FACULTY OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCE AND POLICY STUDIES BACHELOR OF ADMINISTRATIVE SCIENCE ADS460 MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES AM2381B GROUP 1: MERCY MALAYSIA PREPARED FOR: DR. KHAIRIYAH BINTI HAJI MD SHAHID PREPARED BY: NAME ID STUDENTS NUR FAZRINA AZUREEN BINTI MAHADI DERMA 2023858244 MUHAMMAD HAIKAL BIN NOOR HELMI 2023622748 NUR SYAZWANIE BINTI ZAMRI 2023858448 SITI NUR AQILAH BINTI AZMAN 2023465852
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Alhamdulillah, Thank you to Allah SWT, we would like to praise and thank you for giving us the strength and because of His blessing, we finally managed to accomplish this assignment. Without His blessing, we wouldn’t have gone this far. First and foremost, we would like to express our gratitude to Dr. Khairiyah binti Hj Md Shahid, lecturer of Faculty of Administration Science and Policy Studies, who was a constant source of inspiration. She encouraged us to think creatively and motivated us to work on this assignment without giving it a second thought. She expressed full support and provided us with the different teaching aids that were required to complete this assignment. She believed in us even when we could not believe that we could do it. Her invaluable help of constructive comment and suggestion throughout the experimental work has contributed to the success of this report. Also, deepest gratitude goes to our parents for always trusting in us and teaching us to believe in our abilities and strengths and never give up until the goal is achieved. We are thankful to all our friends who extended their moral support, and above all, we are thankful to God for being with us and giving us the wisdom and ability to do this assignment. Lastly, we are also thankful to every member of this group. This assignment cannot be completed without effort and co-operation from our group members. We always work hard to produce a good assignment with our full commitment and responsibility. It was each and every individual’s contribution that made this assignment a success. We were always there to lift each other up, and that was what helped us stay together till the end. 1
TABLE OF CONTENT DOCUMENTATION OF PRESENTATION 3 TEMPLATE A : GANTT CHART 4 TEMPLATE B : PRESENTATION TOPIC SELECTION 6 TEMPLATE C : WORK ORGANIZATION AND DELEGATION 7 INTRODUCTION 11 LEADERSHIP STYLE 15 DECISION-MAKING APPROACH 16 DECISION MAKERS STYLES 17 ETHICAL ISSUES THAT MERCY MALAYSIA FACED 19 CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY 22 COMPANY BIGGEST CHALLENGES 24 EFFORTS TAKEN BY LEADERSHIP 26 CONCLUSION 28 REFERENCE 29 2
DOCUMENTATION OF PRESENTATION Draft 3
TEMPLATE A : GANTT CHART 4 ACTIVITIES WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4 WEEK 5 WEEK 6 WEEK 7 WEEK 8 WEEK 9 WEEK 10 WEEK 11 WEEK 12 WEEK 13 WEEK 14 Group formation Topic Selection Brainstormin g presentation outline Template A,B and C Division of duties Introduction of Mercy Malaysia Discussion about leadership, decision-maki ng approach/styl e Discussion with lecturer
5 ACTIVITIES WEEK 1 WEEK 2 WEEK 3 WEEK 4 WEEK 5 WEEK 6 WEEK 7 WEEK 8 WEEK 9 WEEK 10 WEEK 11 WEEK 12 WEEK 13 WEEK 14 Challenges and issues in CSR Follow up Infographic Poster Powerpoint presentation Presentation Complete the report
TEMPLATE B : PRESENTATION TOPIC SELECTION Areas of interest : The most significant challenge that occurs to a Non-governmental organization (NGOs) that we have picked, as well as the company's efforts to overcome the problems. Nominated topics : 1. World Wildlife Fund (WWF) 2. Mercy Malaysia 3. Epichome 4. Greenpeace 5. EcoKnights Final topic chosen : Mercy Malaysia Reasons why the topic is chosen : The reasons for choosing Mercy Malaysia are because it focuses on providing medical relief, sustainable health-related development and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities, in both crisis and non-crisis situations. As a non-profit organization, MERCY Malaysia relies solely on funding and donations from organizations and generous individuals to continue their services to provide humanitarian assistance to beneficiaries, both in Malaysia and internationally. MERCY Malaysia also adopts the Total Disaster Risk Management (TDRM) approach to their work which applies disaster risk management to all the phases of the disaster management cycle – from emergency response, to recovery, prevention/mitigation and preparedness/readiness. 6
TEMPLATE C : WORK ORGANIZATION AND DELEGATION Milestone Task Description Person in Charge Target Completion Date Comments Task given Received task by lectures and have been explained well Dr. Khairiyah Week 1 - 2 We comprehended what the lecturer had said and had a good understanding of the job. Overall, the process went smoothly. Group formation, topic selection and division of work Choosing group members, topic and jobs delegation Everyone Week 1 - 3 The necessary process went off without a hitch. By holding a class discussion, five people were suitably chosen to create a group. Finally, final decisions were reached, and the group was formed. Haikal, Wani, Aqilah, Fazrina, and Nisrin are the members of the group. Unfortunately, Nisrin was unable to be with us until the end. Furthermore, the work or task distrib`ution went steadily and with the approval and agreement of each member, there was no complexity during this period. Divided the subtopic task among group members ● Everyone chooses the subtopic for their research task. ● Each member is Task for each members : Introduction - (Fazrina) Leadership Style - (Haikal) Week 4 - 5 Division of tasks to make sure all the work can be done on time and in an orderly manner. 7
assigned at least two or three subtopics Decision Making Approach, Style - (Syazwanie) Ethical Issue, Organization CSR - (Aqilah) Challenges - (Aqilah and Fazrina) Effort (Haikal) Gantt Chart ; Template A - (Syazwani) Presentation Topic Selection ; Template B - (Aqilah and Syazwani) Work Organisation and Delegation ; Template C - (Aqilah and Fazrina) Group discussion and internet search Collect all information from various resources based on the subtopics assigned. Everyone Week 6 - 8 Each member provides their own ideas to identify the optimal solution, which carefully considers various essential elements and ensures that the specific requirement is appropriately addressed. Following that, particular persons will be hired to provide the necessary information. Each member will be allocated different tasks and 8
divisions to ensure that nothing is overlooked in performing the assigned task. Searching and locating information for each component together. This phase is a little tricky because the information we're seeking for isn't found, but all members first state everything they're looking for so we can choose later. We help each other find the information that we need. Gathered and made a group discussion, going through slides to be prepared for presentation. Made a group discussion to make sure that all of the slides are done and all the information for presentation are ready. Everyone Week 9 Done our group discussion in class within the tutorial class time. Make another group discussion to make sure all the articles inserted in the slides references are legal. ● Collect a few articles from the internet according to the requirements that are needed. ● Make sure all the articles come from the right sources to prevent fake news. Everyone Week 10 - 11 The discussion was held in the tutorial class. Presentation infographic and slides ● Came early to set up the laptop and the slides. ● Present our slides in Everyone Week 12 It went smoothly, the presentation was held in the tutorial class. 9
front of all classmates and lecturer. Finalized our final report ● To ensure all the group members are prepared for the final adjustment of the report. ● Editing and compiling the final report Everyone Week 13 Discuss how to arrange our final report before submitting to the lecturer. Submission Final Report submission Everyone Week 14 Last edit and adjustment are made, everything went well. 10
INTRODUCTION HISTORY MERCY Malaysia was founded by Dr Jemilah Mahmood in 1999 in response to the conflict in Kosovo. Finding no pre-existing organization that could sponsor her to volunteer her medical services there, she and a group of friends registered MERCY Malaysia with the Registrar of Societies with the objective of providing medical relief. Working with Helping Hands USA, MERCY Malaysia then sent a total of five missions to Kosova to provide mobile medical care. That same year, MERCY Malaysia sent relief teams to Turkey in response to the 1999 İzmit earthquake. In 2000, MERCY Malaysia provided medical assistance to the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) due to the Maluku sectarian conflict in Indonesia. 2001 saw the organization responding to the medical needs of the survivors of the 2001 Gujarat earthquake. In October 2001, the organization sent a team to Afghanistan to serve the IDPs at refugee camps while in November MERCY Malaysia responded to the survivors of the Cambodia floods in Kampong Cham. This proved to be one of the earlier tests of governance and decision-making for MERCY Malaysia's operational priorities. Ordinarily, decisions are made through consensus within the executive council, but they had to redirect their primary fundraising and networking efforts from Cambodia to Afghanistan because of widespread interest from stakeholders for the latter country. While MERCY Malaysia has asserted its apolitical stand, it was clear that public interest in Afghanistan grew after September 11 and humanitarian concerns increased after the US War on terror commenced. MERCY Malaysia partnered with Pakistan Islamic Medical Association for the Afghanistan response, while the Cambodian response was funded from MERCY Malaysia's own reserves and private sector donations. In 2002, MERCY Malaysia continued its presence in Kabul and later expanded its operations in Afghanistan to run the only medical center in Spin Boldak, an area located approximately 100 km away from Kandahar. MERCY Malaysia then launched the Cambodia Relief Fund to continue to support the relief efforts due to the flooding in Mekong. The 11
organization also began to receive more recognition and significant fundraising and donations from external parties as it responded to the needs in Palestine. In 2003, MERCY Malaysia responded to the needs in Baghdad, Iraq and sent its first team in January. In February, MERCY Malaysia launched its China Humanitarian Fund and sent a team in response to the 2003 Bachu earthquake, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake which struck a remote area of Xinjiang province in northwest China, near the border with Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan. In April 2003, the MERCY Malaysia team were mistaken for hostile forces and was attacked in Iraq, where Dr Baba Deni and Dr Jemilah were both injured in the incident. May 2003 saw MERCY Malaysia responding to the 2003 Sri Lanka cyclone where the republic suffered its worst floods and landslides in 60 years. The six-person team was deployed to southern Sri Lanka to render critical medical and humanitarian aid to flood and landslide victims in Ratnapura, located about 100 km south-east of Colombo. The year closed with another mission sent to Kerman, Iran following the Bam earthquake which occurred on 26 December 2003. The nine-person team -including Dr Bubble, a hospital clown doctor- provided medical and psychosocial support to the earthquake survivors, and was stationed at the former Italian Field Hospital in Baravat, 5 km from Bam. ORGANIZATION’S PROFILE Founded : 16 September 1999 Founder : Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood Type : Non-governmental organization (NGOs) Location : 1st floor, MCOBA Building, 42 Jalan Syed Putra, 50460 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Field : Humanitarianism Patron : His Royal Highness Sultan Dr Nazrin Muizzudin Shah of Perak President : Dato’ Dr Ahmad Faizal Perdaus Website : MERCY MALAYSIA CORE BUSINESS ● Focused on providing medical relief, sustainable health-related development, and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities, in both crisis and non-crisis situations. 12
MANAGEMENT TEAM 1. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR : Ahmad Faezal Mohamed 2. DEPUTY EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR : Mohd Hafiz Bin Mohd Amirrol 3. DIRECTOR, GOVERNANCE RISK AND COMPLIANCE : Zuraidah Mian 4. GENERAL MANAGER, SUPPORT SERVICES : Izzaddin Abd Rahim 5. GENERAL MANAGER, PROGRAMME OPERATIONS : Badrul Hisham Ibrahim 6. HEAD OF HUMAN RESOURCES AND ADMINISTRATION SERVICES : Zubir Ahmad 7. HEAD OF FINANCE : Shamsidar Zailan 8. HEAD OF HEALTH : Dr Mohammad Iqbal bin Omar 9. HEAD OF VOLUNTEER MANAGEMENT : Sukhveer Sidhu 10. DEPUTY HEAD OF LOGISTICS, SUPPLIES AND SECURITY : Mohd Radzi Mohd Redzuan 13
ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE Vision ● To be outstanding in delivery of medical and humanitarian aid to all Mission ● MERCY Malaysia is an international non-profit organisation focusing on providing medical relief, sustainable health-related development and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities, in both crisis and non crisis situations Core Values ● Motivation ● Excellence ● Respect ● Collaborations ● Learn to serve 14
LEADERSHIP STYLE The organizational structure comprises a hierarchy, including the Board of Trustees, Executive Council, and Secretariats. The primary role of the Board of Trustees is to uphold good governance within the organization. All Executive Council members are elected through votes during the Annual General Meeting (AGM) from amongst the Life and Ordinary Members. This council is intentionally composed of a balanced mix of Medical and Non-Medical Professionals to ensure a system of checks and balances, reflecting a democratic leadership style within the organization. The democratic style promotes inclusivity, open communication, and collective decision-making, allowing various perspectives to be considered. This approach aligns with the principles of transparency, accountability, and fairness, fostering a sense of involvement and ownership among the members of Mercy Malaysia. A democratic leader promotes participation in decision-making, fostering higher morale in various leadership situations. This leadership style involves offering guidance, active participation, and welcoming input from team members. It is widely considered the most effective leadership approach, associated with increased productivity, satisfaction, involvement, and commitment among followers. Democratic leaders delegate authority, provide ongoing support, and maintain focus on challenging tasks, contributing to the success and sustainability of organizations. Under this leadership style, member satisfaction is typically higher, as leaders have confidence and trust in their team. When addressing issues and making decisions, a democratic leader involves relevant and diverse participants in discussions, ultimately reaching a final decision based on a majority view. (Sharma & Singh, 2013, #) In the case of Mercy Malaysia, the organization democratic leadership style is evident through the decision making style with every decision made in any of the meetings shall be decided by a majority of votes of the Executive Council and in case of a tie, the Chairperson shall have a casting vote. Secondly, the organization proved to have a proper delegation of power and jurisdiction, with each member of the Executive Council having specific roles in the organization to ensure balance. The Executive Council members are not allowed to be employed as the secretariat of the organization which shows the delegation of work in the organization and the confidence and trust in the other team members of the organization. 15
DECISION-MAKING APPROACH The decision-making approach is the process of making choices by identifying a decision, gathering information and assessing alternative resolutions. The reasons for decision-making in Mercy Malaysia allows individuals to make informed, logical and rational choices based on evidence, analysis and critical thinking. When decisions are based on a reason, they are more likely to lead to positive outcomes and align with one’s goals and values. The right approach will make Mercy Malaysia more effective at work and improve its ability to carry out all its duties. It can help them improve leadership, knowledge of self and understanding of others in the organization. Therefore, improving effectiveness in decision-making is an important part of maximizing effectiveness in organizations. The rational approach refers to a method of decision-making that is based on reason, logic and evidence. It involves carefully considering and evaluating information, weighing the pros and cons and making decisions that are logical and justifiable. Mercy Malaysia uses a rational approach, a process of selecting the best option or course of action based on a careful and logical evaluation of the costs, benefits, and risks associated with each potential choice. Rational decision-making is when people have well-defined goals and that they can calculate and compare the potential costs and benefits of different options to choose the one that is most likely to achieve their goals. It is a logical and systematic process that is designed to minimize risk and maximize the chances of success. Mercy Malaysia’s 20+ years of experience have helped the organization realize the need to help communities be prepared before a natural disaster strikes. The traditional approach refers to a method of decision-making that focuses on selecting the most logical and sensible alternative that will have the desired, short-term effect for a particular issue. Decision makers consider various alternatives and compare the strengths and weaknesses of each. Mercy Malaysia uses a traditional approach, a method of problem-solving or decision-making that has been used for a long time and established. Risk reduction and risk management practices, which typically focus on prevention and mitigation. Developing strategies and capabilities to prepare communities for facing a possible disaster. It aims to increase capacities and capabilities by identifying and reducing vulnerabilities. The approach will help to improve community resilience while aligning both humanitarian and developmental efforts for communities and places at risk. 16
DECISION MAKERS STYLES A decision maker is a group of individuals who are responsible for making strategically important decisions based on several variables, including time constraints, resources available, the amount and type of information available and the number of stakeholders involved. The ability to make decision is a valuable leadership trait and it demonstrate the capacity to think objectively and weight different options. Decision-maker’s styles are ways leaders assume while making decisions. But there are three decision-maker’s styles that are related to Mercy Malaysia which are directive style, analytical style and conceptual style. In addition, the aptitude to make a quick decision can help establish a strong bond of trust with other employees that can strengthen an organization's culture. The decision-maker’s style that has been used in Mercy Malaysia is Directive Style. The directive decision-making style uses quick, decisive thinking to come to a solution. A directive decision-maker has a low tolerance for unclear or ambiguous ideas. They're focused on the task and will use their knowledge and judgment to conclude with selective input from other individuals. The advantage of directive decision-makers excel at verbal communication. They’re rational and logical in their decision-making. When an organization needs a fast decision, a directive-style decision-maker can effectively make a choice. It shows that to be a great leader they must focus on the short term. For example, the Head of Finance in Mercy Malaysia will quickly find a solution if there is a problem of lack of funds in providing humanitarian aid. The decision-maker’s style that has been used in Mercy Malaysia is Analytical Style. Analytical decision-makers carefully analyze data to come up with a solution. They're careful and adaptable thinkers. They will invest time to glean information to form a conclusion. These decision-makers are task-oriented but have a high tolerance for ambiguity. Analytical decision-makers take time to compile data and evidence before they conclude. When they do make a decision, they have looked at all the details and formed what they believe is the best possible solution. Analytical problem-solving can help develop critical thinking and collaboration skills, as well as enhance confidence and credibility. For instance, the Head of quality and accountability in Mercy Malaysia can identify the core issues that impact the performance of an organization. 17
The decision-makers style that has been used in Mercy Malaysia is Conceptual Style. Conceptual decision-makers look forward to what could happen if the decision is made. They evaluate different options and possibilities with a high tolerance for ambiguity. Their conclusions come from visualising different opportunities and outcomes for the future. They’re strong in making long-term decisions. The advantages of conceptual decision-making are social oriented and take the time to consider big ideas and creative solutions. In this case, the Head of Human Resources and Admin Services in Mercy Malaysia ability to identify potential situations and resolutions. It helps to understand the strategic big picture behind an organization day-to-day operations. 18
ETHICAL ISSUES THAT MERCY MALAYSIA FACED Every corporation must constantly be prepared for crises and challenges that arise from the start of the firm. Some people may have issues with management, the marketing team, or a variety of other departments. The most difficult challenge is dealing with ethical considerations. To preserve a strong and healthy relationship between customers and employees, a firm must practice ethics. There are numerous ways to define ethics. According to Manuel Velasquez (2010), ethics is based on well-founded norms of right and wrong that prescribe what humans should do, typically in terms of rights, obligations, societal advantages, fairness, or special virtues. Loyalty, honesty, and compassion are also examples of ethical principles. Other than that, ethical standards include standards relating to rights, such as the right to life, the right to freedom from injury, and the right to privacy. These standards are important and an adequate measurement that is supported with strong and well-founded reasons. 1. Refugee Issues Amid Covid-19 Crackdown – Mercy Malaysia, IMARET & MRA Mercy Malaysia, IMARET (IMAM Response and Relief Team), and MRA (Malaysia Relief Agency) are concerned and dismayed by the reaction of certain Malaysians to the refugee population in the aftermath of the Covid-19 outbreak. One person has even established an online petition, ambiguously titled 'Say No to Rohingya,' which has 30,000 signatories as of this writing. The petition, initiated by an unknown individual, rallies Malaysians to urge the government not to heed the request of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to look into refugee welfare, claiming that the Rohingya crisis should be dealt with by Myanmar and that they are a burden on host nations such as Malaysia. 2. Mercy Malaysia’s experiences of partnership – Malaysia, Myanmar, Gaza Malaysia - While Malaysia has not been hit by a major natural disaster, annual seasonal floods affect different parts of the country at slightly different times of the year. MERCY Malaysia embarked on a disaster preparedness programme in 2007, beginning in a school in a district in the southern peninsula state of Johor. Many schools in the state had been badly affected by floods in late 2006, and some had to delay reopening for the new term until flood waters had 19
receded. Some of the challenges faced by MERCY Malaysia in implementing the partnership were at the central level with the MOE, while others involved teachers and students at the local level. At the central level, it was difficult to align the programme with the ministrys overall strategy, and convincing some key members of the ministry that the benefits of the programme outweighed its costs was a challenge. As for the teachers and students, there were two main challenges initially: first, getting both teachers and students to appreciate and understand the concept of disaster preparedness and its importance for schools and their inhabitants; and second, getting them involved in training of trainers workshops Myanmar - Cyclone Nargis in May 2008 was by far the biggest natural disaster to hit Myanmar in many years. The early stages of the humanitarian response were dogged with problems, not least access issues for incoming aid personnel and materials. MERCY Malaysia deployed early in the emergency phase of the disaster response. As they were new to the country, it was necessary to find reliable and like-minded partners. The break came when an independent private company operating a river cruise service in the Delta offered NGOs the use of two of its boats to facilitate the delivery of aid to cyclone-affected areas. Several major international NGOs took up the offer, including Save the Children (SC) UK, which had had an operation in Myanmar for several years. SC in Myanmar realized that, in the acute stage of the emergency, health and medical aid was the priority. One of the main challenges MERCY Malaysia faced as an organization in this operation was adhering to standards for medication and supplies as determined by Save the Children in Bangkok. This was a good learning experience for us as we had to ensure that whatever supplies and medication or kits we used, including material not supplied by SC, were acceptable to our partner and met international standards. We have since implemented a set of guidelines and standards for all our medication and medical supplies. Gaza - MERCY Malaysia began health programming in Gaza after the Israeli offensive in December 2008. One of the areas of work is a psychosocial programme in Khan Younis. The programme is conducted in partnership with the Emaar Society, a local NGO. Difficulties concerning access and permits influenced MERCYs decision to work through a local partner. MERCY provided financial and technical support to Emaar, while insisting that the NGO adhered as closely as possible to internationally accepted delivery and accountability standards. We have implemented a technical and operational support system which includes content experts as well as programme staff at HQ, who monitor and assist our partners in their work and ensure that proper reporting is in place. To date, this programme has successfully attended to 20
over 1,150 families and provided specific psychotherapy to over 530 individuals. Most of these patients suffered psychological trauma as a result of the war in 2008-2009, although a few had psychological symptoms even before that. The Ministry of Health in Gaza has allowed and encouraged the programme, as it complements its efforts significantly. The main challenge we faced in this programme was communications. We had to rely on regular and updated communication from our partner Emaar through our field coordinator in Gaza, or sometimes directly to HQ, and for technical issues on our content expert in Malaysia. The experience has helped to improve MERCY Malaysia's overall communications with field operations. 21
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, is described as a managerial action to safeguard and advance the welfare of society and the organization's interests. This CSR goes beyond the requirements of the law and the firm's immediate interest. CSR is essential for any business since it promotes how the company interacts with society. It is a method for a corporation to strike a balance between economic, environmental, and social concerns while meeting the expectations of stakeholders. When performing CSR, the corporation must identify strategic business management, charity, sponsorship, or philanthropy. Companies can grow and strengthen their brand by decreasing poverty or participating in community-benefiting activities through CSR. In addition, it improves the marketing and also the company’s image in the eyes of the people where it is important to have a positive image especially for a long time. 1. Islamic Social Financing. Islamic Social Financing (ISF) is a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative in the form of humanitarian and social-development programmes by Islamic Financial Institutions (IFI) and corporations. ISF is done through various approaches and structures that are predefined by Syariah Law. Among the main structures in ISF programmes are Zakat, Awqaf, Purification Fund, Sadaqah, Microfinance and Sukuk. Innovative investments in humanitarian action through ISF will not only lead to long-term social improvements, but also to long-term resilience and to adaptive capacity-building for communities at risk. Such investments will empower communities to recover more strongly from shocks as well as facilitate social and economic inclusion within their populations. 22
2. Coway partners with Mercy Malaysia to provide RM400,000 in food aid. As a result of lockdown measures and disruptions in key markets, many have lost their livelihoods and are currently experiencing hardship and poverty. In light of this, Coway Malaysia has donated RM400,000 to Mercy Malaysia's Food Aid Programme, which seeks to deliver basic food supplies to vulnerable communities severely impacted by the pandemic. This corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative is part of the company's commitment to stand alongside Malaysians in the fight against the challenges brought on by the pandemic. As the Best Life Solution Company, Coway Malaysia aims to provide solutions that actively change lives. By collaborating with trusted organizations like Mercy Malaysia, the company seeks to directly impact communities in need. 3. Hartalega - Healthy & Medical Assistance. Hartalega and MERCY Malaysia recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to embark on a Health Outreach Programme, which aims to provide basic health and medical assistance to the Orang Asli Kampung Bukit Baja community in Sepang. This will include health screenings, distribution of essential medicines and hygiene kits, dental clinics, and health and hygiene educational sessions. The programme is also intended to improve the healthy literacy level of the community through quarterly medical camps, with the approval and counsel of Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah Sepang. This is deemed pivotal to achieve sustainable results, as the remote location of Kampung Bukit Baja makes access to healthcare services difficult. As part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) efforts, Hartalega has contributed a total of RM75,000 towards the funding of the programme. Along with this, in the spirit of volunteerism, Hartalega staff, who are fondly known as ‘Hartanians’, will play a key role as active participants. They will be trained by MERCY Malaysia under the Volunteer’s Opportunity Programme to ensure that they are equipped with the skills needed to assist with the medical camps. 23
COMPANY BIGGEST CHALLENGES As we all know, every organization will be faced with circumstances and struggles. The same thing happened to Mercy Malaysia that they were also had to cope with big challenges such as : 1. Covid-19 pandemic The year in review has brought to the fore critical global concerns. Protracted health issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic, socio-economic instabilities and conflicts, as well as intensified climate-related shocks, have deepened vulnerabilities around the world. As if communities are not already in dire situations and suffering, the price of inaction is paid with lives and livelihoods. Each disaster presents a unique lesson to MERCY Malaysia that requires careful evaluation and lessons learned. They realise that there are coordination gaps between project based development and humanitarian interventions, resulting in unmet needs for the most vulnerable people. The Covid-19 pandemic combined with extreme weather changes formed huge challenges to MERCY Malaysia as a humanitarian and development organization. By the year of 2020, Covid-19 had been rife all over the world. This explains that our country is also affected and people are suffering from diseases and the numerous deaths. The widespread virus had created a boundary between the society as we weren't able to move freely as we used to do before. This explains that Mercy Malaysia had to cope with the challenges above. 2. Lack of funds Sustainable and sufficient quality funding remain a major challenge to MERCY Malaysia — readily available funds to respond to emergencies, funds to reach communities in need, what they need and when they need it, at the various phases including recovery and development. The United Nations (UN) in its Global Humanitarian Review 2022 reported that 274 million people need humanitarian assistance and protection, a significant increase from 235 million people the previous year. UN and its partner organisations said it required USD 41 billion in funding to undertake the humanitarian programmes. MERCY Malaysia was not able to secure enough funds to run its humanitarian programmes in 2022, not as much as they would have liked. The solution requires a paradigm shift about how to approach funding i.e., focusing on disaster risk reduction and management in all parts of society, rather than purely emergency response, as well as ramping up advocacy among the general public and development actors to 24
see crises as unique opportunities to shore up economic and social progress.It was also revealed that funding continues to be an issue for the organization in their efforts to provide emergency medical response, post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, and disaster preparedness training to those in need of it. In 2019, Executive director Amran Mahzan said the organization hoped to raise up to RM500,000 for its Ramadan Relief. The initiative provides food packs worth RM250 to families in war-torn nations like Yemen and Palestine, whose people live in famine. 3. Volunteers Decrease Mercy Malaysia is well known by being actively involved in providing emergency assistance to affected populations. Unfortunately, there is no organization that has been born without any difficulties to face including Mercy Malaysia. Mercy Malaysia faced difficulties in terms of volunteering due to the fact that they did not pay any amount to their volunteers for their hard work. Mercy Malaysia is also having difficulties in donation and fundraising. This is one of the main reasons why Mercy’s volunteers are decreasing from time to time. Mercy Malaysia started out with 7,000 volunteers in 1999 but is now decreasing to 2,600 volunteers. Mercy’s volunteer performance also will be monitored as they are expected to be committed to ensuring the highest level of professionalism and care in work. This means that being Mercy’s volunteer would be quite difficult and will be working under a system of professionalism under Mercy, this also lead to decreasing in number of volunteers. 4. Donation Economic Conditions can significantly impact humanitarian organizations such as Mercy Malaysia. These conditions include Economic downturn or uncertainties in the global economy can impact the disposable income of individuals and corporations, leading to a decrease in donations. During tough economic times, people may prioritize other financial commitments and pose challenges in fundraising for their healthcare mission and disaster relief efforts. Potential donors might face financial constraints, leading to reduced contributions or the redirection of funds to immediate personal or family needs. As a result, Mercy Malaysia might experience a decline in donations, making it challenging to meet their operational expenses, sustain ongoing projects, or scale up their humanitarian efforts. 25
EFFORTS TAKEN BY LEADERSHIP To combat the challenges faced by the organization as mentioned in the previous topic, the leaders of the organization made a decision to take action to overcome the challenges. 1. Collaborations with other organizations. Mercy Malaysia's leadership actively seeks collaborative partnerships with local and international organizations, government bodies, and non-profits. These partnerships enhance the organization's capacity to respond to challenges by leveraging combined expertise, resources, and networks. For example, MERCY Malaysia has played a crucial role in enhancing the country's crisis preparedness and responding to emergencies, as exemplified by its humanitarian action plan during the COVID-19 pandemic. Initially, the organization collaborated with the National Institute of Health (NIH) response team in the early stages of the pandemic. Subsequently, MERCY Malaysia was enlisted by the Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre (CPRC) Mobilisation team to contribute to large-scale testing operations and establish the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Hotline. Recognized as a core NGO group by CPRC and authorized by the Ministry of Health (MOH), MERCY Malaysia actively mobilized response teams during the Restricted Movement Control Order (MCO) phase, particularly in the pandemic epicenters of Kuala Lumpur and Johor. Additionally, the organization collaborated with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist in COVID-19 testing initiatives within refugee communities. 2. Information sharing. Even though the COVID-19 pandemic has limited the movement and activities for various if not most organizations, MERCY Malaysia leadership made a decision to start focusing on giving information to the public in a way of helping to educate people on the seriousness of the matter. MERCY Malaysia has been actively involved in various advocacy and awareness campaigns to address health issues and humanitarian concerns. For example, MERCY Malaysia took a central role in increasing awareness regarding COVID-19 prevention, symptoms, and safety measures. This included spreading information through social media, engaging with communities, and distributing educational materials. 26
3. Sustainable Financing, Enhancing Preparedness. The Year in Review saw MERCY Malaysia receiving a total of RM54.2 million in funds mainly from corporate and individual donors, providing MERCY Malaysia the much-needed resources to procure, engage and deliver both critical immediate emergency relief and aid as well as undertake various development projects offering medium to long-term benefits to our communities. A positive development in the global humanitarian space is the use of technology to secure funds for aid purposes. These innovations, appearing in instruments such as crowdfunding, fintech, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, are envisioned as being able to facilitate more sustainable financing for the organization thus building its capability and preparedness to respond to critical emergency humanitarian needs. In addition, MERCY Malaysia has been designated as the Zakat Collection and Distribution Agent for Lembaga Zakat Negeri Kedah (LZNK), Majlis Agama Islam Perlis (MAIPS), and Majlis Agama Islam Kelantan (MAIK). Muslims are urged to fulfill their zakat obligations by channeling their contributions through MERCY Malaysia. This initiative ensures a reliable and confidential pathway for zakat funds to reach those in dire need. 4. Continuous effort to get more volunteers. . Eventhough the number of volunteers decrease over the years, the organization continuously seek for volunteers without diminishing the passion, drive and professionalism to continue their work. One of the initiatives taken by the leadership is to advertise their need to find new volunteers. For example, through media outlets like World Of Buzz; 27
In addition, the available outlets like Instagram, X or previously known as Twitter, Facebook, etc were also used to publish their campaign to get more volunteers to join the cause. CONCLUSION In conclusion, the community greatly needs the NGO Mercy Malaysia. As a non-profit organization, Mercy Malaysia has its vision of being outstanding in the delivery of medical and humanitarian aid to all. The important role of MERCY Malaysia is to focus on providing medical relief, sustainable health-related development, and risk reduction activities for vulnerable communities in both crisis and non-crisis situations. Mercy Malaysia relies solely on funding and donations from organizations and generous individuals to continue providing humanitarian aid to its beneficiaries. For example, to support Mercy Malaysia plan, individuals may donate Seringgit Sehari to commit RM1 a day to support the work of MERCY Malaysia which provides humanitarian and medical aid to vulnerable communities locally and internationally. Mercy Malaysia believes that this work would not be stopped and that it will be able to keep helping and saving victims of tragedies like war and other crimes. The interface and access point for other development activities, such as sociocultural activities, economic revitalization programmes, and capacity building for the local community at large, has evolved into humanitarian work and rebuilding programmes. 28
REFERENCE (n.d.). Mercy Malaysia. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://www.mercy.org.my/ Coway partners with Mercy Malaysia to provide RM400,000 in food aid. (2021, September 14). New Straits Times. https://www.nst.com.my/news/nation/2021/09/727380/coway-partners-mercy-malaysia-pr ovide-rm400000-food-aid Hartalega & MERCY Malaysia Reach Out to Orang Asli. (n.d.). Hartalega. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://hartalega.com.my/our_story/hartalega-mercy-malaysia-reach-out-to-orang-asli/ Islamic Social Financing - Zakat. (n.d.). Mercy Malaysia. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://www.mercy.org.my/islamic-social-financing-zakat/ Mercy Malaysia. (n.d.). Wikipedia. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercy_Malaysia Perdaus, F. (2011, May 9). MERCY Malaysia’s experiences of partnership. Humanitarian Practice Network. https://odihpn.org/publication/mercy-malaysia%C2%92s-experiences-of-partnership/ Refugee Issues Amid Covid-19 Crackdown - Mercy Malaysia, IMARET & MRA. (2020, April 24). CodeBlue. Retrieved January 19, 2024, from https://codeblue.galencentre.org/2020/04/24/refugee-issues-amid-covid-19-crackdown-m ercy-malaysia-imaret-mra/ Ryan, M. (2019, May 10). 20 years on, Mercy Malaysia still helps despite drop in volunteers, funding challenges. Malay Mail. https://www.malaymail.com/news/life/2019/05/10/20-years-on-mercy-malaysia-still-helpsdespite-drop-in-volunteers-funding-c/1751547 29
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