Section A

Open up a business (Joanne’s Food House) to sell and promote Malaysian food in South

Korea

Food plays an essential role in human’s daily lives as it becomes a necessity for

them to survive. People have their own preferences on the chosen types of food, for

instance, some people prefer protein food such as meat while others may prefer rice,

vegetables, and fruits. Simultaneously, people from different countries have their own

food culture and tradition such as rice is the staple food for Asian people. Malaysia is the

example of a country which has its own cultures and traditions on food.

It is undeniable that Malaysia is a multi-cultural country where it consists of people

from different background, cultures and religions which Malaysians are proud of. There

are three major races in Malaysia, namely Malays, Chinese and Indians and followed by

the Eurasians and indigenous groups such as Ibans, Kadazan and Penans in Sabah and

Sarawak regions which have been stated by Ishak (2009) in Peninsular Malaysia. From the

language perspective, the Chinese community uses different dialects other than Mandarin,

which are Hokkien, Cantonese and Hakka and at the same time, according to Hassan

(2005), Indians speak Tamil and the Malays speak Bahasa Malaysia. Jamil and Abd. Razak
(2010) describe the three main races have different beliefs, codes of dress, customs, and

values despite of practicing their own cultures, traditions and religions.

Besides, Malaysia has varieties of food and delicacies such as Malay, Chinese,

Indian, Baba and Nyonya food and other delicious food which are available in the country

due to the multi-cultural society it has currently. For instance, Malaysian food includes

nasi lemak (coconut milk rice), satay, kuih-muih (cakes), cookies and therefore, it will be a

pleasure for Malaysia to bring out Malaysian food to other countries globally. South Korea

is a country which many tourists around the world wish to visit due to its beauty in terms

of the culture, tradition, food and the environment. Kimchi will definitely come into mind

when we talk about Korea. Kimchi is the most common side dish for Koreans which the

ingredients include vegetables such as cabbage and radish and also some spices such as

red pepper and garlic. Koreans are just like Malaysians who consume rice as the staple

food with soup, meat and other side dishes. Besides kimchi, there are many popular

Korean dishes such as Bibimbap (mixed rice), Bulgogi (grill meat) and Tteokbokki (rice

cake).

However, Koreans are unaware of the Malaysian food compared to the Western

countries such as Starbucks Coffee and McDonalds. Malaysia is also a country where it has

its own significant and traditional food. Thus, the purpose of starting up a business in

South Korea is to sell and promote Malaysian food to the people in order for them to
aware and try more Malaysian food. PESTLE analysis usually will be conducted when an

individual has made the decision of starting up a business at a particular place. PESTLE

analysis influences businesses directly or indirectly according to (Ward and Rivani, 2005;

Mohamed et al., 2010), indicating political, economic, social, technological, legal and

environmental.

According to Timmer (2005), food security and economic development policies

have been interconnected. The economics of South Korea is well supported by the

government policies. The country experiences a steady economic growth due to the

strong economic reforms. Currently, South Korea’s economy is the 12th largest in the

world and concurrently, it is a key trade and investments partner for Europe. Therefore,

it is a good opportunity for Joanne’s Food House to start up the business in South Korea

to sell and promote Malaysian food to people.

Nowadays, the number of people who travel to South Korea is increasing. Hence,

Joanne’s Food House is able to promote Malaysia food to Koreans as well as the tourists

who travel to South Korea. Besides, Mohamed et al. (2010) describes companies must be

aware of the changes in technology due to it will bring changes on the ways the companies

operate their businesses. According to The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998),

innovation is to make changes on something established by introducing something new.

South Korea is a country which comprises of advanced technologies and innovations. For
instance, the advanced technologies and innovations give opportunity for people to do

business in South Korea.

Nowadays, many countries emphasise on Halal concept due it is essential to

Muslims which refers to anything that is lawful and permissible to them. The market for

halal food is estimated at US$547 billion a year which has been described by Dierks (2011)

with around two billion of Muslim population globally. Gayatri and Chew (2013) describe:

Halal is one of the measures of service quality, and because of that, both Muslims and

non-Muslims accepted Halal-certified products and services as it showcases quality,

hygienic, safety, sustainable and wholesome (Golnaz et al., 2010; Marzuki et al., 2012; Aziz

& Chok, 2013; Ambali & Bakar, 2013). Generally, there are similarities between Korean

food and Islamic food where both the cuisines are depending on spices and condiments

to add extra flavour. Food is important for those who are travelling to Korea and Muslims

will not face much difficulties to dine in in the country because there are many Halal

restaurants which they can choose for and shops selling Halal groceries. Muslims can

enjoy Korean food as much as other people are enjoying. Joanne’s Food House

emphasises on the Halal concept as there are Muslims who buy the food.

There are some differences of culture which can be seen between South Korea

and other countries such as meal, bowing and table manners. For instance, Koreans serve

the complete meal at once in many dishes which they can choose what they prefer to eat
while others from Western countries prefer to consume food served in courses one after

another such as salad, soup, entrée and main course. Joanne’s Food House will provide

varieties of food and delicacies to people in South Korea in order for them to try Malaysian

food.

The competency required of starting up a business in South Korea is financial

management skill. Financial management is concerned with the efficient use of an

important economic resource, namely capital funds. Financial management is important

to a businessman with the purpose of making decisions regarding to what are the things

that will be affordable for the businessman such as in terms of the store, location,

inventory purchases, employees and equipment. Moreover, analytical skill is also

important in starting up a business due to this enables a businessman to visualise,

articulate, conceptualise and solve both complex and uncomplicated problems by making

decisions that are sensible given the available information. Hence, a businessman who has

analytical skill will be able to solve problems and overcomes difficulties in business with

the analytical skill he or she is practicing.

Furthermore, the attitude of risk taking is one of the components taken by

individuals to start up a business. Onuoha (2007) states that: “entrepreneurship is the

practice of starting new organisations or revitalising mature organisations, particularly

new businesses generally in response to identified opportunities.” Hence, starting up a

business has its own risks and the individuals need to have the ability to take risks due to

we cannot predict the outcomes in future. The results cannot be predicted as we do not

know it will be either a success or a failure.

Besides, it is undeniable that communication skill is crucial for the individuals who

want to start up their own businesses. The individuals need to communicate with people

from different background in their business. For instance, individuals need to deal with

people with different characters and personalities and sometimes they might be dealing

with some people with difficult personality and thus, communication skill allows

individuals to communicate with them under all circumstances without causing any

troubles or problems. Simultaneously, English is also crucial in today’s business world.

English is not a native language for some European countries such as France and Germany,

however, the usage of English is increasing nowadays especially in business. For example,

according to Yoshihara, Okabe and Sawaki (2001), currently Peugeot in France and

Siemens in Germany are practicing English within their companies. Therefore, English is

important to people nowadays in all sectors.

All in all, the objective of Joanne’s Food House is to promote Malaysian food in

South Korea. It is the strategic place for Joanne’s Food House to build up its business in

South Korea. Therefore, the Koreans as well as the tourists from other countries will be
able to try Malaysian food and delicacies which are totally different from what they have

eaten and experienced in their countries and also other places currently.
Section B

First and foremost, I am able to mingle with people easily. Therefore, it is not an

obstacle for me to mingle with people from different races, cultures and religions. As a

Malaysian, I feel proud to learn people from various backgrounds despite the different

cultures and religions which are available in Malaysia. When I was studying in primary and

secondary school, there were three different main races, namely Malays, Chinese and

Indians and others as well. Therefore, multicultural society helped me to easily mingled

around with people. For instance, during my school life, I was grateful to have friends from

different backgrounds. We tried to understand each other cultures and religions. We tried

to learn and understand each other by respecting their cultures and religions. Hence,

working in a different country will not be a problem for me to pursue my career in starting

up a business at that particular place.

Next is good communication skill. I am able to communicate with people from

various background and personalities. Simultaneously, I am capable of communicating

with other people very well by using different languages, namely Bahasa Malaysia (Malay),

English and Mandarin. For example, my parents nurtured me when I was young on ways

to communicate well with other people. They taught me to read, write and communicate

by not only using mother tongue, but also other languages such as Bahasa Malaysia (Malay)

and English in order for me to communicate with multi-racial and become better in future.
Therefore, communication with multi-racial will not be a problem for me. We need to

meet a lot of people in business world from time to time and communication is essential

for us to succeed in future. Nowadays, English is essential in our daily routines globally.

People are using English at anywhere and anytime nowadays to communicate with each

other. For instance, English is important in all industries such as to communicate with

people in doing business. I obtained Band 6.5 in International English Language Testing

System (IELTS) and hence, I can communicate well with people by using English.

Apart from that, I am willing to take challenges. The main reason I am willing to

take challenges is to gain more experiences which will be helpful for me to become

successful in doing business in future. I believe that I can become better in future after

experiencing different types of challenges in my life. Challenges enable myself to grow

more mature and will be able to solve problems and overcome difficulties under all

circumstances in future. For instance, I liked to take challenges which my friends refused

to do it during my school life. I did not give up easily whenever I faced difficulties and

found it challenging and instead, I would find effective ways to get things done. Therefore,

I was able to identify and develop my key skills after taking the challenges which had

helped me to improve myself in many aspects.

Moreover, I am a reliable and responsible person. I am a person who will bring out

the best for the company, performing at my level best at all times. I will not disappoint
the people and also to the company in carrying out my responsibilities. I will not

procrastinate the work and tasks given to me and try my best to complete it on time. For

instance, I will make sure that I will complete the tasks given to me on time and bring the

best to the company.

Moreover, I am able to adapt to new environment in a shorter period of time. It is

undeniable that people will face difficulties to adapt to new environment. Some people

may need more time to adapt to it while others can adapt it in a shorter period of time.

Besides, I have good leadership skills. I am able to lead other people to perform well in

the given tasks. For example, I had experienced to become a leader in my college life. I

was the project manager for Mother’s Day event where I need to guide my members to

complete the tasks given to them in order to make the event successful. I guided my

members by explaining to them what they should do to make it successful.

 References

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awareness and policy implications. Intellectual Discourse, 21(1), pp. 7-32.

Aziz, Y. A., & Chok, N. V. (2013). The Role of Halal Awareness, Halal Certification, and

Marketing Components in Determining Halal Purchase Intention among Non-Muslims in

Malaysia: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach. Journal of International Food &

Agribusiness Marketing, 25(1), pp. 1-23.

Dierks (2011) Market Watch 2010 – The Food Industry: Malaysian-German Chamber of

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Gayatri, G., & Chew, J. (2013). How do Muslim consumers perceive service quality? Asia

Pacific Journal of Marketing and Logistics, 25(3), pp. 472-490.

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