Managing asmall business Dissertation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Managing asmall business - Dissertation Example While this study will focus on all important aspects of managing a halal business, management techniques and business practices related to the successful operation of a local, small halal foods store will be the primary interest of this study. The focus of this research will be one such local Halal food shop serving both Muslims and general halal food purchasers, Marhaba. 2.3 What will the general topic area be, and can you give us a general overview of the developments to date in this area? What is already known about the area/industry/issue? The academic focus of this dissertation will be management. Specifically, this dissertation will analyse the management techniques and business stratigies employed by Marhaba, a local halal foods shop, to appeal to their unique customer base: Muslims seeking to purchase halal food. The specific industry being studied will be the local halal foods industry, and the specific organization to be considered will be Marhaba shop. Before a basic liter ature review can be conducted, halal food needs to be defined. The Islamic Food and Nutrition Council describes halal food in specific terms by saying, â€Å"Halal is an Arabic word meaning lawful or permitted. The opposite of halal is haram, which means unlawful or prohibited. Halal and haram are universal terms that apply to all facets of life,† (IFANCA). The IFANCA goes on to describe some common haram foods, such as pork, alcohol, and birds of prey. The idea of halal comes from the Al-Baqara of the Quran, which says, †O, ye men! Eat of what is in the earth lawful and wholesome and follow not the footsteps of Satan; for verily he is an open enemy to you,† (Quran). According to a recent report conducted by the government of Canada, the 1.6 billion Muslims currently alive are the engine behind a growing $580 billion halal food market. This report gives an encouraging take on the market saying, â€Å"There is strong commercial potential for halal certified produc ts, with consumers looking for safe, genuinely certified and diversified halal products,† (Canada 2008, 4). This promising market data shows that the market is growing, and remains already large. While a local halal grocer will only take in a miniscule fraction of this \market, a growing market is encouraging for any business, no matter the size. One of the biggest concerns for any management is whether or not the current customer base will be there in the future. Bubbles pop, booms die, and fads fade, yet a true niche market will serve a business for years. (please write source These sentences were not drawn from a source, this is using common knowledge which is acceptable according to MLA standards. If you were citing specific bubbles or niche markets you would need to cite this, but in this context, these sentences are just a general introduction to the main point.)The question facing halal food shops across the UK is will the European Muslim population remain as large as i t has been in the future, or will this population dwindle in size? According to a 2011 article by Steve Doughtry for the Daily Mail, the answer to this question is no. According to Doughtry, the UK will have 5.5 million Muslims within 20 years, forecasting England to have more Muslims than Kuwait in the year 2030. While these statistics certainly draw up an immigration conversation, in terms of the halal foods industry, they couldn’