Cultural Industries and Globalisation Essay Example for Free

Cultural Industries and Globalisation Essay This essay will aim to include my understanding and perception of the cultural industries, how it developed into the creative industries and how globalisation has impacted this sector through looking specifically at exampled from Sheffield. Originating from the 1940s the Cultural Industries was known as The cultural Industry taken from a book written by Adorno and Horkheimer called Dialektik der Aufklarung from the chapter Dialect of Enlightenment. They thought of the Creative Industry as art with special, exceptional forms of Human creativity (Hesmondhalgh 2007). By the late 1960s the Cultural Industry became comodified and was intertwining with other industries such as film, television and music as these were socially popular, the cultural Industry was re-named The Cultural Industries. Through new service industry growth and new labour, the Cultural Industries was turned into The Creative Industries in the 1990s and is still known as this in current society. The creative Industries are those Industries that are based on individual creativity, skill and talent (DCMS). These creative industries include 13 categories: Advertising, architecture, arts and antiques, computer and video games, crafts, design, designer fashion, film, and video, music, performing arts, publishing, software, TV and Radio. From when the cultural/ creative industries were first produced they have achieved huge industry growth rates for example: between 1997 and 2001 the UKs creative industries grew by 8% per annum, with the most popular sector being TV and Radio and around about 122,000 organisations traded in the creative Industries since 1997( Montgomery, J 2007). This service Industry growth is mainly down to Globalisation which is defined as the world becoming more interdependent and integrated (Moynagh and Worsely, 2008). Globalisation links with economic power and consumption for mass markets and making them become global. They do this by customizing products, making them innovative and unique, and by using sub-contractors hope to get the products known globally. For example; in the fashion industry a designer will create a product that they want to produce globally to a specific target market, once they have created the product they will need to manufacture the product, ship the product and make it available for a global market to purchase. They will do this by having products made in countries such as Turkey or China as this method is cheaper and quicker, and have it shipped over to other companies to make it global. Through the virtual innovations such as the internet, and communication systems, the product can be marketed globally. Globalisation also involves the global integration of production factors and services. ‘National industries ‘selling abroad are increasingly giving way to the organisation of production and distribution on a global scale, sourcing materials, labour, services etc. across borders with little or no attachment to particular places (Brown et al 2000). There are many Pros and Cons regarding Globalisation, due to its features and tensions. Globalisation features; to name a few include aspects such as transportation and distribution: getting the goods to the destination from the manufacturers as quick as possible, Growth of Cities: Many Cities are moving from rural areas to urban areas through the growth of industries and trade, Free trade: to allow companies to trade without government barriers or trade policy, Multi Nationals: Different nationality companies will be working along side one another in one country and Global Culture: the development of standardisation and the idea that everything will start to look ad feel the same. Although this means that buying and selling overseas will become more integrated and connected through fast distribution and manufacturing, it also creates problems known as tensions of globalisation. A few of these tensions are; Poverty: Globalisation may mean that in poorer countries there are increases in sweat shops where poorer people are made to work long hours top help manufacture products to help the fast trade of Globalisation. In poor Asian economies, such as Bangladesh, Vietnam and Cambodia, large numbers of women now have work in garment export factories. Their wages are low by world standards but much higher than they would earn in alternative occupations (Bardhan, P 2006). Economic Growth: many traders have fled poorer countries in order to gain more trade in multi-national, urban areas. Oligopoly: There will no longer be one current market brand leader, as everything will be integrated and manufactured the same, causing competition in market brands. Global vs. Local: The idea that local economies will be decreasing through products no longer being unique, through the speed of communication, how fast the brand becomes global. An article by Shah, A 2009 says: Following a period of economic boom, a financial bubble—global in scope—has now burst. The extent of this problem has been so severe that some of the world’s largest financial institutions have collapsed and local manufactures have been bought out by their competition at low prices. This demonstrates the impact that globalization has had on small businesses and how competition between organizations is becoming increasingly tougher. These features and tensions need to be considered in order to gain an understanding of the impacts of Globalisation and the positive and negative points that need to be considered in terms of the struggling economies and inequalities that may occur in parts of the world. Globalisation also works off economic, political, social, cultural and environmental aspects and entails better communication; through social networking sites, developing relationships; through computer and internet innovations which link people together, and the decline in human contact; people are no longer conducting meetings as they can have video conferencing with people on the other side of the world. One example of a globalised cultural Industry in the UK would be The Stonehenge, a World Heritage Site which is known as a place for worship and healing. This tourist attraction sees thousands of visitors pass it every year, visiting from all over the world. The world Heritage sites include The great Barrier Reef, Great Wall of China, Galapagos Islands and many more, their missions include is to promote public awareness of the sites and encourage international cooperation in the conservation of the World heritage sites (unesco. rg). After looking into globalisation; its positive and negative aspects in gaining a deeper understanding of the subject, I can now establish an understanding of how globalisation has impacted Sheffields Cultural Industries and weigh up affects it may have had on this industry. The growth of the Cultural Industries meant that in the UK a huge amount of employment was generated, which was extremely beneficial to Sheffield as it meant that 7. 2% of people were working for the creative Industries, this ame at a good time following the collapse of the steel industry after Britain let a failed trip to Japan to buy machinery to cater for the Steel industry needs. After a strike from the workers the Steel Industry closed in Sheffield and meant a loss of 50,000 jobs were incurred. Today in the Sheffield region of South Yorkshire, the Cultural Industries employment rates are above 20% of the average employment, rating above hotels and catering, and below the retail and education industries. It is continuing to expand through the Cultural Industries Quarter located in the city centre which contains BBC Radio Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, Perishable Works, and Exchange works. A quote from a BBC News report 2006 shows: All very much in keeping with the new Sheffield. The area near the train station has been re-dubbed the cultural quarter, a loose collection of creative and multi-media firms with the Showroom Cinema and Workstation Cultural Industries Business Centre at its heart. The CIQ is a non-profit organisation with a wide ranging powers to support and promote the growth of the cultural industries in Sheffield (CIQ Agency 2006). These establishments are all in short distance from each other creating a business community, a range of building sizes, university connectivity and transport links (CIQ Online 2006). Other creative industries around the city include; Botanical Gardens, Peace Gardens, Sheffield Museum and art Gallery and the Crucible. One organization that was established though the cultural Industries Quarter is the Workstation, a creative Business Centre combined with the Showroom Cinema, an independent picture house showing contemporary, classic film, and film from different cultures. It is now an internationally significant cultural centre which hosts annual events and festivals such as The Childrens Film Festival, Sheffield Adventure Film Festival, Sensoria Festival of Music Film and Celluloid Screams. The Showroom regularly hosts festivals and creative events which give a chance to meet experts from different media, learn new skills and cultivate new ideas. Globalisation has had huge affects from the Cultural Industries being successful through the determination of the company becoming globally recognised. According to a journal article written by Brown et al 2000, it states that there was a four stage development plan to move the CIQ from being local, regional, national to internationally known by 1) Nurturing local music/ cultural businesses, 2) create a tourist attraction to bring people to Sheffield and 3) Using these points to create a better image of the city. The creative director of the CIQ stresses that â€Å"We dont want it to be seen as a Sheffield centre, but a national one†. Through working on these plans Sheffields Cultural Industries Quarter have seen visitor numbers up to 500,000 per year which is proven to be a success. Through speaking to the manager of the Showroom in Sheffield, it is clear that through times of the recession and the credit crunch the independent cinema has to market its events and showings carefully to ensure that the visitors are still attending. As the venues most frequent visitors are older people who tend to have a lot of disposable income, they already have a captive audience. However, to gain awareness they have to capture various other market groups to expand its global awareness for example; they can target different ethnic groups and communities through showing different nationality and religious films to attract the certain audience. To conclude, through researching the Cultural Industries and how it has developed through time into the Creative Industries I now have a deeper insight into the background knowledge of the subject and can link it to globalisation and how they have positive and negative affects on one another. From researching Globalisation and the pros and cons it brings to the economy, I can now realise that Globalisation can create as much poverty as it can capital, and the affects it has on local businesses, trades, and workers. The Cultural Industries Quarter in Sheffield has impacted from globalisation through the development and infrastructure of its diverse buildings and content. For example; the showroom has attracted audiences internationally as well as regionally through its specific showings at the cinema and it continues to grow by making Sheffield a Music City by building more buildings to help expand the Cultural Industries Quarter. Finally, globalisation has shaped a mass market for the global economy as a whole and has profoundly meant that the cultural Industries are expanding and recognisable.

Metaphysical Thoughts During the Enlightenment Period Essays -- Americ

Metaphysical Thoughts During the Enlightenment Period The eighteenth century was fraught with change. Dryden, Pope and Johnson were dominating the literature. Fahrenheit was building his first mercury thermometer. The Boston Tea Party and the French Revolution occurred. However, some of the most drastic changes occurred in thought. Prior to the eighteenth century, thinkers such as Locke, Spinoza, Descartes, and Hobbes dominated Western thought to the extent that they changed the way people viewed the world. Consequently, much of the eighteenth century philosophy, as well as the general thought, was a product of these precursors. Either in replying to them, or as a direct consequence of their ideas, the eighteenth century responded to these great thinkers. The first philosophical movement responding to the thinkers of the 17th century that will be discussed is the rationalist movement. It is generally known to be started by Descartes in the 17th century, while the torch was carried by Spinoza and then Leibniz up until his death in 1716. Two things distinguished the rationalists from their empiricist counterparts. The rationalists believed that foundational concepts of reality were found in reason, not experience. These foundational concepts are called innate ideas, and from these innate ideas the rationalists believed that one could deduce truth, much in the way geometrical proofs are thought out. An easy illustration of how the rationalists use causality as a tool to derive metaphysical truths is by using it as a starting point. By using the principle that every event has a cause, it appears that certain metaphysical truths may be uncovered. For example, Descartes uses causality as a proof for God's existen... ...too, do the characters in the play, believing that reality is the same as they perceive it. They also believe in Cartesian dualism, since they carry the classical theistic conception of God. If they are truly Christian in faith, they have to believe that the soul is separate from the body, or their beliefs become contradictory. Works Cited â€Å"Hume, David.† The Oxford Companion to Philosophy. 10th ed. 1995. Kant, Immanuel. Critique of Pure Reason. Trans. Werner S. Pluhar. Cambridge: Library of Congress, 1996. McGreal, Ian P. Great Thinkers of the Western World. New York, NY: Harper, 1992. Nolan, Lawrence, "Descartes' Ontological Argument", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 15 November 2003. (Summer 2001 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.),URL=<http://plato.stanford.edu/archives/sum2001/entries /descartes-ontological/>.

Compensation Management Essay

Compensation Management is an integral part of the management of he organization. Compensation is a systematic approach to providing monetary value to employees in exchange for work performed. It may achieve several purposes assisting in recruitment, job performance, and job satisfaction. It is the remuneration received by an employee in return for his/her contribution to the organization. It is an organized practice that involves balancing the work-employee relation by providing monetary and non-monetary benefits to employees. It is a tool used by management for a variety of purposes to further the existence and growth of the company. It may be attuned according to economic scenario, the business needs, goals, and available resources. Compensation Management contributes to the overall success of the organization in several ways. To be effective, the managers must appreciate the value of competitive pay, their human resources, and have an investment view of payroll costs. We want to maintain pay levels that attract and retain quality employees while recognizing the need to manage payroll costs. The increasing competitiveness of the labour market and turnover of employees had resulted in nightmare in compensation planning. Apart from this, the growing demands of the employees and competitive salaries offered by multinational companies had almost resulted in a compensation war in certain industries. Therefore, the human resources managers and tax experts have to evolve proper compensation planning for High end and qualified employees. The components of compensation have to be devised in such a way that, it focuses on the growing demands of employees while retaining the competitiveness and profitability of the company. Compensation management, also known as wage and salary administration, remuneration management, or reward management, is concerned with designing and implementing total compensation package. The traditional concept of wage and salary administration emphasised on only determination of wage and salary structures in organisational settings. Pay is a difficult topic of conversation in most organizations. In fact, the topic is altogether taboo in many workplaces. It simply isn’t discussed unless absolutely necessary. And, when it is necessary, such as when a pay raise (or lack of one) must be xplained to an employee, many managers find themselves at a loss for words. As the dreaded date of such a discussion approaches, managers may begin checking their sick time banks to see if they can disappear for a day or two. While it may be a touchy subject, pay is a critical factor in the work lives of employees. Jobs are accepted or rejected based in part on starting salary and the opportun ity for future increases in pay. Employees compare their pay to that of others in the same line of work. They constantly compare their pay level to their level of contribution, trying to determine whether the ratio of give and receive is a fair one. While it may not be a frequent topic of open discussion, employees think about pay often. Components of compensation:- Basic wages/Salaries:- These refer to the cash component of the wage structure based on which other elements of compensation may be structured. It is normally a fixed amount which is subject to changes based on annual increments or subject to periodical pay hikes. Wages represent hourly rates of pay, and salary refers to the monthly rate of pay, irrespective of the number of hours put in by the employee. Wages and salaries are subject to the annual increments. They differ from employee to employee, and depend upon the nature of job, seniority, and merit. Dearness allowance:- The payment of dearness allowance facilitates employees and workers to face the price increase or inflation of prices of goods and services consumed by him. The onslaught of price increase has a major bearing on the living conditions of the labour. The increasing prices reduce the compensation to nothing and the money’s worth is coming down based on the level of inflation. The payment of dearness allowance, which may be a fixed percentage on the basic wage, enables the employees to face the increasing rices. Incentives:- Incentives are paid in addition to wages and salaries and are also called ‘payments by results’. Incentives depend upon productivity, sales, profit, or cost reduction efforts. There are: (a) Individual incentive schemes, and (b) Group incentive programmes. Individual incentives are applicable to specific employee performance. Where a given task demands group efforts for completion, incentives are paid to the group as a whole. The amount is later divided among group members on an equitable basis. Bonus:- The bonus can be paid in different ways. It can be fixed percentage on the basic wage paid annually or in proportion to the profitability. The Government also prescribes a minimum statutory bonus for all employees and workers. There is also a bonus plan which compensates the Managers and employees based on the sales revenue or Profit margin achieved. Bonus plans can also be based on piece wages but depends upon the productivity of labour. Non-monetary benefits:- These benefits give psychological satisfaction to employees even when financial benefit is not available. Such benefits are: (a) Recognition of merit through certificate, etc. (b) Offering challenging job responsibilities, (c) Promoting growth prospects, (d) Comfortable working conditions, (e) Competent supervision, and (f) Job sharing and flexi-time. Commissions:- Commission to Managers and employees may be based on the sales revenue or profits of the company. It is always a fixed percentage on the target achieved. For taxation purposes, commission is again a taxable component of compensation. The payment of commission as a component of commission is practised heavily on target based sales. Depending upon the targets achieved, companies may pay a commission on a monthly or periodical basis. Mixed plans:- Companies may also pay employees and others a combination of pay as well as commissions. This plan is called combination or mixed plan. Apart from the salaries paid, the employees may be eligible for a fixed percentage of commission upon achievement of fixed target of sales or profits or Performance objectives. Nowadays, most of the corporate sector is following this practice. This is also termed as variable component of compensation. Piece rate wages:- Piece rate wages are prevalent in the manufacturing wages. The laborers are paid wages for each of the Quantity produced by them. The gross earnings of the labour would be equivalent to number of goods produced by them. Piece rate wages improves productivity and is an absolute measurement of productivity to wage structure. The fairness of compensation is totally based on the productivity and not by other qualitative factors. Fringe benefits:- Fringe benefits may be defined as wide range of benefits and services that employees receive as an integral part of their total compensation package. They are based on critical job factors and performance. Fringe benefits constitute indirect compensation as they are usually extended as a condition of employment and not directly related to performance of concerned employee. Fringe benefits are supplements to regular wages received by the workers at a cost of employers. They include benefits such as paid vacation, pension, health and insurance plans, etc. Such benefits are computable in terms of money and the amount of benefit is generally not predetermined. The purpose of fringe benefits is to retain efficient and capable people in the organisation over a long period. They foster loyalty and acts as a security base for the employees. Profit Sharing: – Profit-sharing is regarded as a steppingstone to industrial democracy. Profit-sharing is an agreement by which employees receive a share, fixed in advance of the profits. Profit-sharing usually involves the determination of an organisation’s profit at the end of the fiscal year and the distribution of a percentage of the profits to the workers qualified to share in the earnings. The percentage to be shared by the workers is often predetermined at the beginning of the work period and IS often communicated to the workers so that they have some knowledge of their potential gains. To enable the workers to participate in profit-sharing, they are required to work for certain number of years and develop some seniority. The theory behind profit-sharing is that management feels its workers will fulfill their responsibilities more diligently if they realise that their efforts may result in higher profits, which will be returned to the workers through profit-sharing. Approaches of compensation management There are 3P approach of developing a compensation policy centered on the fundamentals of paying for Position, Person and Performance. Drawing from external market information and internal policies, this program helps establish guidelines for an equitable grading structure, determine capability requirements and creation of short and long-term incentive plans. The 3P approach to compensation management supports a company’s strategy, mission and objectives. It is highly proactive and fully integrated into a company’s management practices and business strategy. The 3P system ensures that human resources management plays a central role in management decision making and the achievement of business goals. Paying for position Paying for person Paying for performance Because it is so important to employees, the issue of pay deserves to be clearly addressed. In spite of their hesitance, managers are capable of dealing with this sometimes difficult issue in a professional and effective manner. By keeping the following basic points about pay in mind, they can address virtually any pay-related topic with their employees in a professional and productive manner. Specificity is Key Pay is a topic with many different shades and a variety of implications. Whenever approaching the subject, it is important to work out the details beforehand so that specifics can be clearly communicated. For the manager, this means that the increase amount is nailed down before discussing a promotion with an employee. No chance of misunderstanding or false expectations can be permitted. Far too often, managers are apt to discuss generalities. â€Å"It will mean a good increase. † What exactly does that mean in terms of the employee’s monthly budget? If care is not taken here, good news can become the source of conflict and resentment. By the same token, if asked for a raise, the manager should request that the employee suggest a specific number that he believes reflects his value. Once the employee provides that number, the manager can do his homework and decide what, if anything can be done. The employee can then be given a definitive response. Pay is Relative What one employee considers a fantastic increase maybe an insult to another? Each individual has a unique set of creativity and competencies. Pay should be based on the performance, position and the competencies/skills the person is having. Pay is Not Created Equal Various forms of pay have different purposes. The two most common forms of direct cash compensation in most companies are base pay and bonus. Base pay is the annual salary or hourly wage paid to an employee given the job he holds, While bonus is typically (or at least should be) rewarded based on the achievement of a goal of the organization. Discussions about bonus payments should be as specific as possible. This is the opportunity to point out particular accomplishments that contributed to overall team or company success. Even if the bonus is paid to all employees based on a simple overall company profit target, the manager should use the opportunity to point out specifically how individual employees helped achieve that target. Distributing bonus checks presents a unique motivational opportunity for a manager. Handing money to an employee while discussing actions and behaviors he would like to see repeated, creates a powerful link between performance and reward. Discussions about base pay increases can be a bit different. Most companies claim to link their annual base pay increases to performance. In reality, however, base pay decisions take into account a variety of factors, including the relative pay of others in the same job, the company’s increase budget, market practices and where the individual falls within his pay range. Even when performance is a factor, the manager is faced with the difficult task of evaluating an entire year’s worth of activity and then categorizing it according to the percentage increase options allowed by the budget. It becomes very difficult to pinpoint specific employee actions or accomplishments as the reason for the increase. For these reasons, it’s appropriate for the discussion about base pay increases to be more general and balanced. Both strengths and weaknesses of the employee should be addressed. The actual increase is then based on an overall assessment, as opposed to a link with one or two specific outcomes. Any other factors that impact the increase percent, such as budget or pay range should be openly discussed as well. Development of a Compensation Philosophy All organizations pay according to some underlying philosophy about jobs and the people who do them. This philosophy may not be in writing, but it certainly exists. Pay maybe treated in a formal and structured manner at one company. At another, any appearance of structure is intentionally avoided so that decisions can be made arbitrarily. Either way, the approach taken reflects a fundamental belief about people, motivation and management. Before an organization actually develops a compensation plan, there are several questions that need to be answered. Taking the time to consider and answer these questions will make the both the process of developing and administering a compensation plan much easier and will result in the development of a compensation plan that more closely matches the organization’s goals and objectives. Managers often want to view each individual as a separate case. It is important to understand, however, that employees operate within a compensation system. A manager is wise to take the time to learn as much as possible about his company’s compensation system.

The Is The Removal Of Pregnancy Tissue - 2057 Words

l. Introduction In the Collins Dictionary of medicine, Youngson describes a fetus as , â€Å" The developing individual form about the eighth or tenth week of life in the womb until the time of birth. The fetus has all the recognizable external characteristics of a human being.† As mentioned, a fetus is similar like a human who breathes and grows with the time, people do not have the right to take that life away. People are judgmental and closed-minded very often so they conclude, if a life does not appear human then it is not human so they decide to take the life of that fetus who can change the world someday. The Harvard Medical School exactly defines abortion as it â€Å"..is the removal of pregnancy tissue..†, if a woman is worried about†¦show more content†¦With that, the definition of a life has definitely changed thus people do not consider a fetus or in the rights of a fetus. Most people who do not consider as a form of a human being are either illiter ate who follow ancient traditions or either ignorant who live their life on false principles. People who abort their fetus disregarding the situations, they pay doctors and surgeon such high wage in order to end the life of a fetus. â€Å" Roughly, one-half of all abortions are done during the first 8 weeks and about 88% during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.† Instead of saving a life of a fetus, allowing it to become a living child and if they do not wish to keep it, they can make a family who cannot have children happen, women do not let the fetus live. Women are willing to endure guilt of taking a life of a fetus, instead of doing a good deed of giving life to fetus as a favor. ll. Literature Review It is comprehensible people hold differing perspectives and beliefs of abortion which is ending the life of a fetus before it is born and those perspectives and beliefs originate from cultures and ethics. In the Culture Wars, â€Å"... culture war.. ..used by certain social conservatives to describe a heated clash between two radically different and incompatible conceptions of how Americans should order their civil society†¦.a conflict between values considered â€Å"traditional† or â€Å"conservative† and those