatening life events six months (p<0.001) before their act and these life events were significantly concentrated in the last one month before the attempt (p=0.001). Among the seven categories of life events, cases had a significant excess of interpersonal problems (p<0.001) that included serious problems with a close friend, neighbour or relative, break-up of a steady relationship and separation due to marital difficulties. Conclusion: The results suggest that there is a high prevalence of life events among parasuicide patients when compared with medically ill patients especially during the month prior to their admission to the hospital. The data also indicate that there is a significant association between suicide attempts and interpersonal problems

A case control study on personality traits and disorders among deliberate self-harm patients in Malaysian hospital

Objective: This study was conducted to compare the personality traits in deliberate self-harm (DSH) patients with a control group matched for age, sex and race. Methods: A case-control study design was used in this study. A total of 50 consecutive admissions to Kuala Lumpur Hospital following episodes of deliberate self-harm were compared with equal number of controls from the admission for minor medical illness during the same period. They were assessed on socio-demographic profile, Axis I psychiatric diagnosis and personality traits. Results: The mean age for the cases and controls was 26 years old. Seventy-eight percent of them were females, mostly unmarried and majority had completed their secondary education. The respondents were Indians (52%), Malays (40%) and Chinese (8%). A high prevalence of major depression (22%) was found among the cases compared to none among the controls. Personality disorders were present in 68% of cases as compared to 38% among the controls, while sensitivity (p<0.0005), impulsivity (p<0.0005), and worthlessness (p<0.0005) were the commonly reported personality traits. Paranoid personality disorder (p<0.05) and borderline personality disorder (p<0.05) were significantly present in deliberate self-harm subjects compared to the control group. Conclusion: Psychiatric disorder, personality traits of sensitivity, impulsivity and worthlessness, and personality disorders of paranoid and borderline were common in DSH patients