English 2 report business comparison

ENGLISH 2 (ENGL0205) 0
ART INDUSTRY
ENGLISH 2 [ENGL 0205]
FULL NAME STUDENT ID
ADIBAH BAHIAH AWANG 0316318
FARAH AKMAL
GHAIDA RASHAD 0315601
MOHAMAD HAFIZI SIDRATUL 0315470
NADINE NASHARUDDIN

CONTENTS
1. Research Proposal
1.1 Introduction
2. Key Summary
2.1 Location
2.2 The group
2.3 The Topic
2.4 Research Questions
2.5 Methodology
3. Brief description of the businesses
3.1 PMAA Gallery
3.2 Art House Gallery
4. Transcript
4.1 PMAA Gallery
5. Recommendations
5.1 PMAA Gallery
6. Comparative analysis
6.1 Comparative table
7. Appendix
7.1 Meeting minutes
7.1.1 1st
Meeting
7.1.2 2nd
Meeting
7.1.3 3rd
Meeting
7.2 Shop details
8. Bibliography
9. References

1. INTRODUCTION
This report will study, compare and analyze two businesses of the same industry but
located in different regions of Malaysia.
The industry chosen for this research is the art industry. We chose this industry of all
possible options because we as architecture students found ourselves more interested in and
engaged to this firm than any other, hence we wanted to continue search on the basis of its
business. We eventually limited our research to two art shops in Malaysia. First is the Penang
Malay Artists Association (PMAA) gallery, which is located at Chulia Lane, Penang, while the
other one is The Art House Gallery (AHG) Malaysia, which located at Central Market, Kuala
Lumpur. Going through the two businesses we found that the business that is run in Kuala
Lumpur is more stable than that in Penang, most probably because of its strategic location and
techniques in running the business.

2. KEY SUMMARY
2.1 Location
We carried out our research at two different states. The first research was carried out
in Penang. This state consists of many industries such as textile, food, fashion, etc. But the
art industry is probably by far the most famous industry here. The rapid growth of street
art in Penang has made the people here appreciate it even more. The second research was
carried out in Klang Valley. Pasar Seni, Kuala Lumpur is the home for many artists that wish
to sell their artworks and goods- as this place is one of the main attractions for both local
and foreigners in Kuala Lumpur.
2.2 The Group
Our group consists of five members- Nadine Nasharuddin, Mohamad Hafizi, Adibah
Bahiah, Farah Akmal and Ghaida Rashad. Four of us are from the Wednesday class, from
12.00pm-2.00pm, while Ghaida is from the Thursday class, from 10.00 am- 12.00 pm.
2.3The Topic
The two businesses that we have decided to do a comparison on are the Penang Malay
Artists Association Gallery, Penang and Art House Gallery, Kuala Lumpur. These two
galleries have been in the art industry for more than 10 years but they both are very
different in terms of the type of artworks they display, target markets, advertising methods,
etc.

2.4 Research Questions
i. What is your name?
ii. What kind of service/product does your business provide?
iii. When did you start your business?
iv. What inspired you to start this business/ What is the history of your business?
v. What are some of the obstacles faced when you first started your business?
vi. How did you overcome those obstacles?
vii. What are the strengths of your business?
viii. What are the weaknesses of your business (if any) ?
ix. What are your biggest threat/ competition?
x. Who is your main target market?
xi. Where do you see your business in 10 years?
xii. Do you wish to expand your business, maybe to an international market?
xiii. What are your hopes for this business?

2.5 Methodology
2.5.1 The Interview
The interview was carried out during our trip to Penang. We were given time to carry
out our interview during our three day stay there. We visited the PMAA gallery on Chulia
Lane and met with the owner, Mr Abdul Rashid Razak. We started off by asking him general
questions about the gallery while taping the interview. He then gave us a tour of the gallery
and showed us his favourite pieces. He also gave us a brochure that was used to promote
the gallery. The second interview was carried out during the weekends. We went to Pasar
Seni and went to the Art House Gallery. The assistant manager at the gallery is used to
giving private tours of the gallery so interviewing him was not a problem. However, we
were not allowed to take pictures inside the gallery.
2.5.2 References
Besides on site interviews, we also looked up on the internet for reference. The PMAA
gallery has no proper website, so we had to get information from blogs and other websites
that has done a review on the gallery. The Art House gallery on the other hand, was not a
problem. We also got information from brochures and pamphlets that were handed out
during the interviews.
2.5.3 Meetings
We have conducted a few meetings before going for interviews. This is to ensure
that all the tasks were distributed fairly to all group members. We also kept in touch
through Whatsapp and Facebook messages to make sure that everyone was on track.

3. Brief Description of the Businesses
3.1 Penang Malay Artists Association (PMAA) Gallery
The Penang Malay Artist Association Gallery (PMAA) was restored as an Art Gallery in
2002, led by Abdul Rashid Razak, who was the president at the time, and is a permanent artist
that is still painting for the gallery today. The Gallery is located along Lebuh Chulia, near the
Kapitan Keling Mosque. The gallery currently only has one store, but expanding the business to
other countries are in consideration. The current owners of the gallery are Abdul Rashid Razak,
and Rashidi Abdul Razak who are also curators and painters that showcase their own artworks.
Besides displaying art pieces of their own or from other artists, they also buy and sell artworks
to customers, as well as accepting orders from people.
The business was started to help Malay artists to excel in the art industry as well as
educating society to appreciate art. Since the association was deregistered in 2010, and the
rise of new modern and contemporary art galleries, the popularity of the gallery has decreased.

Art House Gallery is located at the Central Market, Kuala Lumpur. Mr. Yiu Hong, the
father of the current owner, Mr. Leonard Yiu in 1970, founded the Art House Gallery. Mr. Yiu
started selling his paintings, then, during 1979, Mr. Yiu started operating the gallery where he
not only sold his own paintings but he do trades (buys and sells paintings) as well. They’re also
selling native antiques arts and crafts. They’re known because they’re on of the oldest gallery in
Malaysia and a few magazines have published their gallery while often being invited to the
National Gallery of Malaysia events.
This business was inspired by their passionate love towards art and culture, as they grew
up surrounded by art. Art House is the oldest existing private gallery in Malaysia, which still
remained in business although many galleries at the Central Market closed down. They started
with 2 lots at first, then expanded to 7 lots which was their peak but the Asian financial crisis
called the ‘tom-yam effect’ or others called it the ‘Asian flu’ made them back to 2 lots again.
They were the first gallery in Malaysia to bring Chinese oil painting in 1991, first to do Chinese
watercolour in 1999 and first in South-East Asia to privately owned mini museum that is
dedicated to Malaysian’s native art.

4. Transcript
4.1 PMAA Gallery
1.What is your name?
Rashidi Abdul Razak.
2.What kind of service/product does your business provide?
We display paintings and take orders from people.
3.When did you start your business?
About 15 years ago.
4.What inspired you to start this business/ What is the history of your business?
Passion towards art, basically. I wanted to help Malay artists to succeed in this industry.
5.What are some of the obstacles faced when you first started your business?
Minor financial obstacles.
6.How did you overcome those obstacles?
-
7.What are the strengths of your business?
Our building was previously a famous landmark, so it is already known.
8.What are the weaknesses of your business (if any)?
People are no longer interested in traditional art.
9.What are your biggest threat/ competition?
Chinese galleries.
10.Who is your main target market?
Everyone.
11.Where do you see your business in 10 years?
Hopefully we can expand this business to an international level.
12.Do you wish to expand your business, maybe to an international market?
Yes.
13.What are your hopes for this business?
We hope that people are educated to appreciate art even more, and we hope that the future
generation can excel in this industry.

1.What is your name?
AJ, I am the assistant manager of this gallery.
2.What kind of service/product does your business provide?
We collect artworks from all over the world, and native antiques from south east asia. We
also sell them to art lovers and collectors.
3.When did you start your business?
About 44 years ago, in 1970.
4.What inspired you to start this business/ What is the history of your business?
My boss, Leonard Yiu continued his fathers legacy and he had a deep appreciation towards
art.
5.What are some of the obstacles faced when you first started your business?
Financial crisis.
6.How did you overcome those obstacles?
Improved the management, sold some of the lots of the gallery to sustain us.
7.What are the strengths of your business?
We have been in the industry for a very long time.
8.What are the weaknesses of your business (if any)?
People are selling artworks for a cheaper price in Pasar Seni, and the Malaysian society are
not so attracted to native art.
9.What are your biggest threat/ competition?
The other new galleries in Pasar Seni.
10.Who is your main target market?
Everyone.
11.Where do you see your business in 10 years?
Hopefully people will be more interested in native art and the business will expand even
more.
12.Do you wish to expand your business, maybe to an international market?
Yes.
13.What are your hopes for this business?
We hope that Malaysian society will learn to love native art as much as other kinds of art, as
it teaches us about our roots and history.

0
5. Recommendations
5.1 PMAA Gallery
Because of the condition of the building, we recommend that the gallery improves the
building in terms of the design, interior and arrangement of the artworks in the building.
Currently, the building looks closed because of the small entrance, and the artworks are
scattered everywhere, leaving very little space for movement. Besides that, we also
recommend that they create a proper website so that people can access it and get more
information and updates on the gallery.
The rapid growth of modern contemporary art in Pasar Seni has made Art House Gallery
less popular in recent years. We suggest that they organize a re-launching party to re-
introduce themselves to the art world. This would help people to remember their existence
in the art industry, as well as giving them opportunity to educate people more about native
art. Besides that, we also suggest that they open new galleries in other parts of Malaysia to
expand their market. The financial stability of the business should not be a problem for
them to open their galleries elsewhere.

1
6. COMPARITIVE ANALYSIS OF THE TWO BUSINESSES
As already been said, we interviewed two businesses from different locations of
Malaysia. The first business which been here for 15 is the PMAA Gallery in Penang and our
interviewee was Abdul Rashid Razak, who led the gallery and one of the artists in the gallery.
The second business which started much earlier in 1970 is the Art House Gallery Malaysia in
Kuala Lumpur and our interviewee was AJ, the assistant of the present owner, Mr. Leonard Yiu.
Studying these two businesses, similarities as well as differences were observed.
Both businesses sell paintings of their own, painted by artists involved in the business
itself, and trade (buy and sell) paintings from other artists. However the PMAA gallery focuses
on paintings which are painted by Malay artists while the Art House gallery offers artworks
from all over the world specially, in addition to that the Art House gallery also sell native
antiques arts and crafts providing their customers with a wide range and variety of preferences
and giving the business its strength to be more competing in the market.
The two businesses started for different purposes. For the PMAA gallery the business
was started to help the Malay artists to excel in the art industry and educate the society to
appreciate the art around them. On the other hand the owner of the Art House gallery started
his business because art was something that he was passionate about. According to AJ “Mr.
Leonard Yiu (the curator of the gallery) grew up surrounded with art like his father and so both
were passionate towards art and culture”. He began with only selling his work and later on he
expanded the business.

2
Like any other businesses, these two faces some challenging obstacles that
prevent them from being on the required track. However it is not as bad for the Art House
Gallery in kl as it is for the PMAA. The Art House gallery has some difficulties attracting enough
costumers because according to AJ, the West Malaysians are not used to Malaysian’s native art
& culture, therefore they’re not interested in them. As for the PMAA gallery the obstacles are
more challenging. First, due to the presence of street arts that is rapidly growing on the streets.
People no longer bother to enter galleries just to see artworks because they already have
access everywhere. Secondly, the current state of the business itself. The gallery has a very
traditional feel to it. The building itself, the interior, and the arrangement of the art pieces are
dull and not eye-catching. Moreover the gallery itself does not have an official website which
makes it hard for people to keep up with it.
Along with the challenges come the competitors, although the Art House
gallery seems to have no competitors within the area. According to AJ this is because each
gallery in Central market has its own type of art that is different from the other therefore there
are no competitions. On the other hand the PMAA gallery needs to compete with the China
House Art Gallery. A modern, contemporary art gallery that also acts as a café and a theatre
space that attracts many youngsters and tourists. The flexibility of the gallery and the active
participation of people to celebrate the gallery give it an edge to compete in the art industry
and take all the lights off the other traditional art shops in Penang.

3
The advertising techniques for the PMAA gallery are very limited. There seem
to be no official website that introduces the business or promotes the products. The only
method found was printed flyers with a brief introduction on the business. Besides these flyers
were only seen inside the shop so they are not directly exposed to the desired audience. As for
the Art House gallery, the fact that they are one of the oldest remarkable galleries in Malaysia
gave them quite a reputation. Few magazines have published their gallery helping them
introduce their business further. Besides that they usually get invited to the National Gallery of
Malaysia. This gives them the opportunity to show case and expose their artwork to a wider
range of audience.
To conclude based on our observation of the two businesses, the Art House
Gallery is more commercially stable than the PMAA gallery of Penang. Mostly because they
have been in the industry for more than 40 years thus they are more recognized among people
and perhaps more experienced in the firm. In addition to that unlike the PMAA gallery they are
more exposed to the international business, and have wider range of products to attract
different kinds of people.

4
6.2 COMPARITIVE TABLE
PMAA Gallery Penang Art House Gallery KL
Initial Purpose -Introduce Malay artists to the
art industry
-Passion for art
Main Products -Traditional paintings -Paintings + native antiques
arts and crafts
Obstacles -Growing street art
-Old Figure of business
-Art not interesting enough to
west Malaysians.
Competitors -China House Art Gallery -No competitors due different
types of art
Advertising -Flyers -Magazines
-Invitations to public events

5
7. Appendix
7.1 Meeting Minutes
1st Meeting
DATE: May 12th, 2014
TIME: 10.00 am-10.30am
VENUE: Library
NAMES OF GROUP MEMBERS TUTORIAL GROUP ROLE
Nadine Nahsaruddin Wednesday,12-2 Leader
Mohamad Hafizi Wednesday,12-2 Note taking
Adibah Bahiah Wednesday,12-2
Farah Akmal Wednesday,12-2
Ghaida Rashad Thursday,10-12
NO. ACTIVITY ACTION TAKEN BY
1. Introduction
2. Choosing the type of business
 Art Galleries
Ghaida
3. Listing our general interview questions Adibah

6
2nd Meeting
DATE: May 16th, 2014
TIME: 2.00pm-2.15pm
VENUE: Continental Hotel
1. Introduction
2. Choosing the specific art gallery
3. Distributing the task
 Hafizi – Record
 Adibah, Nadine - Interview
Farah

7
3rd Meeting
DATE: May 21st, 2014
TIME: 3.00pm-3.45pm
VENUE: Library
1. Introduction
2. Listening to recordings/videos Hafizi
3. Distributing the task for report Nadine

8
7.2 Shop Details
7.2.1 PMAA Gallery
Owner: Rashidi Abdul Razak (Artist)
Location: Chulia Lane, Penang.
From left to right: Mr. Rashidi (owner), Nadine, Adibah, Ghaida and Farah.

9
PMMA Gallery: Lot 167, Jalan Chulia, Pulau Pinang.
7.2.2 Art House Gallery
Owner: Leonard Yiu.
Location: Level 2, Annexe Gallery, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur.
AJ, assistant of Art House Gallery and Adibah.

0
8. Bibliography
1.Penang Monthly. (2012, March 2). Penang-A Home for Malay Artists. Retrieved
From the Penang Monthly website:
http://penangmonthly.com/penang-a-home-for-malay-artists/
2.Penang Travel Tips. (2008, July 11). Penang Malay Association (PEMENANG).
Retrieved from the Penang Travel Tips website:
http://www.penang-traveltips.com/penang-malay-association_pemenang.htm
3.About Us, Art House Gallery.
Retrieved June 1, 2014, from http://ahg.com.my/about-us/

1
9. References
1.Penang Monthly. (2012, March 2). Penang-A Home for Malay Artists. Retrieved
From the Penang Monthly website:
http://penangmonthly.com/penang-a-home-for-malay-artists/
2.Penang Travel Tips. (2008, July 11). Penang Malay Association (PEMENANG).
Retrieved from the Penang Travel Tips website:
http://www.penang-traveltips.com/penang-malay-association_pemenang.htm
3.About Us, Art House Gallery.
Retrieved June 1, 2014, from http://ahg.com.my/about-us/

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