The Management Science Division of the Community College of Qatar (CCQ) organized the "Culture and Business Day" Forum, which brought together representatives from various embassies and entrepreneurs from Qatar, the USA, Japan, India, and Italy. The Forum's primary focus was exploring the impact of social culture on business administration methods and practices.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Khalid Al Horr, CCQ’s President, and attended by distinguished guests, including Mr. Jae Man Jeon, Public Diplomacy Officer at the US Embassy; and Ms. Tamami Yoshida, the First Secretary for General Affairs and Head of the Cultural Section at the Embassy of Japan. Also present at the Forum were CCQ's deans, faculty members, administrative staff, and students.
A panel discussion was held to explore how culture influenced the main aspects of business practices and the impact of cultural factors on entrepreneurship and business administration, The panel discussion was moderated by Mr. Hamad Mubarak Al-Hajri, the owner of Snoonu, and featured Ms. Brooke Holland, Executive Director at the American Chamber of Commerce in Qatar; Ms. Palma Libotte, Founder and Director of the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Qatar; Mr. Ashraf K.P., Managing Director of WellCare Pharmacy Group; and Mr. Toshikazu Hirobe, Managing Director of Chiyoda Almana Engineering.
Moreover, a booth was set up for each participating country to showcase how its culture impacted the way of doing business. The team representing India was announced as the winner of the best cultural booth competition.
The Forum also featured a mini-exhibition for small businesses, where nine CCQ students showcased distinctive businesses across various industries, including sports, hospitality, confectionery, beverages, décor, crafts, etc. The exhibition attracted a large audience of students and their peers.
Commenting on the Forum, Dr. Al-Horr emphasized that culture is a fundamental component of human beliefs and influence all actions and decisions, including professional endeavors at the job level for individuals and the management level for small businesses and large organizations. The Forum's topic "Culture and Business" brought together influential figures from the business world, as well as representatives from diverse cultural backgrounds to explore the relation between culture and business and how they impact communication concept and methods.
He added that the Forum represented a qualitative leap for student and academic activity in the College and is expected to benefit students and professors, broaden their horizons of thought and open up new fields for scientific research.
Dr. Ezz El-Din Bakhit, the Acting Dean of the Management Science Division, emphasized the importance of social culture as a critical factor in shaping the thoughts and actions of individuals and social groups, pointing out that culture had a profound impact on communication and administration techniques, and business involvement, all of which led to the achievement of business objectives. Culture has a significant impact on human communication, both verbal and nonverbal, time management, meeting deadlines, managerial approaches towards problem-solving, innovation, decision-making processes, employee responses to authority, and how to manage employees effectively.
Dr. Bakhit added that the level of student engagement and participation in the Forum’s activities surpassed CCQ’s initial expectations. This prompted the College to consider organizing more events that create opportunities for students to showcase their innovative and pioneering ideas and businesses because they are well-aligned with the Management Science Division’s core objectives.
