Category: Awareness

Mental Health Awareness: How does it expose and increase stigma?

Mental health nowadays has been taken for granted and lightly regardless of how critical the illness is. According to New Straits Times by Arumugam, one-third of adults in Malaysia are grappling with mental health issues, whether they realize it or not. A survey conducted last year by Deputy director-general of health, Datuk Dr. Lokman Hakim Sulaiman revealed that 4.2 million out of 14.4 million Malaysians aged 16 and above suffered from mental issues. Mental illnesses are health conditions involving changes in emotion, thinking, or behavior (or a combination of these) and associated with distress and problems functioning in social, work, or family activities. Anxiety, trauma, depression, and schizophrenia is commonly known as a psychological disorder. Social isolation, experiencing discrimination and even poverty could be the core causes of mental disorders. This could be the reason why individual keeps illness hidden including the fear of stigma, fear of pity, and fear of burdening others. Stigma can be defined by the Cambridge dictionary as the act of treating someone or something unfairly by publicly disapproving of them. Stigma causes people to feel ashamed for something that is out of their control. Worst of all, stigma prevents people from seeking the help they need. Therefore, the initiative to overcome this by being exposed to mental health awareness. Oxford dictionary describes exposure as the state of having no protection from something harmful. However, the misconception of mental health awareness could be viewed differently from two main perspectives which are social and media perspectives. How does mental health awareness plays role in each perspective? Is it exposure or stigmatization? This paper will argue the opinion, triggering causes, effects, and solutions from each of the perspectives.

With regard to what is shared, society is primarily concerned with a set of relationships between its members. (Moris, G.,2006). Prevention and exposure programs have been shown to result in considerable economic savings for society (Rutz et al., 1992). Community awareness of mental health increases the chances for early intervention, which can result in a fast recovery. Therefore, community awareness of mental health needs to be prioritized in order to reduce the increasing number of mental disorders victims. Mental health can now be seen as an illness and we should not make it less important than heart attack, blood pressure, or cancer. Society can play their roles by simply talking to their close ones like family and friends and be attentive to their change of behavior which might lead to common symptoms of mental illness disorder. Health promotion can be shared on social media like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter which helps bring attention to these causes and supports the movement. For a more significant impact, society also can consider joining recognized organizations at the local or national level. Organizations that we can rely on in Malaysia are the Mental Illness Awareness And Support Association (MIASA) and MENTARI Malaysia. These organizations provide experts that were trained to help them with the problem, including ways to cope with stress like support groups and prescribing medication. To conclude, with even an amount of adequate cautionary by society, mental health awareness can bring gracious benefits to those who suffer from mental illness. In the context of society, Malaysians should be more alert and supportive to help those in need by exposing their awareness of mental health.

One of the initial dilemmas facing researchers and recognized organizations in promoting mental health awareness is conceptualizing the goals and boundaries to develop the prevention and promotion of mental health awareness. However, this prevention and promotion initiative has overlapping boundaries and may elicit more stigma in society. As stated by Thornicrof in the British Journal of Psychiatry 2007, stigma occurs when society labels someone as tainted or less desirable and stigma involves three elements which are ignorance, prejudice, and discrimination. From the social perspective, the risk of promoting mental health awareness is stigmatization that takes place within the family, relatives, and friends. Stigma will lead individuals who are in distress and agonize to keep at arm’s length from seeking help for their mental health problem due to embarrassment or fear of being shunned or rejected. Schizophrenia Bulletin mentioned that another labeling factor that may influence the stigma of the mental patient is the type of institution in which the patient was treated by stereotyping the hospitalization and counseling as the place where ‘crazy’ people are put away. In addition, another threat of stigma is the reduction of mental health specialists. The stigma associated with mental disorders can result in fewer people choosing to work in the mental health field. Eighty-two percent of Saudi Arabian students and 52 percent of Romanian students surveyed felt that if a student expresses interest in psychiatry, he or she risks being seen by others as odd, peculiar, or neurotic. This will lead to a large proportion of students had been discouraged from pursuing a career in psychiatry by their teachers, family, friends, and fellow students. In a nutshell, a way to combat stigma is by initiating education campaigns. This campaign will be focused on specific groups, for example, teachers, the police, or medical students. Also, Malaysia should set England’s effort as an example for launching ‘Time to Change, the largest mental health anti-stigma campaign in 2009. Instead of stigmatizing individual who suffers the mental illness, society should learn to accept they’re different and give them a new breath to recover from the disorder. From this, stigma could be diminished and an individual who suffers would never be hurt again.

The Statistics Portal shows that in 2019, it is estimated that there will be around 2.77 billion social media users around the globe, up from 2.46 billion in 2017. This proves that media have a strong effect to create life’s standards beyond expectations. To ensure that mental health awareness can be spread worldwide, the media could be the medium to portray awareness as incredibly powerful in educating and influencing the public. People might be hard to accept peculiar things in the first place but will slowly learn to help and accept the individual who needs support to fight against the mental disorder. Mental Health Awareness Month is one of the extraneous platforms which use its online community to address issues that millions struggle with at every beat of their hearts. One of the online campaigns is the #HereForYou campaign which has been launched by Instagram. The purpose of this campaign is to help users to have pillars of strength by finding resources and support online and offline. The one-minute spot features Instagram users talking about their past struggles with eating disorders, depression, and suicidal thoughts. However, rather than hiring social influencers that have hundreds of thousands of followers, mental health awareness can be viral at one’s fingertips. Gary Morris has said in Health Promotion that government should conduct many workshops for media professionals on portraying mental health issues in the media. Last but not least, a much more practical guide should be provided on mental health in the media for trainee journalists to ensure that journalists could promote mental health awareness in manner ways before posting it on social media. By this, any disturbance of sensitivity issues on mental illness issues could be avoided.

Social awareness is the ability to accurately interpret a social environment as well as infer the emotions of others in the same environment. In this essay, the problem of social awareness shines through. Both of the examples that will be presented in the paper use powerful, emotionally charged images to raise the audience’s awareness of two major social issues. Texting and driving and saving the planet Earth beam powerful images to show the world what we’re doing wrong.

Imagine: a family taking a vacation together for maybe even just a weekend getaway. One moment you’re lost looking for directions or talking on the phone, then the next moment you’re puzzled as at the last second you see a child walking in front of your car. With little or even no time to stop, there’s nothing you can do now to save yourself from a mess you just so easily created by talking on the phone. The man in this case was on his phone, maybe talking to his boss or just a quick check in with his mother. The woman seems to be aimlessly lost and confused as to where they are or what the next direction is.

The number of car accidents involving children increases during school holidays. People as a whole need to realize the risks and dangers of texting or looking for directions while driving. I’m sure people know the risks of texting and driving, but not all of us follow through with what we say when we say we need to be better at not doing that. I know personally that it’s so hard to not want to grab your phone when you get a text, even when you’re driving where it seems okay to do it. No place or time or matter is more important than the lives of the children who walk streets every day. Approximately 660,000 drivers are attempting to use their phones while at the wheel. It’s become such a common thing that people don’t even think about grabbing their phone while driving. It only takes 3 seconds for a crash to occur after taking your eyes off the road. Which means the second you take your eyes off the road, the more likely you are to hit something or someone.

From talking about car crashes as a result of distracted driving, to the harsh reality of what is going on in the world, we tie together the social awareness raised from these two examples. The world in a bag. How awful to think of our world being contained in a plastic grocery bag. Our whole planet is becoming covered with millions and millions of items that pollute our wonderful Earth. By showing the Earth contained in a plastic bag, it shows how careless we are becoming as a whole and how mindlessly we just throw our trash on the ground or out the window of a car, without thinking about where it will go.

We often say recycle this, recycle that, but do we really do what we say we should? Every day, approximately 8 million pieces of plastic pollution find their way into our oceans. Americans use more than 300 plastic shopping bags a year, while those of Denmark use only 4 a year. Not only does this affect the people, but the wildlife that it goes out to. If a wrapper or a bag doesn’t make it into the garbage, then where does it go? It goes out to the oceans and traps animals, and may even kill them. Plastic pollution can harm land, waterways and especially oceans. It is estimated that 1-8 million metric tons of just plastic waste enters those oceans every year. If we start to clean up, or maybe not be careless on how we go about using plastic, we can save our Earth and make it clean again.

All in all, these two examples really set a sad but true description of our world. While innocent people are being killed by distracted drivers, the world is being polluted with millions of plastic items every year. The world today is careless about the use of cell phones while driving, even though the law that came out on July 1, 2019, we don’t enforce it enough. Having recycle bins doesn’t always mean it gets rightfully placed in there. I believe that as a community and as a nation, we need to really not just say the things we need to do to save our people and the Earth, but act upon it in a way that will be tremendously effective.

When it comes to ethics your thought process becomes increased because every decision you made or ever decided is based on what are your beliefs or presumably what is you ideals or goals perhaps or certain things, for example, you may be a person that believes in analytical ideals such as the results of person that tends to do the greater good for the society rather per person analytical Method seems more research and studies base things like that in the psychological order ethics is very dependent results and what can you do for the greater good in most situations (Cherry,2019). as I can continue discussing this certain topic may lead to a certain understanding as we all know how important is Ethics in the world of Psychology because the rule is to be maintained.

Ethics guidelines

With most Careers in the world usually has some code to keep things regulated in some sense their rule violation and every sanction so with that said it won’t be broken again also to add there is a standard that must be kept in line with all the guidelines with the intent, organization, procedural considerations, and scope of the applications of the ethics code. although the ethic code applies only to psychologists areas covered include but are not limited to the clinical, not counseling and School practice of psychology as it comes with certain assessments.ethics codes/guidelines are intended to guide the psychologist (American Psychological Association. 2017).

Ethical style

I believe that my general role is to determine that results do matter in a sense for example if your problems are starting to leak out you must at the beginning where the problem started like patient Zero for someone who has or had a serious threatening illness it gotta start somewhere where my belief lays believe that we each have a moral right to experience the ‘good life.’ One way to measure how good life is would be to determine how satisfied the majority of the people in our society seem to be. If most people are unhappy, something is morally wrong and needs to be fixed(American Psychological Association,2017). Therefore, my approach to ethics is likely to focus on what could be done to improve the well being of the greatest number of persons. One approach might be to develop rules of ethical conduct for people to follow, along with corresponding sanctions, to achieve what is best for society as a whole. Another quite different approach might be to improve overall satisfaction by creating a more pleasant environment in which people enjoy learning and working together for the betterment of society(American Psychological Association,2017). With either approach, that is where my ethical style demands that you must achieve measurable results as one saying goes ‘No Pain No Gain’.

Fitting perspective. My tendencies are to based on results or consequences of others actions mostly believe that the conduct should ideally be directed towards promoting the greatest good for the greater number of people it’s the judgment whether an individual actions perceive there the concrete evidence is never enough for an individual’s who’s talking the right way but the results need to follow by my estimation or the so-called walking the walk that’s my sole opinion also, in my opinion, the true goal of ethics is to achieve the greatest possible good for society as a whole for additional research I also love the fact that great philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham & John Stuart mill think this way because of utilitarian knowledge.with my tendencies.

Frustrations. Frustrations in the workplace tend to happen quite often depending on the field or subject of at hand realistically I believe in my expressive opinion I tend to frustration myself with the inability to adequately measure the far-reaching impacts of an ethical decision may compel you to focus my decision on men to compel the focal point of my decision on the immediate scope of the actual problem thereby creating conflicts with those are the same way of being results-oriented.

REsults Based. There one thing about Ethical style I believe is accurate that Results & Equity which describe matters frustrated by the wide variety of competing views regarding what is good for society as a whole and by the process used to determine whose view ultimately prevails. In attempting to maximize the general good, will, at some point, the need to measure whether my true goal is to improve the total benefit to society as a whole (the aggregate)or the total benefit per person within society (the average). Which means I will have a direct impact on my subtle approach to ethical decision making.

People who cling to the idealistic notion of protecting the interests of some minority of the population may stand in the way of achieving the good life for the majority.People you work with may not share your ethical approach, thereby interfering with your ability to achieve the desired results what is best for the greater good of society may not be best for you.

Changes for the better. Change is always better because of the considerable notice an evolving process you could changing you’re of critical method way of thinking or improve certain ethical skills in key focused areas that might help the thinking surplus 9f how I should achieve my ethics goals with my ethical style it’s Simple all about productivity and efficiency I think that most jobs are based on that certain performance. With the standards as it stands now equity seems like most stress subject at equity is simple more about being the human being in me believe that fairness is the true make of all of us we believe fairness is only if true coming from the heart most of want the true fairness at least for all because with equity it meant to from the heart true fairness thought seamless seen as the whole group of people.

Conclusion if this statement makes any sense in the world…it’s very common for us as humans to make mistakes your average human makes the typical mistake every day the good side that change possible for the better. when changes are made something more than others are seen as more simpler(Cherry,2019). With the said all of my learning with my ethical style has the tendencies to either favor the results more than fact All EAI Results in all in the psych field and also attend every aspect as well but also I feel as efficient oriented person Results-oriented perspectives are based on the consequences of actions taken. Those who score highly on this perspective find value in the bottom line. They measure the success of ethical decisions by seeking concrete evidence that a given approach provides the greatest good for the greatest number of persons.With that data means Outcomes that are positive for demonstrate the ‘greatest good,’ based on sound assessments of facts and process are good decisions.EAI has proven that with whatever reasoning you have behind a decision it’s seen, heard or memorize in some way so I guess you can whatever is greater good in your definition do it(McLeod,2019).

References

1. American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/ethics/code/
2. Cherry, K. (2019). APA Ethics Code Principles and Standards. Retrieved from https://www.verywellmind.com/apa-ethical-code-guidelines-4687465
3. McLeod, S. (2015). Psychology Research Ethics. Retrieved from https://www.
4. simplypsychology.org/Ethics.html

An earthquake is the sudden vibration of the ground caused by movements of the Earth’s crust. These disasters originate from a focus point commonly located underground in a fault zone. A fault is the fracture found inside a tectonic plate where pressure builds up and exceeds causing a release of energy (Seismic Waves) that cause the tremble of an earthquake. Two plates may collide and create friction against each other, the rocks in between push together until they rupture from the built up pressure.

Shallow earthquakes can occur near or on the ocean floor and hence may lead to causing tsunamis. To be specific, when a continental plate being pulled below by an oceanic plate, it leads to bending the plate until it suddenly can’t handle the pressure and snaps back with enough force to push excess seawater up. Consequently, the pushed seawater will spread to different directions and reach land hours later.

The country this article will focus on is Chile. Being a nation prone to earthquakes, its vital to instil awareness of the damage earthquakes and tsunamis may bring upon populated areas.

On average, about 18 major earthquakes occur per year, 8 000 unnoticed per day, 2 million minor per year and at least one of a magnitude of 8 or above. In the past five years, Chile has had a series of large earthquakes and tsunamis at magnitudes between 6.5 and 8.5. Out of the 10 earthquakes that have devastated Chile, seven brought tsunamis upon their coasts. An earthquake/tsunami in Iquique Offshore Tarapacá in 2014 with a magnitude of 8.2, resulted in 7 deaths. Another fatal tsunami at the same location in 2015 with a magnitude of 8.3 resulted in 15 deaths, and a recent earthquake in Coquimbo in January this year, at a magnitude of 6.7, had only 2 casualties.

Chile is located along a subduction zone called the Peru-Chile Trench. These recurring disasters mean the country is well-prepared when it comes to communication across cities and designing infrastructures able to withstand and leave less destruction. As developed the country is, certain areas are still in deep poverty. These small towns that the government has made few attempts at redeeming, whether it be education or employment wise, it’s a safe assumption that these places are at risk when earthquakes could occur.

EWS stands for Early Warning System. It’s a chain of communication used between different nations across the world to receive seconds, minutes or hours of notice beforehand of approaching natural disasters. Countries are able to predict these disasters and evacuate targeted areas in time.

The EWS is a very helpful contribution during evacuations in Chile, preventing thousands of deaths. It works by using sensors placed near significant fault zones, detecting waves of higher frequency than surface waves that travel underground. Two kinds of waves are usually detected on the seismographs, P and S waves. Primary waves arrive first at the targeted area (before the earthquake) because they’re able to travel through both liquid and solid layers of the Earth. Secondary waves are felt during earthquakes and are slower at arriving due to its movement limited through only solid rock.

Depending on the distance from the sensors and Chile, the early warning arrival can come as late to seconds before the disaster. However, seconds are still vital to evacuations, immediate action can be made ranging from directing lifts to nearest floors and stopping trains. In recent years, besides educating students and citizens how to evacuate and pick up early warnings independently, the EWS has also been made available to mobile phones.

Benefits of the EWS include:

• Sending early warnings to the public’s mobile phones helps let people evacuate quicker and inform others
• Death rates decrease drastically, compared to an earthquake of less magnitude in Nepal, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost without an organised EWS. Unlike Chile, the EWS saved 2 million lives.
• Buildings’ designs keep earthquakes in mind and become more concrete using information the EWS tracks
• Limitations/disadvantages of the system include:
• The government still needs to find time in people’s schedules to correctly train them on how to respond immediately after receiving seconds of notice from the EWS
• The timing when the warning arrives is very short
• There are sometimes false alarms when using only one seismograph, errors caused by noise, lightning and etc.

As movement in the earth’s crust continues to shift, it’s important to establish awareness of earthquakes and the EWS as a precaution. With each earthquake of tsunami that occurs in Chile, they learn from their mistakes and show progress in better organising evacuations to put less lives in danger. Scientists may not be able to prevent these unpredictable disasters, but they can evacuate and save more lives than lose through seismology.

1.0 Introduction

This research was to explore the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers in Kubang Pasu, Kedah district. In this chapter, the researcher highlighted the background of the study, problem statement, research objectives, research questions, the significance of the study, scope of study, limitations, and the organization of the study.

1.1 Background of the study

Halal is often associated with the dietary rules of Muslims. Like many religions, Islam prescribes a set of dietary guidelines for its believers to follow: In general, Islamic dietary law distinguishes between food and drink that are allowed known as halal and those that are prohibited called haram. These rules, while perhaps confusing to outsiders, serve to bond followers together as part of a cohesive group and, according to some scholars, they also serve to establish a unique Islamic identity. For Muslims, the dietary rules of allowed and forbidden foods are fairly straightforward to follow. The rules for how allowed food animals are killed are more complicated. Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection. Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection followed Islamic guidelines and principles. The only halal logo that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), was established on 1st January 1997 by the Government of Malaysia to take over the role of the Islamic Affairs Division or Bahagian Hal Ehwal Islam (BAHEIS). JAKIM is the one who has established Malaysia’s halal logo, implemented the halal certification system, issued halal certificates for local and export markets as well as monitored and enforcement of halal guidelines. Halal in Malaysia is well-regulated by JAKIM and Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) spearheading and leading the halal regulatory and industry development. The collaborations among ministries and government agencies are seen as among the key efforts in promoting and uplifting our halal industry to be seen as the leader globally.

that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection. The only halal logo that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection. The only halal logo that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

As JAKIM is the only main body that could certify halal food certifications, they should improve current halal practices in food industries. Halal food operators are new to the standard and need constant guidance from JAKIM. However, despite suspending or canceling the halal certificates of operators who do not comply with the halal standard, JAKIM may enforce a penalty that serves as punishment. In the perspective of the value chain, the manufacturers must play a significant role in establishing a halal concept. In addition, JAKIM should encourage small businesses, especially SMEs to apply for halal certificates. Many of food manufacturers are reluctant to apply for halal certification. However, the process for halal certification of food products is not complicated. As halal certification is important for business operators, especially in the food business, Malaysia could consider integrating and coordinating the processes and procedures for inspection and certification.

Based on Dr Izham Shah, the halal industry is expected to grow in parallel to the growth of the Muslim population. HDC reported that the global Muslim population will increase to about 27 percent of the world’s total population in the year 2030, which accounts for up to two billion Muslims. In recent years, the halal industry has attracted a growing number of interest across the globe. We all know that; the awareness of consuming halal food is not only come from Muslims but also non-Muslims because they think it is safer to purchase halal products. The reason why the halal food industry is very attractive are that it is focused on shelf life and freshness needed for food. This condition boosted the emergence and growth of the halal food market with broad acceptance among non-Muslim consumers who consider halal food as safe, hygienic, quality and wholesome products. This opportunity has been grabbed by developed countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia which mostly depend on automotive and electronic manufacturing.

As JAKIM is the only main body that could certify halal food certifications, they should improve current halal practices in food industries. Halal food operators are new to the standard and need constant guidance from JAKIM. However, despite suspending or canceling halal certificates of operators that do not comply with the halal standard, JAKIM may enforce a penalty that serves as punishment [9]. In the perspective of the value chain, the manufacturers have to play a significant role in establishing a halal concept. In addition, JAKIM should encourage small businesses, especially SMEs to apply for halal certificates.

Many of food manufacturers are reluctant to apply for halal certification. However, in [37] stated that the process for halal certification of food products is not complicated. As halal certification is important for business operators, especially in the food business, Malaysia could consider integrating and coordinating the processes and procedures for inspection and certification.

Furthermore, to meet the halal requirement, food producers are encouraged to follow the standards that in line with global benchmarks such as ISO9000, Codex Alimentarius, QA, HACCP, GHP and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Malaysia is one of the pioneers in promoting halal products in the world and is well poised to play a leading role in boosting the halal industry. To promote the halal industry and to make Malaysia the global halal hub for production and trade in halal goods and services, the government has provided incentives for halal businesses. Based on the previous study in Malaysia, it is disclosed that the level of awareness among SME towards granting of halal certification is at low level even though most of them have strong sentiments to produce halal food products since it is a decent responsibility for Muslim society.

In order to meet Malaysia’s goal as an international center of halal as well as to enhance awareness among our citizens, it should start from the beginning by instill awareness of halal food among children. The purpose of this paper is to study awareness on halal concepts in Malaysia, especially among kindergarten teachers, so that the children will notice it. This study will also discover the factor associated with the awareness of halal concepts and their practice at a kindergarten level.

1.2 Problem statement

Malaysia is now on a motion or track toward becoming a developed country by the year 2020. Thus, with such vision, Malaysia does not depend on a single sector but has various economic generators that can contribute to the country’s wealth and economic growth. In this context, one of the most important sectors is the halal food/product sector which is no longer merely an industry that complies with religious requirements to feed about 60 percent million Malaysians who are Muslims but it is becoming an economic force in itself both domestically and globally. Much has been said in the past few years about Malaysia’s drive to be a halal hub. Even though the awareness of halal and halal-certified products has increased tremendously over the past few years, awareness of halal certification has not increased much and therefore JAKIM, HDC, and government entities are taking the initiative to help boost this and bring the awareness to a higher level.

Due to this limitation, awareness from youth should be implemented. This study will focus on the concept of halal among kindergarten teachers especially kindergartens around Kubang Pasu, Kedah. As a guide, teachers need to know what is halal concept means. There are no parties that can claim the food is Halal without complying with Islamic Law. Halal and non-Halal cover all spectrums of Muslim life, not limited to foods and drinks only, but also for safety, animal welfare, social justice and a sustainable environment. Halal and Toyyiban which means clean and wholesome portray the symbol of intolerance to hygiene, safety and quality of food that Muslims consumed.

Other than that, exploring the factor associate with the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers is important because the children are the future Muslim generations who will define the practices of Islam in Malaysia. The role of teachers in being an idol and educators is very important. This study involves variables that include the factor associated of religious beliefs, self-attitude and media exposure.

The practice of the halal concept is also part that needs to be studied because we know that children at kindergarten will be served meals three times per day. All types of ingredients had been used in foods that are difficult to be understood by the public. Sometimes, the food products contain many of flavors, food coloring, stabilizers, acids and many more which are not totally halal and not safe or quite danger to customers when consuming the products. A fact shows that most do not apply for any halal standard or certification because of their perception that foods produced by Muslims are automatically halal even if they do not know the food products that they produced are totally halal, safe and healthy for consumers.

The aim of this study was to explore the awareness halal concept among kindergarten teachers in Kubang Pasu, Kedah district. Teachers were the one group of users that need to be aware of halal concepts. They should have more concern regarding of halal concept so they can practice and apply it to children in kindergarten.

1.3 Research questions

• a) Does the kindergarten teacher aware of the halal concept?
• b) What are the factor associated with the awareness of the halal concept?
• c) How does the kindergarten teacher practice halal concepts in kindergarten?

1.4 Research objectives

The research objectives designed for this research were:

• a) To explore the awareness of the halal concept among kindergarten teachers.
• b) To explore the factor associated with the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers.
• c) To investigate the practice of halal concepts among kindergarten teachers.

1.5 Significant of the study

This study is important for several reasons it is hoped that this study will directly or indirectly benefit several practices that are involved. The significance of this study is divided into three categories.

Firstly, this study will add new knowledge and understanding of halal concept awareness among teachers. Specifically, this study will help teacher to enhance their awareness of halal awareness concepts to practice at kindergarten.

Secondly, the finding of this study will help in order to explore the factor associated with the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers. This study will help to derived people especially kindergarten teachers to be aware of this halal concept.

Finally, this study will help the public and society to understand of the practice of the halal concept among teachers in kindergarten. This study will explore how teacher provides and served food for children at kindergarten. So that, we will produce a good young Muslim which will be our next generation who will practice this halal concept.

1.6 Scope of study

This study will focus on the halal practice at kindergarten around Kubang Pasu, Kedah. The practice includes on meal preparation procedure and syllabus that has been taught related to this matter. Five kindergartens have been chosen based on their contribution to Islamic Education in which they create an environment towards Islamic practice.

The discussion on practices among kindergarten operators here focuses mainly on halal concepts and practices.

1.7 Limitation

There were some limitations faced by the researcher during conducting this research. The limitations were as follows:

1.7.1 Evidence

For starters, this particular analysis needs more empirical evidence to build stronger findings on the chief concerns encountered. Future analyses have to rank the discussed issues or even unearth additional and new problems.

1.7.2 The Group of Respondents

The respondents were among teachers in kindergarten and could result inaccurate. Thus, all data may be based on experience and current knowledge without further findings and study.

1.7.3 Time Constraint

This study only covers in Kubang Pasu, Kedah district. This was because a time constraint to implement a wider place to make research. While the total of respondents for this study was only five kindergarten teachers from five kindergarten branches at Kubang Pasu, Kedah district because not all kindergartens cooperate and support this study.

1.8 Organization of study

This research will be organized and divided into five chapters. In chapter one, this research will provide the background of the study, problem statement, research questions and research objectives, significance of the study, the scope of the study, limitations and the organization of the study.

However conceptual framework will be discussed in chapter two. Additionally, it also comprises a details review of previous literature which was related on this study. The review accessible in this chapter included the discussion of halal awareness but the scope of respondents it’s different and the factors that might the awareness of halal concepts such as religiosity, self-attitude, social influence, and knowledge.

Furthermore, in chapter three it explained the research methodology used in this study. This chapter provided an introduction to qualitative methods and their use in organization studies. The researcher chooses the qualitative method was in-depth interviews. Each method is particularly suited for obtaining a specific type of data.

Moreover, in chapter four, it elaborated on the finding of the study. This chapter is concerned with the problem of how to develop qualitative insights. It discussed the issues of this research, whereas the following sections will discuss more the methodological issues associated with the research.

Lastly, chapter five of this study summarized the finding of the research in line with the research objectives that will follow by the examination. This chapter also presents the implication of the study and provided recommendations on improvement for future research.

An earthquake is the sudden vibration of the ground caused by movements of the Earth’s crust. These disasters originate from a focus point commonly located underground in a fault zone. A fault is the fracture found inside a tectonic plate where pressure builds up and exceeds causing a release of energy (Seismic Waves) that cause the tremble of an earthquake. Two plates may collide and create friction against each other, the rocks in between push together until they rupture from the built up pressure.

Shallow earthquakes can occur near or on the ocean floor and hence may lead to causing tsunamis. To be specific, when a continental plate being pulled below by an oceanic plate, it leads to bending the plate until it suddenly can’t handle the pressure and snaps back with enough force to push excess seawater up. Consequently, the pushed seawater will spread to different directions and reach land hours later.

The country this article will focus on is Chile. Being a nation prone to earthquakes, its vital to instil awareness of the damage earthquakes and tsunamis may bring upon populated areas.

On average, about 18 major earthquakes occur per year, 8 000 unnoticed per day, 2 million minor per year and at least one of a magnitude of 8 or above. In the past five years, Chile has had a series of large earthquakes and tsunamis at magnitudes between 6.5 and 8.5. Out of the 10 earthquakes that have devastated Chile, seven brought tsunamis upon their coasts. An earthquake/tsunami in Iquique Offshore Tarapacá in 2014 with a magnitude of 8.2, resulted in 7 deaths. Another fatal tsunami at the same location in 2015 with a magnitude of 8.3 resulted in 15 deaths, and a recent earthquake in Coquimbo in January this year, at a magnitude of 6.7, had only 2 casualties.

Chile is located along a subduction zone called the Peru-Chile Trench. These recurring disasters mean the country is well-prepared when it comes to communication across cities and designing infrastructures able to withstand and leave less destruction. As developed the country is, certain areas are still in deep poverty. These small towns that the government has made few attempts at redeeming, whether it be education or employment wise, it’s a safe assumption that these places are at risk when earthquakes could occur.

EWS stands for Early Warning System. It’s a chain of communication used between different nations across the world to receive seconds, minutes or hours of notice beforehand of approaching natural disasters. Countries are able to predict these disasters and evacuate targeted areas in time.

The EWS is a very helpful contribution during evacuations in Chile, preventing thousands of deaths. It works by using sensors placed near significant fault zones, detecting waves of higher frequency than surface waves that travel underground. Two kinds of waves are usually detected on the seismographs, P and S waves. Primary waves arrive first at the targeted area (before the earthquake) because they’re able to travel through both liquid and solid layers of the Earth. Secondary waves are felt during earthquakes and are slower at arriving due to its movement limited through only solid rock.

Depending on the distance from the sensors and Chile, the early warning arrival can come as late to seconds before the disaster. However, seconds are still vital to evacuations, immediate action can be made ranging from directing lifts to nearest floors and stopping trains. In recent years, besides educating students and citizens how to evacuate and pick up early warnings independently, the EWS has also been made available to mobile phones.

Benefits of the EWS include:

• Sending early warnings to the public’s mobile phones helps let people evacuate quicker and inform others
• Death rates decrease drastically, compared to an earthquake of less magnitude in Nepal, hundreds of thousands of lives were lost without an organised EWS. Unlike Chile, the EWS saved 2 million lives.
• Buildings’ designs keep earthquakes in mind and become more concrete using information the EWS tracks
• Limitations/disadvantages of the system include:
• The government still needs to find time in people’s schedules to correctly train them on how to respond immediately after receiving seconds of notice from the EWS
• The timing when the warning arrives is very short
• There are sometimes false alarms when using only one seismograph, errors caused by noise, lightning and etc.

As movement in the earth’s crust continues to shift, it’s important to establish awareness of earthquakes and the EWS as a precaution. With each earthquake of tsunami that occurs in Chile, they learn from their mistakes and show progress in better organising evacuations to put less lives in danger. Scientists may not be able to prevent these unpredictable disasters, but they can evacuate and save more lives than lose through seismology.

1.0 Introduction

This research was to explore the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers in Kubang Pasu, Kedah district. In this chapter, the researcher highlighted the background of the study, problem statement, research objectives, research questions, the significance of the study, scope of study, limitations, and the organization of the study.

1.1 Background of the study

Halal is often associated with the dietary rules of Muslims. Like many religions, Islam prescribes a set of dietary guidelines for its believers to follow: In general, Islamic dietary law distinguishes between food and drink that are allowed known as halal and those that are prohibited called haram. These rules, while perhaps confusing to outsiders, serve to bond followers together as part of a cohesive group and, according to some scholars, they also serve to establish a unique Islamic identity. For Muslims, the dietary rules of allowed and forbidden foods are fairly straightforward to follow. The rules for how allowed food animals are killed are more complicated. Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection. Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection followed Islamic guidelines and principles. The only halal logo that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

The Department of Islamic Development Malaysia (JAKIM), was established on 1st January 1997 by the Government of Malaysia to take over the role of the Islamic Affairs Division or Bahagian Hal Ehwal Islam (BAHEIS). JAKIM is the one who has established Malaysia’s halal logo, implemented the halal certification system, issued halal certificates for local and export markets as well as monitored and enforcement of halal guidelines. Halal in Malaysia is well-regulated by JAKIM and Halal Industry Development Corporation (HDC) spearheading and leading the halal regulatory and industry development. The collaborations among ministries and government agencies are seen as among the key efforts in promoting and uplifting our halal industry to be seen as the leader globally.

that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection. The only halal logo that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

Initially, the idea of using the halal logo is to help Muslim consumers to be sure of their product selection. The only halal logo that is permitted by JAKIM is the one that has the word Malaysia.

As JAKIM is the only main body that could certify halal food certifications, they should improve current halal practices in food industries. Halal food operators are new to the standard and need constant guidance from JAKIM. However, despite suspending or canceling the halal certificates of operators who do not comply with the halal standard, JAKIM may enforce a penalty that serves as punishment. In the perspective of the value chain, the manufacturers must play a significant role in establishing a halal concept. In addition, JAKIM should encourage small businesses, especially SMEs to apply for halal certificates. Many of food manufacturers are reluctant to apply for halal certification. However, the process for halal certification of food products is not complicated. As halal certification is important for business operators, especially in the food business, Malaysia could consider integrating and coordinating the processes and procedures for inspection and certification.

Based on Dr Izham Shah, the halal industry is expected to grow in parallel to the growth of the Muslim population. HDC reported that the global Muslim population will increase to about 27 percent of the world’s total population in the year 2030, which accounts for up to two billion Muslims. In recent years, the halal industry has attracted a growing number of interest across the globe. We all know that; the awareness of consuming halal food is not only come from Muslims but also non-Muslims because they think it is safer to purchase halal products. The reason why the halal food industry is very attractive are that it is focused on shelf life and freshness needed for food. This condition boosted the emergence and growth of the halal food market with broad acceptance among non-Muslim consumers who consider halal food as safe, hygienic, quality and wholesome products. This opportunity has been grabbed by developed countries such as Japan, the United Kingdom and Australia which mostly depend on automotive and electronic manufacturing.

As JAKIM is the only main body that could certify halal food certifications, they should improve current halal practices in food industries. Halal food operators are new to the standard and need constant guidance from JAKIM. However, despite suspending or canceling halal certificates of operators that do not comply with the halal standard, JAKIM may enforce a penalty that serves as punishment [9]. In the perspective of the value chain, the manufacturers have to play a significant role in establishing a halal concept. In addition, JAKIM should encourage small businesses, especially SMEs to apply for halal certificates.

Many of food manufacturers are reluctant to apply for halal certification. However, in [37] stated that the process for halal certification of food products is not complicated. As halal certification is important for business operators, especially in the food business, Malaysia could consider integrating and coordinating the processes and procedures for inspection and certification.

Furthermore, to meet the halal requirement, food producers are encouraged to follow the standards that in line with global benchmarks such as ISO9000, Codex Alimentarius, QA, HACCP, GHP and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

Malaysia is one of the pioneers in promoting halal products in the world and is well poised to play a leading role in boosting the halal industry. To promote the halal industry and to make Malaysia the global halal hub for production and trade in halal goods and services, the government has provided incentives for halal businesses. Based on the previous study in Malaysia, it is disclosed that the level of awareness among SME towards granting of halal certification is at low level even though most of them have strong sentiments to produce halal food products since it is a decent responsibility for Muslim society.

In order to meet Malaysia’s goal as an international center of halal as well as to enhance awareness among our citizens, it should start from the beginning by instill awareness of halal food among children. The purpose of this paper is to study awareness on halal concepts in Malaysia, especially among kindergarten teachers, so that the children will notice it. This study will also discover the factor associated with the awareness of halal concepts and their practice at a kindergarten level.

1.2 Problem statement

Malaysia is now on a motion or track toward becoming a developed country by the year 2020. Thus, with such vision, Malaysia does not depend on a single sector but has various economic generators that can contribute to the country’s wealth and economic growth. In this context, one of the most important sectors is the halal food/product sector which is no longer merely an industry that complies with religious requirements to feed about 60 percent million Malaysians who are Muslims but it is becoming an economic force in itself both domestically and globally. Much has been said in the past few years about Malaysia’s drive to be a halal hub. Even though the awareness of halal and halal-certified products has increased tremendously over the past few years, awareness of halal certification has not increased much and therefore JAKIM, HDC, and government entities are taking the initiative to help boost this and bring the awareness to a higher level.

Due to this limitation, awareness from youth should be implemented. This study will focus on the concept of halal among kindergarten teachers especially kindergartens around Kubang Pasu, Kedah. As a guide, teachers need to know what is halal concept means. There are no parties that can claim the food is Halal without complying with Islamic Law. Halal and non-Halal cover all spectrums of Muslim life, not limited to foods and drinks only, but also for safety, animal welfare, social justice and a sustainable environment. Halal and Toyyiban which means clean and wholesome portray the symbol of intolerance to hygiene, safety and quality of food that Muslims consumed.

Other than that, exploring the factor associate with the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers is important because the children are the future Muslim generations who will define the practices of Islam in Malaysia. The role of teachers in being an idol and educators is very important. This study involves variables that include the factor associated of religious beliefs, self-attitude and media exposure.

The practice of the halal concept is also part that needs to be studied because we know that children at kindergarten will be served meals three times per day. All types of ingredients had been used in foods that are difficult to be understood by the public. Sometimes, the food products contain many of flavors, food coloring, stabilizers, acids and many more which are not totally halal and not safe or quite danger to customers when consuming the products. A fact shows that most do not apply for any halal standard or certification because of their perception that foods produced by Muslims are automatically halal even if they do not know the food products that they produced are totally halal, safe and healthy for consumers.

The aim of this study was to explore the awareness halal concept among kindergarten teachers in Kubang Pasu, Kedah district. Teachers were the one group of users that need to be aware of halal concepts. They should have more concern regarding of halal concept so they can practice and apply it to children in kindergarten.

1.3 Research questions

• a) Does the kindergarten teacher aware of the halal concept?
• b) What are the factor associated with the awareness of the halal concept?
• c) How does the kindergarten teacher practice halal concepts in kindergarten?

1.4 Research objectives

The research objectives designed for this research were:

• a) To explore the awareness of the halal concept among kindergarten teachers.
• b) To explore the factor associated with the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers.
• c) To investigate the practice of halal concepts among kindergarten teachers.

1.5 Significant of the study

This study is important for several reasons it is hoped that this study will directly or indirectly benefit several practices that are involved. The significance of this study is divided into three categories.

Firstly, this study will add new knowledge and understanding of halal concept awareness among teachers. Specifically, this study will help teacher to enhance their awareness of halal awareness concepts to practice at kindergarten.

Secondly, the finding of this study will help in order to explore the factor associated with the awareness on the halal concept among kindergarten teachers. This study will help to derived people especially kindergarten teachers to be aware of this halal concept.

Finally, this study will help the public and society to understand of the practice of the halal concept among teachers in kindergarten. This study will explore how teacher provides and served food for children at kindergarten. So that, we will produce a good young Muslim which will be our next generation who will practice this halal concept.

1.6 Scope of study

This study will focus on the halal practice at kindergarten around Kubang Pasu, Kedah. The practice includes on meal preparation procedure and syllabus that has been taught related to this matter. Five kindergartens have been chosen based on their contribution to Islamic Education in which they create an environment towards Islamic practice.

The discussion on practices among kindergarten operators here focuses mainly on halal concepts and practices.

1.7 Limitation

There were some limitations faced by the researcher during conducting this research. The limitations were as follows:

1.7.1 Evidence

For starters, this particular analysis needs more empirical evidence to build stronger findings on the chief concerns encountered. Future analyses have to rank the discussed issues or even unearth additional and new problems.

1.7.2 The Group of Respondents

The respondents were among teachers in kindergarten and could result inaccurate. Thus, all data may be based on experience and current knowledge without further findings and study.

1.7.3 Time Constraint

This study only covers in Kubang Pasu, Kedah district. This was because a time constraint to implement a wider place to make research. While the total of respondents for this study was only five kindergarten teachers from five kindergarten branches at Kubang Pasu, Kedah district because not all kindergartens cooperate and support this study.

1.8 Organization of study

This research will be organized and divided into five chapters. In chapter one, this research will provide the background of the study, problem statement, research questions and research objectives, significance of the study, the scope of the study, limitations and the organization of the study.

However conceptual framework will be discussed in chapter two. Additionally, it also comprises a details review of previous literature which was related on this study. The review accessible in this chapter included the discussion of halal awareness but the scope of respondents it’s different and the factors that might the awareness of halal concepts such as religiosity, self-attitude, social influence, and knowledge.

Furthermore, in chapter three it explained the research methodology used in this study. This chapter provided an introduction to qualitative methods and their use in organization studies. The researcher chooses the qualitative method was in-depth interviews. Each method is particularly suited for obtaining a specific type of data.

Moreover, in chapter four, it elaborated on the finding of the study. This chapter is concerned with the problem of how to develop qualitative insights. It discussed the issues of this research, whereas the following sections will discuss more the methodological issues associated with the research.

Lastly, chapter five of this study summarized the finding of the research in line with the research objectives that will follow by the examination. This chapter also presents the implication of the study and provided recommendations on improvement for future research.