Summary
The article “Saudis Woo Hollywood During Crown Prince Visit” reflects a symposium organized by a delegation from Saudi Arabia at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills. The delegation was on a mission took to market the newly established film industry of Saudi Arabia. Notably, the film industry had been banned in Saudi Arabia for three decades calling for significant effort to revive it; and as a result, the government has invested heavily in the entertainment sector (Stancati & Schwartzel, 2018). The symposium reflected a possible outstanding relationship between two parts of the world that hardly interacted before. Coincidentally, the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia was in a visit to California thus glanced the film occasion organized by his country. It is worth noting that Saudi Arabia is one of the most conservative countries in the world, and the re-establishment of the film industry is one of the strategies aimed at diversifying the country’s economy. The delegation that organized the event expressed their belief that a good relationship between Saudi and Hollywood would be essential in transforming Saudi Arabia into a modern economy. Indeed, one of the principal goals of the Saudis is establishing partnerships between the country and such organizations as Universal Pictures and Walt Disney Co (Stancati & Schwartzel, 2018).
A Calif.-based producer by the name Nicholas Cunha identified Saudi Arabia as an emerging market for the film industry. The event gave Hollywood a new look as refreshments with a Saudi origin dominated; these were inclusive of cocktails containing maple syrup and chia seeds. In addition, guests had the opportunity to enjoy dates which had been brought from Al Hasa, a Saudi town (Stancati & Schwartzel, 2018). The event also saw guests have the Saudi Staple of spiced rice served with lamb. The event was a signifying factor in efforts to transform the Saudi culture of gender-based segregation. Notably, the social rules in Saudi Arabia are gradually shifting in favor of women under the leadership of Prince Mohammed. The country seeks to relax these rules in order to attract more foreigners hence a diverse economy.
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Analysis
Purpose : The article explored the essence of entertainment in transforming the culture and economy of Saudi Arabia. The country is characteristic of religious conservatives who have been opposed to such investments as the film industry (Stancati & Schwartzel, 2018). However, the authors of the article observe that the revival of the industry in the country will be a major step in opening up the country for foreign investors.
Question : The primary question raised by the others entails the market’s economics regarding the amount of money that will go to studios and the censorship requirements of the Saudi government.
Assumption : The authors of the article assume that the Saudi people will abandon the conservative culture and offer a substantial market for the entertainment industry. Also, there is the assumption that Los Angeles and Saudi Arabia will build an outstanding relationship to drive the industry which has been running underground since the enforcement of the three-decade ban.
Point of view : The article was written from the point of view of individuals interested to invest in the film industry in Saudi Arabia. Basically, the authors shared the woes experienced by filmmakers, targeting Saudi Arabia, considering that authorities in the country had enforced a strict ban on films for over thirty years.
Key points : One of the key points raised in the article is how the relationship between Saudi Arabia and Los Angeles would be upon the peak of the film industry. The authors observe that the symposium, possibly, marks the first interaction between these two parts of the world. In addition, the authors have raised the point of Saudi Arabia relaxing its strict social rules which have been a major obstacle for the entertainment sector in the country (Stancati & Schwartzel, 2018). Considering that the people of Saudi Arabia will be the major determinants of the fate of the industry, it will be essential to pull them out of the religious conservative culture that currently dominates the country.
Concepts : One of the concepts that the reader of the article needs to understand is gender equality. Saudi Arabia and Los Angeles contradict in this concept with the former exhibiting an immense deal of gender-based segregation (Stancati & Schwartzel, 2018). The reader ought to understand that the root cause of this segregation in Saudi Arabia is a religious conservative nature. Upon reading the article, the reader should establish the relationship between this conservative culture and non-existence of the film industry in Saudi Arabia.
Interpretation : The reader can make an inference that the culture practiced by a certain population is a major determinant of the type of economy of their country. A conservative culture translates to a locked economy with over-reliance on a few sectors; on the other hand, a liberal culture transforms to a diverse economy in which investors venture in a host of industries.
Implication : The authors of the article relate the visit by the Saudi delegation to the start of an economic relationship between California and Saudi Arabia. Ideally, the delegation had the objective of marketing the Saudi culture to the Americans a move that would see filmmakers explore the virgin Saudi market.
Topic Consistency
Chapter six is consistent with the idea of cross-cultural adaptation developed by the authors of the article. The article extensively discusses how Saudi Arabia has been confined to its conservative culture dominated by Islamic religious ideologies. Consequently, the country has not been a destination for filmmakers and other investors in the entertainment sector. However, the delegation that held the symposium in Hollywood had one theme of cross-cultural adaptation. For instance, the delegation carried to California several refreshments with a Saudi origin a symbol of cultural interaction. The authors point out how guests in the symposium enjoyed Saudi dishes and refreshments. Further, the authors indicate that the government of Saudi Arabia is striving to end segregation as a means of attracting foreign visitors, hence more opportunities for the economy.
Chapter six exhibits consistency with the article via its definition of effectiveness; according to this chapter, effectiveness refers to individuals’ capability of living and working across the cultural settings (Lane & Maznevski, 2014). In addition, the chapter identifies the essence of women in international business, an idea which is now gaining momentum in Saudi Arabia. The authors of the article share this idea, as they indicate that gender-based segregation has been one of the primary contributing factors to the conservative culture and a locked economy of Saudi Arabia.
Learning and Commentary
From this article, I learn the essence of multiculturalism in driving the economy of the contemporary world. Upon realizing this importance, the Saudi government is doing great effort to end the prevailing culture which does not provide men and women with equal economic opportunities. To illustrate this effort, the government is spending billions of dollars on such initiatives as the symposium held to lobby Hollywood.
The article also increased my awareness of some of the factors that shape the economy of a nation. For instance, a conservative culture has failed in delivering a 21st-century economy for Saudi Arabia. As the authors of the article observe, the Prince of Saudi Arabia is in the process of changing the country from an ultraconservative petro-state to an open to business economy, capable of attracting an immense deal of foreign investment .
References
Lane, H. & Maznevski, M. (2014). International Management Behavior: Global and Sustainable Leadership . Hoboken: Wiley.
Stancati, M. & Schwartzel, E. (2018, April 5). Saudis Woo Hollywood During Crown Prince Visit. The Wall Street Journal . Retrieved April 9, 2018, from https://www.wsj.com/articles/saudis-woo-hollywood-during-crown-prince-visit-1522964004?mod=searchresults&page .
