Evolutions in China Film Industry Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Evolutions in China Film Industry - Essay Example The film industry is a dynamic sector, compelling various film industries in different countries to adopt the most recent technologies to remain relevant as far as audience satisfactions are concerned (Blythe, 2008). The main objective and criteria in the advancements of movie technologies is to improve the quality and the ability of the audience to enjoy such films, either at the cinema among other media. This discourse is about the changes or improvements in the China’s film industry, as a result of advancements of technology in the last two decades. It involves the comparisons of some selected movies produced in the last two decades and those produced as recently as this year. China mainly ventures in three categories of movies namely commercial films, propaganda films as well as art films. The three categories undergo common film production procedures but differ in the main themes behind them. Commercial movies are meant to promote regional and international businesses and this includes adverts and promotes among others (Hetzel, 2008). Propaganda movies are those employing more fictions in other words, thoughts and actions beyond human capacity. This category is the most selling. It may also include animations and sci-fi depending on the technology applied. Art films or movies are those promoting Chinese art and skills like Ti-Chi, Judo and Tae-Kwando among others (Rojas, 2007). The irony is that Chinese art films are more common in the Western world than in the country itself. This could be due to the fact that Chinese do not appreciate their practices or culture while the Western part of the world does (Zhang, 2012). Advancement in movie technologies has seen the overall improvements in film production houses for the last two decades. Some of these technologies and invented in the country while others are adopted from Europe and North America among other parts of the world (Wilkins, 2009). China first employed the VHS tape technology as the main mo vie storage tools. Movies could be recorded in such tapes then distributed for sale. The technology was helpful although it had some limitations. The tapes and tee casings were cumbersome to carry around, more so during distribution. There not long lasting and their quality could be compromised by dust or damp environment. Movies were later recorded on the DVDs which came with several advantages. DVDs are light in weight hence easy to transport, easy to manage and produces quality images compared to those recorded on the tapes. DVD technology still plays a great role in the modern Chinese movie industry. The majority who cannot afford the Cinemas can simply walk to the movie stores located in almost corner of the country and pick the favorite movie in the DVDs (Pogue, 2012). The 2012 Chinese movie industry survey indicates that about 80% of the country’s film revenue was from the local consumption. However, the technology of DVDs came with some limitations, for instance, thei r quality is greatly compromised by electromagnetic waves among other radiations. A single scratch on the DVDs may create its way to the dust bin and only few and expensive DVDs can be re-written among other limitations. Then followed the BluRay technologies, which is far much better than the DVD technology but expensive. The modern generation in China accesses their favorite movies through the digital downloads. The movie industries have collaborated with various cloud companies so that the audience can download their favorite movies anytime and from any corner of the globe at a reasonable

Old Man Coyote Makes the World- Crow Story -American Indian Myths and Essay

Old Man Coyote Makes the World- Crow Story -American Indian Myths and Legends - Essay Example This channel of communication and mutual understanding was evident from the very beginning of the story where Old Man Coyote wanted someone to talk to rather than someone to rule over. In his discourse with the ducks, He sought their advice rather than impose his own will upon them. Additionally, Old Man Coyote is not the all knowing creator which is commonly presented in western mythos since he does not know if there is anything in the world other than water, he does not even know that ducks can stay underwater for a long period of time. The image of the creator matches the idea of a very powerful being, but the being is not all knowing. Moreover, Old Man Coyote is not very well acquainted with many different ideas of society and social existence which were taught to him by other creatures. For instance, he does not understand war or the need for was as a social conflict that allows certain problems to be settled once and for all or as a means to improve a person’s social standing. Cirape is the character which comes across as the individual which has the wisdom of a god but does not have the strength to put his thoughts into action. Finally, the relationship which the creator animal has with other animals brings about an image of a united family since the characters address each other as younger and elder brothers. The image of family is essential to the progress of the storyline since even characters that are not cooperative and act in hostility are not killed off or banished. The case of the Bear is a predominant one since his rebellion does not take him to hell; rather he is supposed to hibernate for the winter months while the other animals can stay awake. In conclusion, the creation story of the native American mythology is an interesting work since it does give significant insights into native American culture as well as the relationships that a society should have as a result of following that particular culture. Of course

DNA - Modified Food Essay Example for Free

DNA Modified Food Essay Some vegetarians do not prefer to consume genetically modified vegetables or food products because they contain other genes which they have no idea about. The consumers find these genes unsafe for their health. The people must have the knowledge that the addition of these genes into the plants is done only to give them a better food product, but it’s therefore important to label genetically modified foods because it enables the consumer to determine and know the right choice of food information that is needed. Genetic modification is the technology by which the genetic makeup of the living organism such as plants and animals bacteria is changed. Thus the resultant organism is called genetically modified, genetic engineered or transgenic. Source citation (http://www. ext. colostate. edu/pubs/foodnut/09371. html). First of all Consumers have a right to know what’s in their food, especially concerning products for which health and environmental concerns have been raised, this I think is one of the most important reason why individuals will prefer the labeling of genetically modified food, and also to know the condition of the environment of which the product was made from weather is a place with good sanitation or not. Mandatory labeling will allow consumers to identify and steer clear of food products that cause them problems because some people who with medical problems or allergic to some product will have to know before using them in order not to get themselves in trouble or contracting any form of diseases Surveys indicate that a majority of Americans support mandatory labeling. (However, such surveys often do not specify the effect on food prices.) Least 21 countries and the European Union have established some form of mandatory labeling source citation (Gruere and Rao, 2007; Phillips and McNeill, 2000) For religious or ethical reasons, many Americans want to avoid eating animal products, including animal DNA. For example some religious beliefs enact laws for people to avoid eating some certain products due to this labeling of genetically modified food will help consumers know the right choice of product to consume example are the jewish and the buddist.

The Challenges Facing Cultural Diversity

The Challenges Facing Cultural Diversity These days cultural diversity plays a significant role in a company. The criteria discriminating these groups include race, geographic basis, civilization, gender, age, functional or educational background, physical and cognitive competence, language, lifestyles, beliefs, cultural background, economic category, occupancy with the organization and sexual preference. As a MNC works in a global market it must be ready to detect all possible changes in the global environment and it has to be able to communicate and adapt the identity of the company to them. For example in India womens will not work for night so they have to manage time for their convenience. The company cant offer quality products or services to the customers if it doesnt understand and take in account the impact that the culture has in all the processes. Workers usually think that their behavior hasnt got any influence on the final product or service, but to be effective, every part must have a clear vision of the company and a clear mission on it. The social, political and enterprise structure depends on everyone in the company, so the internal area and the human resources, one of the most important areas of a company, must be developed with the rest of the company to achieve their goals. The misunderstanding and ignoring of different cultures, language and historical background lead to disasters in the field of setting up multinational business. To avoid this, a general knowledge of another nations culture and history is essential. So general cultural knowledge, if coupled with prejudice and prejudgment, is an obstacle to effective global management. 2.1 Communication and language barriers One main challenge under culture is language barriers. Communication is necessary for management. Yet communication relies upon a common language, a condition that does not exist in many global business situations and that is when the problems start. The most pronounced sign of the language barrier at work can be found in the relationship between a multinational parent company and its network of global subsidiaries. Several factors contribute to the difficulty of achieving and sustaining effective communications and a productive, collaborative relationship. Even if an employee is relatively competent in the language of the other party, loss of rhetorical skills is always present as the use of humor, symbolism, sensitivity, negotiation, persuasion and motivation requires a very high level of fluency. 2.2 Attitudes towards Appointments and Deadlines In America, Americans were give strict obedience to time commitments and it was a basic principle of professionalism and polite behavior. Because everything tends to be strictly scheduled, postponements in one appointment or deadline can have a serious ripple effect on a coworker or customers other work commitments. But for example: The more flexible and open-ended approach to time of Indian and Sri Lankan businesses culture can create tensions and adverse impressions on American counterparts 3. MNC Workforce Diversity Multinational Companies (MNC) had to face a number of new challenges in their daily business over the past couple of years. Globalization changed various things for global players. In general MNC structure shows a focus on their main resources and departments like finance, technology, marketing, sales and production, because they want to have a large number of customers and to earn profit. A huge challenge MNC have to manage is their workforce diversity. The milestone research by Hofstede with 116,000 recruits of IBM, a giant MNC in 50 countries and 3 regions recognized four cultural values in the workplace: Individualism-collectivism, Power difference, Uncertainty avoidance and masculinity-femininity. For example: the United States was the greatest and Guatemala was lowest in individualism. Malaysia was the highest and Austria was the lowest in the power distance values. Greece was the highest and Singapore was the lowest in the uncertainty avoidance values. Japan was the highest and Sweden was the lowest in the masculinity values. There have been significant amount of intercultural and cross-cultural studies with these cultural values, and some studies demonstrated the relationship between communication styles with some of these values. Because of this diversity one of the key success factors of MNC is the recruitment and selection of human resources who offer valuable uniqueness. These individuals are forming the values and beliefs of a business. There are two key challenges within global HRM specifically building global corporate cultures and developing global leaders that have to be mastered in order to manage diversity and be successful in the global business surroundings. Managing diversity in MNC during HRM To manage workforce diversity in MNC its a challenge for the human resource management to set up a global corporate culture. To recognize with the corporate culture of the company is the most significant thing for the workforce. That is why building a global corporate culture is one of the most important challenges for Multinational Companies. Employee behavior is possibly the most critical challenge that multinational organizations have to deal with. In Multinational Companies there is a huge potential of conflicts, because of its diverse personalities. As a result of this anxieties will arise among employees. Individuals try to adapt their behaviors to fit the demands of a particular environment. In order to adapt to the environment, individuals sacrifice their individualities to fit in with their new cooperatives. Individuals become incorporated into the culture of an organization when they are successfully understood into the workplace. Successful cultural adaptation reduces members anxiety, role conflict, and intentions to leave. Additionally, successful adaptation increases organizational obligation, job satisfaction, confidence, and job familiarity as well as successful acculturation and establishment of relationship. 4. Challenges of Working across Culture 4.1Stereotyping They are usually misrepresentations and inaccuracies fixed in false guesses and faulty analysis. Usually this valuation is seen in a negative perspective. The challenges to organizations are to acknowledge differences in positive terms. Power struggles and can be the result of stereotyping in organizations. For example, placing women, who stereotypically have had lower status than men in society; in senior management positions create status incongruence in the minds of many of the people. This can root complexities in the leader/subordinate relationship and can root power differences in a business. This is done in such a way that affiliates of minority groups may find it hard to use influence over decision processes in the organization. 4.2 Ethnocentrism Ethnocentrism results when managers identify the differences in cultures but have a propensity to think that their culture and their way of doing things is the right way, their way of doing things is the only way and the best way. Any difference from their culture or from their way of doing things is seen as distortion or as a mistake or as Wrong way. Most people have the propensity to pursue ethnocentrism. Americans, Japanese, Chinese, Germans, French, Scandinavians, and Russians are more prone to ethnocentrism than other cultures when compared to other Asians, Latin Americans, British, Australians, Africans and Indians. 4.3Informal Integration Informal groups play a significant role in any business. They influence both the success of the business and the career success of individuals. Total quality plans depend heavily on employee contribution and informal networks can greatly impact this process. Informal groups are influenced by factors such as common language, perceived social similarity, and ethnocentrism. These collective networks are critical for communication in organizations. It has been found that race has a major effect on collective networking. This is not astonishing as you would expect people to have a preference for interaction with members of ones own culture group, especially in an informal context. 4.4 Parochial Attitude Parochial attitude refers to a persons incapability to see cultural diversity. This is exactly the reverse of ethnocentrism. Managers who are sent overseas frequently meet people who are also dressed in suits and speak their language this prompts them to disregard all other cultural differences and make them feel that all others are just like us. In todays business globe, most people are apt to dress similarly in suits or other formulas and talk in English, but this does not indicate that all people have the same culture but people often only see the surface and think that the other person shares the same cultural values. Managers from US/UK often tend to display a strong parochial attitude mainly because the people with whom they relate on regular basis can speak English and are dressed similarly in suits or western dresses.

Abraham Lincoln :: History

Abraham Lincoln Of the many presidents who could be mindlessly passed off as heroes, there are a few truly heroic presidents. Among them, Abraham Lincoln stands tall. In 1861, when Lincoln was elected to office, the situations of the time called for a hero, and Lincoln stepped up. All throughout his childhood, Lincoln had to struggle to make a living and learn as well. His mother died when he was only ten years old. He lived as a farmer, working largely what would be considered â€Å"minimum wage† jobs today. All this while Lincoln struggled to gain knowledge, especially of law. He was always determined to accomplish his goals, and was willing to work as much as it might take to do so. After gaining presidency, Lincoln was faced with a dilemma. The secession of the South, though never officially realized by Lincoln, called for some sort of action. Throughout the Civil War, and even after, Lincoln was very kind and forgiving to southerners. He kept in mind the greater good and strived for the reunion of the nation, rather than becoming angry toward the South. As he stated in a speech at the Gettysburg military cemetery, Lincoln wanted a â€Å"government of the people, by the people, for the people, (that) shall not perish from the earth.† After the Civil War, Lincoln urged the South to put away their weapons, and rejoin the Union. One of Abraham Lincoln’s truly noble and well-known actions was the issuing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863. This would proclaim all the slaves in the United States free from slavery. Though this meant little to the South at the time, it means everything today. Any American resident, and hopefully anyone in the world can appreciate Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. Without it, our country wouldn’t demonstrate the same sense of freedom and equality it currently does. All people of minorities especially would regard Lincoln’s proclamation heroic. It freed them from possibly being born into slavery, and was the first national-scale step towards racial equality. I personally consider this act heroic. For one, I am not a racist, nor do I support or participate in racial discrimination. In addition, we would live in a completely different world than we live in now if slavery were still allowed. Lincoln committed much of his time into abolishing slavery, earning a great deal of respect from many.

Comparing Romantic Opposition in Billy Budd, Bartleby the Scrivener and Artist of the Beautiful :: comparison compare contrast essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚   Herman Melville wrote some of the most widely read works in the history of literature during the late nineteenth century.   He has become a writer with whom the romantic era is associated and a man whose works have become a standard by which modern literature is judged.   One of his most well-known and widely studied short pieces of fiction is a story entitled, simply, Billy Budd.   In this short story, Melville tells the tale of Billy Budd, a somewhat out-of-place stuttering sailor who is too innocent for his own good.   This enchanting tale, while inevitably entertaining, holds beneath it many layers of interpretive depth and among these layers of interpretation, an idea that has been entertained in the literature of many other romantic writers.   Melville uses a literary technique of developing two characters that are complete opposites in all aspects and contrasting them throughout the narrative, thus allowing their own personalities to adverse ly compliment each other. Melville also uses this tactic in another well-known short story, Bartleby the Scrivener.   Much like Melville's two stories, another romantic writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, uses this tactic in his short story, The Artist of the Beautiful when he creates two completely different characters who vie for the same woman's love.   Both writers use the contrary characters to represent the different facets of the human personality.  Ã‚   Using this idea and many others, these romantic writers, Melville and Hawthorne, created works with depth of meaning that were both interesting to read and even more intriguing to interpret.      In his short story, Billy Budd, Melville uses this romantically based idea of characteristic opposites in two of his main characters, Billy Budd and Claggart.   To give the comparison even more strength, Melville also puts these two characters in virtually opposing roles in the story.   Billy represents the good that is present in humans and Claggart represents the bad.   Similarly, Claggart takes on an intelligent persona while Billy appears to be a bit innocent and uneducated in the ways of the ship.   These two men are essentially at odds and appear to represent the dueling facets of the human conscience, the sort of angel and devil on the shoulder.   Claggart wishes to rid the ship of Billy and eventually, the captain of the ship is forced to hang Billy because of Claggart's malice.

A Smart System for Now and the Future

What organization would turn away from a system which eliminated waste? In today’s business climate of doing things faster, better and at less cost and with less waste, the Lean system of management and/or manufacturing has been proven to eliminate overproduction, wasted steps and movements, unnecessary transport and conveyance times, and waiting periods. Sayer and Williams (2007) in their book, â€Å"Lean for Dummies† demonstrate the advantages of this concept. Sayer and Williams (2007) compare the Lean concept of business and organizational strategy to the physical and mental strength of the athletic or physically fit:   There is nothing there that cannot be used, no excess fat, and no waste (p. 10). Where previous business practice involved the mass production of a product to be sold to the masses, management would find they were often left with extra inventory. Inventory not sold is a lost profit potential, the inventory itself requires space to store and is yet another waste, and a surplus of inventory results in price fluctuations that may not be beneficial to the organization. With Lean thinking, the process of manufacturing or managing product development is completely customer driven with the focus on the needs of the customer and the advantage to the customer if competitive advantage is foremost. The culture of an organization, according to Sayer and Williams (2007), must value individual creativity and empowerment to secure a satisfied customer base. Lean thinking eliminates the traditional hierarchy of corporate management and embodies individual work teams where individual creativity can flourish. Lean management also reduces the risk of occupational injury by virtue of scaling back wasted steps and movements of individual employees. Continual process improvement and quality assurance monitoring embody the importance of employee empowerment to secure this satisfied customer base. Sayer and Williams (2007) underscore how Lean management systems are able to make continuous process improvements during projects or work floors by utilizing Six Sigma practices. Project management via team leaders periodically meet at their workstations or places of project development and participate in worksite analyses, value stream mapping interpretation and otherwise focus on project improvement. A project can be improved or redesigned mid-project if necessary, further boosting performance, reducing costs and increasing customer satisfaction. Using impact and effort assessments, Six Sigma practitioners can determine what is the least effort required – in terms of costs, inputs, and employee needs – to have the greatest impact to a project and, ultimately, the satisfaction to the customer. Six Sigma uses data analysis, logical cause analysis, and other trending tools to determine value-added potentials to a project (p.97.) Utilizing value stream mapping, an organization or manufacturer works toward the goal of flow, without stoppage, without broken equipment and an increase in multitasking (p. 41). Understanding flow and data will dictate where waste can be eliminated (p. 80). Henry Ford, according to Sayer and Williams (2007), was the primary pioneer of Lean manufacturing concepts. Given the technology of his day, Ford was able to increase the quality of his cars at a reduced cost to the purchasers by managing and reducing waste at his manufacturing plant (p. 17). Ford understood the value-added effects of less waste of time and effort would have on his employees and his customers (p.17). Ford understood his plant should not waste space for production, not waste the time his employees took to move about workstations or between workstations, and have the necessary tools to do the job but without excess implements that might go unused (p.44). According to Sayer and Williams (2007), Lean thinking requires a corporate or organizational culture of quality. The Toyota manufacturing system uses Lean thinking as a new paradigm of manufacturing excellence, relying on continuous improvement and thinking where everyone is a problem solver. Toyota applies â€Å"Just in Time† concepts to Lean manufacturing, where the right part is assembled by the right person at the right time (p. 35). Relying on elimination of waste as its goal, Lean thinking demands the right combination of quality and service. â€Å"The customer is willing to give you their money for your product or service only when they believe it’s a fair exchange of value,† (Sayer and Williams, 2007, p.14). The customer ultimately has a need for a particular product or service and sets the tone for meeting that need and defines the purpose of the product development or production. According to Sayer and Williams, (2007), it is imperative to identify who the customer is and to determine what the customer considers valuable in order to apply Lean concepts to an organization (p. 28). All of these concepts require constant data gathering; the tallying up of effort, process distribution, causation of outcomes, and work sampling. According to Sayer and Williams (2007), data, portrayed in a diagrammatic visual aid such as a Scatter Plot, provides conclusions and predictions about what can happen next (p. 185). Pareto Charting allows a visual representation of where are actual costs (p. 183). Lean thinking is about constant evaluation of data. Lean concepts cannot be adopted by an organization without development of a culture of trust and respect. These values must be demonstrated toward employees as well as customers. In order for management to go beyond stated or implied principles, they must demonstrate trust and respect toward employees. According to Sayer and Williams (2007), fundamental applications of Lean corporate values are demonstrated when the organization fosters â€Å"personal safety, employee security, challenges and engages employees, celebrates wins, offers continuous growth and education, exercises effective communication† (p. 215). Lean thinking is not limited to manufacturing cars or widgets. As Sayer and Williams (2007) point out, â€Å"The future of Lean across all industries are limitless† (p. 311). As Lean thinking is seen as not the next gimmick of business practice but the future of business practices, Lean practices will be seen in industries such as health care, engineering, construction, and other industries wishing to increase performance and decrease costs to achieve customer satisfaction. In the field of health care, for example, Lean practices result in reduced errors, reduced waiting times, increased staff productivity and increased patient education (p. 310). Lean practices are seen already as a method to eliminate waste, reduce cost, and those values translate to customer satisfaction in almost every industry. Lean practices have been put into place by industry leaders many years before the term ‘Lean’ was coined. Lean practices are the answer to reduced overproduction, reduced wait times, fewer steps between workstations and reduced transport times. References Sayer, N. and Williams, B (March 2007). Lean for dummies. Indianapolis, Indiana: Wiley Publishing Inc.