Topic: Socio-Cultural Impacts of globalization through the music industry
I my research paper, I will go through the effects which globalization and the new technologies have had on the world's population in general and on the Moroccan population in particular with a focus on the music industry.
I will try to demonstrate how the global mass media affected the exposed people enough to change their socio-cultural perceptions and beliefs, and how only through music and video clips did some socio-cultural aspects travel tenths of tousand miles to population which woul've never been impacted, if it wasn't for music.
Friday, June 29, 2007
Chapter 6: Global News and Information Flow in the Internet Age
I) Origin and early history of news agencies
1. Agence France-press (AFP)
2. Associated Press (AP)
3. Reutersd) United Press International (IPA)
4. ITAR-TASS
II) International News Agencies Today
1. Associated Press (AP)
2. United Press International (UPI)
3. Reuters
4. Agence France-Presse (AFP)
4. ITAR-TASS and Interfax
III) Supplemental News Agencies
a. Formation of new agencies worldwide
b. High information flow throughout agencies
IV) Broadcast News Services
a. New television stations
b. Online access technology
c. Impact on business and society over all
V) Global Newspapers, Magazines, and Broadcasters
VI) News Flow Patterns: Offline and Online
VII) The Outlook
1. Agence France-press (AFP)
2. Associated Press (AP)
3. Reutersd) United Press International (IPA)
4. ITAR-TASS
II) International News Agencies Today
1. Associated Press (AP)
2. United Press International (UPI)
3. Reuters
4. Agence France-Presse (AFP)
4. ITAR-TASS and Interfax
III) Supplemental News Agencies
a. Formation of new agencies worldwide
b. High information flow throughout agencies
IV) Broadcast News Services
a. New television stations
b. Online access technology
c. Impact on business and society over all
V) Global Newspapers, Magazines, and Broadcasters
VI) News Flow Patterns: Offline and Online
VII) The Outlook
Thursday, June 28, 2007
The Transnational Media Corporation and the Economics of Global Competition
I- The transnational media corporation
II- The purpose of a global media strategy
III- The globalization of markets
a- The rules of free market trade
IV- Foreign direct investment
a- Proprietary and physical assets
b- Foreign market penetration
c- Production and distribution effenciencies
d- Overcoming regulatory barrier to entry
e- Empire building
V- Transnational Media Owernship
I. The old
a. Mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances
b. Merger
c. Acquisition
d. Strategic Alliance
II. When mergers and acquisitions fail
a. The lack of a compelling strategic rationale
III. Failure to perform due diligence
IV. Post-merger planning and intergration failures
a. Financing and the problem of excessive debt
V. Media and Global finance
VI. The role of global capital markets
a. Capital Market loans
VII. Business and planning strategies
a. Vertical integration (and cross media ownership)
VIII. Transnational media and the marketplace of ideas
a. The deregulation paradox
b. The market of ideas
IX. Global competition and the diffusion of autocracy
X. TNMC’s and Nation-States
II- The purpose of a global media strategy
III- The globalization of markets
a- The rules of free market trade
IV- Foreign direct investment
a- Proprietary and physical assets
b- Foreign market penetration
c- Production and distribution effenciencies
d- Overcoming regulatory barrier to entry
e- Empire building
V- Transnational Media Owernship
I. The old
a. Mergers, acquisitions and strategic alliances
b. Merger
c. Acquisition
d. Strategic Alliance
II. When mergers and acquisitions fail
a. The lack of a compelling strategic rationale
III. Failure to perform due diligence
IV. Post-merger planning and intergration failures
a. Financing and the problem of excessive debt
V. Media and Global finance
VI. The role of global capital markets
a. Capital Market loans
VII. Business and planning strategies
a. Vertical integration (and cross media ownership)
VIII. Transnational media and the marketplace of ideas
a. The deregulation paradox
b. The market of ideas
IX. Global competition and the diffusion of autocracy
X. TNMC’s and Nation-States
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Quiz #2
1. Identify three major Western international news agencies?
The Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters
2. Is ITAR-TASS a Western international news agency?
No(False), Altough it is one of the major news agencies, we can't consider it as western as it was established in the USSR during the soviet empire.
3.Identify one global newspaper?
The New York Time
4.Identify one international television news broadcasting?
BBC World
5.Define culture? (In one sentence)
The different ways of living, the organization and nature of social activity
6.What does culture industries mean? (In one sentence)
Major national economic ressources allowing expressions of creativity to be copied and boosted by international distribution
7.Who coined the term “cultural industries” and in which book?
Thedore Adorno and Max Horkheimer in a work entitled "Dialetic of Enlightenment"
8.Did culture industries carry a positive meaning in the 1920?
No(false), it was rather pejorative as it refered to "products which are tailored for consumption by the masses determining the nature of that consumption"
9.Do culture industries carry a negative meaning in the 2000?
No(False), they're now en valued to be very important to any country's developement.
10.Identify three strategies adopted by states to protect their own cultural products?
Quotas, Regional alliances and co-productions and Subsidies
11.What is global pop culture?
A form of globalization where the whole world was submerged by Pop culture. it manifested around the world through movies, music, television shows, fast food and clothing, among other entertainment and consumer goods.
12.Give three examples of Hybrid culture?
Mexican Soap shows
Rapp music
Fusion cuisine
13.What is the common ground among these terms:Hybridity, melting pot, crealization, fusion, glocalisation
The common ground to me would be the presence of a variety of cultural groups within the same geographical emplacement.
Debate:
How can Moroccan cultural industries reach globality (global market)?
From my modest perspective, and with a very limited knowledge about globalization concepts and the Moroccan cultural Industry in details, what it would take is a raise in the quality of the Moroccan cultural products. Right now the majority of the products are clearly aiming the local population as the chain of distributions which are producing their works are mainly small national media groups. No group which can take the product internationally, schedule global tourneys except for a VERY VERY limited number of artists, which have been present for decades and have acquired a great national notoriety, to the extent that It was able to reach out at first to other arabic speaking countries, before going for some European and American countries (mostly targeting the Moroccan immigrants in these countries). The only exception to this rule, would be MOMO (Music Of Moroccan Origin) which is a band composed of a number of Moroccan and British artists, who have combined typical moroccan music with British House music. The fusion ended up being extremely popular as MOMO were able to perform in Australia, Mexico, Brazil, USA, Japan and many more countries which would've normally never come in contact with this side of our cultural heritage unless they've made it all the way to Morocco.
To sum up, I'd say that to reach globality, we need to play on these main factors:
Strong distribution chains and global distribution media groups
Quality of the proposed products to be bale to sustain the fierce competition
Fusion and internationalization so that the language barriers become more of an advantage (capitalize on the originality and exotism) rather than a holdback.
The Associated Press, United Press International, Reuters
2. Is ITAR-TASS a Western international news agency?
No(False), Altough it is one of the major news agencies, we can't consider it as western as it was established in the USSR during the soviet empire.
3.Identify one global newspaper?
The New York Time
4.Identify one international television news broadcasting?
BBC World
5.Define culture? (In one sentence)
The different ways of living, the organization and nature of social activity
6.What does culture industries mean? (In one sentence)
Major national economic ressources allowing expressions of creativity to be copied and boosted by international distribution
7.Who coined the term “cultural industries” and in which book?
Thedore Adorno and Max Horkheimer in a work entitled "Dialetic of Enlightenment"
8.Did culture industries carry a positive meaning in the 1920?
No(false), it was rather pejorative as it refered to "products which are tailored for consumption by the masses determining the nature of that consumption"
9.Do culture industries carry a negative meaning in the 2000?
No(False), they're now en valued to be very important to any country's developement.
10.Identify three strategies adopted by states to protect their own cultural products?
Quotas, Regional alliances and co-productions and Subsidies
11.What is global pop culture?
A form of globalization where the whole world was submerged by Pop culture. it manifested around the world through movies, music, television shows, fast food and clothing, among other entertainment and consumer goods.
12.Give three examples of Hybrid culture?
Mexican Soap shows
Rapp music
Fusion cuisine
13.What is the common ground among these terms:Hybridity, melting pot, crealization, fusion, glocalisation
The common ground to me would be the presence of a variety of cultural groups within the same geographical emplacement.
Debate:
How can Moroccan cultural industries reach globality (global market)?
From my modest perspective, and with a very limited knowledge about globalization concepts and the Moroccan cultural Industry in details, what it would take is a raise in the quality of the Moroccan cultural products. Right now the majority of the products are clearly aiming the local population as the chain of distributions which are producing their works are mainly small national media groups. No group which can take the product internationally, schedule global tourneys except for a VERY VERY limited number of artists, which have been present for decades and have acquired a great national notoriety, to the extent that It was able to reach out at first to other arabic speaking countries, before going for some European and American countries (mostly targeting the Moroccan immigrants in these countries). The only exception to this rule, would be MOMO (Music Of Moroccan Origin) which is a band composed of a number of Moroccan and British artists, who have combined typical moroccan music with British House music. The fusion ended up being extremely popular as MOMO were able to perform in Australia, Mexico, Brazil, USA, Japan and many more countries which would've normally never come in contact with this side of our cultural heritage unless they've made it all the way to Morocco.
To sum up, I'd say that to reach globality, we need to play on these main factors:
Strong distribution chains and global distribution media groups
Quality of the proposed products to be bale to sustain the fierce competition
Fusion and internationalization so that the language barriers become more of an advantage (capitalize on the originality and exotism) rather than a holdback.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
Assignment 3
***Global Economy and International Telecommunication Networks***
*Premodern world
Example of how a shoemaker proceeds to the production of shoes, the impact this porcedure implied on both the hoemaker skills and his productivity.
*Division of Labor
Contrasting the previous production process with the process involving division of labor. The main point is the whole specialization effect resulting when an employee is only covering up a very specific field, therefore allowing better performance and the main drawbacks due to the whole coordination and control process required to minimise the effect of interdependence. The exemple of Ford is the perfect one at this level as he moved on froma centralized labor-division chain production concept, to an nationaly and internationaly distributed chain production system thanks to the developement of communication and it's role in the coordination and control process. How this concept contributed in bringing foreign goods to even the most common homes.
*Imperialism
The economic exploitation relationship between the colonizing and colonized country and how it evolved from the supply of raw material and opening of new markets for the colonizer's good to a more subtle form of colonialization. The example of the Global telegraph network wich centralized all forms of communication in the heart of the colonizer to secure and monitor lateral communication between the colonized.
*Electronic Imperialism
**GLobal media flow
How the US maintain a firm hand in most of the electronic communication aspects, ranging from TV shows to movies as they act as a central node in the Global Electronic Media flow.
How Normal ciizen are no longer able to be implicated in the media business compared to when the 1st amendment has been established as large conglomerates now have lawed hands on what has become a hioghly capitalized business.
**Transborder Data Flow
How the services benefited from the developement and modernization of global communication and the growing need for an unempeded flow of information between a companie's subsidiaries and their HQ.
The counter effect on developing countries who only serve as the brawns while developed companies take the much more valuable position of the brain.
How free trade more frequently than not ends up in the strong economy crushing the weaker ones, and exploiting it's market by flooding it with higher quality/price products.
*Emerging Network Structures
Even communication protocols which could be viewed at first glance as being distributed and in no specific country or nation's grab, are in fact managed by a single point of distribution, the US. As it's pre-installed infrastructures enables them to play this role without no serious contenders.
*Premodern world
Example of how a shoemaker proceeds to the production of shoes, the impact this porcedure implied on both the hoemaker skills and his productivity.
*Division of Labor
Contrasting the previous production process with the process involving division of labor. The main point is the whole specialization effect resulting when an employee is only covering up a very specific field, therefore allowing better performance and the main drawbacks due to the whole coordination and control process required to minimise the effect of interdependence. The exemple of Ford is the perfect one at this level as he moved on froma centralized labor-division chain production concept, to an nationaly and internationaly distributed chain production system thanks to the developement of communication and it's role in the coordination and control process. How this concept contributed in bringing foreign goods to even the most common homes.
*Imperialism
The economic exploitation relationship between the colonizing and colonized country and how it evolved from the supply of raw material and opening of new markets for the colonizer's good to a more subtle form of colonialization. The example of the Global telegraph network wich centralized all forms of communication in the heart of the colonizer to secure and monitor lateral communication between the colonized.
*Electronic Imperialism
**GLobal media flow
How the US maintain a firm hand in most of the electronic communication aspects, ranging from TV shows to movies as they act as a central node in the Global Electronic Media flow.
How Normal ciizen are no longer able to be implicated in the media business compared to when the 1st amendment has been established as large conglomerates now have lawed hands on what has become a hioghly capitalized business.
**Transborder Data Flow
How the services benefited from the developement and modernization of global communication and the growing need for an unempeded flow of information between a companie's subsidiaries and their HQ.
The counter effect on developing countries who only serve as the brawns while developed companies take the much more valuable position of the brain.
How free trade more frequently than not ends up in the strong economy crushing the weaker ones, and exploiting it's market by flooding it with higher quality/price products.
*Emerging Network Structures
Even communication protocols which could be viewed at first glance as being distributed and in no specific country or nation's grab, are in fact managed by a single point of distribution, the US. As it's pre-installed infrastructures enables them to play this role without no serious contenders.
Assignment 2
*** Drawing a Bead on Global Communication Theories ***
* “Normative” Theories
The tentative to "taxonomize" international communication into either: Authoritarian or Soviet or Liberal or social responsibility or developement model or the pariticipatory media concept. This part also focuses on how comparing different media systems help us sharpen our understanding of our own country's media system. The idea being to be able to define how media systems ought to operate according to certain guiding principle.
* A Different Approach I: Comparing and Contrasting Media
o Political Power
The influence of media makes it the favorite target for all kind of authoritarian and criticism-unfriendly political systems.
o Economic Crisis
The role of the media during economic crisis can vary greatly depending on the political and social environment, in an Ideal situation, it would help identify the causes and responsibles if any, if being very repressed by the government (exmple of the Soviet USSR) it could deviate from this roles to support the local government by blaming the International monetary fund, or a domestic or distant scapegoat
o Dramatic Social Transitions
Russia and it's numerous social transitions with their direct influence on the media goes from the most sever repression, to a very libertin open and encouraged freedom of expression and speech (mainly during the Bolshevik reign) before diving again in repressen and censoship during the Communist era making Russia a very good example about the impact SOcial and Political transitions can have on the media
o A Different Approach II: Globalization and Media
Focusing on the current trnds towards globalization of the media as a complementary approach to the contrasting and comparison of media systems.
The effect which global communication resulting from international brandings and open open markets/colonial impacts had on different countries with different cultural and religious beliefs.
The author also investigates how some people developed a cultural resistance against cultural invasion also known as Hybridity, as they cound find a sound balance between total ignorance and pathetic defeat due to the submerging perspectives and values brought by cultural invasion.
o A Different Approach III: Small-Scale Alternative Media
Small scale media may have immense impact as the ease to produce these short, small and very controversial material can have a huge impact because of the high level of repression met from the state-published media with is generally propaganda-based material made to keep the masses under control. How Even the most basic media (example of the Russian samizdat during Soviet reign) can overcome more massive but biased and untrusted state-based media.
* “Normative” Theories
The tentative to "taxonomize" international communication into either: Authoritarian or Soviet or Liberal or social responsibility or developement model or the pariticipatory media concept. This part also focuses on how comparing different media systems help us sharpen our understanding of our own country's media system. The idea being to be able to define how media systems ought to operate according to certain guiding principle.
* A Different Approach I: Comparing and Contrasting Media
o Political Power
The influence of media makes it the favorite target for all kind of authoritarian and criticism-unfriendly political systems.
o Economic Crisis
The role of the media during economic crisis can vary greatly depending on the political and social environment, in an Ideal situation, it would help identify the causes and responsibles if any, if being very repressed by the government (exmple of the Soviet USSR) it could deviate from this roles to support the local government by blaming the International monetary fund, or a domestic or distant scapegoat
o Dramatic Social Transitions
Russia and it's numerous social transitions with their direct influence on the media goes from the most sever repression, to a very libertin open and encouraged freedom of expression and speech (mainly during the Bolshevik reign) before diving again in repressen and censoship during the Communist era making Russia a very good example about the impact SOcial and Political transitions can have on the media
o A Different Approach II: Globalization and Media
Focusing on the current trnds towards globalization of the media as a complementary approach to the contrasting and comparison of media systems.
The effect which global communication resulting from international brandings and open open markets/colonial impacts had on different countries with different cultural and religious beliefs.
The author also investigates how some people developed a cultural resistance against cultural invasion also known as Hybridity, as they cound find a sound balance between total ignorance and pathetic defeat due to the submerging perspectives and values brought by cultural invasion.
o A Different Approach III: Small-Scale Alternative Media
Small scale media may have immense impact as the ease to produce these short, small and very controversial material can have a huge impact because of the high level of repression met from the state-published media with is generally propaganda-based material made to keep the masses under control. How Even the most basic media (example of the Russian samizdat during Soviet reign) can overcome more massive but biased and untrusted state-based media.
Assignment 1
Following the historical path of Global Communication:
* Geographical space: A barrier to communication
The author's main point in this section is that physical space is no longer an unsurmountable obstacle to human interaction. How the geography of space evolved into the geography of experience, with the barriers of space and time being challenged throughout human history. He also points out the fact that communication history aims to understand the social condition which laid the terrain for the evolving of new communication technologies.
* Geography and the mythical world
How ancient civilization imagined distant lands and countries, because of the almost inexisting amount of information they had the farther they moved away from their "immadiate world". The geographical constraints paved the way to all kind of imaginary beasts like cyclops, griffins, giants and other imaginary creatures.
* Ancient encounters of society and cultures
With a number of outstanding emperors and leaders expanding their kingdoms and bringing realistical records from distant lands, enabling people to rise above mythical beliefs and introducing some basic form of communication with different civilizations (Greeks-Asians)
* Global explorers: Migrants, holy people, merchants
At that particular time, Exploration was mainly supported by economic expectations like finding new trade routes, new partners, new markets to buy/sell goods. Exploration for the sake of knowledge or curiosity was not very common as no one would fund such an initiative.
* Mapmakers in the medieval world
Maps were viewed as state or royal treasures and were sealed away like precious jewelery. ALso the important role which maps played in communication history by unlocking unknown world as well as the opportunities which accompagnied them (new trade routes mainly)
* Inventors:signals and semaphores
Mainly demonstrating some of the most basic form of communication which were based on what was considered as technological advances at the time, like fire beacons, sunlight reflecting surfaces, pigeons or even just mounted courriers
* The printing press, literacy, and the knowledge explosion
How printing press moved literacy from a luxury to a notion which even common people could grasp.
* Scientists and international networks
The introduction of the first electric telegraph as an innovation in two-way information exchange, as well as the telephone and wireless radio and how they brought towns and cities closer together.
* International electric revolution
How steamboats, railroads as well as a broadened application of telegraph used opened the way to international communication, hoping to bridge countries and even continents together
* National vs International communication
With the advance known during the international electric revolution, the necessity to differentiate national and international communication was felt as messages destined to the local population and information with a farther reach started co-existing. The exemple of Reuters is a very good one to demonstrate how a national communication principle could be expanded to become the biggest international information provider.
* Geographical space: A barrier to communication
The author's main point in this section is that physical space is no longer an unsurmountable obstacle to human interaction. How the geography of space evolved into the geography of experience, with the barriers of space and time being challenged throughout human history. He also points out the fact that communication history aims to understand the social condition which laid the terrain for the evolving of new communication technologies.
* Geography and the mythical world
How ancient civilization imagined distant lands and countries, because of the almost inexisting amount of information they had the farther they moved away from their "immadiate world". The geographical constraints paved the way to all kind of imaginary beasts like cyclops, griffins, giants and other imaginary creatures.
* Ancient encounters of society and cultures
With a number of outstanding emperors and leaders expanding their kingdoms and bringing realistical records from distant lands, enabling people to rise above mythical beliefs and introducing some basic form of communication with different civilizations (Greeks-Asians)
* Global explorers: Migrants, holy people, merchants
At that particular time, Exploration was mainly supported by economic expectations like finding new trade routes, new partners, new markets to buy/sell goods. Exploration for the sake of knowledge or curiosity was not very common as no one would fund such an initiative.
* Mapmakers in the medieval world
Maps were viewed as state or royal treasures and were sealed away like precious jewelery. ALso the important role which maps played in communication history by unlocking unknown world as well as the opportunities which accompagnied them (new trade routes mainly)
* Inventors:signals and semaphores
Mainly demonstrating some of the most basic form of communication which were based on what was considered as technological advances at the time, like fire beacons, sunlight reflecting surfaces, pigeons or even just mounted courriers
* The printing press, literacy, and the knowledge explosion
How printing press moved literacy from a luxury to a notion which even common people could grasp.
* Scientists and international networks
The introduction of the first electric telegraph as an innovation in two-way information exchange, as well as the telephone and wireless radio and how they brought towns and cities closer together.
* International electric revolution
How steamboats, railroads as well as a broadened application of telegraph used opened the way to international communication, hoping to bridge countries and even continents together
* National vs International communication
With the advance known during the international electric revolution, the necessity to differentiate national and international communication was felt as messages destined to the local population and information with a farther reach started co-existing. The exemple of Reuters is a very good one to demonstrate how a national communication principle could be expanded to become the biggest international information provider.
Friday, June 8, 2007
My First Post
There it is, my first post in my first blog !!
Always tought that I would never own a blog, too little time to afford maintaining a decent blog, and I don't like to do things partially or badly. But I guess only a fool never comes back on his decisions :)
Always tought that I would never own a blog, too little time to afford maintaining a decent blog, and I don't like to do things partially or badly. But I guess only a fool never comes back on his decisions :)
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