The Batek of Malaysia Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Batek of Malaysia - Research Paper Example They are one of the groups of Malayan aborigines (Orang Asli) and from historic times they have always been gathering food by hunting and gathering natural resources (Bisht and Bankoti, 2004, p.100). This paper will focus on forage as primary mode of subsistence of the Batek population and its impact on some aspects of their culture. The Batek have maintained their primitive lifestyles but with time they might be facing challenging with respect to upholding their beliefs and traditions. There is a population of 133,000 Orang Asli in Malaysia and they are divided into 3 groups which again has 18 ethnic sub-groups. Each group has an identity of their and differ in language, culture and also architecture. In the age of urbanization they have adopted modern lifestyles and have come to live in urban areas. However, the Batek still maintain their traditional nomadic lifestyle (Beswick, 2010). The Batek people claim to have a strong and positive relationship with the forest. They hunt for food in the forests and also take refuge in the forests. In spite of their dependence on forests, their everyday life can be in danger. As with other nomadic groups, the Batek too suffer from this fear. The major factor that contributes to their fear of life is falling of trees. The Batek have an inherently practical approach to this problem. They cut down a tree if they think it has the possibility of falling over their camp. If cutting down of a tree does not seem possible then they escape from the way of the tree. As the best and hassle free solution they build their camps in place where there are no old trees so that they are saved from the threat of potential falling trees. In general term, this fear of the Batek of falling trees is a fitting environmental behaviour and can be considered normal for people living among trees. The Batek people believe that the world will cease to exist if no people live in the forests and so according to their belief they are holding up the world by remaining attached to the forests. Administrative boundaries do not restrict the Batak and they move freely in and out of Taman Negar a Park. Based on their political and sexually democratic structure, there exist no boundaries among groups. The main characteristic of their daily camp life is fluctuation. The Batek people always look for new zones for resource and so their encampments are always fresh and in established sites (Tuck-Po, 2005, pp.250-251). A camp group has an average of 38 people and in general does not remain in one place for more than two weeks. They move from one rive valley to another in three to four months. Their movement is not random through the forest. They follow a definite walking trail and other pathways including rivers and streams (Tuck-Po, 2005, pp.250-251). The Batek do not have ownership of lands and they only look after lands. This makes them easier to move every five months so that the forest can replenish (Beswick, 2010). In Batek society leadership is not ascribed. It is based on situation and activity. Although individuals make decisions, still group decisions act as the best c ompromise between peaceful agreements and chaotic conflicts. Dominating behaviour is not favorably accepted and even the children have the right to object and refuse obedience. The nuclear family is the primary unit for production and consumption. An important social performance is the practice of sharing of food between households. The largest share of food that they gather goes to the family members of the hunter and their closest kin and the remaining portion of the food is distributed among the other members of the

International Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

International Marketing - Essay Example 2.0 The features indicating achievement of global brand status Quelch (1999) provides a benchmark for the seven characteristics of a brand that are prevalent when a business has achieved global brand status. This is inclusive of strength in the home market, having a geographical balance in sales, the ability to address homogenous consumer needs worldwide, maintaining consistent brand positioning, reducing the country-of-origin effect, the specific product category focus of the firm and corporate name. This section of the report examines the extent to which Lenovo maintains appropriate emphasis on the aforesaid benchmark criteria for advancement to a legitimate global brand. Lenovo must maintain all identified characteristics in order to be considered a victor in becoming a genuine global brand. 2.1 Strength in the home market In 2011, China contributed 46 percent of total business revenues with all supplemental sales stemming from combined international markets and emerging markets ( Lenovo 2012). China is considered the largest personal computer market in the world and Lenovo has managed to increase its market share in this highly competitive technology market. Much of this success is due to a contracted 2011 strategic alliance with Compal Electronics that significantly increased Lenovo’s production capabilities. Through dual investments by Lenovo and Compal, totalling $300 million each, a new production facility was built from the ground up in Hefei, China that exploits the talents and resources of both partners to deliver faster output and more frequency of innovative products (Lenovo 2011). The Chinese personal computer market is projected to achieve a growth rate of three to four percent in 2013, which is largely driven by rural consumer demand for desktop computers (China.org.cn 2013). Whilst the rest of the developed world, such as the United States, has seen declines in demand on personal computers as consumers defect to more agile mobile computin g opportunities, Lenovo operates in a market where rural consumers are witnessing more government investment into infrastructure improvements in rural regions that are increasing personal incomes of rural consumers (China.org.cn 2013). The rural consumer sector is a major market segment within a national population volume of over 1.34 billion consumers (News Limited 2013). Lenovo was very adept in establishing a joint venture with Compal in order to expand the ability to deliver faster production output to the rural regions within China whilst demand for desktop and laptop computers are experiencing growth with a variety of target segments. Lenovo also participated in a government subsidy program designed to give rural consumers less-expensive personal computers which assisted Lenovo in achieving a $1.7 billion USD sales increase in the country (Hille 2009). Lenovo recognises appropriate opportunities to expand its brand presence and hence improve its brand recognition in China. The Chinese government is imposing a variety of new programs to facilitate more economic growth and improve the labour environment within the nation. By engaging appropriate political forces to allow the Lenovo brand to be associated with a nationwide initiative to modernise rural China,