Malaysia Chinese Culture

Malaysia's cultural mosaic is marked by many different cultures, but several in particular have had especially lasting influence on the country. Chief among these is the ancient Malay culture, and the cultures of Malaysia's two most prominent trading partners throughout history–the Chinese, and the Indians. These three groups are joined by a dizzying array of indigenous tribes, many of which live in the forests and coastal areas of Borneo. Although each of these cultures has vigorously maintained its traditions and community structures, they have also blended together to create contemporary Malaysia's uniquely diverse heritage. Populated by the three (3) major races found in Asia, Malaysia culture is a melange of Indian, Malay and Chinese influence The Spring Festival is the most important festival for the Chinese people and is when all family members get together, just like Christmas in the West. All people living away from home go back, becoming the busiest time for transportation systems of about half a month from the Spring Festival. Airports, railway stations and long-distance bus stations are crowded with home returnees. The Chinese character â€Å"fu† (meaning blessing or happiness) is a must. The character put on paper can be pasted normally or upside down, for in Chinese the â€Å"reversed fu† is homophonic with â€Å"fu comes†, both being pronounced as â€Å"fudaole. † What's more, two big red lanterns can be raised on both sides of the front door. Red paper-cuttings can be seen on window glass and brightly colored New Year paintings with auspicious meanings may be put on the wall. Waking up on New Year, everybody dresses up. First they extend greetings to their parents. Then each child will get money as a New Year gift, wrapped up in red paper. People in northern China will eat jiaozi, or dumplings, for breakfast, as they think â€Å"jiaozi† in sound means â€Å"bidding farewell to the old and ushering in the new†. Also, the shape of the dumpling is like gold ingot from ancient China. So people eat them and wish for money and treasure. Burning fireworks was once the most typical custom on the Spring Festival. People thought the spluttering sound could help drive away evil spirits. However, such an activity was completely or partially forbidden in big cities once the government took security, noise and pollution factors into consideration. As a replacement, some buy tapes with firecracker sounds to listen to, some break little balloons to get the sound too, while others buy firecracker handicrafts to hang in the living room. People in different places follow various customs, but all show their love and longing for a better life. Today people will enjoy the full moon and eat moon cakes on that day. The moon looks extremely round, big and bright on the 15th day of each lunar month. People selected the August 15 to celebrate because it is a season when crops and fruits are all ripe and weather pleasant. On the Mid-Autumn Festival, all family members or friends meet outside, putting food on tables and looking up at the sky while talking about life. How splendid a moment it is! | There are many legends about the evolution of the festival, the most popular of which is in commemoration of Qu Yuan. People will dragon boat racing, eating zongzi and drinking realgar wine on that day. On Dragon Boat Festival, parents also need to dress their children up with a perfume pouch. They first sew little bags with colorful silk cloth, then fill the bags with perfumes or herbal medicines, and finally string them with silk threads. The perfume pouch will be hung around the neck or tied to the front of a garment as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil. | The Qingming Festival sees a combination of sadness and happiness. This is the most important day of sacrifice. Both the Han and minority ethnic groups at this time offer sacrifices to their ancestors and sweep the tombs of the deceased. Also, they will not cook on this day and only cold food is served. On each Qingming Festival, all cemeteries are crowded with people who came to sweep tombs and offer sacrifices. Traffic on the way to the cemeteries becomes extremely jammed. The customs have been greatly simplified today. After slightly sweeping the tombs, people offer food, flowers and favorites of the dead, then burn incense and paper money and bow before the memorial tablet.

Alliance Nissan & Renault Essay

Founded in 1999, the Renault-Nissan Alliance has become the longest-lasting cross-cultural combination among major carmakers. This unique partnership is a pragmatic, flexible business tool that can expand to accommodate new projects and partners worldwide. In the past half-decade, the Alliance has emerged as a buffer to protect partners during regional downturns, and it has accelerated Renault and Nissan’s momentum in some of the world’s fastest growing economies. Renault holds a 43.4% stake in Nissan. Nissan holds a 15% stake in Renault. The cross-shareholding model ensures that both partners have a mutual selfinterest and encourages each to pursue â€Å"win-win† strategies that benefit both. Formed on March 28, 2002, Renault-Nissan BV is a company incorporated under Dutch law and equally owned by Renault SA and Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., responsible for the strategic management of the Alliance. The Alliance has helped Renault and Nissan outperform historic regional rivals, elevating both companies into an elite tier. Together, Renault and Nissan rank in the top three car groups globally.  Based on cross-shareholding and mutual self-interest, the Alliance business platform maximizes synergies without destroying brand identity. In order to achieve competitive economies of scale, many automakers are embarking on collaborations similar to the groundbreaking partnership that Renault and Nissan established 13 years ago.

Marriage and Cohabitation

Cohabitation Research Paper Cohabitation and marriage both share effective similarities and differences. Within the last 40 years both have grown closely to represent two individuals that have a motive in life which involves commitment, financial responsibility, and the disposition to spend a majority of your life with one person. The subject of cohabitation is a popular one among many college students, upperclassmen, and middle aged divorced individuals in this day and age. In this essay we will be looking at the detailed facts in why people cohabit before they are married, why they do it and most importantly why cohabitation is not considered immoral behavior in the twenty first century as it was 40 years ago. This research will also contain real individual perspectives which will widen our thoughts and assumptions behind the theory of cohabitation. In today’s society there are many couples that are living together before getting married. The US Census Bureau calls cohabitation POSSLQ (pronounced possel-kews), which is understood as â€Å"shaking up†. The number of unmarried couples in the U. S. has increased from 0. 4 million in 1960 to almost 7 million in 2008. In the mid 1990’s more than 60 percent of American’s cohabited. (Benokraitis, pg. 246) There are advantages and disadvantages when considering cohabitation. Some of the rewards of living together before marriage are some such as getting to know your partner better, learning about one's ability/habits, if they are able to satisfy your expectations, finding common grounds, and most of all to gain that special commitment with one another. On the other end there are disadvantages in living together before marriage, some being, not having much of personal space, religious outlooks, not being able to handle fights in a proper manner, going against family values, and most of all doing it for the wrong reasons. Almost half of young Americans say they will not marry someone unless they live with them first but on the other hand most Americans reject cohabitation on moral and religious grounds. Cohabitation has increased dramatically from 40 years ago, â€Å"In 1970, about 530,000 couples reportedly lived together outside of marriage. This number increased to 1. 6 million in 1980, 2. 9 million in 1990, 4. 2 million in 1998, and 5. 5 million in the year 2000. † (Diduck, Alison. Marriage and Cohabitation. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, 2008. Print. ) As statistics show, there has been a huge change in our life styles over the years. Unmarried couples over sees 17 percent of all relationships today. This trend is mostly happening in the younger age groups, ages 18 until 30 and for the older age groups the percentage is considerably lower. This is because many cohabiters, if they are still together by then after many years, they tend to eventually get married. There are many different types of cohabitation, the most common ones are, dating cohabitation, premarital cohabitation, trial marriage and substitute marriage. Dating cohabitation usually occurs with young adults sometime during or after college. These young adults take place in cohabiting for a combination of reasons, some being for convenience, sexual needs, companionship, and financial benefits. This kind of relationship is somewhat like being single and for that reason is tends to terminate faster than any other. Premarital cohabitation is a basic â€Å"test† for the couple to see if they are committed enough to move to the next step, which is marriage. Trial marriage is a type of cohabitation for partners that doubt they can succeed in a marriage and everything that it holds. Finally, substitute marriage is a long term relationship between two people living together that don’t plan on getting married. Cohabitation is followed with more detailed than what is classified, but is outlined with these characteristics. This has created a percentage that nine out of ten women will spend one point in their lives in an unmarried cohabiting relationship, an extensively higher percentage than woman who will get married at some point in their life. (Glenn T. Stanton. The Ring Makes All the Difference) This seems to be slowly devaluating the importance of marriage and the secrets involved in it. Also, studies have shown that when individuals are cohabiting they don’t fully understand the adaptation that is needed; this comes from the lack of commitment and stableness for that next step. The cohabitation effect naturally takes place in most situations, people tend to accept their living status with their partner and treat it as a marriage. Cohabiting gives the individual something to hold on to it a relationship which shows they aren’t in a stable environment to begin with. Studies show that woman try holding on to every relationship they are involved in by cohabiting. When this is done woman are usually left pregnant or with children, without a partner and in poverty. Statistics show that woman who cohabit two or more times end up in divorce 141 percent igher than the average woman who only cohabits with the person they marry. Many authors, such as Linda J Waite have made comments stating, â€Å"These tentative and uncommitted relationships are bound together by the ‘cohabitation deal’ rather than the ‘marriage bargain,’ but that deal has costs. † The â€Å"cohabitation deal,† will have especially disappointing outcomes for people who expect it to deliver the same benefits the â€Å"marriage bargain† delivers. People who cohabit often say that marriage is just about a piece of paper. However, that there is quite a bit of difference between being married and living together. † (Waite, Linda J. and Christine Bachrach. The Ties That Bind: Perspectives on Marriage and Cohabitation. ) Results have shown that when couples cohabit together, they’re usually shortly lived, and typically don’t last longer than two years, after that it either goes into the next level which is marriage or dissolves into a break up. There are no signs that cohabitation is forming in a long term alternative to marriage in the United States. Cohabitation still remains in the status of temporary convenience for growing relationships but just because an individual lives with their partner doesn’t mean it’s considered a stable social arrangement between the two. Researchers says that the convenience of moving in together does not compare on the same level to making a thought through decision on committing to one person for the rest of your life. This has nothing to do with just having it on paper or not, people tend to get the statement mixed into the actual concept. The process of getting married includes the commitment, responsibility, maturity, devotion, respect, genuine love and experience that shows this is what you are asking for in a life partner, but not because we can or want to just live together. Marriage basically finalizes that this is the path you picked for yourself and not because it was wanted at the time or an easy change but because it was truly wanted. When two people agree on marriage this shows they are developed enough where they want to share what they have built of themselves with their partner and share that success as they grow together rather than trying to complete one another without much thought. This is what separates cohabitation and marriage, in marriage one has seen things at its worst and knows the effort it will need to keep the relationship strong and healthy. This is done because both parties have the determined thought through agreement established and because of that, cohabitation will never replace marriage. One opinionated advantage of living with your partner before marriage is getting to know a person that you might marry with. It is important for a person to know almost everything about the other person that he/she is going to get marry to. People need to know how a person is handling his/her life from all aspects such as behavior, emotional, mental, financial and other things before a person decides to get married to them. This can’t be analyzed just by seeing them when out on dates, it is said that it’s important to live together for a while before deciding whether it is the right choice for marriage or not. On another note, unmarried couples do not have the same rights as married individuals. Through my face to face 6 interviews, it was noticed that a cohabiting relationship depends on each individual, their style, family background, emotional status, age, and the morals and values they established for their lives. I interviewed five women from the ages of 23 to 26 and one 30 year old male. When asking interviewee A what her views were towards marriage, she responded saying, â€Å"marriage is similar to a business partner, and both individuals need to be devolved on their own so that both can bring something into the relationship. † This was followed by asking what her views were about couples who live together who are not married, â€Å"I think if you are ready for marriage and starting a family with the person you love then settling to move in with them will not fulfill your goals. Her statement gave me a reminder to the saying â€Å"why buy the cow when the milk is free† this is true, because cohabiting can just be a way of delaying a marriage from happening. Interviewee A- â€Å"cohabitation cannot default into marriage, reason being, marriage is completely different then just living together, this is when your lives become one and so many responsibilities fall into line tha t wouldn’t be talked about if only living together. Does a premarital living arrangement make for a stronger marriage down the line? One should not need to live with their partner first in order to make a stronger marriage. If the couples are in the correct mind set then it should only bring in positives such as love and support. When you come from a certain culture, cohabitation is not accepted, that’s why this also depends on ones background. Marriage is classic, traditional, cultural, and most of all marriage is something sacred between two people, and the idea of cohabitation growing takes away the value of marriage until it vanishes. (Interviewee A, age 25, in a three year relationship, denied her boyfriend from moving in with her, interview took place for 30 minutes face to face on Oct. 30th 2011) Second interview took place with Interviewee B, which responses took a different tour. When asking interviewee B what her views of marriage were, she said â€Å"marria ge is a beautiful thing that joins two people together in order to fulfill a happy life, experiencing things emotionally, physically, mentally, and socially together. Interviewee B is â€Å"pro-cohabitation† because she feels that it is very important to experience life with someone first by living with them to see if it’s a right â€Å"fit† for your life style. She feels this also helps marriages from later on ending up in divorce. When getting in to depth, interviewee B said, â€Å"It is important to first make sure this is a person you love and want to make a future with before moving in, at least know them for a year. Marriage is not defaulted in, living together is the test and if you pass the test then marriage is the next step up! I feel the longer one cohabits, the stronger the relationship is because you know what you’re getting into and continue together on the say level. Depending on the individual, this can create dependence, but shouldn’t if you’re not trying to fill an empty spot in yourself. A lot of people move in together because of family issues, and moving in makes life easier. If men can have it their way, marriage would disappear but it won’t as long as it’s still every little girls dream to have her special wedding. (Interviewee B, age 23, recently came out of a two-year cohabiting experience, boyfriend changed after moving in together; interview took place for 30 minutes face to face on Nov. 1st 2011) Interviewee’s C and D both had the same thoughts towards cohabitation which might be because they both come from the same cultural background. When asking interviewees their views towards marriage they responded, â€Å"A marriage is something sacred betwe en two people in love. God gave us the gift to have feelings for someone else and because of that we should cherish and respect it. Interviewee C, moving in together before marriage defeats the purpose of a marriage and the outcome wouldn’t be the right one. † Interviewee D â€Å"Woman give in too easily and will fall for anything if it has to do with some kind of commitment. Everything comes at the right time, cohabiting is not one of them† Both interviewees, â€Å"It depends on the situation, but a lot of times they default into marriage only because they became so used to the person they live with and other times they don’t get marriage because they moved too fast. Interviewees both agreed that cohabiting builds rapport, love and support but only because one is living with someone they invested in and these characteristics come naturally by default. † Interviewee C, â€Å"I think that one day people will one longer get married because America ac cepts and influences the cohabitation behavior, if its accepted in society, it will take over† Interviewee D, â€Å"I don’t think it will happen unless the law changes, but as of now you don’t get the same benefits when you cohabit which makes them different† Both interviewees said, â€Å"The U. S. is liberal to many different things, which are followed with different cultures and religions. The way one is raised dictates whether or not people are influenced by cohabitation. Everything makes a difference, race, culture, religion, morals, values, and each lifestyle. We value ourselves too much to just live with someone without any ties attached. If you are a strong individual, you wouldn’t find a need to live with someone before marriage. (Interviewees C and D, twin sisters, 24, both still live with their parents at home and will never cohabit under any condition; interview took place for 40 minutes face to face on December 1st 2011) Interviewee E was the final interview which completed the variety of opinions. Interviewee E, â€Å"marriage is something held with a person you trust, value and are able to spend the rest of your life with. Couples who move in together are inexperienced in life and think that moving in with someone will bring them into adulthood, which i t doesn’t. It depends on how old and how ready they are to know if they will marry by default. I think cohabiting will only fail the relationship because should only move in together if they are planning on starting a life and family together not because it’s easy or saves one money. Cohabiting is a train wrack waiting to happen, one will get sick of the other faster than falling in love with them. Nothing can replace the value of marriage except the ones who disrespect the meaning of it. This would be a bad thing if it did happen because we are breaking traditions that have been around for decades. I feel the people who cohabit were not raised well enough to understand what they are actually doing. † (Interviewee E, 30, cohabited with the person he ended up divorcing, interview took place for 45 minutes on December 3rd 2011) Interviewee F, â€Å"marriage is over rated and misleading to someone who’s jumping into a serious relationship. Living with someone before marriage is great because you get the advantage of understanding someone better when living with them. I think by default cohabiters need to make the next step, either get married, or divorce. This will make a strong marriage because it’s basically a marriage just without the legal mess. Anyone who lives with another for a while ends up sharing something naturally because you’re in their presents every moment. Our social structure allows us to do whatever we want, I feel the cohabitation percent will raise which will give people the choice if they want a legal marriage or not. I think the only bad outcome is not getting legal benefits when cohabiting. (Interviewee F, 29, single but has been in 4 different cohabiting relationships, interview took place for 30 minutes on December 3rd 2011) As you can see, all had different perspectives. I believe that comments from interviewee A fell into the same category as researchers and facts based statistics and interviewee B’s outlook was more based on emotions and lack of personally experience. Both interviewees C and D had strong outlooks to their opinion and how cohabitation is looked upon. A greater impact fell with interviewee E because I was able to interview someone who personally experienced the down falls of cohabitation. The after effects from cohabitation seem to lead to a corruption of thoughts on marriage. Studies have also shown that most couples living together before marriage either split up before they are married or wind up in divorce. Interviewee E found out that his partner was cheating during their cohabiting era and in their marriage which caused him to believe cohabiting is built for a failing marriage. Cohabiting has serious consequences for the well-being of an individual and their relationship. In particular, cohabiting is bad for the women because it could mean there are committed to something untrue which will emotionally drain them and keep them from developing into strong independent individuals. Evidence shows that marriage is healthier and better than any other marriage â€Å"form† which should never be out sourced. In conclusions, after the collective research and data gathered, a better overview can be developed in greater detail. What advantages does cohabitation have over marriage? The idea that a cohabiting relationship is equivalent to marriage is undoubtedly unfounded. Research has showed a large difference in the commitment within the two types of relationship. I can see why cohabitation has become more accepted considering society does it for the wrong reasons such as, family and employment issues and trying to find an easy way out, but when doing so this only jeopardizes a future marriage. This is when a new marriage leads to divorce, without self development one is not able to contribute the proper needs and wants in a marriage. Couples want stability and security, this doesn’t happen overnight just because you move in together. A healthy marriage happens when you discover your partner inside and out to the point that you realize you were made to establish a life together, as one. Work Cited 1) Benokraitis, Nijole V. Marriages ; Families: Changes, Choices, and Constraints. 7th Ed. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2011. Print. 2) Ihara, Toni Lynne. Living Together a Legal Guide for Unmarried Couples. Berkeley: Nolo, 2006. Print. 3) Diduck, Alison. Marriage and Cohabitation. Aldershot, Hampshire, England: Ashgate, 2008. Print. 4) Waite, Linda J. , and Christine Bachrach. The Ties That Bind: Perspectives on Marriage and Cohabitation. Vol. 10. New York: Aldine De Gruyter, 2000. Print. 5) Interviewee A, age 25, in a 3 year relationship, denied her boyfriend from moving in with her, interview took place for 30 minutes face to face on Oct. 30th 2011 6) Interviewee B, age 23, just got out of a 2 year cohabitation, boyfriend changed after them moved in together, interview took place for 30 minutes face to face on Nov. st 2011 7) Interviewee C, 24, still lives with parents at home and will never cohabit under any condition; interview took place for 40 minutes face to face on December 1st 2011 8) Interviewee D, 24, still lives with parents at home and will never cohabit under any condition; interview took place for 40 minutes face to face on December 1st 2011 9) Interviewee E, 30, cohabited with the person he ended up divorcing, interview took place for 45 minute s on December 3rd 2011 10) Interviewee F, 29, single but has been in 4 different cohabiting relationships, interview took place for 30 minutes on December 3rd 2011 11) Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States. Hyattsville, MD: Dept. of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2002. Print. 12) Landale, Nancy S. Statistics on Cohabitation, Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage in the United States. S. l. : S. n. , 2002. Print. Ser. 23. 13) â€Å"Statistics on Living Together Before Marriage. †Ã‚  Ray Fowler . org. Web. 06 Nov. 2011. ;http://www. rayfowler. org/2008/04/18/statistics-on-living-together-before-marriage/;.

TRANSPORTATION Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

TRANSPORTATION - Essay Example While in the harbour act, a number of proposals can be adhered to so as to come up with the new terminal for example, the HRO (Harbour Revision Order, as used in the ABP proposal kin the development of a new terminal at Dibden Bay). The HBO is divided into four parts each with a specific responsibility to cover. The parts are as follows; Part I, which covers the development,processes i.e. the terminal construction. Either part II, which provides for landscaping works in the areas covered in the Order Plans and proposals, which may be creation, or diversion and stopping of the rights of way as stipulated for the public. Part III, which allows the ABP to acquire any land required for the creation of the new terminal. Part IV, which covers all the other matters (miscellaneous) that relate to the public as in replacement of open spaces meant for public. If the HBO is to be considered, the National policy must be applied whereby the policies must reflect a better quality of life, new deal for transport and sustainabledistribution. Included in the National policy is the Modern Ports Policy which is the relevant part in reference to the creation of a new terminal. The modern ports policy is a core part in the National policy. The modern ports policy brings out the fact that UK depends on international trade. It states that a port is to serve the interest of the nation, support the competition, and handle demands of the UK trade. Currently the port of Southampton is not able to meet the demands of all the customers, so the building of a new terminal will have the situation improve and not deteriorate. The policies should be covered in descending order, from international policies, regional policies and local policies. Presently the project will be at an advantage because of geographical advantages that Southamptonhas shipping advantages. After the external policies have been covered, the internal policies should follow after. Internal

Putting on a Rock n Reggae Concert Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Putting on a Rock n Reggae Concert - Essay Example The event will be staged at Marley Memorial Field, Florida, USA. The concept is to attract interest from students, local residents and music fans throughout the region to these types of music. The specific objectives of the concert include promotion of cultural activities in the town, attract tourists, and increase awareness about the town and Marley Memorial Field as an events destination. It also hopes to engage music enthusiast as well as the general public to watch and rock with the bands. The objective is achievable and attainable with the support of local officials of Florida. Through the help of all involved, it can be realistically achieved with the limited resources. There is sufficient time to plan, market and execute the rock and reggae concert. Rock and reggae is a common combination in the production of albums and concerts. In fact, there are many rock-reggae bands or rock bands that perform ska and reggae. Ska is a faster version of reggae. Reggae is known to have origi nated from African beat as popularized in Jamaica by blacks also of African origin. The music is characterized by bass hook and the emphasized drum or percussion beats (Barrow and Dalton, 1997). Rock is a very popular and major music genre. It is so wide the label is considered an umbrella label for many sub-genres from punk, metal, blues, rock’n roll, to alternative, and many considered popular and middle of the road music. It is one of the most consistently supported genre of music with its own loyal audience, listeners, and fans. Some of rock music’s followers were so drawn to the genre and the musicians they emulate their images such as way of clothing, hairstyle and even lifestyle. RHCP is one of the more enduring bands that emerged from the early 1990s whose music continues evolving. Their music is sometimes labeled funk-rock for its sexy undertone, and many of their singles are considered radio-friendly, and they provide stunts during stage performances, making them one of the more sought-after live rock band performers until more recently (Prato, 2007). Section 2 – Work Breakdown Structure Booking of Performers The priority for this event is to invite and convince the Red Hot Chili Pepper rock band and Sly & Robbiereggae duo to perform in this event with minimal/lower than their usual talent fees. The concert management may convince the talent performers that this event is one way of promoting the said music because not everyone appreciatesthem.That through live performance, the people may appreciate the creativeness of these music genres. After being able to book the major talents or celebrities, the next work to be done is to recruit local music groups to perform for free. Same approach as above shall be employed. In addition, they will also be given a rare chance to perform with the famous music artist of these genres, and be promoted in various multi-media as well. These will eventually make their group more popular in the stat e. Once the performers are lined-up, the rest shall follow and much easier to handle. Booking of Venue and Other Event Needs Once performers are confirmed, the venue must be found. The appropriate one will be the Marley Memorial Field, a high school football stadium with a capacity of 8000. Since the concert will be held on summer, an open space such as a stadium is applicable.Permits and licenses must also be secured in order to coordinate security and police force within the locality. Sound system, lighting, and

Fashion of Men's Clothing in the Culture of Qatar Essay

Fashion of Men's Clothing in the Culture of Qatar - Essay Example The essay "Fashion of Men's Clothing in the Culture of Qatar" presents a business plan for the foundation of a fashion company of men’s clothing in Qatar overviewing all the important aspect of the culture in this country. Qatar is endowed with huge reserves of natural resources and is currently one of the most developing countries in the world. It is important to study the culture of Qatar before venturing in the market.Qatar people associate American companies with high capitalism and high-profit motives. Qatar people prefer to establish good relationships before starting any serious business conversation. It is important to understand the norms and values of Qatar people, especially while interacting with people of the opposite gender. The business will have to use professionals to analyze the similarities and differences of US and Qatar culture. The personnel must be able to communicate Arabic using Qatari accent to easily gain acceptance by the local population. Qatar men take pride in their culture and traditional clothing. Men wear a long thou with stylish collars and buttons. During winter, men prefer either heavy fabric for the thous which are mainly gray, brown or black color. Young men prefer embroidered caps and cover their heads with folded square cloth. During ceremonial occasions, Qatar men wear a black-gold cloak and keep one hand free in order to allow for handshakes. During the winter, men also prefer woolen sleeveless waistcoat that mainly contains camel hair. (Torstrick 88). The target market The business will sell new men’s clothing fashion to Qatar people. The clothes will be customised to Qatar culture in order to attract a lot of demand. Qatar is endowed with large gas and oil reserves and the per capita GDP is one of the largest in the world. Qatar enjoys political stability and cordial relationships with the USA government. The country is favorable for US exports and has no foreign exchange controls and has allowe d 100 percent foreign ownership of businesses in some sectors such as health, education and exploitation of the natural resources. The business will benefit from expanded market, reduced business risks due to diversification and increased global recognition. Qatar market offers viable opportunity from fashion men’s clothing due toe increase in the number of citizens living in the urban areas (Orr 198). Marketing strategy The target market consists of Qatar men who prefer customized clothing. Due to the increasing educated young men who prefer western clothing that is customised to their culture, the business will experience minimal resistance in penetrating the market. Customer satisfaction is key to the success of the business thus good relationships will be maintained with all the customers. The business will use Arabic language in the media advertisements and advertising themes will not be offensive to Islamic religion. In addition, the color in the advertisements will hav e to be grey or white in order to appeal to the culture of Qatar. The marketing staff will follow Qatar norms since male staff will not be allowed to shake hands with female customers. The business will avoid giving free gifts to first time customers since free gifts in the first business transactions may be declined by the customers. The

A strategic external analysis of a company and industry dynamics Essay

A strategic external analysis of a company and industry dynamics - Essay Example In just twenty-two years since inception, the UK based Vodafone Group PLC has grown to become the world’s largest mobile communications company. It is in the high growth frontline technology industry group with global perspective. Technologies commencing with voice communications over analog networks in the early eighties to paging, fax, data, SMS and other communications over digital networks, global systems for mobile telecommunications (GSM) with national and international roaming etc. and to today’s satellite mobile phone services are all in its portfolio. With a customer base of nearly 180 millions spread across five continents and dozens of countries, Vodafone is a giant in the industry. Consistent growth in business volumes and profitability are being achieved, year after year. It has built up its own brands or acquired other brands with unmatched zeal. Vodafone in Europe and Verizone Wireless, a partner, in the USA are well-recognised brands. Networking partnerships exist in several countries for promotion of global business under dual brand logos. Competing with rivals like AT&T and Cingular in the US market who use ‘time division This paper attempts to focus on dynamics of the industry to which Vodafone belongs and further to carryout a strategic external analysis of the company itself. However, before we get into these aspects, it is necessary to define the specific classification of the industry itself so that in the analysis that follows here, we are on the right track. For industry classification, one generally refers to the Standard Industrial Classification system (SIC) of Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) or its later replacement namely, the North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). Here two entries viz., the telecommunication industry (SIC 6420) and the radiotelephone communications industry (SIC 4812) appear as appropriate to define Vodafone class. Difficulty arises to exactly