Evaluating Intercultural Differences
I once pass by a coffee shop when I heard a commotion between an old man and a young lady. The old man speaks only hokkien and was presumably a Singaporean customer. The young lady was a Chinese national working at a chicken rice stall. Apparently, the old man made his order entirely with hokkien and it seems that the young lady misinterpreted his order with her limited proficiency in her newly acquired language. The old man refuses to pay for the wrong order. I stood there and observe as the commotion gets more and more heated. In the end, another man came into scene, which I assume was the boss of the chicken rice stall. He defuses the situation with profuse apologies and acceded to the old man’s request.
In light of the increasing trend of foreign employer in all sectors of the economy, there is an infusion of diverse cultural norms. Intercultural difference comes not only between the different racial groups, but also between Singaporeans and foreign talents. It would pose a challenge when cultural norms clashes with each other head on. As can be seen from the above mentioned incident, the old man represents the behavioural and cultural norms of Singapore, and the young lady represents that of the foreign country. Different attitudes and values emerge from their respective upbringing in their own culture and the language chasm differentiates the diverse viewpoints even more causing misunderstanding to occur. Perhaps the incident also shows that there is a need for the locals to gradually adjust their mentality. The deeply engrained cultural norms have to coincide and align with the tide of globalization. With globalization, Singapore can expect to have an influx of foreign talent which not only competes for occupational opportunities, but also living space and resources. The local have to understand that there is a need for such influx to keep the country running smoothly. We have to accept that fact and ensure that in the future such intercultural differences must be amicably resolved.
Lastly, I would like to share the following picture with you. This picture depicts not only intercultural differences but also the various non-verbal cues (NVCs). For the interpretation of the NVCs, please visit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/prakharevich/1545893326/ . You can scroll over the picture for the interpretation.
Our Final Research Topic
Have you ever experienced coming to school early in the morning for 8 am lectures, then having to wait for 6 hours for your next lecture at 4 pm? Based on this observation and problem that some students face, our group has proposed to research on having a 'Powernap House' on campus.
The 'Powernap House' is an air-conditioned lounge where students can visit between lectures/tutorials for a short nap to recharge their batteries. There will be chairs (as shown in the survey) where students can sleep on in 2 rooms one for males and one for females. We believe that by doing so, students would be able to concentrate better in classes and hence absorb the new knowledge more efficiently.
However, although we feel that this concept house may benefit students in general, we would like to limit this project to NUS at the moment. Also, to enhance the development of this concept house, our group would like to conduct a survey and research to find out if this idea is generally welcomed by NUS students, and what ideas/suggestions others could give us to improve on the concept. Lastly, we would like to obtain answers to our queries on certain issues through the survey.
Proposed Title
A Powernap House within NUS
Research Question
What are NUS student's responses to a proposed Powernap House? Do they think it is feasible and beneficial to them?
Hypothesis
NUS students welcome this idea of a Powernap House and it will provide students a place for rejuvenation, hence helping them concentrate better in class.
Problem Statement
The objective of this study is to determine if NUS students welcome the idea of a Powernap House and whether they are able to concentrate better in class after taking a power nap.
Audience/readers
Mr Joseph Mullnix (Deputy President, Administration), The Dean of various Faculties, NUSSU, any other student welfare societies.
Purpose statement
One of the objectives of this report is to inform relevant management and welfare committees of the student's views of having a Powernap house. The second objective is to convince these targeted readers that having such a concept house enhances student's productivity in class and the final objective is to encourage the implementation of this service.
Methodology
A survey would be conducted to obtain student's opinion on this idea. We would like to obtain a target of 100 surveys. Apart from the surveys, our group would conduct research through the internet on the benefits of having power naps.
Eating disorder suffered by science students
I would like to propose the following issue to be researched, it is to look into the issue of congestions in Science Faculty Canteen during lunch peak hour and propose feasible solutions to this perennial problem with the influx of ever increasing size of student cohorts.
The rationale of me choosing this particular issue is that a lack of seating often forces science students to skip their lunch due to our rigid timetables. Alternatively, students would buy takeaways and have their meals in study areas like the benches along the walkway, this secondary effect deprives students who want to revise, a revision location. Consequently, this kind of “spillover” effect poses efficiency problems, as students who want to study, can’t find a place to do so; students who want to have their lunch, would be forced to have it in study locations. Another concern that may arise with high volumes of takeaways will be the use of plastic containers that are likely to pose environmental problems.
As a science student, I have been affected by this problem. Therefore, I would like to propose that there should be addition of food stalls with seatings or café to be located at the other corners of the Science Faculty, so that the student population could be redistributed to the interest of all science students.
A survey targeted at science students, should be carried out to gauge the student’s interest in this issue and whether the general populace thinks that the canteen congestion is a serious problem that affects not only their health and happiness but also their academic performance, through primary and secondary spillover effects. Also, the survey should include possible locations for the new café (something like Megabitez). The general idea is to redistribute the student population across various locations to reduce congestions, essentially decentralising meal provision services.
Here, I would like to hear comments from the reader about the practicality, feasibility and whether it is of the student’s interest to look into this issue. And also, what do you expect the survey results to be if it is carried out.
