The Hollywood Renaissance of the 1960s and Early 1970s Essay - 1

The Hollywood Renaissance of the 1960s and Early 1970s - Essay Example The decade of the 1960s and into the early 1970s marked a period of turbulence and change in the American socio-political landscape. Among the events giving way to this landscape were the civil rights movements, the hippy culture, radicalism among students, the new left, feminism, the gay rights’ movements, the anti-Vietnam war movements, the Kennedy assassination, the Watergate scandal, the US withdrawal from Vietnam and the oil crisis among other events (King 2002, p. 14). The period of the 1960s and early 1970s was also the Cold War era and many Americans feared a nuclear attack (Neve 1995, p. 221). Arguably these events were quite dramatic and imposed on American culture in a very short period of time. I.The Hollywood Renaissance One of the most striking features of the Hollywood Renaissance was Hollywood’s departure from an attempt to idealize American life and culture. Instead, a majority of the films produced during the era of the 1960s and 1970s appealed to America’s conscience and adapted a social expression. The arts in general gave voice to the socio-political underpinnings of the times and attempted to contribute to change. Man (1994) observed that Hollywood cinema depicted â€Å"common themes† that: ...included the breakdown of traditional values, socio-political oppression, the psychology of sex and violence, moral ambiguity, alienation, solipsism, paranoia, and disillusionment (p. 1). During the 1960s and the early 1970s, filmmakers had greater creative freedom in that the studio system faded out and filmmakers had the ability to be more critical of social issues and could be more innovative (Ryan and Kellner 1988, p. 6). The Production Code was also eliminated during this period and a rating system much like the current system was started. As a result, filmmakers were able to take on topics and issues that were not previously permitted (Ryan and Kellner 1988, p. 6). Kramer (2005) identified three common themes that characterize the films attributed to the Hollywood Renaissance of the 1960s and the early 1970s. First, the films of this period were described as a â€Å"large number of challenging films† (Kramer 2005, p. 2). Secondly, a majority of the most successful films were produced by a select number of young film directors many of which had graduated from film schools such as Francis Ford Coppola who had graduated from the University of California in L os Angeles. Finally, the â€Å"intense formal and thematic innovation† that marked the films of the 1960s and early 1970s ended with the production of block-bluster films such as Steven Spielberg’s 1975 Jaws and George Lucas’ Star Wars of 1977 (Kramer 2005, p. 2). Nystrom (2009) explained that this new class of directors and producers began to perceive its audience as youthful and intellectual (p. 26). This was the main factor that influenced the culture depicted in film production during the 1960s and the early 1970s. The prevailing view was that the audience was such that it was no longer enough to simply entertain. This new audience was open to the examination of ideas and issues. Michael Laughlin, Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) reportedly said that: Our generation has gone beyond mere entertainment. We are too well educated, too intelligent to be just entertained (Nystrom 2009, p. 26). Buck Henry screenwriter for The Graduate made a similar observation. Henry note d that during the era of the Hollywood Renaissance: Heroes can now be intellectual, which they never were in American films. Perhaps it’s because, until recently, the audience was so profoundly anti-intellectual itself. But the younger generation identifies with the melodrama of ideas (Nystrom 2009, p. 26). Paul Williams, director of Out of it (1969) and The Revolutionary (1970) linked the Hollywood

The role of Contract Manufacturing Service (CMS) Providers in the Term Paper

The role of Contract Manufacturing Service (CMS) Providers in the global manufacturing supply chain - Term Paper Example Broadly, there are two types of CMS, one involving supply with materials and the other involving only labor contract. The growth of CMS has been phenomenal in the recent years due to globalization. In order to preserve the core competency, the companies in the manufacturing sector setting up plants overseas to meet the consumer demand rely heavily on CMS, and the industry has evolved into a major economic force worldwide in the recent years. Factors influencing CMS The factors influencing the decision making process of an organization with reference to contract manufacturing service are multifarious of which, the opportunity cost of capital, marginal efficiency of the capital, benefits of mass production, cost-volume-price relationship, indigenization commitments required to be made in line with the economic policies of the host countries and cost structure in manufacturing versus CMS are the most important ones. The degree of the influence of each factor in the decision making varie s from product to product, industry to industry and the company to company based on the circumstances obtained in each case. These factors are considered very important since they are related to the growth of CMS industry and the competitiveness of the companies utilizing CMS, by tilting the balance towards CMS in manufacturing. A product primarily considered for in-house production might be switched over to CMS at a later stage due to the developments taken place in the intervening period. The CMS is on the growth path and Weber (2002) states â€Å"As OEMs slim down, electronic contract manufacturers have been bulking up. Indeed, these growing companies have become the new heavyweights of production in many industries†. Opportunity Cost â€Å"Cost of using something in a particular venture is the benefit foregone (or opportunity lost) by not using it in its best alternative use†. (Lipsey, R. G. p. 259) If the capital could be deployed in another economic activity inst ead of investment in machineries, buildings or facilities required for the manufacture of the product by offloading through CMS, the company takes the decision based on the opportunity cost of capital for increasing its competitive advantage. Marginal efficiency of the capital The returns expected on different capital investments are compared by the company, and if efficiency in the case of the alternative investment is higher compared to the investment that may be required to be made for manufacturing the product which could have otherwise been off-loaded under CMS, the decision in favor of CMS is taken by the companies. Mass production Economy of mass production is an important feature that many a times tilt the balance towards CMS. The auto manufacturers throughout the world prefer to procure standard components through CMS for cost advantage in view of the benefits of mass production enjoyed by the contractors. Janet (1992) states â€Å"The contract distribution operation has a nd will continue to play an increasingly important and rapidly developing role in the physical distribution scene†. Cost- Volume-Profit Analysis The benefit of volume in operations could be effectively achieved by the contractors and could be leveraged by the companies through CMS. Parasuraman (2000) says â€Å"If a linear relationship could be established among costs, volume and profits, it would help