Writing Report about ASEAN

ASEAN (Association of South East Asian Nations)

Introduction
    You may notice that why nowadays, many people are concerning about ASEAN. Because within 3 years ASEAN community will be come one. Which means that 10 countries members of ASEAN will be no longer borders between each country. As Thailand is one of the member of ASEAN as a result, Thai people will definitely have some impact of this huge change. Thai people especailly Gen Y need to be prepared for the higher competition in the near future. At least, they need to know what is ASEAN??, why we become one??, what is the benefit of ASEAN??, and What we need to be prepared such as culture and language?? This is the reason why I choose to write the report about ASEAN. I hope that this information will be benefit for those who interested.

ESTABLISHMENT

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, was established on 8 August 1967 in Bangkok, Thailand, with the signing of the ASEAN Declaration (Bangkok Declaration) by the Founding Fathers of ASEAN, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.

Brunei Darussalam then joined on 7 January 1984, Viet Nam on 28 July 1995, Lao PDR and Myanmar on 23 July 1997, and Cambodia on 30 April 1999, making up what is today the ten Member States of ASEAN.

AIMS AND PURPOSES

As set out in the ASEAN Declaration, the aims and purposes of ASEAN are:

1. To accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development in the region through joint endeavours in the spirit of equality and partnership in order to strengthen the foundation for a prosperous and peaceful community of Southeast Asian Nations;
2. To promote regional peace and stability through abiding respect for justice and the rule of law in the relationship among countries of the region and adherence to the principles of the United Nations Charter;
3. To promote active collaboration and mutual assistance on matters of common interest in the economic, social, cultural, technical, scientific and administrative fields;
4. To provide assistance to each other in the form of training and research facilities in the educational, professional, technical and administrative spheres;
5. To collaborate more effectively for the greater utilisation of their agriculture and industries, the expansion of their trade, including the study of the problems of international commodity trade, the improvement of their transportation and communications facilities and the raising of the living standards of their peoples;
6. To promote Southeast Asian studies; and
7. To maintain close and beneficial cooperation with existing international and regional organisations with similar aims and purposes, and explore all avenues for even closer cooperation among themselves.

ASEAN COMMUNITY

The ASEAN Vision 2020, adopted by the ASEAN Leaders on the 30th Anniversary of ASEAN, agreed on a shared vision of ASEAN as a concert of Southeast Asian nations, outward looking, living in peace, stability and prosperity, bonded together in partnership in dynamic development and in a community of caring societies.

At the 9th ASEAN Summit in 2003, the ASEAN Leaders resolved that an ASEAN Community shall be established.

At the 12th ASEAN Summit in January 2007, the Leaders affirmed their strong commitment to accelerate the establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015 and signed the Cebu Declaration on the Acceleration of the Establishment of an ASEAN Community by 2015.

The ASEAN Community is comprised of three pillars, namely the ASEAN Political-Security Community, ASEAN Economic Community and ASEAN Socio-Cultural Community. Each pillar has its own Blueprint, and, together with the Initiative for ASEAN Integration (IAI) Strategic Framework and IAI Work Plan Phase II (2009-2015), they form the Roadmap for and ASEAN Community 2009-2015.

ASEAN Motto

The motto of ASEAN is “One Vision, One Identity, One Community”.

ASEAN Flag

1. The ASEAN Flag is a symbol of Member States’ unity and support for the principles and endeavours of ASEAN and is a means to promote greater ASEAN awareness and solidarity.

2. The ASEAN Flag represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN. The colours of the Flag – blue, red, white and yellow – represent the main colours of the flags of all the ASEAN Member States.

3. The blue represents peace and stability. Red depicts courage and dynamism, white shows purity and yellow symbolises prosperity.

4. The stalks of padi in the centre of the Emblem represent the dream of ASEAN's Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia, bound together in friendship and solidarity.

5. The circle represents the unity of ASEAN.

6. The ASEAN Flag is the reserved copyright of ASEAN.

7. The specifications of the ASEAN Flag are annexed.

              ASEAN Emblem

1. The ASEAN Emblem shall be the official emblem of ASEAN.

2. The ASEAN Emblem represents a stable, peaceful, united and dynamic ASEAN. The colours of the Emblem -- blue, red, white and yellow -- represent the main colours of the state crests of all the ASEAN Member States.

3. The blue represents peace and stability. Red depicts courage and dynamism, white shows purity and yellow symbolises prosperity.

4. The stalks of padi in the centre of the Emblem represent the dream of ASEAN's Founding Fathers for an ASEAN comprising all the countries in Southeast Asia, bound together in friendship and solidarity.

5. The circle represents the unity of ASEAN.

6. The ASEAN Emblem is the reserved copyright of ASEAN.

ASEAN Day

8 August is observed as ASEAN Day.


The ASEAN Secretariat

The ASEAN Secretariat was set up in February 1976 by the Foreign Ministers of ASEAN. It was then housed at the Department of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia in Jakarta. The existing ASEAN Secretariat at 70A Jalan Sisingamangaraja, Jakarta was established and officiated in 1981 by the then President of Indonesia, H.E. Soeharto.

The ASEAN Secretariat’s basic function is to provide for greater efficiency in the coordination of ASEAN organs and for more effective implementation of ASEAN projects and activities

The ASEAN Secretariat’s vision is that by 2015, it will be the nerve centre of a strong and confident ASEAN Community that is globally respected for acting in full compliance with its Charter and in the best interest of its people.

The ASEAN Secretariat’s mission is to initiate, facilitate and coordinate ASEAN stakeholder collaboration in realising the purposes and principles of ASEAN as reflected in the ASEAN Charter.

Secretary-General of ASEAN

The Secretary-General of ASEAN is appointed by the ASEAN Summit for a non-renewable term of office of five years, selected from among nationals of the ASEAN Member States based on alphabetical rotation. The Secretary-General of ASEAN

The Secretary-General of ASEAN 2008-2012 is

    Dr Surin Pitsuwan from Thailand.   

Conclusion

           
             For the most benefit of Thai People, we are now neccessary to get ourselve ready to be part of ASEAN community. Even ASEAN is giving our country a high benefit for several diamensions such as economic, education, military, social, technical, etc. On the other hand, there will be higher competition on your future occupation since there will be graduated people from 10 countries seeking for the job within 3 years, so the better you are ready the more advantages you will get in the future. WORK Hard, PLAY Hard for your future..!!!

 

Source: Know about ASEAN

Chapter 11: Example of information systems in any organization

Information System Of Air Asia

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         Information  Information systems are implemented within an organization for the purpose of improving the effectiveness and efficiency of that organization. Capabilities of the information system and characteristics of the organization, its work systems, its people, and its development and implementation methodologies together determine the extent to which that purpose is achieved. Air Asia has carry out three type of information system such as yield management system (YMS), customer reservation system (CRS), and enterprise resource planning (ERP) system. This system make Air Asia more effective and efficiency and possibly able to reduce the cost and eliminated inefficiency in their business.

Source: IS of Air Asia

Chapter 10: Pros and Cons of Information Technology

Some of the advantages of information technology include:

Globalization - IT has not only brought the world closer together, but it has allowed the world's economy to become a single interdependent system. This means that we can not only share information quickly and efficiently, but we can also bring down barriers of linguistic and geographic boundaries. The world has developed into a global village due to the help of information technology allowing countries like Chile and Japan who are not only separated by distance but also by language to shares ideas and information with each other.

Communication - With the help of information technology, communication has also become cheaper, quicker, and more efficient. We can now communicate with anyone around the globe by simply text messaging them or sending them an email for an almost instantaneous response. The internet has also opened up face to face direct communication from different parts of the world thanks to the helps of video conferencing.

Cost effectiveness - Information technology has helped to computerize the business process thus streamlining businesses to make them extremely cost effective money making machines. This in turn increases productivity which ultimately gives rise to profits that means better pay and less strenuous working conditions.

Bridging the cultural gap - Information technology has helped to bridge the cultural gap by helping people from different cultures to communicate with one another, and allow for the exchange of views and ideas, thus increasing awareness and reducing prejudice.

More time - IT has made it possible for businesses to be open 24 x7 all over the globe. This means that a business can be open anytime anywhere, making purchases from different countries easier and more convenient. It also means that you can have your goods delivered right to your doorstep with having to move a single muscle.

Creation of new jobs - Probably the best advantage of information technology is the creation of new and interesting jobs. Computer programmers, Systems analyzers, Hardware and Software developers and Web designers are just some of the many new employment opportunities created with the help of IT.

Some disadvantages of information technology include:

Unemployment - While information technology may have streamlined the business process it has also crated job redundancies, downsizing and outsourcing. This means that a lot of lower and middle level jobs have been done away with causing more people to become unemployed.

Privacy - Though information technology may have made communication quicker, easier and more convenient, it has also bought along privacy issues. From cell phone signal interceptions to email hacking, people are now worried about their once private information becoming public knowledge.

Lack of job security - Industry experts believe that the internet has made job security a big issue as since technology keeps on changing with each day. This means that one has to be in a constant learning mode, if he or she wishes for their job to be secure.

Dominant culture - While information technology may have made the world a global village, it has also contributed to one culture dominating another weaker one. For example it is now argued that US influences how most young teenagers all over the world now act, dress and behave. Languages too have become overshadowed, with English becoming the primary mode of communication for business and everything else.

source: http://www.smallbusinessbible.org/advan_disadvan_informationtechnology.html

Chapter 9: Characteristics of good websites and Bias information

Characteristics of good websites

1. Original, Fresh Content

    Content is king in the web world. People visit websites for the primary purpose of finding content, so make sure you deliver. Website content should be unique and up to date.

2. Target Audience

From a quick scan of your website, visitors should be able to determine what you offer and how you can benefit them. A good website will have headlines and text that speaks to the target audience’s needs and wants

3. User-Friendly Navigation

A good website has content that is easy to find. Pages should be organized and named in a way that the target audience will easily understand.

4. Simple and Professional Design

A good website will have an attractive layout that is easy on the eyes. Be sure your colors contrast well and your text doesn’t require a magnifying glass to read.

5. Speed

How many seconds will you wait for a page to load before you give up and leave a website? Many factors can affect the loading time of a website including coding, number of graphics, the server speed, traffic volume on the website and the capabilities of a user’s computer.

6. Search engine optimization

SEO is one of the most commonly neglected aspects of a website, but a website is useless if no one can find it. Think about the keywords that users may search for to find a product or service you offer.

7. Link building

Links are an important factor in determining where your website appears in search engine results. Find as many legitimate sites as you can that will link you your website.

8. Tracking

A good website is a work in progress. A nice tool like Google Analytics will keep track of the number of people who come to your website, what pages they viewed, where they came from, what keywords they used in search engines, how many left after the first page and more.

         Remember to include these characteristics in your next website design project. A professional-looking website with interesting content that is easy to navigate and can be found in search engines is sure to bring value to your business.

Here are some example of good websites in my opinion:
http://www.pantip.com/
http://www.expedia.co.th/
http://www.jeban.com/

Bias information

Information bias:  a systematic distortion or error that arises from the procedures used for classification or measurement of the disease, the exposure, or other relevant variables. It can be inaccurate, inappropriate and based on business's objective, or personal opinion.


Example of Bias information

Media Bias: A presidential infomercial posing as a news magazine distorts the record to shamelessly shill for a failed administration. Why do we criticize the man who made the high-speed trains run on time?
Political campaigns call it free media: when candidates can make their case and communicate their message through interviews and outlets that don't cost a dime.

source: http://news.investors.com/Article.aspx?id=598018&p=1&ibdbot=1

Chapter 8: Search Engine

How Do Search Engines Work?
        A program that searches documents for specified keywords and returns a list of the documents where the keywords were found. Although search engine is really a general class of programs, the term is often used to specifically describe systems like Google, Alta Vista and Excite that enable users to search for documents on the World Wide Web and USENET newsgroups.


      Search engines are not simple. They include incredibly detailed processes and methodologies, and are updated all the time. This is a bare bones look at how search engines work to retrieve your search results. All search engines go by this basic process when conducting search processes, but because there are differences in search engines, there are bound to be different results depending on which engine you use.

1. The searcher types a query into a search engine.
2. Search engine software quickly sorts through literally millions of pages in its database to find matches to this query.
3. The search engine's results are ranked in order of relevancy.

5 example of search engine links:

Chapter 7: The ideas to help and support the flooding crisis..!!!

    

          Thailand were faced with the worst flooding ever at the end of last year. There were so many people affected from that situation. More than one thousand victims had no places to live, no foods to eat and no hope. I am as a student who have little money but a big willing to put my brain, my power and time to support the flooding crisis. I had chanced to be a volunteer at the flood relief center, I were helping them to organize relatively for the victims and taking care of elderlies and patients. I was also helping to pack the survival bags to provide to those victims as well. Even I was only the small part to help them but I felt like I have done such a wonderful things in my life. And fortunately, that when there are crisis in Thailand, Thai people never leave each other alone, we are always there for you..!!!

Here are some example of links for the flooding support foundation in Thailand..!!
http://www.thaiflood.com/
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.244777298877063.58691.142765199078274&type=1
http://www.mirror.or.th/