Profile of Australia - Research Paper Example

Profile of Australia Profile of Australia Introduction When opening a business in a foreign country, it is imperative to have a full profile of the region in order to ensure a competitive edge and avoid been caught unaware. Therefore, this research paper seeks to give a full profile of Australia, which will enable in deciding to open a service firm in the country, basically a restaurant. It will incorporate aspects such as the history of the country, its geography, demographics, the economic structure, culture, government formation, and the role that the nation has played in global commerce. History of Australia Australia is an Oceaniac nation that comprises of the Tasmania Island, Australian continent, and other various small islands. It is the sixth vastest nation in the world and its neighboring nations include East Timor, New Zealand, Indonesia, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea, and the Solomon Islands. It is estimated that human habitation in the country started between 42,000 and 48, 000 years ago. For approximately 40, 000 years, the country had been inhabited by roughly 750, 000 to 1,000,000 Indigenous people who spoke diverse languages. However, this number declined rapidly after settlement due to infectious diseases. The Aboriginal Protection Act of the year 1869 led to the separation of children from their communities and families, which also contributed to the reduction in the number of the indigenous people. During the European settlement, most of the Australians were horticulturalists and hunters as well as gatherers. They also had strong spiritual values that were grounded on a major belief in Dreamtime and reverence to the land. Since the year 1951, the US and Australia became military allies after signing the Anzus treaty. After the Second World War, immigration from regions such as Europe and Asia were promoted. Consequently, the country’s culture, image, and demography were transformed (Macintyre et al. 2008; Index Mundi, 2014). Geography Australia is the only largest nation across the globe that covers the continent. Although it has an increased space reserved for fertile lands and have various natural resources, roughly one-third of the nation is a desert. Most of the deserts are located in rural remote regions where there are high temperatures, less or no vegetation, and there is little water. Its land area comprises of around 7.7 million square kilometers and its most southerly point is the South, which is 38 degrees, 08 minutes latitudes (Index Mundi, 2014). The country has an economic zone that is 370.4 kilometers and the driest as compared to other nations. Most of its farms and cities are located in the Southeast and Southwest regions where the climate is perceived as been more comfortable. Australia also has various rain forests and between the Southern and the Eastern edge, there is Great Dividing Range, which is 3, 700 Kilometers. The stretch mountain helps in sending water into the Great Artesian Basin and other essential rivers (National Geographic, 2015). Demographics The country’s population by July 2014 was approximated to be 25,507,617, making it the 52nd most populated nation in the world. By the year 2030 it is expected that the population will increase up to 28 million. The nation has roughly 89% of its people living in towns or urban regions and it is alleged that it is one of the most urbanized in the world (Index Mundi, 2014). The median age of the country’s population has heightened by 4.0 years during the last two decades with Tasmania experiencing the largest increase. The population has been increasingly ageing due to increased life expectancy and low fertility. As a result, there are few children who are under the age of 15 years and the number of persons over the age of 65 years has increased rapidly. Between the year 1994 and 2014, children aged between 0-14 years reduced to 18.8% from 21.6% (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014). The sex ratio of the country at birth is roughly 100 females per 105 males. However, it has decreased for men who are over 70 years due to increased mortality rate. In 2014, the sex ratio of the entire population was 100 females per 99.1 males (Australian Bureau of Statistics, 2014). Persons between the ages of 0-14, 15-24, 25-54, 55-64 and over 65 years are 18%, 13.3%, 41.8%, 11.8%, and 15.1 respectively. The main religions in Australia are protestants at 28.8% the Catholics who are 25.3%, Buddhists, Eastern Orthodox, Muslim, and Hindu who are 2.5%, 2.6%, 2.2% and 1.3% respectively. Approximately 76.8% speak in English though others speak languages such as Mandarin Arabic, Italian, Vietnamese, Cantonese and Greek (Index Mundi, 2014). Governmental Structure The formal name of Australia is the Commonwealth of Australia. The country is a constitutional monarchy, federation, and a parliamentary democracy. This means that it has a queen, is ruled by a prime minister, has two Commonwealth parliaments reserved for making laws, and has eight territory and state parliaments. It has six states, which are Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, New South Wales, and Western Australia. Every state has its governor who is selected by the British government and two parliaments except Queensland which has one chambered parliament. The country is independent though shares a monarchy with nations such as the UK, New Zealand, and Canada with the queen been the leader. The country also has a senate, which represents the states and the House of Representatives. Its ministries comprise of ministers, cabinet, parliamentary secretaries, and the cabinet (Australian Government, 2014). Economic Structure The economy of the nation has continued to grow and there are low cases of unemployment. Inflation has been contained, there is a strong financial system, and reduced rates of public debt. By the year 2012, the country had experienced intense economic success that averaged 3.5% annually. There is also high demand for energy and other resources from regions such as China, resulting to increased investments and success with regard to commodity products. The service sector is considered as the largest in the nation’s economy, which accounts for roughly 75% of employments and 70% of the GDP. The country was not highly affected by the economic downturn since the banking system has been stable and the government has kept inflation under control. In 2011, 13% of the population was earning an income of roughly $1,500 per week. The nation is an open market with few import restrictions. Therefore, there has been increased productivity and high growth, making the economy more dynamic and highly flexible. It generates its main income from mining oriented exports, banking, telecommunications, and manufacturing; thus, has low rates of poverty (Index Mundi, 2014). Role in Global Commerce Australia plays a paramount and active role in global commerce, mostly in the World Trade Organization, the G20, and APEC among other trade oriented forums. It has Free Trade Agreements with nations such as Chile, New Zealand, Malaysia, the US, the Republic of Korea, Japan, Indonesia, and countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. It has also been involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement with Chile, Mexico, the US, and Singapore among others. It exports agricultural products such as wool, fruits, wine, beef, as well as wheat. It also exports energy and various natural resources such as uranium, copper, iron, gold, as well as coal; thus, attracting heightened foreign investment (Index Mundi, 2014)). Cultural Considerations Australia is ethnically diverse since approximately a quarter of all people who live in the country came from other nations such as Vietnam, United Kingdom, China, Middle East, and North Africa among others. The country’s sunny, warm climate and increased open spaces offers its population an opportunity to conduct numerous outdoor activities. The Australians are sports enthusiasts and are passionate about surfing, swimming, soccer, rugby, cricket, and tennis (Holmes, Hughes & Julian, 2014, pp. 91-92). The society values the role of women in the workplace and businesses are built upon strong cultural, racial, and religious diversity. Due to such tolerance and holistic view, there has been increased cohesion among people. The Australians are also generally optimistic, positive, and enthusiastic communicators. However, some of them do not hold high value to interpersonal relationships and to them, individualism is considered as a positive value; thus, prefer having more personal space (Mavondo & Rodrigo, 2001). According to Rasmussen, Mylonas and Beck (2012, pp. 102-13), social, economic, and educational related pressures have led to increased incorporation of technology in business. This has led to high collaboration with other nations and more productivity. Considering that Australia exports and imports various products, the importance of technology cannot be overemphasized and has been highly prioritized on. Finally, various verbal and non-verbal cues are used by the Australians just like other nations. The non-verbal ones include maintaining of eye contact, gestures, and nodding. In verbal communication, the message is decoded, depending on ones cultural affiliation, their preferred languages and the age difference. Therefore, the language used is supposed to be both culturally and age appropriate in order to lessen misunderstanding (Rasmussen, Mylonas & Beck, 2012). Conclusion It is evident that Australia is a great place to work and open a service firm at since it has high technological standards and its economic structure is stable. Considering that most of the people are in the urban areas, opening a restaurant in the region will guarantee a competitive edge. In addition, the region is generally hot; hence, most of the foods that will be provided will be environmentally friendly. It is undoubtedly clear that carrying out a profile on the country has helped in making sure that the service firm will be at an advantage and cultural aspects such as proper communication and employing of more women among other factors will be incorporated. References Australian Government. (2014). Our Government. Retrieved from < http://www.australia.gov.au/about-australia/our-government> Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2014). Australian Demographic Statistics, Jun 2014. Retrieved from < http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/1CD2B1952AFC5E7ACA257298000F2E76?OpenDocument> Holmes, D., Hughes, K & Julian, R. (2014). Australian Sociology. South West Wales: Pearson Australia. Index Mundi. (2014). Australia. Retrieved from < http://www.indexmundi.com/australia/> Macintyre, S., Atkinson, A., Lake, M & Pons, X. (2008). A Concise History of Australia. Australian Historical Studies, 31(115): 335-343. Mavondo, F & Rodrigo, E. (2001). The Effect of Relationship Dimensions on Interpersonal and Interorganizational Commitment in Organizations Conducting Business between Australia and China. Journal of Business Research, 52(2); 111-121. National Geographic. (2015). Australia. Retrieved from < http://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/countries/australia/> Rasmussen, R., Mylonas, A & Beck, H. (2012). Investigating Business Communication and Technologies. London, UK: Cambridge University Press. Read More