OUMH1203

FACULTY OF EDUCATION AND LANGUAGES (FEL)

______________________________________________________________________

OUMH1203
ENGLISH FOR WRITTEN COMMUNICATION
MAY 2015 SEMESTER

MATRIC NO.

800925035973001

NRIC NO.

800925035973

TELEPHONE NO.

013-9677543

EMAIL ADDRESS

azmi_derahman@yahoo.com

TUTOR NAME

RENALDO DE LOS SANTOS

LEARNING CENTRE

TAWAU, SABAH

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CONTENTS

Essay 1

3-4

Essay 2

5-6

Essay 3

7-8

Essay 4

9 - 10

Essay 5

11 - 12

References

1.0

PAGE

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ESSAY 1
3

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Public transport is no longer a major means of transportation nowadays. It has been

observed that people prefers to use their private vehicles such as cars to commute instead
of using the public transport. Today's people are becoming more aware of environmental
issues. Congestion and air pollution are concerning problems common around the world.
To tackle this phenomenon, a numbers of campaign have been launched and reducing
numbers of private vehicle used daily on streets by using public transport instead is an
effective solution. People will take up a new habit of going by public transport if three
conditions below are met: long-term benefits related to morality, financial interest and
logistical convenience.
In moral viewpoint, people must be convinced of benefits related to morality in the long
run. Driving private cars is much more convenient than sharing room and seats with
other commuters on a bus or a subway. However, if every individual's demand is
satisfied, there will be no room left for the mutual interest of public and no advantage that
can be passed to our future generations. It is immoral to let our children grow in
pollution, in serious consequences resulted from irresponsibility of their parents.
From financial point of view, people will switch from private vehicles to public ones if
they see clearly the benefits of public transportation is plentiful. Cutting heavy road tax
and reducing fuel cost are two prominent benefits of switching vehicle. The money
saving, in turn, can be reinvested in electronics, clothing, travelling or holiday.
However, drivers cannot be persuaded if the opportunity cost of travelling by public
transport is higher than the logistical convenience of going by private vehicle that they
are enjoying. Only when public transport provide commuters with more convenience in
logistic, more responsiveness in delivering service and more punctuation in schedule, the
people will give up their old habit of going by their own vehicle. Buses themselves
should provide improved facilities such as Wi-Fi access, comfortable seats, real time
journey information at some bus stops and better accessibility.

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Buses and trains should be kept clean and well managed in such a way that will attract
people. Special considerations should be given to the aged, children, the disabled and
pregnant women. Terminals and stations should be situated closer to residence, shopping
malls and offices for easy access so that people wont have to trek a long distance.
Transportation should be made swift and reliable by constructing alternative roads for
public transports alone. This will assure the people that it is hassle-free and the issues of
traffic jam will be eradicated.
Public transport is often quicker and cheaper than using a car especially in congested
urban areas where parking is limited. Because it causes less pollution and congestion,
greater use of public transport has benefits for the environment and our communities too.

In conclusion, although it is hard to persuade driver to go by public transport, there are

many effective ways to convince them. More importantly, if governments,
environmentalist, activists and experts together take a holistic approach, sooner of later,
more and more people will go by buses or trains.

2.0

ESSAY 2

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The world we live in today is a large and diverse melting pot of people in which many
different kinds meet and interact on a daily basis, both online and in person. Some may
find language barriers or cultural differences make things difficult to understand. Others
may just feel uncomfortable around people with different colored skin. However, it is
important to get along with people of all kinds, both in the workplace and in day to day
life.
Some ways how we can better get along with people of different racial, cultural, ethnic,
and religious backgrounds are as follows: The first and most versatile way is to treat each
person with unbiased, colorblind, equality. Regardless of background, one can always
talk about art, music, hobbies, interests, and pop-culture. In doing so, one may discover
surprising things in common with many outwardly different people. This is a good way
to bond with anyone, regardless of differences and build a strong foundation for
friendship.
Once a good friendship has been established, you may wish to try learning more about
them. Perhaps the best way to do this is by asking them questions. Do not be afraid to
ask about anything you are curious about or do not understand. You may learn many
things from a person about their culture simply by asking, but you may also learn from
other sources once you have opened that door. Books, the internet, and international fairs
and exhibitions are all excellent places to learn many things about other cultures. Formal
classes on language, culture, and religions of others are also a good option for those who
have time and money to do so.
When learning about a person's culture there are many surprises. You may find both
things that you like and things that you dislike about another culture or background.
While both good and bad are important and cannot be erased, one cannot weigh one
against the other, and should try one's best to hold them to equal regards. For the sake of
friendship, it is best to keep only the good in mind and avoid conversation topics about
the bad. However, if one wishes to discuss such things; it is best to do so neutrally by
asking their opinion on the matter. That way, one can talk further if the person agrees

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with their opinion against it or hold one's tongue and change topics, if the other disagrees
in favour of it.
In the diverse melting-pot in which we live, it is important to get along with as many
different people as one can. While not all of these methods can be applied to every
situation, one thing is for sure, all people can get along, if we treat everyone the same,
keep an open mind to their culture, and try to be as understanding as we can be. We must
bare in mind there are no people better or worse as a whole. After all, we are all human
and live in the same earth.

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3.0

ESSAY 3

Digital Textbooks are being implemented in Malaysian schools. It effectively means that
students will be able to eventually opt out of carrying heavy physical books, and simply
accessing everything from the Internet. On the surface, this looks like a great step
towards leveraging modern technology for education. Students will be allowed to bring
their own devices to the classroom.
There are only two problems with this scenario, both involve access to the technology.
Firstly, is a matter of the digital device. Not everyone has access to computers or tablets.
Income inequality between urban and rural communities results in less technology going
around places that are not massive cities. For instance, statistics for 2012 show that the
average income for urban areas is RM5,742.00 while rural areas average about
RM3,080.00 That raises the question then, how will these people afford devices to access
the digital content? Tablets are not cheap. Even an off brand version from the
backwaters of China cost about RM399.00 Thats just for one device; consider that
families are, on average, about 4 to 6 people. Two or three tablets need to be purchased
to get the most out of schools.
Naturally, the challenge is not only providing students with devices to access the alldigital content that is set to appear in 2025, but also providing technical support for
schools in order to ensure lessons continue uninterrupted. To be fair, several pilot
projects are already being implemented with Yes 4G already providing Internet
connectivity to some 10,000 primary and secondary schools nationwide. Similarly, costsaving Google Chrome books are being deployed in selected schools.
The other issue with using electronics in class is a matter of how effective it really is.
This is compounded by the fact that the Ministry will eventually allow students to bring
their own tablets to classrooms. How does anyone intend to keep students focused on the
teacher while they have access to the entire Internet?

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However, moving to a completely digital education system is inevitable. We cannot

avoid it simply because there will be issues in deploying the scheme. Fortunately, the
plan extends for 13 years, which allows for plenty of time to plan for any eventual
shortcomings. Nobody will argue that there is a need for improvement in the national
education system and creating a plan for reaching the future is more than a necessity.
That being said, it would be nice to have a more information on how we intend to achieve
this.
Additionally, it outlines the governments approach to addressing the digital device.
Supposedly by experimenting with alternatives for ICT facilities like lending
notebooks for libraries and computers-on-wheels. Ideally, this reduces the number of
devices that will have to be provided to students. Student information could easily be
stored in the cloud, which would make it not only easier to share devices with other
students, but also allow parents to track the development of their children.
Malaysia may not be able to fully deploy digital textbooks yet, but the future is not
entirely bleak. There is some semblance of a plan, despite it not being fully detailed to the
public yet. Perhaps a greater concern is whether our next generation will be able to take
advantage of the tools provide to them.

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4.0

ESSAY 4

For people who remember a time before cell phones and tablets, it can be mind-boggling
to consider how communication has changed. In less than two decades, the development
of technology like wireless Internet, text messaging and smart phones have wildly
transformed the way people connect with each other. Whether or not you embrace the
multitude of new communication devices on the market, there is no getting around the
fact that technology has made communication better.
In a world where people are increasingly physically isolated from friends and family due
to finances, distance or a packed schedule, technology makes it easier to stay in touch.
Instead of taking the time to write and mail a letter, you can touch base with a simple
Facebook comment. Furthermore people who spend time with technology can drop
personal attachments with other people like their family, relations and friends. Because
they use computers as a tool for communication via instant messaging services like Skype
and Email services. Working in front of a computer is although a fantastic idea, but still
on the opposing side internet users must be aware of consequences and that could affect
their health.
With modern communication technology, it is possible to reach hundreds of people
instantly. With a single tweet or Facebook post, you can get the opinions of all of your
friends and followers. Whether you're looking for an opinion on a first date outfit or
wondering about which logo works better for your new business, technology allows you
to crowdsource opinions. The scope of crowdsourcing goes far beyond personal opinion.
With communication technology, you can improve the content and quality of in-person
contact. Cell phones, text messages and email make it easy and quick to arrange
meetings, even at the last minute. There's no need to sit at home waiting for the phone to
ring or worry about missing a call, Just with a single text, you can find a friend nearby
and arrange a for a meeting. Once you're in the same place, you can get right down to
serious matters instead of wasting time on the mundane details of day-to-day life.

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In an era when time is money, technology helps businesses improve communication with
customers and cut customer service costs. In most cases, customers no longer have to trek
to a store or spend hours on hold to get an answer to a question or complaint. Instead,
they can send an email, search an online database or exchange instant messages with an
employee. Technology like customer relationship management software also helps with
data management and analytics, so companies of all sizes can tailor their communication
approach. Social media technology is particularly useful for customer service, both for
business owners and consumers. The visibility and transparency of social media pressure
a company to improve its response time and communication style, which improves the
customer experience.
Finally, technologies integral especially to the Internet help spread the net of
communication by tracking down old friends, shedding light on new business
opportunities, creating new opportunities for business and personal purchasing, and
similar ventures.

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5.0

ESSAY 5

Tolerance is the practice of permitting a thing of which one disapproves,

such as social, ethnic, sexual, or religious practices. It can also be define
as a fair, objective and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions,
practices, race, religion and nationality differ from ones own freedom
from bigotry, opinions and practices. Tolerance plays an important role in
our everyday life in our society. If one looks at it objectively it is a
situation where each person irrespective of caste, creed, religion, language
or geographical location learns to be tolerant with the other person and
learns to respect his way of life. Being tolerant or practicing tolerance is
easier said than done. It requires lot of practice and courage to do it.
There are small situations like handling day to day traffic jams. If one
tries to find out why it has happened in the first place, we would certainly
find out that it is because of our inherent quality of being selfish. A bit of
giving on our part would have ensured that the flow of traffic is much
smoother. Even in a household, disputes between a husband and a wife,
parents and their children is essentially born out of the fact that either of
them is not being tolerant and accommodative. In a society, tolerance is
important to have a smooth flow of governance among its residents or
people living in that place. If there is no tolerance within a society, people
may become uncooperative and lacks respect with one another.
In an age where the electronic media has drawn us closer together into what is called a
global village, or a global society, its benefits will only be felt when mutual goodness
prevails, when mutual respect and understanding prevail. In this globalisation, where
people of different backgrounds, cultures and religions are living together, and where the
world has become multicultural and full of diversity, establishing tolerance and harmony
has become very crucial and important, and fostering mutual love and affection has

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become vital. Without tolerance and harmony the lasting peace of societies cannot be
maintained, and loyalty for each other cannot be established.
Lack of tolerance leads to fighting, violence, and finally it destroys the peace and security
of society. When people fail in their arguments they become intolerant, and then they use
force and aggression to support their point of view. We have seen considerable incidents
in recent history where, because of lack of tolerance, people have attacked people of
other faiths, their places of worship, their communities. How nice it would be if everyone
tries to express himself in a decent and respectful way with tolerance.
The world is full of diversity, and that is the beauty of our universe. If there had not been
any diversity, the world would appear boring and unattractive, and without any
competition. This is why we believe tolerance is important: because it is an essential
aspect of a healthy, liveable society. In fact, it is the only way in which a country as
Malaysia can function and use each and every difference to make its people thrive rather
than suffer.
(2,594 words)

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6.0

REFERENCES

Jones, M. (2010). Sustainable event management a practical guide. London: Earthscan.

Alperson, P. (2002). Diversity and community: An interdisciplinary reader. Malden, MA:
Blackwell Pub.

Malaysia Country Study Guide Strategic Information and Developments. (2012). Intl
Business Pubns USA.

Solway, A. (2010). Communication: The impact of science and technology (North

American ed.). Pleasantville, NY: Gareth Stevens Pub.

Bollinger, L. (1986). The tolerant society: Freedom of speech and extremist speech in
America. New York: Oxford University Press ;.

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