Question: Today, for perhaps the first time in history, we have the opportunity to align economic and human development; Do you agree? Discuss in relation to one or two examples.

Q1: ‘’Today, for perhaps the first time in history, we have the opportunity to align economic and human development.’ (Richard Florida, Charlotta Mellander, and Patrick Adler, (2015). Creativity in the City. In C. Jones, M. Lorenzen & J. Sapsed (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries. Oxford: Oxford University Press, p.110).

Do you agree? Discuss in relation to one or two examples.

Q2: ‘The term ‘creative industries’ in the West has walked a tightrope between claims for a new ‘democratization of culture’ (everyday creativity, individual access to markets through the internet and so on) and the relentless over-commercialisation of cultural policy. The Chinese debate, in contrast, involved three-way re-negotiation between culture, economy and politics’ (Gu, Xin (2014), ‘Creative Industries, Creative Clusters and Cultural Policy in Shanghai’. In H.-K. Lee & L. Lim (Eds.), Cultural Policies in East Asia: Dynamics between the State, Arts and Creative Industries, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, p. 179-180).

What is Xin Gu’s argument about this ‘re-negotiation’ in the development of creative industries in Shanghai? How does it contrast with the strategies and effects in Guandong and Beijing? Discuss before offering your own assessment of Xin Gu’s argument as a whole.

Q3: ‘Many of these trade-offs [in how you organise a team] appear to hinge on the creativity-innovation distinction in that they involve the inherent contradictions that exist between newness and efficiency. […] Taken together, the discussion suggests that there are contradictions between what facilitates creativity versus what facilitates innovation.’ (Lucy Gilson. (2015), ‘Creativity in Teams: Processes and Outcomes in Creative Industries’. In C. Jones, M. Lorenzen & J. Sapsed (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries (pp. 50-74). Oxford: Oxford University Press., p57).

Discuss the relationship between creativity and innovation in the production of one creative product or experience, considering the possible tensions between them.

Q4: ‘Cultural goods made for a certain culture usually have little appeal outside that culture because the cultural contents are unique to the culture of origin and often have little relevance to consumers outside the particular cultural sphere. For this reason, significant cultural exports from Asia (mostly Japan) have been limited to products that are best described as ‘culturally odourless’ (Lorraine Lim and Shinji Oyama, (2014), ‘Beyond Western Views of Creativity and Innovation’. In C. Bilton & S. Cummings (Eds.), Handbook of Management and Creativity. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar, p.76).

Do you agree that ‘ensuring’ a cultural product is culturally ‘odourless’ is the best strategy for ensuring value in export markets? Discuss in relation to one or two examples.

Q5: Does the concept of ‘authenticity’ have any value in the evaluation or appreciation of creativity in a contemporary globalised world? If it does, what makes something authentic, or inauthentic? Discuss in relation to one or two examples.

Q6: Compare and contrast the management of intellectual property in two cultural productions, taking into account the interests of cultural symbol-makers (artists, writers, musicians etc), intermediaries and consumers.

Q7: How far can ‘habit-forming’ products – and their promotion – be considered ethical business? Discuss, drawing on Nir Eyal’s Hooked and with reference to his ‘Manipulation Matrix’.

Q8: ‘Cultural production relies on novelty and difference, but the unpredictability of the market leads to homogenization and standardization. This is particularly pronounced with minority works—risk is perceived as greater, and therefore its production and distribution is controlled more intensely. (Anamik Saha (2016), The Rationalizing/Racializing Logic of Capital in Cultural Production. Media Industries Journal, 3(1), p.11).

Drawing on Anamik Saha’s analysis of racialization in the publishing industry, discuss the effects of homogenization and standardisation on race, gender, or other minoritized cultural works and workers in the cultural industries.

Q9: ‘The commodity (the object infused with the lustre of desire) is simultaneously a materially fashioned thing and a transcendent wish.’ (Ben Highmore, The Design Culture Reader.  London: Routledge, 2009. ‘Introduction’ p.9).

Explore the ‘lustre of desire’ in relation to one or two cultural commodities, taking into consideration the impact of design.

Q.10: ‘“…since identity is continually evolving, and requires a materially referential imagining of an individual’s identity, an alignment of fashion with saving the environment could make dissuasion possible” (Joy, Annamma, Sherry, John F., Venkatesh, Alladi, Wang, Jeff, & Chan, Ricky (2012), ‘Fast Fashion, Sustainability, and the Ethical Appeal of Luxury Brands’, p.292).

Do you agree?

Q.11. ‘Commodification in the cultural sphere cannot be crudely dismissed as a problem in itself. It would be even more problematic, however, to neglect the negative implications for cultural production and consumption of further commodification. These issues are absolutely central to the current debates raging about the emancipatory possibilities of the internet.’ (David Hesmondhalgh, (2013), The Cultural Industries 3rd ed.). London: SAGE p.71).

Weigh up the impact of commodification and/or digital technology on a particular cultural industry or product in light of Hesmondalgh’s statement.

Q12. ‘User innovation is a potent economic and social force; the process, however, can be challenging, complex, and involve multiple actors with diverse and possibly conflicting motivations.’ (Stephen Flowers and Georgina Voss. "User Innovation in the Music Software Industry: The Case of Sibelius." In The Oxford Handbook of Creative Industries, edited by Candace Jones, Mark Lorenzen and Jonathan Sapsed, 320-27. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015.)

Discuss, with reference to one or two examples of ‘user innovation’.