Cambridge Judge Business School Discussions on Media, Arts & Culture

Dr Simon Singh, TV director, author and science journalist, is heading a campaign to reform Britain's libel laws. But while journalists, newspapers, celebrities and citizens have signed up to www.libelreform.org, our reputation for libel tourism continues to grow.

'And action' - The economic down turn is good for the cinema business, people want escapism at an affordable price and that fits in with Bollywood's plan to increase its global market share of the film industry. It might just be that "East" can teach new tricks to the "West" says Patrick. (Partick von Sychowski, Chief Operating Officer, Adlabs Digital Cinema)

The Times's paid-for content is proving a success story that others may follow explains John Witherow, Editor of the Sunday Times. He argues that paid-for content is the future for the newspaper industry and that all newspapers will eventually become digital.

Independent film director Partho Sen-Gupta talks about the new frontiers facing the Indian film industry as it engages with the West, and considers the exciting opportunities, technologies and challenges this blending of cultures will produce.

Dr Hadida has created her own 'Bridge Video' to communicate her research and believes the industry should step away from box office-driven evaluation to take in wider dimensions of a movie's overall performance. She suggests that box office receipts remain the focus because they are immediate, reliable and easy to collect when a film's actual profitability - overall cost against overall revenue - is neglected in favour of early theatrical revenue.

Clips from 'The Godfather' demonstrate diversification in a family business; 'Gladiator' shows the implementation of a functional strategy; and 'Jerry Maguire' illustrates the concept of values. However, films that bridge the gap between the business and corporate world and business ideas and concepts are a rare breed. Dr Hadida explains.

Media, arts and culture - what role for leaders? If success in the creative sector is crucially dependent on a combination of talent and popular response to it, what role is there for leaders and managers? Talented individuals are notoriously difficult to manage and public reactions to arts and media offerings equally hard to predict. Yet, professional managers and leaders have emerged who have helped Britain become the world leader it is today in the creative sector. Dame Patricia Hodgson of the BBC Trust explains the kinds of challenges they face and the breadth of skills they need in order to be able to operate successfully in a creative environment.

Free newspapers, more blogging, millions of text messages, but is the information losing its quality? Professor Natalie Fenton of Goldsmith's, London, on the casualties of the digital revolution.

The film industry is moving from a Hollywood dominated culture to a peer-to-peer environment as more emerging countries structure global partnerships. Parminder Vir, OBE, Executive Producer and Media Consultant, believes this shift requires a re-think, especially by the West, of market entry strategies which take into account different cultures and different rhythms.

Soaring prices for Asian art - The emerging art market, says Anuradha, is booming and likely to keep on going up. (Anuradha Gosh-Muzumdar, Assistant Vice President and Indian Art Specialist, Sotheby's New York)