Wednesday, December 31, 2008

How Hollywood Works or The Unmanageable Consumer

How Hollywood Works

Author: Janet Wasko

This is a book about the US motion picture industry - its structure and policies, its operations and practices. It looks at the processes that are involved in turning raw materials and labor into feature films. It describes the process of film production, distribution, exhibition and retail - a process that involves different markets where materials, labor and products are bought and sold. In other words, this is a book about how Hollywood works - as an industry.

How Hollywood Works:



- offers an up-to-date survey of the policies and structure of the US film industry

- looks at the relationship between the film industry and other media industries

- examines the role of the major studios and the other 'players' - including, law firms, talent agents, and trade unions and guilds

- provides access to hard-to-find statistical information on the industry

While many books describe the film production and marketing process, they usually do so from an industry perspective and few look at Hollywood critically from within a more general economic, political and social context. By offering just such a critique, Janet Wasko's text provides a timely and essential analysis of how Hollywood works for all students of film and media.



Go to: The AARP Guide to Pills or The Secrets of Skinny Chicks

The Unmanageable Consumer

Author: Yiannis Gabriel

Western-style consumerism appears unstoppable. Yet it is has failed to deliver greater happiness and is now facing major environmental, population and political challenges.

The Unmanageable Consumer examines the key Western traditions of thinking about and being a consumer. Each chapter posits a consumer model with examples from the international community. Readers are invited to enter an exciting and radical analysis of contemporary consumerism which suggests that consumerism is fragile and consumers unpredictable.

Updated with new material, this Second Edition looks at the impact of new technologies on consumerism and the consolidation of consumerism and 'consumer' language in spheres like education and health. The authors discuss the spread of consumerism to developing countries like India and the effect of demographic change and migration. The fallout from 9/11 and US military hegemony is examined as is the influence on consumerism of Islamic fundamentalism, the anti-globalisation movement, environmental concerns and depleting natural resources.

This book will interest advanced undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA students taking courses on behavior, buyer behavior, customer behavior, consumers & society, and retailing. Any one interested in better understanding consumerism will also find this book a fascinating read.



Table of Contents:
Introduction : the faces of the consumer1
1The emergence of contemporary consumerism7
2The consumer as chooser25
3The consumer as communicator44
4The consumer as explorer64
5The consumer as identity-seeker78
6The consumer : hedonist or artist?96
7The consumer as victim112
8The consumer as rebel134
9The consumer as activist152
10The consumer as citizen172
11The unmanageable consumer187

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