Altruism & Altruistic Behavior in Economists’ life: A Study of Campus Politic

altruism /"altrUIz(@)m/
· n. selfless concern for the well-being of others. (Zoology) behaviour of an animal that benefits another at its own expense.
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Rayuan Semurni Kasih

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AS-SA-IDIYYAH (Jalan Senawang-Paroi) memberi peluang kepada para dermawan untuk membuat amal jariah bukan sahaja untuk diri sendiri tetapi juga untuk orang-orang yang disayangi, terutama yang telah kembali ke Rahmatullah.
…kita yang masih hidup bolehlah menderma kepada sekolah agama sebagai salah satu bakti untuk arwah tersebut selain dari mengadakan kenduri-kenduri arwah yang sudah biasa dilakukan.
… As-Sa-idiyyah (terdiri daripada sebuah sekolah rendah Islam bersepadu dan sebuah Maahad Tahfiz Al-Quran di peringkat menengah) adalah sebuah institusi pendidikan Islam yang tidak bermotifkan keuntungan.. dimiliki dan didokongi oleh masyarakat sepenuhnya serta diuruskan secara professional.
…tumpuan terhadap pembinaan prasarana Sekolah Menengah Islam As-Sa-idiyyah yang dianggarkan bernilai lebih RM15 juta…juga melengkapkan kemudahan Maahad Tahfiz dan sekolah rendah.
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Derma biasa
Sedekah arwah (min RM50)
Sukarelawan (kutipan & sokongan)
Wakaf (min RM1000)
Pelepasan cukai Yayasan Uniti (> RM1000)
Cek/Bank draft/ Money order/BIMB online -sekali gus or beransur bulanan

Dengan nama Allah Yang Maha Pemurah dan Penyayang
Al-Fatihah
“Ya Allah..kami panjatkan doa ini sebagai penghargaan kepada para dermawan…
Ampunilah mereka dan ahli keluarga mereka, sama ada masih hidup ataupun yang telah pergi. Terutamanya kepada arwah-arwah yang dinyatakan. Kasihanilah mereka, selamatkanlah mereka, dan berilah kemaafan kepada mereka, rezeki yang melimpah-ruah serta ketenangan hidup dan hindarkanlah mereka daripada azab kubur dan api neraka. Masukkanlah mereka ke dalam syurga Mu.
Ya Allah..Ya Tuhan sekalian alam. Amin.”

P/s: Silalah perpanjangkan risalah ini kepada orang lain.
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Conclusion:
Senang cakap dlm bahasa Melayunya- Gajah sama gajah berkelahi, kancil (moi) di tengah jugak yang mati tersepit….:-( *sedey+frust+keliru*

Intro:
Chapter one of any economic textbook usually starts with describing the basic assumption that an economic person is a rational, utility (units measuring satisfaction) maximizing individual. It simply means that more is always better, unless one already reach the satiation point such that more of a thing (goods or services) can lead to a state of disutility –law of diminishing returns is applicable here. For example, imagine a thirsty traveller being given a glass of water one after another. Of course, the satisfaction that one gets from the first glass is much greater than the second glass and so on. Given the limitation of the size of the stomach, i.e. no longer thirsty, the continuation of input of water will eventually make the person with the full stomach to throw up.

Background:
Now, from a graduate student point of view, climbing the corporate ladder (to satisfy needs of self-actualization etc.) is equivalent to getting all the paper qualifications as prescribes by social convention from basic diploma, degree, right to advance professional qualifications/degrees. In my particular case & stage of graduate career, my life will be most complete if I were to finish writing up the dissertation – a series of essays- ASAP. This is where the collaboration between student & lecturers necessarily come in – as supervisors in the form of a graduate committee for each candidate.

Problem statement:
However, faculties have needs too. The desire to raise in rank from a junior lecturer, senior lecturer, associate professor, right through full professor which is to a large degree depend upon the amount of published work. So, we are back to the previous issue on co-authoring papers. At the same time, faculties are also competing against one another – not everybody get to be a professor (until a certain quotas fulfilled). So, there are instances of jealousy, tarik-tali, stolen research idea, blahblah..
At the lower stage (masters’ level), the one-to-one relationship is definitely easier to manage. One-to-many relationship that comes in terms of matching the candidate & each of the dissertation committee members is simply nerve-wrecking, definitely not for a soft hearted! It’s such a delicate issue of balancing the needs of one party against another party involved.

So, tell me – where & how does altruism play a role in all these?

Theoretical framework:
BTW, in advance Macro class, the concept of altruism can be found in the overlapping generations model whereby the theory assumes selflessness on part of the older generation (i.e. parents leaving bequest to their children) and also by the young generation (in the form of gift to parents) which somehow accumulate into sort of multiplier/ripples effect at the macroeconomic level – affecting the savings & capital stock of the nation.
But, it is also possible that parents accumulate wealth & leave bequest to their kids in as a form of safety net for the later part of their life – needing the guarantee of care (& love perhaps) from the kids?

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Quote for 2day:
The paradox is now fully established that the utmost abstractions are the true weapons with which to control our thought of concrete facts. - A.Whitehead