YKLink Volume 1, Issue 10

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF’S DESK
01
Dear scholars,
We are now fast approaching the end of the year. Many of you, I am sure
have some plans lined up to fill your time during the break. Some would
choose to stay at home just recuperating while some may have bigger
and more exciting agendas like traveling, taking up new hobbies or doing
some temporary jobs. Since the central theme of this month's issue talks
about ethics, I would like to share my little piece of experience working as
a sandwich maker during one of the semester breaks and would try to
relate the elements of ethics in those episode for our own learning.
VOLUME 1, ISSUE 10
October 2014
At 19, where appetite often ruled the choice of a working place, I settled
myself down in an exclusive cafe hoping that staff could sample that
ridiculously expensive sandwich at breaks. I was lucky when the owner
assigned me the job of a sandwich maker. I was truly overjoyed!!! As a
sandwich maker, I had all the luscious fillings at my disposal where I
could have indulged myself with huge portions of the cafe's finest
ingredients like Wagyu beef, foie gras, black truffle mayonnaise, brie de
meaux, etc for my lunch/dinner fix though staff would only be allowed to
have the ubiquitous sad-looking egg mayo or chillies tuna for filling.
There were many occasions where I could have quickly stashed those
gourmet stuff between two bits of bread and gobbled them up behind that
watchful eyes of the owner but something rang behind my ears and
oftentimes I froze. That continued to happen until the last day of working.
As I handed over the apron, I realized that the sound I repeatedly heard
when I was about to commit the sandwich-making crime was that of my
mom's. "Only take what is ours and always be thankful" was what
drummed into my head since I was young. The lesson here was that - my
personal values act as a basis for distinguishing between right and wrong
and thus, determine my actions and emotions. Both my parents and
education have played profound roles in the development of my core
personal values and ingrained ethics: personal integrity, excellence,
responsibility, family and ambition, among others.
Source: http://www.breining.edu/EthicsCodes.htm
QUOTES :
Our dear scholars, regardless what you do and where you are, please
remember that your personal code of ethics will guide your resolution of
ethical dilemmas. So, go on - pursue what you like doing but keep hold
on to your true values and ethics. And rest assured you will be alright :)
Regards,
Intan
02
ETHICS
Ethics, sometimes known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that involves systematizing, defending and recommending concepts of right and wrongconduct, often addressing disputes of moral
diversity.
Source: http://izquotes.com/quote/178517
The term comes from the Greek word ἠθικός ethikos from ἦθος ethos,
which means "custom, habit". The superfield within philosophy known
as axiology includes both ethics and aesthetics and is unified by each
sub-branch's concern with value. Philosophical ethics investigates what
is the best way for humans to live, and what kinds of actions are right
or wrong in particular circumstances. Ethics may be divided into three
major areas of study:
Meta-ethics, about the theoretical meaning and reference of moral
propositions and how their truth
values (if any) may be determined
Source: http://8-images.blogspot.com/2014/04/have-courage-to-say-no-have-courage-to.html
TEAM EDITORS:
Intan Zalila Mohd Yusof
Emilia Maizura Harun
Roz Haniza Zainal Abidin
Normative ethics, about the
practical means of determining a
moral course of action
Applied ethics draws upon
ethical theory in order to ask
what a person is obligated to do
in some very specific situation,
or within some particular domain
of action (such as business)
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethics
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03
THE ETHICS OF INFECTION
“PRIMUM NON NOCERE” or “First, do no harm” is supposed to be
the guiding principle of health care workers. And within civil societies,
at least, not harming others is considered every person’s moral, ethical and even legal responsibility.
The heated debate over whether it’s responsible for health care workers who treated Ebola patients to go grocery shopping or bowling or
get on a cruise ship before the end of the disease’s 21-day incubation
period raises a larger question: What is everyone’s duty to prevent
transmission of infectious diseases?
Is it ethical to go to the gym when you have a cold, visit a nail salon
when you have a foot fungus or board an airplane with a stomach
bug? What about the morality of sending your kids to school when
they have, say, a green runny nose or were not vaccinated? Are you
a bad person if you don’t get a flu shot?
When it comes to “do no harm,” the problem is defining harm and the
risk of inflicting it, as well as what constitutes reasonable measures to
impose on someone to minimize that risk.
“Risk is a function of two things — probability that harm will occur and
severity of that harm, should it transpire,” said Lawrence O. Gostin, a
professor of law at Georgetown University who specializes in public
health law and human rights.
Opposing irrationalities perhaps explain the outrage on social media
over the nurse Kaci Hickox, who resisted secluding herself after she
returned from West Africa, not to mention Dr. Craig Spencer and Dr.
Nancy Snyderman, who went to crowded public places while still at
risk of transmitting Ebola. Some critics may have had an exaggerated
sense of their risk of falling ill, and these particular health care workers
may have had an insufficient sense of their responsibility to manage
the risk they posed and the anxiety they might create.
“It’s hard to have measured responses when having this conversation
because I do find some of the behavior of folks returning from Ebola
zones really exasperating,” said Noel T. Brewer, an associate profes03
sor who studies the psychology of risky health decisions at the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. “As a
lay person and as a person who studies health risk, sheltering in place
or keeping your distance for 21 days does seem like a small cost to
accept in comparison to the alarm they caused.”
The situation recalls the strident opposition to laws recently passed in
Rhode Island and New York requiring health care workers to get flu
shots or wear masks when treating patients during flu season. Vaccination rates among American health care workers average just 45
percent, and the flu kills 36,000 people a year.
Similarly, there are parents who defy state mandates to vaccinate
their children before sending them to school.
And those two factors, he said, have a rough inverse relationship.
That is, the more severe the potential harm, the less probability, or
risk, we are willing to assume — much less allow someone else to
assume on our behalf.
This has contributed to a resurgence of childhood diseases that had
been virtually wiped out in the United States, including measles,
mumps, pertussis (whooping cough).
It’s why we have case law going back almost a century imposing criminal or civil penalties on individuals who transmitted serious diseases
(typhoid, whooping cough, syphilis, tuberculosis, H.I.V., etc.) that they
knew, or should have known, they had, given their symptoms or exposure. But we don’t call the police or sue if someone shows up at a
cocktail party or sits next to us at the movies with a phlegm-rattling
common cold (though we might want to).
Part of the problem is cultural, said Dr. Brewer, echoing many of his
public health colleagues. Americans tend to think more about individual than communal rights and are understandably dubious of medical
mandates that seem to be always changing. Americans also value
toughness and the ability to work through physical adversity without
thinking how they might end up weakening other members of the
team.
In the case of Ebola, even though the risk of transmission may be low,
health law experts and bioethicists tend to agree that it’s incumbent
on exposed individuals to do what they reasonably can to minimize
that risk during the disease’s incubation period because the stakes (a
horrific death) are so high.
Contrast this with many Asian countries where it’s common to see people wearing surgical masks in public. Tellingly, Americans tend to
assume this is to prevent the mask
wearer from getting sick. But it’s
actually more often the reverse: The
wearer is sick and the mask serves
not only to prevent passing germs to
others but also to alert people that
the wearer is unwell and they
should keep their distance.
“So go for a walk, ride your bike, but don’t shake anyone’s hand or
touch them — and I would advise not going into congregant settings,”
Professor Gostin said. “I think it’s unethical and wrong to hop on a
cruise ship or get on an airplane or go to crowded movie theater or
kiss your fiancée or go to a bowling alley.”
But indeed, he continued, this is your ethical obligation whenever you
have a fever and are vomiting or sneezing due to infectious illness.
Judging from the large number of flights grounded or delayed during
the past few weeks when noticeably sick passengers triggered false
Ebola alarms, “do no harm” is not an ethical imperative for many air
travelers.
“I just flew from Washington, D.C., to Tel Aviv and had to take care of
six sick passengers — three vomiting with fever,” said Dr. Gil Siegal,
a surgeon and professor of law at the University of Virginia who has
written extensively about the legal responsibility to avoid causing
harm. “Public health policy makers need to adopt the assumptions of
behavioral economists,” he said. “People are not always rational actors,” whether assessing their own risk of getting sick or the risk of
making someone else sick.
“America has gotten so focused on
rugged individualism and the autonomy of the person that we forget we
have wider ethical responsibilities to
our families and communities and
our country,” said Professor Gostin, who bows rather than shaking
hands when he is sick and sends home ill students attending his classes. “This me-first mentality is what I think promotes irresponsibility
when it comes to public health.”
Kate Murphy is a journalist in Houston who writes frequently for The New
York Times.
Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/09/sunday-review/the-ethics-of© Copyright 2014 Yayasan Khazanah. Contact Privacy Terms
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04
STUDENT ETHICS CODE VIOLATION
Alteration of graded assignment : Submission of an examination or assignment for regrading after making changes to the
original answers
ETHICS – Sounds like a big word huh?!
Well it is BIG when a student violates the code. But
what is ethics by definition? It means “moral principles
that govern a person's behaviour or the conducting of
an activity”.
So what acts are considered as academic ethics code
violation? What are the common rules or principle in
order for us to be a virtuous student? Some of these
are listed as un-ethical act (which are not limited to)
that students MUST not do :
Forgery and falsification : of data, or university documents e.g.,
letters and transcripts etc.
Ir. Iryani
Mohamed Rawi,
Doctor of
Engineering,
Universiti Putra
Plagiarism : Submission of the same or substantially similar work of
another person
Cheating on examinations : Use of unauthorized materials or unauthorized discussion during exams
Improper use of Internet : Improper use when referring to documents, forbidden websites, posting/downloading data without proper
approval etc.
Improper use of electronic device for or during examinations : e.g.,
cell phone, laptop, smartphone, calculator
Unauthorized collaboration : Collaboration on homework assignments, papers, or reports unless explicitly assigned or approved by
faculty
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Lying : i.e unauthorised medical excuse, false reporting of other
student etc
Facilitating academic dishonesty : Intentionally aiding other
student to commit a violation
Unfair competition : Damaging other student’s effort, stealing
other’s materials etc
Infringement on the rights of others : Behaviour that jeopardizes the right or safety of other students
Assault : Threat or psychological harm against others
Destruction or defacement of property : Damage of property
belonged to the university
Theft : Stealing of property
Disruption of university events : such as classes, meetings
and organized social events
Violation : of any rules and regulations of the University
So, be ethical.. be accomplished !
06
OUR PLACE
COMIC CORNER
Under the same ceiling,
Here is where we’re living,
A great distance from kindred,
Makes the bond united,
And here is the place where she:
Lives and learns how to be a true girl,
The place she wipes her tears:
When fear comes and says Hi!
And here is the place where,
She keys her memories,
She smiles beatifically for the whole
Night when somebody says Hi!
Nurul Aqilah
Azahari
Marlborough
College Malaysia
Muhammad
Hasif Bin
Muhammad
Uzir
A Level
KYUEM
Yet, she never fails to remember
All her boon companions as
They live together and
The bond grows stronger.
Source: The School of Nursing Academic Ethics policy
3
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07
SEARS HOLDINGS: SEARED
Sears Holdings’ share price has fallen 33% since October 2012. The iconic brand’s performance is a far cry
from 2011 when over half of Americans shopped at a
Sears or Kmart store, highlighting the volatility in retail,
and is at a crossroads, where it can either successfully
turn around its Kmart and Sears store business, or is
doomed to be a has-been retailer.
Lim Jia Jun
Sears seared
BSc Economics,
University of
Warwick, UK
Sears have been experiencing negative sales growth,
negative EBIDTA of $258 million and poor operating
margins, significantly underperforming its industry. Its pains have led to
it laying off over 7000 workers and closing numerous Sears, Kmart and
auto-repair stores. As part of restructuring efforts, their Canadian operations have been partially divested, and auto centres and apparel store
spun off. This is to raise enough cash, which it is burning at a prodigious
rate, until there is a successful turnaround.
Fitch has recently downgraded Sear’s credit rating to CC-, citing issues
of high leverage and unsustainable cash flow, and Sears is currently
being propped up by ESL investments, which owns over half of Sears’
shares. There are concerns that bondholders are being disadvantaged
as the returns from spinning off assets have been passed on to shareholders, with the core business being unsustainable.
A pivotal moment
Its successful turnaround plan depends on transitioning to an integrated
retail model, using its Shop Your Way retail program – this seems to be
unsuccessful, given that it had been underway since 2011. The idea is
that it would be a less asset intensive model, which will save on costs
from large traditional brick and mortar stores. Even though over 60% of
its customers are from the program, there has been no recovery the revenues of Sears, in which its first half sales declined 9% year on year.
The bear scenario we see for Sears is for suppliers to start pulling their
goods off Sears’ shelves due to its poor credit rating. As merchandise is
bought on credit, Sears’ ability to meet its repayment obligations is crucial. Suppliers may to push for more stringent credit terms, which will put
pressure on returns as cash is increasingly tied up in inventories, leading
to a death spiral as suppliers become unwilling to do business with them,
and consumers shop elsewhere.
sales is 0.1x.
Therefore, we conclude that the end has already been underway from
Sears – its market share has been eaten up by firms such as Target
and Walmart, and its core business, heavily laden with debt, is unsustainable, having failed to transition to the integrated retail model envisioned by management. With its deteriorating credit rating, it is set to
run into trouble with suppliers and will be a once-iconic North American brand consigned to the past.
Source: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/article/20141105144908-332388012-sears-holdingsseared?_mSplash=1
08
MY STORY
POWERSHIFTMSIA 2014
Mirazul attended the PowershftMsia 2014 at University Sains Malaysia, Centre for Marine and Coastal
Studies (CEMACS Penang National Park) from 16th 19th October 2014. There were seventy participants
joining the workshop from 13 countries.
Title of the workshop was “Rising Awareness on
Climate Change Focussing Points: Digital Campaigning, Policy and Governance, Understanding
Media, Creative Activism and Theory of Change”.
Md Mirazul Islam
Master of Medical
Science,
Universiti Malaya
Mirazul was the group leader of
‘MAR3K AT’s team and was the
representative from Bangladesh.
His presentation on “SAVE SUNDABAN” (the world largest mangrove forest in Bangladesh) was
selected as the best presentation
among the 13 participating countries and awarded a prize.
Valuation
Sears is in a tenuous position – it has over $5.6 billion of net debt, of
which $1.4 billion is in short-term borrowings, and is burning through
$596 million of cash. A concern is the $2.198 billion of long-term debt
that matures in 2018 – if it is unable to steer itself clear of its troubles, a
haircut or roll-over of long-term loans would worsen its credit rating further and force its vendors to pull the plug, effectively signalling the end to
its business.
Fitch, the ratings agency in a statement on the reasons for the credit
downgrade, stated Sears needs to generate a minimum EBITDA of $1
billion annually between 2014 through 2016 to service cash interest expense, capital expenditure and pension plan contributions. Though Sears
currently has $5 billion worth of property and equipment on its balance
sheet, selling off assets to raise cash is not the solution – there is a true
need for it to focus on bringing its core business back to profitability. As it
is spinning off its assets, its bonds are the best measure of market perception to the riskiness of Sears’ core business – bonds maturing in 2018
are trading at a yield of 9%, a high risk premium given the current low
interest rate environment. Equity valuations are also high: the price to
book ratio is 7.6x, compared to an industry average of 2.6x, and price to
4
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08
HAPPENINGS
08
18 OCTOBER 2014 - YK Engagement
21—22 OCTOBER 2014
YK engagement with our Khazanah Asia scholar in
USM, Kubang Kerian, Kelantan.
YK Global Scholars had an opportunity to engaged
with YK Chairman, YB Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohammed
during the MITI's Dinner and Networking programme
at High Commission of Malaysia in London, UK and in
Cambridge University, UK.
YK team with Dr. Mahmoud F.R. Abumarzouq (Khazanah Asia
Scholarship Programme - Palestine) in USM, Kubang Kerian,
Kelantan.
19 OCTOBER 2014 - External Engagement
Meeting with The the Dean and lecturers from School
of Medical Sciences, USM Kubang Kerian.
30 OCTOBER 2014 - YK Engagement
YK engagement with our scholars in Penang.
30 OCTOBER 2014
YK team with Ranjetta a/p Poobathy (Khazanah Watan Scholar),
Nehad T. A. Ramaha and Riyad A. H. Ayyad (Khazanah Asia
Scholarship Programme - Palestine) in USM, Pulau Pinang.
Muhammad Azim Mia
Paska Mia (Global scholar
in Warwick Univ) went for
hitch hike for a fund raising event to raise money
to support worldwide cancer research in their fight
against cancer. He
dressed up as zombies
and went to hitch hike all
the way to Paris without
spending a single penny
besides raising the fund
that they have targeted!
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We would like to extend a warm welcome and our very
best wishes to all our new scholars. Congratulations and
welcome to the YK family!
YK would like to wish all our Hindu scholars a prosperous Diwali.
21 OCTOBER 2014 - Khazanah Watan Scholarship Programme (PG)
Iryani Binti Mohamed Rawi
Doctor of Philosophy in Electrical
Power Engineering at UPM
Source: http://webneel.com/diwali-wallpaper
To all our Muslim scholars, YK would like to wish Salam
Maal Hijrah...
14 OCTOBER 2014 - Khazanah Asia Scholarship Programme
(PALESTINE)
Source: http://dkosonglapan.blogspot.com/2014/10/selamat-menyambut-awal-muharram.html
Tagreed S. E. Almassri,
Dphil in Education at Universiti Malaya
YK would like to wish Happy Birthday for scholars born
in the month of October. May your wish come true!
17 OCTOBER 2014 - Khazanah Asia Scholarship Programme
(INDONESIA)
Cassandra Etania Liem,
MBA at Universiti Malaya
Source : http://www.shootsacblog.com/index.cfm/postID/130/august-babies-happy-birthday
GLOBAL
-Musaddiq Adam Muhtar
-Faris bin Faizal
-Sharul Amin Bin Jaffri Amin
-Nur Adlina Farhanah Binti Mohd Hishamuddin
16 OCTOBER 2014 - Khazanah Watan Scholarship Programme (UG)
WATAN
-U Kern Rei
-Andre Ng WenHao
ASIA
-Md. Jahid Faruki
-Md. Tawhidul Hassan
From left: Adibah Amira Binti Nazarudin (Bachelor of Accounting at
IIUM), Ahmad Farhan bin Nazmi (Bachelor of Accounting at IIUM),
Ahmad Nazmi bin Bahruddin (Foundation of IT at MMU) and Mohammad Syazwi Bin Mohd Rafaee (Bachelor of Social Science with Honours
(Psychology) at UKM).
6
BESTARI
-Khadeejah Abdul Halim
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