Suchergebnisse

Although the european Community Treaty does not contain a specific chapter or article dedicated to the audiovisual sector, European Community law has had a significant impact on the way in which Member States regulate their film and television industries. Given the commercial nature and international reach of many media goods and services this should not be surprising, but Community oversight has here been particularly controversial because of the importance ascribed to cultural and political considerations. This article examines how such considerations have been accommodated within the European Community legal system and the impact that Community law has had on domestic audiovisual policies in practice. It focuses on those measures introduced by states to support their domestic film and television industries and to ensure that domestic audiences have access to films and television programmes that are culturally relevant and meaningful.

The UNESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions was adopted in October 2005. This article explores the Convention's objectives and the contribution that the Convention is likely to make to their realisation in the future. In its final form the Convention is considerably less ambitious than many of its promoters had wished: key provisions are expressed in aspirational terms, the Convention's dispute resolution procedures are consensual and the Convention explicitly states that it does not modify the rights or obligations of its Parties under pre-existing international agreements. The extensive support that the Convention received from the international community at the time of its adoption, with one hundred and forty eight countries voting in its favour, nevertheless affords it considerable political weight. The Convention may consequently play a role in the interpretation of existing international agreements, including the WTO agreements, and in negotiations over their future development. The article also suggests that there may be more scope than is initially apparent for the Convention to be used as a basis for evaluating state measures, not only in relation to international trade, but also regarding the domestic treatment of cultural minorities. For such review to become meaningful, however, active support will be necessary not only from civil society organisations, which played a key role in the Convention's initial development, but also from contracting states and the various Convention organs

The Covid-19 global pandemic is a crisis like no other, forcing governments to implement prolonged national lockdowns in an effort to limit the spread of the disease. As organizations aim to adapt and remain operational, employers can suspend or reduce work activity for events related to Covid-19 and claim government support to subsidize employee wages. In this way, some employees are placed on furlough (i.e., temporary unemployment) as opposed to being made redundant. While the impact of such schemes on global economy attracted much attention, their micro-level impact on individual employees is still unknown. Building on the ability-motivation-opportunity (AMO) framework, this pilot study explores how employees' perceptions of abilities, motivation, and opportunities are affected as a result of furlough. Rapid ethnography including interviews, observations, and document analysis in a British organization provided insights into the perceptions and experiences of employees put on furlough and highlighted that all three elements of AMO are affected by the current situation, either positively or negatively. We identify theoretical contributions and suggest a number of AMO enhancing practices in the context of furlough.