Globalisation Americanisation Disneyfication全球化美国化迪斯尼.docx

1、Globalisation Americanisation Disneyfication全球化美国化迪斯尼Globalisation, Americanisation, Disneyfication? The Global Expansion of Disneys IP, Mickeys Magic KingdomGlobalisation, Imperialism, Americanisation, Westernism, Global Village and Global Economy are all terms, or buzz words, bandied about easily

2、in the media these days but what do any of them actually mean? Possibly all the same thing.Globalisation is the expansion of the idea that the world no longer has any boundaries and that trade between companies and consumers can happen across the world as a whole, not just on a national level. There

3、 are, however, different definitions or applications of globalisation. Waters (1995) identifies 3 main types, Economic (trade borders, sanctions, import/export), Political (sovereignty issues, global governance) and Cultural Globalisation (indigenous art and culture, local produce, customs, religion

4、s). It is the latter that causes the blurring. Cultural Globalisation, Waters comments, is “the homogenizing trends that are summed up in the phrase global consumer culture and for which value-laden terms as Americanization, Western cultural imperialism and Coca-colonization are often employed.” (Wa

5、ters, 1995)Americanisation (Americanization in the US) was a term first used to describe the process of educating immigrants to the US to the American way. The Columbia Encyclopedia (2003) describes it as “the movement during the first quarter of the 20th century, whereby the immigrant in the United

6、 States was induced to assimilate American speech, ideals, traditions, and ways of life.” (Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition, 2003). Today Americanisation within the US is not as much of an issue, now the term is now used to described the implanting (or infecting if youre a sceptic!) of American

7、Culture in foreign markets. Companies such as McDonalds, Disney et al are seen as pioneers of Americanisation. Typically, the US Government is extremely keen on Americanisation; its invasion of various countries and installing their own US friendly Governments exemplifies Americanisation. Thomas Fri

8、edman comments: “.globalization is in so many ways Americanization: globalization wears Mickey Mouse ears, it drinks Pepsi and Coke, eats Big Macs, does its computing on an IBM laptop with Windows 98. Many societies around the world cant get enough of it, but others see it as a fundamental threat.”

9、(Friedman, New York Times, 1998)With the trade barriers falling as a result of Globalisation local businesses are exposed to competition from companies worldwide. However as American companies are among the largest it would seem logical that they would have the most to gain from a world of free trad

10、e, as they have the best resources for competing on a global scale. This leads to the idea that Globalisation furthers the interest of American companies and the notion that Globalisation is simply Imperialism or even more boldly Americanisation.In order to recognise the importance of Globalisation

11、in relation to Intellectual Property (IP) it is necessary to examine one of the pioneers of both areas, exploring its roots and how it deals with these issues in a dynamic international market, by manipulating law and regulations to their favour.Disney: I dont think their in Kansas anymore Toto!In t

12、he 1920s a young fledgling artist created a cartoon character; Oswald the Rabbit, who he had designed but someone else had named. Though young, Walt Disney was not going to allow anyone to have any claim on his property. He renamed Oswald and changed his long ears to the two circles that now form pa

13、rt of one of the most instantly recognisable logos in western culture. Mickey Mouse. (Finch, 1999)Since the 1930s the Disney Company have used creative talent mixed with business acumen to grow from a small time animation studio in Kansas to one of the largest media conglomerates in the world. Only

14、Time-Warner AOL rivals the power and stroke in the media world of Disney. The company has holdings in 5 major motion picture companies, 26 radio stations in the US, a major broadcast network (ABC) and 19 cable networks, 6 theme parks/resorts as well as numerous subsidiaries such as Disney Store, Dis

15、ney Interactive, Disney Records and Hyperion Books. (New Internationalist, 1998) These combined to bring in $25.360 billion in 2002. (D, 2003)Disney has already successfully implanted its culture in Northern America, where it makes the majority of its income; however it has also been successful in t

16、ransplanting its culture to Europe, Japan, Australia and Latin America. Disney is loved by many cultures also. Though its roots are based in a Jewish/Christian America their productions have a global appeal. So where now is left for the company to infiltrate?The opening of China to western values is

17、 of great importance to Disney. Major media companies and brands in the west are rubbing their hands in anticipation of getting a hold on the Chinese market. With a population of over 1 billion there are many untapped resources ready to be exploited.Mike Waters (1995) discusses how Coca-Cola and Pep

18、si have begun to fight it out in China and identifies that “Capitalism transforms people into consumers by altering their self-image”, commenting that in the case of Russia, the American brands created an image of Western culture that Russian people saw as better than their current situation. When t

19、he first McDonalds opened, people who had barely enough money for bread where queuing round the block for a taste of a Big Mac. Waters also comments that these companies are creating a market that does not exist by creating ideals so that consumers want more than they need. Disney also does this. Th

20、ey create an ideal world that we can all aspire to. A world that is colourful, clean, safe and pure. A world we can enjoy for 90 minutes by going to see a Disney film, or by purchasing a range of merchandise or for the ultimate experience 2 weeks in Disneyland.Work has begun on the first Disneyland

21、in China, namely Hong Kong, with one in Shanghai to follow in 2010. Though Disney agreed with Hong Kong officials to delay building in Shanghai to allow Hong Kong Disneyland to flourish, it is clear that Disney views Hong Kong as a stepping stone to China, by way of introduction before moving in for

22、 the kill. As indeed their purchase of Hong Kong radio stations was the stepping stone to the Hong Kong market.The reason for Disneys global expansion, particularly in Asia, is primarily profit. A former employer of mine used to exclaim “We are not a registered charity!” when people would attempt to

23、 short change him or, god forbid, ask for free work. Disney is a company like any other. Hymer (1979) points out that in a small market a company must produce many products to make more money, where as a company operating on a global scale can sell the same product to more people and make much more

24、money from it, thus reducing the initial development and production cost (particularly where IP is the product and development is the most costly). However this is not the sole reason for Disney. The slump in tourism in post 9/11 US is an important factor is Disneys concentration on Asia. If tourist

25、s in the US are not confident to travel as much then it makes sense to concentrate on those who will.Expanding the tourist attractions of Disneyworld in Florida is nothing new. Disney has a highly successful park in Tokyo; however American culture has a distinct kitsch value in Japan amongst teens.

26、As such Disney was able to replicate the US theme park ideal very well in Japan. The same could not be said of EuroDisney. This mass debacle was a huge embarrassment for Disney. They had tried to take a US Disney park and put it in Europe.The French people however complained bitterly when the park f

27、irst opened, primarily because it did not represent anything about Europe or France at all. France is highly anti-globalisation, in cultural aspects at least. They have many laws in place to protect the value of their cultural output and heritage. The main grievance was with the no alcohol law; the

28、French enjoy wine as do many other European countries, and the dress code at the park which prohibited make-up, nail polish and facial hair. The executives were oblivious of these cultural differences, as the whole park was built and ran by Americans and consequently it failed miserably, losing as m

29、uch as $1 million a day. Much to the chagrin of Disney executives, the park was renamed (Disneyland Paris), given a new French president and a more European theme; nowadays the park is very popular. (Hiaasen, 1998)Disney learned its lesson harshly from the EuroDisney venture; all press and photo opp

30、ortunities for Disneyland Hong Kong are keen to show Mickey mixing with local cultures. Clearly, as Hong Kong is a former British colony it will not have to adapt too much but the Shanghai Disneyland will be far more welcoming of local culture. (FOX News, 2003) This localisation has been seen in Dis

31、ney Stores also where a trip to Disney Stores in Scotland will see Mickey in a kilt and in Mexico where Mickey wears a Sombrero.This sanitisation of local culture by Disney is also noted in their films by many critics as a form of cultural imperialism. They claim that Disney is in effect re-telling

32、history to suit its vision of a perfect world. Many are displeased, Weinstein comments on the re-telling of Pocahontas:“The Indian and Metis peoples of North America are being annihilated by that Assassin of Culture, The Disney Empire. Through shameless sentimentality they have reduced a real people

33、 to an icon. They have trivialized a peoples religion. They have distorted history to fit a formula story line. To them, an Indian may be a Wild Savage or a Noble Savage, but not a person. What they did to Arabs with Aladdin, ecology with the Lion King, an ancient and profound myth with Beauty and The Beast, Afro-