Global Entrepreneurship - Indonesian Culture - Essay Example

? Cross-Cultural Encounter Project Zejad Alotaidi Patrick Juntak Saudi Arabia Indonesia Global Entrepreneurship Global Entrepreneurship Shared Activities My cross- cultural ‘buddy’ was Patrick Juntak whose home country is Indonesia and he has made a great impact in my life in the past few months. I met him in my apartment and he stays in the house next to mine. I have invited him to visit my house three times and we went out for coffee. We spent a larger part of last semester together and this helped us learn more about each other including our differences and similarities. This helped us develop our friendship and learn more about each other’s culture. We discovered that we both love sports and enjoyed watching international football games among the teams that we support. We also found out that we enjoy playing football as we both played it in junior and secondary schools. We spent a lot of time playing various video games at the local village arcade and in our apartments. Our friendship was enhanced by the fact that we are both international students who share a similar history and similar dreams and ambitions. In addition to, we dined together on numerous occasions and got to enjoy traditional meals that taught us more on our cultures. While I am Muslim, Patrick is Christian and this has not stopped us from learning more about each other’s religions and cultures. For instance, he joined me for Jumma (Friday prayers) in a Mosque in Arlington, Virginia (House 55). I attended a Sunday service with him where he celebrated ‘Palm Sunday’. I learnt that the difference between the two religions is not so pronounced as they both focus on preaching a positive message to its followers. We have visited various exhibitions that show case different cultures and we have learnt so much about our rich cultures and familiarized ourselves with our mutual heritage. Patrick and I share numerous mutual friends hence we spend a lot of time together. It surprises a lot of people that a Muslim and a Christian can share such a close friendships, we have a lot in common, than what meets the eye. Although Patrick has spent most of his years in the United States, he is interested in learning more about the Asian culture and the language skills by visiting the Asian region. Patrick intends to go back to Indonesia after completing his studies and constantly visits his family back his home country. This shows the level of dedication that Patrick has towards learning more about the Indonesian culture. Identified Differences. In spite of a close friendship, there are various clear differences between us. To begin with, there is a huge age gap between us as Patrick is 27 years while I am 22 years. Patrick has lived in the United States for 15 years while I have been in here for three years. Patrick described his family as originating from Indonesia where his paternal and maternal ancestors originated. While Bahasa Indonesia is widely spoken in Indonesia, Patrick and his sibling speak English fluently having lived in the US for fifteen years. On the other hand, my family comes from Saudi Arabia while some members of my family live in Syria and Egypt. I am fluent in both Arabic and English and therefore there are no communication barriers between us. We eat a variety of foods in our homes including rice, sushi, pasta and various types of meat apart from pork. This is because I am Moslem. Patrick is Christian and Indonesian and they have no reservations when it comes to different types of food. Patrick’s family owns a food processing company that specializes in processing high quality rice that is sold across the country. The business’ performance has been exemplary over the years and the plans to expand its activities in the Asian market in future. My family owns a Textile industry in Saudi Arabia and is planning to open new branches in Dubai and Qatar. This shows that our families are involved in different lines of business. Our cultures define the size of our families. I come from a family of six children that is considered to be a relatively small family in Saudi Arabia (House 57). On the other hand, Patrick comes from a family of four children who all reside in the United States. We both have similar educational aspirations as we hope to pursue Masters degrees in different fields. I intend to pursue a Masters degree in business management while Patrick plans to pursue a Masters degree in sports management. While I plan to work and settle in the US after I complete my studies, Patrick plans to go back and work in Indonesia. My family lives in the Riyadh, Saudi Arabia’s capital city. Ours is a single family home that is common in Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Patrick lives in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Jakarta is one of the most populous cities in the region with a population of just over 10 million people (Central Intelligence Agency). Owing to this massive population, Patrick’s family lives in a posh apartment in the affluent areas of the city. I attended a special school for boys only in Saudi Arabia, as it is the culture for boys and girls to attend different schools in the Middle East region. All the classes were taught in Arabic however, I did study English comprehensively. Conversely, Patrick attended a modern school in Jakarta where boys and girls schooled together and all classes were taught in English. I come from a very conservative family therefore I plan to marry a woman whom we religious belief and practices. In fact, the Arabic culture advocates for people to marry within the family or clan unit that is prohibited in the Christian culture (Kunkler and Stepan 67). On the contrary, Patrick comes from an open- minded family that does not have any restrictions on whom to marry. While Patrick enjoys an occasional alcoholic drink, I do not as the Muslim religion prohibits consumption of alcohol and other drugs. However, this has not stopped us from having fun together. Patrick enjoys watching movies and listening to movies while I enjoy camping a hunting having spent a lot of time in the Saudi desert. Patrick has changed my perspective on in door fun activities. Integrated Patterns. I did some comprehensive research on Indonesian culture and history that was inspired by Patrick. Indonesia is one of the sovereign states located in South East Asia. Indonesia is the fourth most populated nation in the world with a population of over 251, 160, 124 citizens as at July 2013 (Central Intelligence Agency). The population of its major cities was Jakarta (capital) 9.121 million; Surabaya 2.509 million; Bandung 2.412 million; Medan 2.131 million; Semarang 1.296 million in 2009 (Central Intelligence Agency). It is a member of the G- 20 economies, ASEAN, ILO, WHO, FAO, WTO and IBRD (Central Intelligence Agency). Its population is made up of numerous linguistic and ethnic groups. The Javanese are the largest and most dominant ethnic group. The country is shaped by diversity in its religion, culture and ethnicity. The country has approximately 300 ethnic groups that have evolved over the years resulting from the influence by the European, Chinese, Indian and Arabic cultures (Central Intelligence Agency). Indonesia’s ethnic composition is as follows: Javanese 40. 6 percent, Sundanese 15%, Madurese 3.3%, Minangkabau 2.7%, Betawi 2.4%, Bugis 2.4%, Banten 2%, Banjar 1.7%, other or unspecified 29.9% as stipulated by the census conducted in 2000 (Central Intelligence Agency). Some of their traditional dances bear some elements of the Hindu culture. Their architectural designs were largely affected by the European, Arab, Chinese and Indian architectural influences. Sports are mainly played by men and there is widespread illegal gambling in the country. The most popular sports are football and badminton and their players have made a notable mark in the global scene. There are popular traditional sports in the country including Indonesian martial arts, bull racing and mock fighting. The Indonesian cuisine borrows from Indian, Middle Eastern, European and Chinese precedents. The country’s staple food is rice and its serves with vegetable and meat side dishes. The film industry has developed in the recent past after recovering from the decline in the 1990s (Central Intelligence Agency). The most popular forms of traditional music are keroncong and gamela. Media freedom has relatively improved in the recent past together with the communication network. The country was a Dutch colony in the early 17th century after which the Japanese occupied the country between 1942 and 1945 (Central Intelligence Agency). The country declared its independence before Japan surrendered and continuous negotiations, intermittent fighting and intervention by the UN followed this before Japan transferred it gained its sovereignty in 1949 (Central Intelligence Agency). The country faced political instability until 1957 when the president Soekarno established ‘Guided Democracy’ (Central Intelligence Agency). However, Soekarno was removed from power in 1965. Suharto took over and ruled the country from 1967 to 1988 (Central Intelligence Agency). Following the riots in 1998, Suharto was eased from power after which a free and fair election was held in 1999 (Central Intelligence Agency). The country’s economy was adversely affected by the Asian financial crisis in the 1990. Since the resignation of Suharto in 1999, the democratic process in the country has in the recent past. The major challenges facing the country include terrorism, corruption, social unrest, economic, human rights violation, a defective criminal justice system, poor health status, climate change and political instability (Central Intelligence Agency). Although there have been milestones towards improved relations among the ethnic and religious groups, violence has persisted. Indonesia reached a memorable peace agreement with Aceh and this was followed by democratic elections in 2005 (Central Intelligence Agency). However, the country continues to face minimal resistance from Papua by the Free Papua Movement (Central Intelligence Agency). Religious freedom is a requirement in the constitution and the government acknowledges six major religions including Confucianism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Roman Catholicism, Protestantism. It can be noted that Indonesia has the highest Muslim population in the world at 87.2 percent (Central Intelligence Agency). As earlier stated, the official language in Indonesia is Bahasa Indonesia however, Javanese is the most common language that is spoken by the largest tribal group in the country (Central Intelligence Agency). Discovered Adjustments. Honestly speaking, we have had a few instances of disagreements in working in collaboration to explore different cultures. This may be because we are both fluent in English and our cultures share some common aspects. This is owing to the fact that we share many mutual friends and enjoy similar hobbies such as playing video games, ordering take out and watching soccer. In addition to, the fact that we are international students trying to get used to a culture and a country that is different from ours. At first, there was some tension between us owing to our religious differences. There has been a historical conflict between Christians and Muslims. This is because of the varying beliefs between the two religions and the stereotypical conflict between the two sects. However, this stereotype does not influence our friendship. We often speak openly about our religious differences and respect each other’s religious faiths. We have spotted some of the popular stereotypes between the two religions and even find them amusing at times. We have come to a common agreement that the stereotypes represent the real situation on the ground. Furthermore, we share a common belief that both sects can work in unity if they identify their common grounds. To start with, both religions advocate for positive acts including acts of compassion, peace, forgiveness and justice. Secondly, both religions accept the idea that Abraham was a great prophet and agree with his teachings. People should always be open and understanding of other peoples’ religion and culture. Noted Innovators. One of the most renowned innovators in Indonesia is Iim Fahima who is the CEO and founder of Virtual Consulting. She was named to be one of the best entrepreneurs by the British Council and featured in the Business Week as one of the youngest entrepreneurs in Asia. Fahima quit her job at the age of 27 years and set up an online marketing company (Abe). This business was meant to target the high number of internet users in the market. There has been drastic changes in the market as the internet is becoming increasingly important in marketing and advertising. Fahima observed that there was no link between offline and online communications and this explains why Virus Communications was established three years ago. Fahima stated that there has been a steady increase in the advertising expenditure and took advantage of this opportunity in the market. Fahima and her husband who is also her business partner chose to pursue advertising since they have vast experience in advertising. Virus entered into a partnership with Virtual Consulting and have some key clients including Hewlett and Packard, Telkom, Toyota and XL (Abe). The second most notable innovator in Indonesia is Ciputra, the number one philanthropist in the country. Ciputra owns a vast business empire that deals in the property business and Ciputra Group. He is worth approximately $350 million and was the 30th richest in the country according to the Globe Asia magazine (Lacy). The Asian financial crisis in the 1990s hardly hit Ciputra’s empire and those who had invested in his businesses lost their money (Lacy). Ciputra is described as Indonesia’s Donald Trump who has survived through the colonial times, through the authoritarian rule to the modern day democracy. His empire rose from the ashes and bounced back to success again. Business Dealings. The country’s economy grew by 6 percent yearly between 2010- 2012 (Central Intelligence Agency). The government made huge positive reforms in the economic sector under President Yudhoyono through the introduction of important reforms in the financial sector such as tax and customs reforms (Central Intelligence Agency). The nation has one of the emerging economies globally and the largest economy in the South East Asian region. It is also the second fastest growing economy in the G 20 movement slightly behind China (Central Intelligence Agency). In fact, the country performed better than India and China during the global financial crisis in 2009 (Central Intelligence Agency). The country is endowed with a wide variety of natural resources including petroleum, natural gas, copper, gold and silver. The industrial sector is the largest followed by the service industry and the agricultural sectors. The country’s major export partners include Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, India and South Korea. The country specializes in the export of oil, textiles, plywood and electronics. On the other hand, the country’s import partners include Japan, China, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and South Korea and imports commodities including foodstuff, fuel, chemical, equipment and machinery (Central Intelligence Agency). In summary, Indonesia is a country recovering from ethnic conflict, the Asian financial crisis and from the chains of a tyrannical rule. The country has been striving over the years to put an end to important issues facing the country such as extensive poverty, poor infrastructure, unemployment and the need for establishment of a well-developed human capital. Works Cited Abe, Burhanuddin. Iim Fahima Jachja: Bridging Offline and Online Communications. Web. 14 Jan. 2009. Central Intelligence Agency. The World Factbook: Indonesia. Web. 5 Dec. 2013. House, Karen, E. On Saudi Arabia: Its People, Past, Religion, Fault Lines and Future. Random House Incorporated, 2013. Print. Kunkler, Mirjam and Stepan, Alfred. Democracy and Islam in Indonesia. Columbia University Press, 2013. Print. Lacy, Sarah. Can Indonesia's Ciputra Prove that Great Entrepreneurs Are Made, not Born?Web. 16 Jun. 2010. Read More