Management and Organisation Representation in the Film Snow White - Research Paper Example

MANAGEMENT AND ORGANISATION REPRESENTATION IN THE FILM SNOW WHITE The emphasis on the representation of gender is of primary importance in media, especially film, and television, but often carries a different perspective on many subjects (Klein et al. 2000). Many films have used gender roles to represent management and organization. Drama, comedy, and cartoon have been used to portray the roles of the two genders in the workplace (Wiserma 2001). Snow White is a story of a little princess who was saved from the evil plans of her wicked stepmother (the queen) to feed her with poison. She was saved by seven dwarfs who offered her shelter. In the end, a handsome prince kisses her and prevents her death, but the queen dies a painful death (White 1937). The most common ideology that fairy tales carry is the idea that women should be submissive while males should be dominant (Leaper 2000). Fairy tales support the idea that men should dominate women while women should always respect men. They also depict women as inferior and incapable of protecting themselves (Desmond and Danilewicz 2010). However, in some situations, women have shown wisdom by exhibiting their managerial and organizational skills. In the film Snow White, the topics of management and organization are addressed adequately because of how the different characters conduct themselves. The paper will discuss the aspect of women in management and organizations at both the family and business levels. The paper will compare the role of women in management in the film and that of the modern society. Literature review Popular culture is used to refer to forms of entertainment that are produced in large quantities and broadly consumed (Storey 2006). Modern technologies and industrialization have helped in the growth of the popular culture. The representation of management and organizations in the popular media symbolizes present-day practice and institutions. Movies and different works of literature offer insights into the interaction between the popular images people receive, and the power relations that govern the community and shape contemporary realities (Storey 2006). Popular culture has influenced the lifestyles of many people although in many cases may not be the depiction of what happens on the ground (Ferree et al. 2007). In most fairy tales, there is the possibility of gendered materials to influence the childrens minds on how they view both men and women. Research indicated that children recognized gender classifications in such films by identifying themselves with cartoons they like based on previous knowledge from the films they have watched (Oliver and Green 2001). Collins (2011) argued that a female is mostly negatively represented in films and given traditional feminine roles. These consistently portrayed that gender roles later became a norm in the society, and people are expected to live by the standards set. Gender roles are seen because of constant representation in media and interactions. Gendered roles including femininity and masculinity are always created by the environment where we live (Kimmel 2005). What people feed on for a long time makes them believe that is the absolute truth. The representation of women in the popular culture supports the stereotype of simple-mindedness, emotional and people who are supposed to work at home. The popular culture does not give women any place in management and organization. The popular culture appears to support the feminist standpoint theory that explains why both girls and women should be assigned certain duties (Ferree et al. 2007). Assigning both men and women different duties only help to hinder the abilities that people may be having in different areas. The modern society has set standards that women should submit, unlike men. However, the modern woman is hardworking, ambitious and goal-getters and people who will do all they can to succeed (Carter 2011). The role of management in an organization is complex. Managers have to utilize people and resources so as to achieve the goals of the organization. The goal of an organization can be to realize a certain percentage of profit for a given period or introduce a new product that will have a wider market (Garvin 2012). In spite of the goal, a manager needs to manage every factor needed to seeing that goal materialize. The numbers of women that enter the workforce and assume management positions has been increasing in modern days. In many organizations today, one is likely to find the same numbers of women as that of men. Gender parity is gaining ground in most countries and people have come to believe that women can also be leaders who can drive organizations to success (Davidson 2012). The film Snow White serves to express women can also be but in management positions as shown by the queen. Methodology The paper will analyze how gender roles are represented in the film and how the issues of management and organization are depicted. The film contains a representation of roles of gender, and thus analysis of women’s roles would be significant. In this case, the Snow White film was selected for detailed analysis as it has aspects of a gender role as a central theme, as well as gender roles influences on a genre of film. In addition, both genders exhibit management on an organizational level, something that must be pointed out. The film has represented a woman as economic capital. The man-woman represents relationships characterized by misuse of power over the female. The organization of Snow White has emphasized on two themes, gender stereotype, and gender inequality. Snow White is featured by a female leading role which is appropriated for the domestic roles expectation in the 1930s. However, the submissive female figure has been apparent in several films in Hollywood. These trends towards feminist represent a cultural towards a woman. Some films such as Snow White represent gender in the eyes of a patriarchal society. Patriarchal representation of women may be misleading since women have progressed so much to a point where they are holding influential management positions in many organizations around the world. If one believes that a woman role can only be found on the homestead, then that would be a wrong belief. Management and organization in the film The film gives males the role of a protector although that may not be a reflection of modern organizations. For instance, the seven dwarfs give Snow White protection from the queen and provided shelter. In another case, they rushed from the mines to save her from a planned murder by the queen (Sewell 2012). Finally, in the end when the Snow White was presumed to have died and was later rescued when the prince kissed him. Throughout the Snow White film, a man had to save the day. These illustrations show males are always in positions that can help women (Megoulick 2006). In an organizational setting, different employees are placed in different positions to perform specific duties. These duties are given irrespective of the gender of a person. The notion that women can not be put in management positions to defend the rights of other members of the organization is not right. For example, the CEO of General Motors Co. (GM) is a woman called Mary T. Barra. Mary is ranked as one of the best CEOs in the US due to her sterling performance. The CEO has been involved in the motivation of employees so as to boast productivity. Mary safeguards the rights of both the male and female workers for them to be motivated and produce excellent results (Catalyst 2015). Women representation in popular culture, particularly in Snow White film, is that of a domesticated person. Female characters devote their energies to taking care of homes and people (Emons et al. 2010). Management skills start at home. The family can be termed as an organization because there are people who live there and activities take place in there. When all activities are accomplished in a timely manner, it shows the management skills of the person in charge. When Snow White was staying in the Seven Dwarfs house, she assumed cleaning and cooking roles. She also ensured that they washed their hands before eating to maintain a good hygiene (England et al. 2011). Irrespective of where an individual works, he or she can show management skills by doing things in a professional way. Management skills involve working within the scheduled time, showing leadership, and accomplishing tasks to the satisfaction of other players that stay around. In the modern society, there has always been a belief that organizations can only be run if men are in managerial positions. This is no difference from this film where the queen would ask for advice from the enchanted mirror that had a male voice (Kinnally &Vonderen 2012). Although the queen ought to be powerful, the voice of the enchanted mirror was controlling her. The film places more power on the male character than female characters (Programme 2000). Although the world has made great strides in recognizing the efforts of women in various places, there is still that belief that a man need to be in a leadership position. The overdependence on the opinion of the male voice in the mirror by the queen sends a message to the audience that women may not make independent decisions when they take these positions. The perception that women may not make independent decisions is wrong since many modern women have run large organizations that have been successful. A Gallup study indicated that employees who work for female bosses are more engaged than those working for male managers. The survey suggested that female managers outshine male managers in the cultivation of potential in employees and helping them have a bright future. In addition, female managers can quickly provide regular feedback to assist employees realize goals of developing (Smith 2015). The popular culture always shows men toiling all day long while women are shown waiting to serve their husbands at home. Women will be shown assisting men in carrying out some activities and not the other way round. Popular culture will show men demonstrating management skills in organizations and families, a depiction that may not be true (Lori Baker-Sperry & Liz 2003). In the film, the 7 dwarfs are compelled to work to get their daily bread (Sale 1979). This film help to support the belief that men are the primary breadwinners in the family because, except Snow White, no other woman is seen working. Many people have unfortunately accepted popular cultures depiction of men in managerial positions. In the modern day society, organizations employ their workers without considering their gender if they are qualified for a certain job (Kupperschmidt 2000). Conclusion Films play a great role of showing the place of both men and women in the society. Although some movies incorrectly represent the role of women, the truth is that most of them have assumed management positions in popular companies. Using the hegemonic theory, it is evident that the portrayal of female and male are products of false ideology from where the woman was made. Furthermore, the feminist standpoint theory has clearly indicated that the characteristics that Snow White assumed are a product of what is portrayed in the media. The nurturing roles are associated with women because the media has made us believe that female assume the roles of caregivers, and if they do not possess these skills they are considered evil and unkind. It is important to argue that managerial and organizational positions are no longer a preserve of men as women have also taken theirs in leadership. Organizations can only succeed if they can treat both men and women in equal measures. References Catalyst 2015, Women CEOs of the S&P 500. Available at: http://www.catalyst.org/knowledge/women-ceos-sp-500 [Accessed August 3, 2015] Garvin, D 2012, The processes of organization and management. Sloan management review, 39. Carter, MW 2004, Gender and community context: An analysis of husbands household authority in Rural Guatemala. Sociological Forum, pp. 633-652. Collins, R 2011, Content analysis of gender roles in media: Where are we now and where should we go? Sex Roles 64, pp. 290-298. Davidson, MJ 2012, Women in management worldwide: Progress and prospects. Human Resource Management International Digest, 20(6). Desmond, R, & Danilewicz, A 2010, Women are on, but not in, the news: Gender roles in Local Television News. Sex Roles, 62, pp. 822-829. Emons, P, Fred, W, and Peer, S 2010, He works outside the home; She drinks coffee and does the dishes. Gender roles in fiction programs on Dutch Television. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 54(1), pp. 40-53. England, D, Lara, D, and Melissa A 2011, Gender role portrayal and the Disney Princesses." Sex Roles, 64, pp. 555-567. Ferree, M, Khan, R, & Morimoto, S 2007, Assessing the feminist revolution: The presence and absence of gender in theory and practice. Sociology in America: A History, University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Kimmel, TS 2005. The hidden discourse of masculinity in gender discrimination law. Signs, pp. 1827-1849. Kinnally, W, & Vonderen, K 2012, Media effects on bodyimage. Examining media exposure in the broader context of internal and other social factors. American Communication Journal, 14(2), pp. 41-57. Klein, H, Shiffman, K, & Welka, D 2000, The gender-related content of animated cartoons, 1930 to the present. Advances in Gender Research, 4, pp. 291–317. Kupperschmidt, BR 2000, Multigeneration employees: strategies for effective management. The health care manager, 19(1), 65-hyhen. Leaper, C 2000, The social construction and socialization of gender during development. In P. H. Miller & E. Kofsky Scholnick (Eds.), Toward a feminist developmental psychology, pp. 127–152. Lori Baker-Sperry, L, & Liz, G 2003, The pervasiveness and persistence of the feminine beauty ideal in childrens fairy tales. Gender and Society, pp. 711-726. Megoulick, M 2006, Frustrating female heroism: Mixed messages in Xena, Nikita, and Buffy. The Journal of Popular Culture, 39, pp. 729-747. Oliver, MB, & Green, S 2001, Development of gender differences in children’s responses to Animated Entertainment. Sex Roles, 45, pp. 67-88. Programme, TG 2000, Gender politics at local level . Agenda , pp. 13-17. Sale, R 1979, Fairy tales and after: From Snow White to EB White (No. 157), Harvard University Press. Sewell, R 2012, What is appealing?: Sex and racial differences in perceptions of the physical attractiveness of women. University Of Central Florida Undergraduate Journal, 6(2), pp. 56-70. Smith, J 2015, Study finds women are better managers than men-heres why. Business Insider. Available at: [Accessed August 3, 2015] Storey, J 2006, Cultural theory and popular culture: A reader. University of Georgia Press. White, S 1937, The Seven Dwarfs. Prod. Walt Disney. Wiserma, B 2001, The gendered world of Disney: A content analysis of gender themes in full-length animated Disney feature films. Dissertation Abstracts International, 61, pp. 4973. Read More