Diversity in the workplace in Singapore. 'Surface-level diversity' and Essay

Diversity in the workplace in Singapore. 'Surface-level diversity' and 'Deep-level diversity' - Essay Example Diversity is used as an umbrella term to represent the dissimilarity of the individuals that make a team on the basis of their individualistic characteristics (Jackson, 1992). Surface-level diversity has been referred to as visible (Pelled, 1996) and demographic (Williams and O’Reilly, 1998) and is conventionally understood as inclusive of such variables as gender, ethnic origin and age (Harrison et al., 2002; Lawrence, 1997; Tsui et al., 1995). Denying demographic attributes is cumbersome, though people may find several ways to categorize themselves. Deep-level diversity, on the other hand, reflects a disparity of characteristics that are not apparently noticeable. Such characteristics include but are not limited to viewpoint, ideology, extremism and connectedness. Managers need to have a fair understanding of both in order to deal with the frequently arising problems in the contemporary workplace. With the rapid expansion of economies over the last twenty years, diversity and inclusion have become factors of extreme significance in many Asian countries including Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore. Increased workforce diversity in these countries can fundamentally be attributed to the fact that more women enjoy management positions in organizations in these countries as compared to the trend in US or Europe. According to 20-First (n.d.), Singapore’s share of women senior managers is the maximum among all Asian nations. In their research, Dimovski, Skerlavaj, and Man (2010) examined if growth of women managers in the organizations of Singapore are restrained by a glass ceiling. The term â€Å"glass ceiling† is a â€Å"well enshrined phenomenon supported by conclusive evidence† (Simpson and Atlman, 2003). Dimovski, Skerlavaj, and Man (2010) studied the perceptions of female mid-level managers in Singapore regarding whether or not they have to deal with a gl ass ceiling in the workplace with respect to corporate climate, corporate culture and the general practices. Dimovski, Skerlavaj, and Man (2010) concluded that the promotion of female managers in the Singapore organizations is inhibited. Female mid-level managers expressed lack of development opportunities including initiatives that are family-friendly, mentoring and networking. 32.5 per cent of the respondents said they had encountered the invisible women syndrome in the workplace and 37.5 per cent women managers said that the judgment of their work performance was unfair. 35 per cent respondents of these respondents said that the organization in which they worked valued diversity and had a corporate climate. Women expressed dissatisfaction for the organizational practices and culture in place and rendered them generally unsupportive for them. Despite this, when so many women express dissatisfaction towards the work environment, it means much needs to be done in order to address th e concerns of surface-level diversity and deep-level diversity. A lot of women managers in Singapore are still caught in the issues of sexual harassment and intellectual underestimation. Surface-level diversity is visualized as a potential threat by many local workers of Singapore because of the managers’ biased behavior in favor of the foreign workers in general and the Chinese workers in particular. Singapore has

Restorative justice, Inmate forgiveness, and the Right to Privacy Assignment

Restorative justice, Inmate forgiveness, and the Right to Privacy - Assignment Example To this end, the paper addresses the concerns of the family and restates the benefits of meeting the inmate. Introduction Restorative justice is a type of justice whereby the parties who have stake in crime, victims, offenders and their families together with the community, collectively agree on how to deal with the consequences of crime and its future implications (The Sage Dictionary of Criminology, 2005). It is based on the view that crime is not only a transgression against laws but also hurt human social interactions. Therefore, the main aim of this form of justice is to heal the damaged interpersonal relationship caused by the wrongdoer’s actions. To this end, restorative justice takes it that both the victim and offenders families are affected by the crime. Consequently, their participation is crucial in conflict resolution and justice administration. Q1. The restorative justice principles are in line with biblical teachings about justice which focuses on repentance, fo rgiveness and reconciliation (Miller, 2008). As so, the process gives the offenders an opportunity to understand and assess the impacts of their actions. Therefore, this form of justice does not address the injustice with harm or punishment. Consequently, it is not retaliatory in nature and therefore, yields great social benefits to the community. Instead of taking an eye for eye approach, which is a moral issue, it focuses on community members’ integration. In doing so, this form of justice recognizes that nobody is beyond the point of correction. Therefore, no matter the crimes committed, an individual must actively respond to crimes. The process of restorative justice may take many forms; restitution is one of them. Restitution refers to the process of compensating victims for the losses suffered as a result of the offender’s actions. It is founded on the view that when a crime is committed, the wrongdoer benefits at the expense of the victim. Therefore, for justice to prevail, the offenders should give back what they took from the victims as a whole or in part depending on the agreements reached. This is form of justice is also found in biblical teachings. There are texts in the scriptures that refer to the distribution of wealth in exchange for salvation for those who had unfairly accumulated riches. By practicing restitution, justice is given meaning through active involvement. For, there is no justice done when victims still feel that they have been denied their rightful entitlement. Q2. The application of restorative justice concept in criminal justice system has raised serious ethical issues. By its nature, the concept adopts reconciliation and compensation as possible methods of administering justice. Under, reconciliation a victim may accept to forgive the offender after face to face deliberations. However, the issue of whether or not the forgiveness is for greater social good is remains contentious. According to utilitarian theory, ac tions moral worthiness is gauged by the beneficial outcomes of such actions (Pollock, 2012). Consequently, based on this theory, some crime are not worth forgives because of their magnitude of harm. This includes crime against humanity such as genocide and terrorism which results into many deaths. Besides, besides, in as

Biosmilars Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Biosmilars - Essay Example nclude assessment of toxicity and a clinical study that includes assessment of immunogenicity and pharmacokinetics or pharmacodynamics are required since they are sufficient to show safety, purity and strength in one or more appropriate conditions of use for which the reference product is licensed. There must also be demonstration of comparable quality from the initial development (Patrawala, 2010). There are additional risks that come up with biosimilars. Immunogenicity and switch related issues are risks that are brought about by biosimilars. These risks reduces quality, efficacy and safety of biosimilars to patients that use them. The challenges associated with the approval of biosimilars include ability to switch, immunogenicity, and traceability of batches. Other challenges that the managing bodies have encountered when approving the Biosimilars include indication extrapolation, interchangeability, and substitution. To offset the challenges mentioned, the European Medicines Agency has come up with regulatory measures in meeting the development and approval of this biosimilars. However, the goal-oriented strategies steered by the objectives are portrayed in one part of their products for the patients, which has now followed the Europe’s approach. To offset this problem, there is a need for transparent labeling of product information for biosimilars so that the patients and the physicians can use to make an informed decision. ABPI has set of codes that ensure companies devote considerate resources to that their activities are compiled with. Any complaint that is made against the company is taken as a serious matter both by the industry and the company. Sanctions are also applied agianst a firm that is rule against the breach of code (Abpi.org.uk, 2015). Consequently, firm must ensure that every personnel are well trained according to the code and need to have a robust operating procedures where all the activities and materials within the code are reviewed

18 kids were right all along Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

18 kids were right all along - Essay Example While he has a point that high school can be boring and repetitive in the final two years, Melcher fails to adequately take into account the possibilities available to students in high school to keep them interested, the problem of maturity level of students and misses perhaps the strongest argument in favor of his position, the school system established in England. Students who have planned their education well are capable of graduating from high school as many as two years earlier than normal now thanks to specialized advanced level classes and limited electives. However, many of these students opt to remain in school longer as a means of further exploring other interests, beginning the difficult process of selecting an appropriate career by discovering interests and ruling out others. Other programs, such as dual credit courses and vocational courses, serve to continue high school students’ interest even further. For those who are bored with school, just a little application enables them to leave earlier as Melcher suggests. Teenagers aged 15 or 16 are notoriously confident of their own maturity level and abilities to their own delusion. In addition, they are provided with a driver’s license and often a vehicle at this age, giving them unprecedented freedom and range. Should they be turned loose on the streets at this point, without even a class to attend, it is difficult to say what they might do. Some very few would undoubtedly continue their education with a view toward their future, but too many, without further guidance or other guidelines put in place, would simply go wild. This is, indeed, a problem among the poorer segments of the urban population in England and elsewhere where school is optional after age 16. Finally, Melcher neglects to mention the strongest argument in favor of his position. England, for example, has a school

Property law and trust question Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Property law and trust question - Essay Example According to English, C. (2005, 211), â€Å"Personal property includes all property other than freehold estates and interests in land. Personal property was called chattels by the common law and often referred to as movable goods, which included such items as money, debts, clothing, household goods, food, and all other movables and the rights and profits related to them† (Halsbury, Laws of England, 1960) b) The Japanese-style summer house and pagoda Under the law, Sarah has the right to demand for the Japanese style summer house and pagoda  because they are considered as immovable properties and they follow the land. The deed of sale entered by Sarah and the couple, Matt and Jane, has for it object a parcel of land, which is considered a real property or otherwise known as an immovable property. English, C. (2005,211) defined â€Å"real property as land and whatever is attached to the land, fixtures, rights and profits annexed to or issuing out of the land†. Therefore , Sarah is allowed by law to the recover permanent fixtures attached to the land, after purchasing the cottage. Hence, if the structures on the land are by nature, fixed and cannot be moved from one place to another, they are considered part of the property which was newly purchased. ... â€Å"The statutory requirements for a valid contract for the sale and purchase of land are the following: Capacity, Offer and Acceptance, Consideration and Legality† (Cummins, 1997, p. 44). b) Explain whether there is a valid contract between Sarah and Peter for the sale and purchase of the London flat    Yes, there was a valid contract between Sarah and Peter for the sale and purchase of the London flat. All elements for a valid contract of sale are present, namely: Capacity, Offer and Acceptance, Consideration and Legality. In the case at bar, there was a meeting of the minds between Sarah and Peter the moment Peter agreed to sell his flat to Sarah for the consideration of ?180,000. The fact that Peter accepted the offer tendered by Sarah in the amount of ?180,000, there was already a perfected contract as she signed the letter that she is willing to buy the property. To consider an offer to be acknowledged, â€Å"a valid act of acceptance must be made by the offereeâ₠¬  (Gillies, 2004, p. 149). This was further clarified in the case of Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co., (1893) 1 QB 256. â€Å"The first requisite of a contract is that both parties have reached an agreement. There are three essential requisites to the creation of a contract, namely: agreement, contractual intention and consideration† (Oughton and Davis, 2000, p. 21). Here, all the essential requisites to make a contract perfected are present. Therefore, there was a valid contract entered by both parties, giving rise to the cause of action by Sarah against Peter for breach of contract and to compel him to fulfill his obligation to deliver the flat. 3.) Explain the nature of the rights if any, which peter has to keep his horse in the paddock Peter has

The Loneliest Character Essay Example for Free

The Loneliest Character Essay The loneliest character in Of Mice and Men is Crooks. Crooks is the loneliest character because he lives all alone and has no one to give him company. He is not allowed in the bunk house because he is black. In the depression era, blacks were segregated, keeping Crooks isolated and friendless. Crooks is lonely because of his race. He gets treated differently than others for example: Spose you didnt have nobody. Spose you couldnt go into the bunk house and play rummy cause you was black. Howd you like that? Spose you had to sit out here an read books. Sure you could play horseshoes till it got dark, but then you got to read books†¦ (Steinbeck 80). Crooks is treated differently in the smallest of ways. Many ways seem too small to affect some people, but they affect Crooks because of his isolation. â€Å"Maybe you guys better go. I aint sure I want you in here no more. A colored man got to have some rights even if he dont like em (Steinbeck 90). Crooks has few rights as a colored person and he desperately wants more rights. During the depression colored people were often isolated because of their race. Crooks never gets any company creating a feeling of loneliness. He even feels that he should not receive any company, for example, â€Å"You got no right to come in my room. This here’s my room. Nobody got no right in here but me† (Steinbeck 66). Crooks pushes people away creating even more loneliness. Because of this he gets bored and finally lets Lenny in. â€Å"Come on in and sit awhile† (Steinbeck 68). When Crooks lets Lenny in he feels relieved that he has someone to talk to. It is a short lived feeling. As soon as Lenny leaves he is lonely again. The seclusion created by Crooks fuels his feelings of loneliness. Crooks has inadequate social relationships, some of which is caused by his race. He is also lonely because he has no family or friends on the ranch like George and Lennie do. Crooks is defiant ly the loneliest character in Of Mice and Men.

Business environment of indian entertainment industry

Business environment of indian entertainment industry The liberalization efforts by the Indian government have resulted in the emergence of numerous sectors, which offer great possibilities for Indias development. One such recent sector was interactive media and entertainment, along with information and communication technologies (ICTs). The entertainment and interactive media industry in India has been making headlines of late, not so much for its impact on the domestic market, but as a premier outsourcing destination for western entertainment companies. This was paper examines the growth and development of the interactive media and entertainment industry in India. It discusses Indias position and Indias advantages in the global entertainment industry, the challenges that India faces in this was industry, the path ahead, and opportunities for international collaboration in this was sector. The global film and entertainment industry was expanding fast. The Entertainment Council of Philippines estimates that the revenues from entertainment industry worldwide have been growing annually at 20% to 30% over the past few years. According to Indias National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCM), revenues from the global entertainment industry will amount to US$50-US$70 billion by end-2005. Today, entertainment products are increasingly used in films, TV programmes, commercials, games and online education. Following Walt DISNEY 1988 production Who Framed Roger Rabbit, worldwide interest in entertainment feature films has been raising. Four major entertainment movies released in 2004 collected record revenues. Childrens channels across the world have seen their numbers rising ever so rapidly in the last few years. Entertainment products also have applications in the medical, architecture, and legal fields.1 the global non-entertainment entertainment industry, i ncluding work in scientific and medical entertainment, now accounts for revenues worth $15 billion. ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY The Entertainment Industry in India though a late starter, was considered as one of the fastest growing segments of the entertainment and media industry. The Entertainment Industry in India gained significance as an outsourced destination for entertainment work due to low cost, skilled labour as its many advantages. In the recent past Indian entertainment companies and entertainment studios have been moving up the value chain to create their own intellectual property rights with Hanuman, Roadside Romeo, etc. and partnering with international studios to produce animated properties for the global audience. Though a majority of the work done by the entertainment industry in India was outsourced work, this was was expected to change in the future with increased demand from the domestic entertainment industry. This was industry can be categorized into four different components: Entertainment, education, content development and multimedia/web design. The entertainment market in India was r elatively new compared to some other Asian countries. But it was among the fastest-growing in the Indian entertainment sector. With approximately 200 entertainment studios, India has emerged as a global outsourcing hub for entertainment technology services. The key drivers for the entertainment industry are the increasing domestic demand for entertainment movies and the increase in entertainment studios and training centers across the country. MEANING OF PESTLE ANALYSIS P-Political E-Economical S-Social T-Technological L-Legal E-Environmental Political factors are how and to what degree a government intervenes in the economy. Specifically, political factors include areas such as tax policy, labour law, environmental law, trade restrictions, tariffs, and political stability. Political factors may also include goods and services which the government wants to provide or be provided (merit goods) and those that the government does not want to be provided (demerit goods or merit bads). Furthermore, governments have great influence on the health, education, and infrastructure of a nation. Economical factors include economic growth, interest rates, exchange rates and the inflation rate. These factors have major impacts on how businesses operate and make decisions. For example, interest rates affect a firms cost of capital and therefore to what extent a business grows and expands. Exchange rates affect the costs of exporting goods and the supply and price of imported goods in an economy Social factors include the cultural aspects and include health consciousness, population growth rate, age distribution, career attitudes and emphasis on safety. Trends in social factors affect the demand for a companys products and how that company operates. For example, an ageing population may imply a smaller and less-willing workforce (thus increasing the cost of labour). Furthermore, companies may change various management strategies to adapt to these social trends (such as recruiting older workers). Technological factors include ecological and environmental aspects, such as RD activity, automation, technology incentives and the rate of technological change. They can determine barriers to entry, minimum efficient production level and influence outsourcing decisions. Furthermore, technological shifts can affect costs, quality, and lead to innovation. Legal factors include discrimination law, consumer law, antitrust law, employment law, and health and safety law. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products. Consumer protection laws are designed to ensure fair competition and the free flow of truthful information in the marketplace. These factors can affect how a company operates, its costs, and the demand for its products. Environmental factors include weather, climate, and climate change, which may especially affect industries such as tourism, farming, and insurance. Furthermore, growing awareness to climate change was affecting how companies operate and the products they offerit was both creating new markets and diminishing or destroying existing ones. POLITICAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Government Support Mr. Kapil Sibal, Minister of State for Science and Technology, identified entertainment industry as one of the important sector for Indias export oriented growth.10 However, compared to governments in other countries; efforts by the Indian government to encourage the sector have been very minimal. The government of South Korea funds entertainment ventures on a partnership baswas.11 Bangladesh has a World Bank-funded support programme for the entertainment industry. In contrast, there have not been many initiatives from the Indian government to promote the entertainment industry, at least till the past one year. The Indian government signed co-production treaty with France about 20 years ago and efforts are on to reactivate it. A treaty was signed with the Italian government, which in turn sent a delegation to Goa. Efforts are also on to sign similar agreements with Britain, Japan, Brazil, Canada, Netherlands and China. These treaties will lead to sharing of costs by partner nations and also the dispersion of technical know-how amongst the partner nations. New Government Initiatives A 25-acre Special Export Zone (SEZ) was going to be constructed in the outskirts of Thiruvananthapuram exclusively for the entertainment industry. The commerce ministry was said to have approved the creation of the SEZ within the Film and Video Park (FV Park) set up by the Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation near Thiruvananthapuram. The state government was said to have created a 15,000 sq meters entertainment facility to welcome entertainment houses to create their bases. The FV Park made a good start when the Chennai-based Prasad Labs has made it its base to process all Malayalam films for the next two years. Kerala has been making efforts at convergence in the areas of information technology and cinema. The Entertainment Production Association of India recently suggested to the Information and Broadcasting Ministry of India that all TV channels must ensure 10% reservation for local animated content. The government can further encourage investments and particip ation in this sector by providing tax benefits. It can provide grants to Indian animators for participation in international conference and for taking up training programs abroad 2. ECONOMICAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Indias attractiveness as an entertainment hub lies in the presence of an English-speaking workforce, high-quality software engineers, a large pool of creative talent, good studios and low costs. The cost of producing a 30-minute 3D entertainment programme in India was US$60,000 compared to US$250,000-400,000 in the United States and Canada. India has a cost advantage compared to the Philippines, which was another low cost producer of entertainments. The average monthly salary of an entertainment professional in India was US$600 compared to US$1,000-US$1,200 in the Philippines. The cost of outsourcing one hour of entertainment work to India was estimated to be 30% to 40% of the corresponding costs in leading entertainment centres in Korea, Taiwan and the Philippines. Indias advantages in low costs have been exploited by many multinational firms and production studios. The advent of digital entertainment coincided with the liberalization of the Indian economy and India offered the benefits of lower production costs, strong creative and technical skills and a large English speaking population. This has led to the development of state of the art entertainment studios in several Indian cities, and these studios are collaborating with global entertainment companies. FACTOR THAT AFFECTING THE ECONOMIC GROWTH OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Lack of Finance Indian entertainment firms cannot match their western counterparts in financial strength. It was pointed out that state support in the form of tax holidays was crucial for success in the entertainment business. Canada, for example, offers major incentives to its studios for developing entertainment products. However, financial institutions in India have not been much forthcoming in funding projects in entertainment and interactive media. The long gestation period before fruition of projects discourages potential investors. This can be a major hurdle, and it has, in fact, led to the stoppage of a few production ventures. For example, Jadooworks had to stop production of animated epic of Krishna due to technical problems and lack of funding. The firm was supposedly on the verge of bankruptcy and this has led to the retrenchment of about 250 workers.7 Interestingly, Jadooworks was the same firm which drew appreciation from Thomas Friedman in an article in February 2004 for employing tra ditional artistes and transforming their skills to computerised digital painting he was arguing that globalisation can have beneficial impact on traditional artwasts.8 The experience of Jadoo works underlines the fact that it was still too ambitious for Indian companies to single-handedly enter into entertainment projects. Even a small project in the entertainment industry entails a budget of US$30 million, which was not affordable for Indian firms. 3. SOCIAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Entertainment Products for Illiterates The interactive media and entertainment industry in India has a large domestic market too to tap on. A field-study based research conducted by one of the authors in July-August 2004 on the diffusion of ICTs in Indias rural areas offers some interesting results in this regard.6 The study showed that televsion was a highly popular medium as a source of information in the Indian countryside, as it combines visual and audio effects and was less demanding of the cognitive skills of the user. Almost 35 per cent of Indias over 1 billion population was illiterate. There was great demand from this segment of Indian population for an innovative medium that facilitate communication and information sharing, while at the same time, being easily accessible to the masses via the television. Products of interactive media and entertainment can fill this demand gap to a large extent; they can be great tools for education, entertainment and awareness among illiterates in Indias rural and urban areas. SOCIAL FACTORS AFFECTING FILM AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY The Indian Entertainment industry: Facing the manpower challenge Despite the impressive growth forecasts, the Indian Entertainment and Gaming industry will account for less than two percent of the worldwide market in 2010. Obviously a much larger opportunity exists beyond what was currently being envisaged and the potential remains high. India can participate in a more significant way in the global Entertainment market, provided the country has built up requisite manpower, with the relevant expertise, to fuel its growth. According to analysts, India has the potential to grow its Entertainment industry to around US$ 1 billion by 2010, but will remain restricted to US$ 869 million on account of a looming demand-supply gap in the area of employable human resources.   A similar situation exists in the gaming segment as well, which has the potential to achieve revenues of US$ 732 million by 2010, but was expected to touch only around US$ 424 million by that period, owing to the paucity of skilled manpower.   The employment statistics for the Indian  entertainment  and gaming industry during 2006 were as follows: Around 16,500 professionals were employed by the Indian Entertainment industry during 2006. This figure was forecast to increase at a CAGR of 14-15 percent and exceed 26,000 by 2010. There were nearly 150 gaming companies in India, employing about 2,500 people. This number was forecast to increase at a CAGR of over 50 percent to exceed 13,000 by 2010, with the industry revenue forecast to grow nearly ten-fold and reach US$ 424 million. 4. TECHNOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY While it was true that Indias entertainment industry was growing at a remarkable pace, the fact remains that this growth was largely a result of the mushrooming of studios-for-hire. In entertainment feature films, for example, while Indian companies carry out the technological entertainment work, character design, and storyboarding are done abroad. India was yet to become a successful player in concept creation, the high value-adding segment of the industry which remains a preserve of western firms. Indias advantages of low costs in this industry will be too short-lived, and sooner rather than later, the country will have to start developing new technologies. Skills The entertainment industry was still young. Indian cinema was yet to make its mark on the global stage. The booming entertainment outsourcing industry was constantly demanding new skills and fresh infusion of new talent into the industry. As such, it was imperative that we have a healthy pipeline to supply talent to the industry. Skills required in the entertainment field can be clubbed under two broad categories, mainly technical skills and soft skills. Programming expertise, analytical ability, and proficiency on the software are basic requirements for technical skills. The number of professionals joining the entertainment industry has been growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2 percent and was expected to grow at the same rate. Though India possesses the manpower with the requisite skill set, what remains an area of concern was the education imparted to this manpower from the quality perspective. This has resulted in mushrooming of multimedia institutes. What was interesting was that quite a few reputed organizations have come forward and started a chain of multimedia institutions for two reasons. One, they can use the trained professionals for in-house entertainment development and secondly, use this education channel for market diversification and penetration. However, companies need to invest considerable time and money in bringing these students up to the levels where they start earning revenue for the organization. Need For technological training to employees There are no academic institutes like Indian Institutes of Technology, Regional Engineering Colleges, Polytechnics, etc., churning out animators by the thousands. What we have are only fine arts schools which teach the fundamentals but not the technical skills required for production, points out K. Chandrasekhar, General Manager, Media Works, and Tata Elxsi. According to him, this was a major drawback for the industry in India. Education in new media has to be embedded into the mainstream curriculum. Students have to realize that they can have a lucrative career as animators, and the governments as well as educational institutions have to start programmes for their career development. The entertainment sector will benefit greatly by giving encouragement to the community of traditional artists as much as to technically trained professionals. In other words, integration of the rural and urban talent will prove highly beneficial. Also, NASSCOMs President Kiran Karnik believes that there was a need for an entertainment academy to build a steady inflow of entertainment professionals in the industry. NASSCOM extended its help to the government for framing the curriculum and also work with the industry players to enhance the academic-industry interface. 5. LEGAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Intellectual property Outsourcers have always been concerned with the protection of their intellectual property in India. India was one of the few countries which have failed to take stern action against its infringement. India needs to strengthen its IP policy and ensure that companies operating in the outsourcing sphere take stringent steps to take care of clients IP rights. International Cooperation in the Entertainment industry The Indian government was signing co-production treaties with other countries. Professional organisations too are trying to promote the Indian entertainment sector abroad. ASIFA, India, organises film festivals, conducts workshops and entertainment film competitions at the international level. Kahani and Entertainment Bridge have showcased their entertainment shows at Cannes Mipcom (a summit where mobile, broadband and interactive professionals from 95 countries interact with broadcasters, producers and distributors) in October 2005. X-media Lab has been floated to help local, independent digital media producers reach their ideas successfully to the market with assistance from outstanding international new media professionals, who act as mentors to the companies and project teams. The second lab held in Singapore from 17 19 November 2005, Creating Successful Computer Games, attracted worldwide response. Indian developers have also been invited to interact with eight of the best games people in the world. There was also a plan to do a lab in India next year.14 According to Mohit Anand, Country Manager, Microsoft Entertainment and Devices Division, Microsoft India, Gaming in the last 7-8 years has really come a long way but it still has a long way to go. Critical factors like PC penetration, organised retail, broadband, and gaming hardware need to be addressed to help the industry. Those factors are gradually changing and the future definitely looks bright. India was the youngest country in the world, and the new generation was completely tech savvy. We believe that gaming was definitely here to stay and evolve.15 What are the opportunities for engagement between India, Singapore and other Southeast Asian countries in the field of interactive media and entertainment industry? To begin with, Singapore and Southeast Asia will be an important market for products from Indias entertainment industry. Singapore has significant expertise in telecommunication and media industry. Harnessing the favourable trade and investment climate offered by the Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement between the two countries, firms in Singapore should consider investing in Indias entertainment and media business. Maya Academy of Advanced Cinematic, a leading player in the Indian entertainment industry, was planning to extend its operations to Singapore. It was currently working on a project for BBC and has also been involved in the video games division. Entertainment was one of the fastest growing sectors in India-ASEAN relations. The entertainment industry was expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20 percent from 2002 to 2007. The entertainment industry, with total revenues of US$3.6 billion in 2002, was projected to grow up to US$8.7 billion by 2007. ASEAN was a big market for Indian films. There are tremendous collaboration opportunities between India and ASEAN in the area of 3D entertainment, graphics, etc. The Philippines was, until recently, a fast growing entertainment industry, rich in creative talent, and it was a major destination for outsourcing by entertainment firms in the United States. However, with rise in costs, the entertainment industry in the Philippines has begun to decline, and Filipino workers in the industry have been migrating to India and Singapore in search of jobs. India, the Philippines, Singapore and even China must realize that there was little to be gained in the entertainment industry in the long run by competing with each other on costs. Rather, they should seek avenues for cooperation, and direct their efforts at acquiring intellectual property rights in this creative industry. 6. ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS OF ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY Ability to scale operations. Indian firms are facing a talent shortage which affects their ability to scale up their operations based on client demands. This also affects the clients confidence in off shoring large chunks of work. Though Indian companies have put in place huge expansion plans, these are often marred by various reasons. Tie-ups with educational institutes are helping overcome thwas difficulty. Opportunities in Collaborations Indian companies are trying to improve quality and making attempts to compete globally with the market leaders in the industry. It was said that the year 2004 was a watershed for the Indian entertainment and gaming industry (according to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry [FICCI] report on the Entertainment Industry). The year was marked by increased use of entertainment in the Bollywood segment. According to the FICCI report, the increasing demand for downloads of games on mobile phones will enhance the opportunities for gaming companies and bring in new entrants. Several Indian companies are entering into collaborations with foreign new media companies, which outsource their work to the Indian companies. Recently, Toonz Entertainment floated a joint venture with First Serve International LLC, a global media company which aims to produce and distribute top-notch entertainment programming for the world market. The new venture will be headed by former Walt Disney executive Ed Bordering. In 2004, a Chinese company also invested in India Games Ltd. Toronto-based entertainment Products Company Kahani was collaborating with Mumbai based Entertainment Bridge. In this venture, Kahani was expected to invest US$30-US$40 million over the next three years to engage in film production. The storylines and scripts will be completed in Canada whilst product development and promotion are expected to be done in India. The company was also planning to tie up with Bangalore and Hyderabad-based studios. Zees entertainment arm, Padmalaya Telefilms, has signed a US$14 million contract with Italian producer-distributor, Mondo TV, to co-produce four new animated series. Padmalaya also has collaborations with British entertainment companies Mallard Media and Ealing Entertainment. CONCLUSION The Indian interactive media and entertainment industry has seen tremendous growth in the last year or so. It was fast emerging from being an outsourcing destination for western entertainment companies to develop and showcase its own capabilities and potentials. The emergence of various industry-related organizations and companies, and the availability of affordable and talented expertise, point to tremendous potential this sector has to offer. Whilst there are internal challenges to the Indian interactive media and entertainment industry, given the efforts being undertaken by the government and like-minded organizations, it will be sooner rather than later, that India lays a strong claim as a major international player in this industry. It was thus opportune for Singapore and countries in the region to identify potential opportunities for collaboration so that we are able to ride on the waves of the Indian interactive media and entertainment industry.