Mock exam revised

There are several problems which hinder ethical products from entering the mainstream consumer market. How can such problems be resolved?

Public concern over the pollution caused by the solid waste produced in our daily life has gone up in the recent years in Singapore. Tan (2007) reported that healthier food and cosmetic products retail shops have increased rapidly in last six years. However, the respond is not satisfactory. There are many factors hindering the ethical products from entering the mainstream consumer market. The main problems are the expensive cost of ethical products and lack of public awareness over ethical products. These problems can be resolved by the joining effort from the government and the retailers.

According to Mr. Eric Chew (Tan, 2007), “environmentally safe dishwashing liquid here was triple the price he used to pay in Australia”. This is a common problem happening in Singapore. If you have the habit of going to supermarket, you would have noticed that how much an organic apple cost more than an ordinary one. Most of the people wouldn’t even give a second thought for buying that. If the cost of the goods is much higher than the affordable or reasonable price, people are not willing to pay for it. This will eventually loose the potential customers of the ethical products (EPs for short). The solution is quite obvious here, that is to reduce the price of EPs. To achieve this goal, government can play a leading role by reducing the tax or absorbing the GST (good and service charge) of the EPs. The cheaper price will encourage more people to buy EPs and as the demand go up the supply will follow up and eventually the price will become more affordable to a wider range of customers.

Another problem is the lack of awareness of the public. Recently, there are many activities, advertisements and promotions about environmentally friendly life styles in town. Public are aware of the fact that global warning and all sources of pollution are caused by human activities but most of them do not have the knowledge to adopt environmentally friendly life style. All of this information may be easily available to the younger generations but they may not be as easily accessible as for the older generation. As a solution, government and retailers can work together to promote the knowledge on the advantages of using EPs and the impacts of EPs over the environment. Retailers can put up some signs and explanations about the EPs in their stores. As the public awareness increased, there will be more people willing to pay more to save the environment. This will again inspire more people to invest in EPs and there will be more variety of EPs in the market at an affordable price.

To reiterate this, the EPs can be promoted to enter into the mainstream market by the jointly efforts of government and retailers together with the public.

References

Tan. D. W. (2007, February 11). Buying a better world. The Straits Time, p. L6.

Final essay

What effects might a university student with high emotional intelligence experience in the academic and social arenas?


“Higher education aims to nurture critical, creative and independent learner”, wrote (Pan, 2007, p. 3). Marshall and Rowland (1993) also mentioned that higher education means “independent learning”, and they added, “learning is a personal process” (p.17), so that the abilities of a student to plan and manage his/her studies and life become very important. Therefore, how much a student can achieve depends on himself/herself. Goleman (1995) stated that emotional intelligent (EI for short) contributes 80% to the success of a person (as cited in Hang, 1999, para. 2). According to Hang, EI includes intrapersonal skills and interpersonal skills. From these observation, it is clear that student with high emotional intelligent (EI for short) will benefit in both academic and social arenas.

Academically, a student with high EI is able to identify his/her priorities and understand his/her own feelings. For examples, he/she will not waste time on something which is not important and he/she can make wise decisions and choices between academic and personal aims. Marshall (1993) stated that “physical and emotional conditions directly affect the study of student”. Marshall further explained that everyone has “different body rhythms and cycles” (p. You 3), some people are active in the night and some in the day time. Thus, it is important to have the ability to understand one’s own feelings. To illustrate this, the high EI student can understand the numbers of sleeping hours he/she needs a day, the best mental condition for study and the environment he/she needs in order to concentrate in the study. These will ensure him/her to plan and manage his/her time properly and work more effectively.

Apart from understanding one’s physical condition, EI will also motivate and encourage the student to explore and challenge more. Gardner (1993) stated EI can help student to identify his/her “area of strength” so that he/she can develop that strength. He added that student will also build up “self-esteem from a job well done” (p. 206), which in turn will give the student courage to challenge more difficult problems. Furthermore, because he/she is more often self-motivated, he/she is also willing to spend more time and works harder in the subjects he/she studies. As a result, the student is unconsciously receiving and learning more knowledge.

Moreover, a high EI student studies in a smart way by developing curiosity and interest in the subjects he/she studies. As a result, he/she won’t get bored with the subject because of its contents or feel scared because of its difficulties. This helps him/her to take the initiative to learn. An active learning attitude will improve the relationship between the student and teacher also. This kind of harmonic relationship will provide a healthier mind to the student.

In social arena, the student with good interpersonal skills will help himself/herself and surrounding peoples to achieve more. Gardner pointed out that while a university provides independent learning environment that doesn’t mean it encourages self achievement alone. A person alone may not achieve something significantly great. It requires a group of dedicated people working together and helping each other. So, it is very important for a university student to have good relationship with other people. The high EI student can understand the importance of good communication and he/she will establish good relationship with lecturers, tutors and other students. For example, a group with good cooperation and dedicated group members will eventually produce high quality work. As a result, everyone in the group will achieve more.

Besides achieving more, the student with high EI will have an effective learning experience. He/She has a heart for empathy. For instance, he/she is often in a position to help. Helping other people will give the student chances to be exposed to other cultures and which can improve the friendship at the same time. Eventually, he/she can receive help from other people also. Moreover, ideas can be shared with his/her friends during the studies. In this way, he/she will learn more methods and alternatives to solve a particular problem. And hence, learning becomes more effective. In addition, friends can also provide mental support when needed.

Last but not least, the student with high EI will have a less stressful student life. For example, an outgoing personality will help him/her participate in co-curriculum activities actively. Through these activities, he/she can make new friends, pick up new skills, develop leadership skill and he/she can have fun at the same time. These activities will not only enhance his/her social life but also reduce the stress of the academic life.

Finally, I would like to conclude that a student with high EI will benefit in both academic and social arena. Furthermore, with the strong social network and good attitude toward studies, he/she will become a successful student.

References

Gardner, H. (1993). Multiple intelligences: The theory in practice. New York: BasicBooks.

Hang, C. C. (1999). Nurturing emotional intelligence in university students. CDTL Brief. March 1999, Vol. 2, No.1. Retrieved Oct 11th, 2007, from

http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/brief/v2n1/default.htm

Marshall, L., & Rowland, F. (1993). A guide to learning independently (2nd ed.). London: Buckingham.

Pan, D. (2007). The effective student (4th ed.). Singapore: Continental Press.