Tasks chapter 5: A World of Opportunities

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2 Discussion

b) Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of having a large number of foreign workers in a country

Advantages: they bring new customs and culinary specialities, they can supplement a country's labour force at a time when a large proportion of the population is reaching pension age, workers can move to regions where they may realise their abilities opimally, and employers can recruit labour internationally, which can raise the skill level of the workforce.

Disadvantages: culture-shock, work in conditions that native workers would not accept and by law cannot accept, "black economy", can put pressure on welfare systems.

c) Globalization will continue. Discuss what vision you see of the future when it comes to global education and work possibilities

I think that more people will study abroad, and there will be more work possibilities in other countries. The globalization brings the world closer.

5 Taking action
Contact a local company and ask them if they need to use English in their line of businsess. If so, for what purposes? Report back what you learn. 

We have previously talked about a local company, and you can read about it more here. They do not use too much English in the local businesses, but they do on international level.

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3 Discussion

b) The global economy has changed relationships inside the Metha family. Explain why the father is confused and suspicious, the daughter angry and the mother worried. 

The father: he is confused over the technology and the modern telecoms. And he is suspicious about why his daughter has to change name when working.

The daughter: angry because she does not feel like her parents are happy for her, and she thinks the job is a great opportunity.

The mother: not happy about her daughter not using her real name, and worried about that she is turning into one of the "cosmopolitan girls".

c) "The internet has destroyed distance". Discuss this statement and what it will mean for working life in the future. 

Because of the globalization the world is getting closer. Suddenly, India is not too far away, because we have internet for example. In the future I think that traveling will not be as necessary, because of the advanced technology. Video-chats are already in use, but I think the technology will become even better, and it will be easier to do it like this.

d) Priti has got a job that has been outsourced from Australia to India. Who wins and who loses from outsourcing?

The ones who win is the workers in India, because they get a job. The company wins as well, because it is probably cheaper for them to have employees in India compared to Australia. The ones who lose, can be people from Australia who would want a job like this. Maybe people who does not have a very long education.

In-depth: the Walt Dinsey Company

Introduction

Walt Disney is one of the biggest media companies in the world. The company had a humble beginning, and started out as a small cartoon studio in the 1920’s. Two brothers founded the company, Walt and Roy Disney. The company has come a long way since that day, and is now a trademark worldwide. People from all over the world can recognize their logo, and their beloved characters, such as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck.

Headquarters

The headquarters are located in Burbank in California, just outside Los Angeles (Wikipedia: Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)). Here you can find the office to Disney’s chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Bob Iger, and other members of the Disney leadership team. As one of the most beloved and known companies on this globe, the Disney leadership team focuses a lot on creating the best content, using the latest technology and expanding to new markets, all over the world (The Walt Disney Company). The headquarters are located in Burbank, but there are several other offices, all over the world, that belong to Disney.

Disney Subsidiaries

Many might think films when one says Disney, which is not weird, thinking about all the films they have produced. Disney is known for their children and family friendly movies, including famous characters like Cinderella, Peter Pan and Winnie the Pooh. But there is so much more behind this huge brand. The company is selected into several businesses, including Disney Media Networks, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, The Walt Disney Studios, Disney Consumer Products and Disney Interactive (The Walt Disney Company). Each of these bigger businesses includes smaller subsidiaries also owned by The Walt Disney Company.

Disney Media Networks

Disney Media Networks stands for the TV and radio entertainment. Disney has several TV channels (Disney Channel, Disney Cinemagic, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Hungama) and also a radio channel called Radio Disney. Disney Channel is home to a lot of popular TV-shows, both animated and live-action, for kids and teenagers. Lizzie McGuire (2001-2004), Hannah Montana (2006-2011) and Phineas and Ferb (2007-) are just some of them (Wikipedia: Disney Channel Original Series). But besides creating several TV channels, Disney has also invested in the American Broadcast Company, often referred to just ABC. This company is an American commercial broadcast television network that offers news, sports, series and films to their viewers.

Disney Parks and Resorts

Disney Parks and Resorts is the business that is responsible for the Disneyland Theme Parks and resorts. And this includes the Walt Disney World Resort (located in Bay Lake, Florida, USA), which is often described as “the happiest place on earth”. One of the theme parks in this resort, Magic Kingdom, was finished 5 years after Walt Disney’s death. His brother Roy, and at that time chairman in Disney, hoped that the Magic Kingdom would be a great tribute to his brother Walt, and that kids could come and laugh and play together (Wikipedia: Magic Kingdom). Roy O. Disney retired just after the opening, and two months later he died of seizure.  (Wikipedia: Roy O. Disney)

Interactive

Disney Interactive is a company owned by Walt Disney that produces and distributes video games, various websites and apps.  Their goal is to bring the users a high-quality and entertaining experience across all current digital media platforms. Two of their most popular games are the mobile app called ‘Where’s my water?’ and the online game called ‘Club Penguin’. The company was founded in 1999, and has over 2000 employees (Wikipedia: Disney Interactive).

Disney Consumer Products

Disney Consumer Products makes and delivers product experiences. They sell everything from mugs and cups, to pajamas and toys. Most of their products are directed towards children, and the well-known Disney-characters are usually pictured on the products.  You can get the products in the Disney Store where everything is Disney-made. But you can also buy them through a Disney-licensed store. In supermarkets for an example, you can buy the magazine Donald Duck. As one of the biggest brands in this world, the closest Disney-product should not be too far away (Disney Consumer Products).

The Walt Disney Studios

The Walt Disney Studios is the place where all the movies come from. The company is again separated into smaller studios like Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar Animation Studios, MARVEL studios and Touchstone Pictures. Each of these studios has produced a great number of films, and several of them have won Academy Awards. Walt Disney is actually the record-holder when it comes to most Academy Awards. He won twenty-six awards through the period 1932-1969 (Wikipedia: List of Academy Awards for Walt Disney).

Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures

Disney is probably more known for their animated films, and cartoons, but Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures make live-action films. (The Walt Disney Company). The most famous films they stand behind are Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest (2006), Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011), Alice in Wonderland (2010) and Maleficent (2014). Several famous actors and actresses has played in their movies, people like Johnny Depp (Pirates of the Caribbean, Alice in Wonderland), Angelina Jolie (Maleficent) and Meryl Streep (Into the Woods).

Walt Disney Animation Studios
Walt Disney Animation Studios has been a part of the Disney family since the very beginning. It was founded on October the 16^th in 1923. Originally, the studio was dedicated to make short films only. But the first animated film came out in 1937, and it was called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (Wikipedia: Walt Disney Animation Studios). The reception of the films was excellent, and it even won an Academy Honorary Award. This movie was just the beginning of a long line with popular, animated films made by Walt Disney Animation Studios. Just to mention some of them, we have Pinocchio (1940), Dumbo (1941), Cinderella (1950), The Lion King (1994) and Frozen (2013) (Wikipedia). Frozen is actually the biggest animation film of all time (Walt Disney, Studio Entertainment).

Pixar Animation Studios

Next we have Pixar Animation Studios. This studio was established in 1986, and is a groundbreaking studio when it comes to computer-animation. The creators have created several of the most successful animated films of all time, such as Toy Story (1995), Monsters Inc. (2001), Finding Nemo (2003) and Up (2009) (Wikipedia: List of Pixar Films). This company was not created by Disney, but bought by Disney in 2006. Before buying the studio, Disney and Pixar worked together several times. The total valuation when Disney purchased Pixar was $7.4 billion. (Wikipedia: Pixar)

Marvel Studios

Furthermore we have Marvel Studios, which is another wholly owned subsidiary of the Walt Disney Company (Marvel: about Marvel). It was founded in 1996, and the company creates movies based on some of the world’s most popular cartoon-heroes. The most known films they have produced are Iron Man (2008), The Incredible Hulk (2008), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and Marvel’s The Avengers (2012) (Marvel). The films are live-action with a lot of special effects. Many famous actors have played in their movies. Just to mention some of them, Robert Downey Jr. (Iron Man, Marvel’s Avengers), Chris Hemsworth (Thor, Marvel’s The Avengers), Natalie Portman (Thor) and Gwyneth Paltrow (Iron Man, Marvel’s Avengers).

Touchstone Pictures

Another Walt Disney Studios subsidiary is Touchstone Pictures. This studio was founded in 1983 by then-Disney CEO, Ron W. Miller (Wikipedia: Touchstone Pictures). Disney has released over 200 films through Touchstone Pictures. Some of the movies they have produced are: Good Morning Vietnam (1987), Dead Poets Society (1989), Pretty Woman (1990), The Help (2011) and War Horse (2011) (Wikipedia: Touchstone Pictures). Touchstone Pictures is more different from the other Disney studios. The films focus on good acting, and not animation and special effects like the other subsidiaries tend to do. Most of the films belong to the drama or comedy genre.

Disneynature

Another Walt Disney Studios-owned subsidiary is Disneynature. Disneynature was founded in 2008, and they produce nature films and documentaries. Some of the movies are Earth (2009), Oceans (2009) and Chimpanzee (2012). Chimpanzee was one of the biggest successes in its genre, of all time, and was a big hit in movie theatres. But besides making films, Disneynature is also focusing on charity and planting trees. They have planted over 3 million trees in Brazil for an example. They are also focusing a lot on protecting endangered animal species. (Walt Disney, Studio Entertainment)

Disney Theatrical Group

Disney Theatrical Group is the last subsidiary of the Walt Disney Studios. This is one of the most successful commercial theatre enterprises. Over 20 million people, in over 40 countries, have been entertained with live productions of plays like Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins and so on. Many of the productions have been performed at Broadway in New York, or in the theatres in London (Walt Disney, Studio Entertainment). Another theatrical production is Disney on Ice. This is a very popular travelling ice show that has performed in over 50 countries. The show features ice dancers dressed as Disney characters, and has been a hit since the start in 1981. (Wikipedia: Disney on Ice)

Films in 2014

Walt Disney Studio made twenty-two films in 2014. (Wikia: Disney) Most of the films were made in USA, but When Marnie Was There for example, was made in Japan, but the movie was still released in 113 countries (Wikipedia: When Marnie Was There). The most popular film from 2014 was Guardians of the Galaxy, a Marvel-film distributed by Disney. It made about $774,2 million (Wikipedia: Guardians of the Galaxy). On second place was Maleficent, starring Angelina Jolie. The films is produced by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, and made about $758,4 million. (Wikipedia: Maleficent)

Summary

As one of the biggest media companies in the world, The Walt Disney Company has a lot to offer. Giving the people high-quality entertainment is their number one goal. Being one of the biggest companies in the film industry, they definitely have a lot of films to offer. Not just for children, but for everyone. Whether you like animated princess-movies, superhero-movies or touching drama movies. But Disney is more than films. They offer videogames and mobile apps. And in the Disney Stores you can buy pretty much anything with your favorite Disney-character printed on the product. You can also travel to Disneyworld, and visit “the happiest place on earth”.  The name Disney is really one of the biggest trademarks out there. But it all started out as a dream, dreamt by a man called Walt Disney.

“If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing started with a dream and a mouse.” – Walt Disney (Addicted 2 Success)

The writing process

I did not use a lot of time choosing a task. The task was from our textbook, and I immediately thought the task looked very interesting. The task was: Look more closely at one of the major international film and entertainment corporations that make up the modern Hollywood brand. For example, where is its headquarters? How many films did it make last year around the world? Which were most popular? How large were its profits? Is it owned by a large corporation? Does it own other subsidiaries (smaller businesses)?

 The corporation I picked was the Walt Disney Company. Finding enough information was never a problem, because there was so much information to find about Walt Disney. I wrote most about the Walt Disney Studios. It was very interesting to find out more about the Walt Disney Company, and I had fun while writing my in-depth study. 

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