module specification

The cultural industries operate in the global business environment, where the present and future are shaped by interconnected external forces of politics, the economy, societal changes, environmental pressures and technological innovations. Such interconnectedness is further facilitated owing to globalisation which, on one hand has been blamed for many socioeconomic shortcomings, while on the other proves to have spurred economic growth, promoted gender equality and improved human rights. Globalisation describes the process of creating networks of connections, mediated through a variety of flows including people, information and ideas, capital, and goods (Dreher, 2006). It is therefore impossible to imagine culture without the ability to exchange creative ideas, arguably enhanced by global processes. As much as many do measure the globalisation along economic, social and political dimensions, the KOF Globalisation Index introduces a new dimension: Cultural globalisation, expressed by trade in cultural goods, international trademarks, gender parity, human capital or civil liberties.

Such global cultural processes come in two guises: homogenisation and diversity/decolonisation, being the two opposing forces both inherent in globalisation. These will be critically evaluated to the benefit of both practice and method of cultural [industry] processes this module focuses on.

As much as globalisation is a predominant viewpoint explaining expanding influence and role of culture on world’s society and economy, new models come into play. Among those widely discussed, degrowth and circular economy taking special place. This module will engage in debate explaining forces that shape cultural industries’ current state and influence the future, employing discussion on equality and diversity, gender, global mobility, commodification, commoditisation and standardisation as well as the key driver of change, digital technology among others.

International Cultural Industries in the Era of Globalisation is a core module for the MSc in Culture, Heritage and Leisure Management. The aim of the module is to equip you with an understanding of the external business environment in which the cultural industries operate on an international scale, and prepare for strategic challenges in such a demanding business environment.

No pre-requisites; available for Study Abroad: YES

This module covers widely understood external business environment in which the cultural industries operate in the globalised economy. Specific topics include:

1. Globalisation and its impact on culture, heritage and cultural industries
2. The political forces shaping cultural industries, incl. policy development, protectionism, freedom of speech, copyright and intellectual property and regulation
3. The economic forces shaping cultural industries, incl. cultural goods trade, patterns of cultural consumption, CSR and degrowth
4. The social forces shaping cultural industries, incl. social mobility, social inclusion, gender, democratisation/decolonising of culture, challenges of commoditisation and commodification of culture
5. The technological forces shaping cultural industries, incl. digital economy, technological innovations, VR and AR and technology transfer
6. Environmental forces shaping the cultural industries, incl. sustainability and the circular economy
7. The ethical forces shaping cultural industries, incl. equality, diversity and human rights
8. The challenges to individual and community authorship in culture presented by the combined forces of increasing corporatisation, marketisation and fragmentation of culture.

The module makes use of a range of teaching and learning methods and will be delivered over a 15-week period, with 3 hours of face-to-face contact each week. Lectures will deliver key theories, models and concepts with seminars used for applying these ideas to case studies through discussion, small group tasks and in class activities. You will be encouraged to actively research implications of global trends on cultural and heritage organisations.

You will use the directed learning hours to prepare for and follow up on class sessions. To this end you will be recommended materials to consult linked to the weekly sessions, available on Weblearn and University Library, as well as sources from professional and cultural organisations, research reports and national and international bodies.

The learning,  teaching and assessment strategy for this module will enable students to develop their capabilities in digital literacy and information handling appropriate to professional/master’s level study as outlined in the Open University Digital and Information Literacy Framework (DILF: available to view at https://www.open.ac.uk/libraryservices/pages/dilframework/)

At the end of this module you should be able to:

1. Recognise extrernal forces shaping the global cultural industries in the international context and explore the influence of new technologies and globalisation on the organisations in the cultural industries
2. Critically evaluate the business and policy contexts specific to the culture and heritage management, as well as their implications for strategic planning and future sector developments
3. Advise, or provide consultancy services to an organisation within the cultural industries on strategic decisions in the light of trends in the global busines environement

This module is assessed through two assessment components:

• A1 - Individual presentation linking external business environment forces to recent developments in the cultural industries sector (20%), Week 9

• A2 – Individual report advising an organisation on strategies to maximise opportunities and minimise threats emerging from the global business trends (80%), Week 15

To pass the module you must obtain 50% on aggregate (combining the two components).

Key reading:

Hesmondhalgh, D. (2018) The Cultural Industries, 4th ed., SAGE Publications Ltd.

Additional Reading:

Adorno, T., & Horkheimer, M. (2007). The Culture Industry: Selected Essays on Mass Culture, Routledge

Bouwer, J. (2019) Ethical Dilemmas in the Creative, Cultural and Service Industries, Routledge.

Labadi, S., Long, D. (ed.) (2010) Heritage and globalisation, London: Routledge

Lhermitte, M., Perrin, B., Blanc, S. (ed) (2015) Cultural times: The first global map of cultural and creative industries, EY, CISAC.

Massi, M., Vecco, M., Lin, Y. (ed) (2021) Digital Transformation in the Cultural and Creative Industries: Production, Consumption and Entrepreneurship in the Digital and Sharing Economy, Routledge.

Todorovic, M. (2016) Rethinking Strategy for Creative Industries: Innovation and Interaction, Routledge.
The Globalisation of Cultural Trade: A Shift in Consumption (2016) UNESCO Institute for Statistics, Montreal.

Journals:
Cultural Trends
Culture unbound. Journal of Current Cultural Research
International Journal of Cultural Policy
International Journal of Heritage Studies
Journal of Critical Globalisation Studies
Media, Culture and Society (Sage)

Websites:
United Nations Economic Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); www.unesco.org
Creative Industries Federation (UK); https://www.creativeindustriesfederation.com/