Quality Management in Green Valley Bakers Research Paper

Quality Management in Green Valley Bakers - Research Paper Example This organization was formed in 1933 and dedicates itself to making the perfect loaf. It has more than 1300 members across the USA. Membership indicates that the bakers are themselves masters at their craft and meet the quality standards set by the Guild in terms of baking prowess. The Importance of Quality We may all have heard it a hundred times or more, but it is nevertheless worth repeating that Quality is never an Accident; rather it is the result of concentrated effort directed towards achieving a certain purpose, depending on what we are doing. Quality means better than average, certainly not run of the mill or mediocre. Thus we can be sure that we have been given among the best in the world when we get a Cross pen, or a Rolex watch, or a Ferrari car. These brands are renowned for their quality and finesse. They have climbed the long hard road to the top, and their quality consciousness shows in every product they produce. One can be sure that they have the best quality contro l and improvement procedures in place, and are also on the cutting edge of technology. Once one has achieved a name and fame, it is all the more important to maintain the standard and that is done by a meticulous dedication to quality control principles and procedures. In essence, a reputation for quality ensures a dedicated and loyal group of clientele who will always choose you as their first choice (and maybe an only choice) when it comes to a certain product, e.g. DeBeers for diamond jewelry. They are convinced that they are getting value for their money and will keep on coming back to you as long as your product offerings are consistent in value and price. Three Areas of Quality Focus for Green Valley Bakers Taking into account the practices and procedures followed in the baking industry and particularly those used by Green Valley Bakers, it is recommended that materials management is one area where quality control should be implemented. The Japanese concept of JIT or Just-In-T ime Inventory can be implemented to save the cost of carrying inventory as well as re-ordering costs. By establishing particular trigger points for re-order and preventing the costs of storage to get exorbitant, we will be following the concept of Economic Order Quantity (EOQ). The second thing to look at is the reputation of our suppliers and the ongoing costs of materials. We should always make sure that we have a backup plan just in case something happens that can interrupt supply from one main supplier. There may be transportation or delivery problems, cost and profitability can be affected and thereby threaten the profitability and survival of the bakery. All this must be planned for in case of unforeseen problems or eventualities. For instance, a natural disaster could disrupt supply lines for weeks. Another quality measurement tool that could be used is demand forecasting and anticipation of inventories of materials and labor etc. to meet peak and off-season demand hikes and slumps. This could be done by tracing the demand per week or per month and relating it to particular events that might have caused its occurrence. For example, Easter and Christmas are festive occasions in which demand is at a peak because of Easter eggs, bunnies, cakes and other confectionaries as well as Christmas cakes, chocolates and other goodies in December.  

The Evolution Of Global International Societies Politics Essay

The Evolution Of Global International Societies Politics Essay In this paper I would discuss the evolution of global international society during First World War, Second World War and Post Cold War period and how does it reflect itself in present times especially in three area viz- In International Organizations, In international civil society and In market economy. Social relations that is, the countless and complex ways in which the people interact with and affect each other are more and more being conducted and organized on the basis of a planetary unit. As historically and conventionally understood, international relations are relations of territorially based political groups. If we arrive at a definition of international society, it stands for relations between politically organized human groupings which occupy distinctive territories and enjoy and exercise a measure of independence of each other.  [1]  In the language of international relations, such detached communities are referred to as states which are usually conceptualized as consisting of 1.) permanent population, 2.) occupying a definite territory, 3.) which is under a central government and 4.) which is sovereign. Hedley Bull  [2]  defines international society as a society of states exists when a group of states, conscious of certain common interests and common values, form a society in the sense that they conceive themselves to be bound by a common set of rules in their relations with one another. It is pertinent to distinguish globalization from internationalization here. Globalization refers to all those processes by which the people of the world are incorporated into a single world society i.e. a global society. Globalization is thus an ongoing trend whereby the world has become one relatively borderless social sphere. Globalization can also be indicated by terms like liberalization, universalization and deterritorialization. On the other hand internationalization refers to a process of intensifying connections between national domains. In international relations, countries are divided from each other by clearly marked frontiers as well as by substantial time that is generally required to cover the distance between their respective territories. Whereas global phenomenon can extend across the world at the same time and can move between places i n no time, in the sense they have a supra-territorial and transnational character. While patterns of international interdependence are strongly influenced by nation- state divisions, the lines of global interconnections often have little correspondence to territorial boundaries. The first phase of evolution of international society can be traced back from the year 1900, in which the world was dominated by a small group of economically prosperous and populous European states, whose empires encompassed much of the globe. The internal roots of Europes instability dated back to 1870s, when the continents relative tranquility was disturbed by the creation of a single unified German state as a result of Napoleonic wars. The unified Germanys expansion ambitions for territory and markets were a cause of concern for Britain, France and Tsarist Russia, emerging in an attempt to halt Germany. Britain and France dominated Asia, Africa and Middle East, Russia in Japan and Britain competed in China while U.S. held sway in Latin America. This disruption of balance of power in combination of imperial, nationalist and economic tension ultimately resulted in the First World War in 1914. The alliance system built up was Austria, Hungary and Germany on one side and Britain, Fra nce and Russia on the other. The war finally ended with the gathering of peacemakers at Versailles in 1919. This was the first instance of inception of global international society taking shape to maintain peace in post war period. It is to be noticed here that at Versailles the guiding force was not one or more of the European powers but the United States. It is at this time the principle of self-determination came up prominently. Future wars were to be deterred by the League of Nations, which would take collective action against aggressor states. Finally, Germany was found guilty of having begun the war as a result it lost its land to Poland and France, it was disarmed and reparations were to be made to the victorious powers. However, many critics like Taylor found that Versailles was not hard enough. The German problem was unresolved as Germany still remained the largest unitary state in the heart of Europe. Moreover, Germanys potential to wage war had not been absolutely destroy ed. Thus, the treaty of Versailles seemed to fail in the absence of any major power committed to upholding it. Then comes the second phase of the evolution of international society that is the Second World War, whose origin can be traced from the Great Depression of 1929 caused by the stock market crash in America. The global impact of the shock waves of crash illustrates the degree to which states in the inter-war years were not entirely autonomous entities. Its symptoms like spiraling inflation, collapse of consumer demand in industrial countries, decline in manufacturing industry, massive unemployment concluded that globalization in economic terms, was a potent reality. In wake of such economic turmoil, Japan in order to find new markets, raw material and land for its population began expansion into China. Between 1931-33, Japan consolidated its hold over Manchuria. By 1937, Japan was at war with China which caused worsening relations with U.S. ultimately leading to Japans attack on Pearl Harbor. On the other hand in Europe, the Nazi territorial expansionism under Hitler went beyond the pr ovisions of Treaty of Versailles. Confronted with numerous international crises in China and Europe, Britain and France adopted a policy of appeasing Hitler. But in March 1939 appeasement was abandoned once Germany invaded Poland and Britain and France declared war on Germany. Alliance of Britain, France, America and USSR came together to fight Axis powers of Japan, Italy and Germany. The Second World War was unquestionably global in scope ending the era of European domination of the world. The U.S. put the full stop on war by using its might and dropping atom bomb on Japans Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The end of Second World War led to the third phase of evolution i.e. the onset of Cold War between Soviet and America. The failure to implement principles agreed at the wartime and issues concerning the failure of Germany and Poland grew tension between wartime allies. The expansion of Soviet towards Eastern Europe and American opposition to it, American military deployment in Britain and signing of NATO Treaty in 1949 were some of the key issues in cold war. Agreements on limiting and controlling the growth of nuclear arsenals have played an important role in Soviet- American relations. A set of treaties like START-1 and START-2 marked the end of cold war and laid down the ground for cordial relations between disintegrated Russia and America. From the above discussion it can be inferred that whenever any crises has arisen in the past, be it political, social or financial, various states transcending their territorial boundaries have come forward unitedly to counter it. The era of colonialism and imperialism is done away with and the world does not have any one central power like Europe, U.S or Russia now. The global trends have replaced the unipolar world structure to that of multipolar world structure. The present world order has undergone tremendous transformation by changing global patterns of international organizations, issues of universal concern, global civil society, humanitarian issues, trade and economy and many more which we will discuss in forthcoming paragraphs. The very first consolidation of international society made itself evident in the form of United Nations Organization which took birth after the havoc of Second World War. The main objective of UN is to maintain international peace and order and to prevent situations leading to war by means of pacific settlement. The basic principle adopted by the member states was of self-determination. Presently the membership of UN is up to 192, which clearly signifies it as a forum where all countries whether small or big, powerful or weak, developed or underdeveloped interact with each other and manifest themselves as a global community. International Court of Justice, UNICEF, UNDP, UNHCR etc. some of the organs of UN having varied work fields. Peace keeping missions, economic sanctions on erring states and the right to self defense are some such distinctive features of the organization which keep intact the principle of self-determination. But critics often raise the question mark upon the decis ions taken by UN as a representative and collective world body. The imbalanced sharing of decision making power at the executive body of UN i.e. Security Council clearly manifest the hegemony of superpowers like U.S., U.K., China, Russia and France. Waging Iraq war, Gulf war, Palestine and Israel crisis, Afghanistan problem in the name of maintaining international peace and security is the mockery and exclusion of international society in the real sense. Similar is the case with international financial organizations like IMF and WB. IMF was created to promote international monetary cooperation and resolve the inter-war economic problems. The IMF now has a membership of 183 countries each of whom contribute a quota of resources to the organization proportionate to the size of their economy which also determines their percentage of voting rights and the amount of resources to which they can have automatic access to. Although it would be wrong to out rightly negate the role played by t hem in the infrastructure development, poverty reduction, raising living standards but down the line the practices of protectionism and favourism followed by superpowers have hampered its functioning. The frequent failure of WTO round of talks due to widening divide between the developed and developing is not a different story. The international organizations most of the times end up being super power organizations. In the age of globalization the structure of nation state has undergone tremendous transformation. The relevance of geographical boundaries has fainted and the world has become a borderless entity. This aspect of globalization has led to the formulation of local issues like poverty, hunger and development etc. into global concerns. The other most important issues of global concern are environment, terrorism, gender inequality and human right violations. To tackle such wide range of issues, the international society manifests itself broadly as non-state actors and particularly as global civil society, voluntary organizations, intergovernmental organizations and international non-governmental organizations. Such organizations are the source of new political and social change. Red Cross, Amnesty International, World Social Forum, Cry are some such bandwagons which raise the local issues to international forums and play an important part in designing policies affecting the lives of billi ons of people across the world. Especially the gender issues of violence, inhuman treatment, lack of opportunities, female foeticide, trafficking of women and children are now concerns of every country of the world and are redressed as never before. Owing to the efforts of such civil society groups the awareness of human rights has become a global phenomenon. The universalization and homogenization of globe has made the whole world as their work field. The discourse on globalization would remain incomplete without the mention of global market patterns after the end of cold war. This era can be recognized as an era of triumph which swept away all the barriers to the operation of the market around the world and transformed the character of international politics. Now the governments have reduced their military spending and started making their markets efficient and open as per the growing needs. New technologies, computerization and communication provides opportunity for small business and individual entrepreneurs, empowering excluded persons and social groups. The state monopoly is reduced, the culture of multinationals and transnationals is strengthening the universal labor standards and unions are more organized to stand against exploitation at larger level. The rise of giant corporations and cartels serve as new modes of social control and regulation. Post-industrialist theorists like Daniel Bell call the present society as infor mation society and present age as technocapitalism. According to J. Baudrillard  [3]  technology and capitalism have permeated every aspect of society. While Gilder  [4]  , Gates  [5]  and Friedman  [6]  defend technology as legitimizing capitalism on the other hand Heideggar call it a complete Europianization of the earth and man. Critics however characterize global capitalism by a decline of the state and increased power of the market and globalised transnational corporations. Hence both negative and positive versions of economic determinism exist. From the above discourse we can infer that pro globalization theorists hold a view that global international society has undergone a shift to be called as a global community. One glaring example that is often quoted by them is of its consolidated expression was visible after the Sept. 11 attack in U.S. where the whole world stood against and pledged to eradicate terrorism from the world. Several such examples can be cited and the recent is of democratic triumph in Egypt which was appraised and supported by global society. It is also true that the natural calamity of Japan will also reflect itself in its economic relations. I also agree that in the present age of globalization the world has emerged as a single entity and events happening in one part of the world within no time affect the other parts of the globe as well. But according to me, it would be wrong to say that in the age of globalization the world has become borderless and free of divisions. Although, its true that we have done away with imperialism and colonization but what about categorization of the world community on the lines of developed, developing and underdeveloped nations? Would it be right to call Sudan, Lebanon and Bangladesh as globalised nations? Are these countries the flag marchers of globalization? No, I think certainly not. The poor are still poor and the hungry are still hungry. The situation of underdeveloped and least developed nations in South-Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa still holds a pathetic picture. Developed countries regard poverty as something external to them and a defining feature of third world. In recent decades global food production has burgeoned but paradoxically hunger and malnourishment remain widespread. Access and entitlements are affected by factors such as North- South divide, rural urban divides, class, gender and race. World economy is not global rather trade, investment and financial flows are concentrated in and between 3 blocks- Europe, North America and Japan. It is also correct that globalization is very uneven in its effects. Internet, telephones are still distant dreams for least developed countries. Critics also noted that outcome of globalization allows more efficient exploitation of less well off nations, by bodies like IMF, WB and WTO and technologies are designed to benefit richest economies. Thus, it can be concluded that present form of international society has acquired a more global outreach but paradoxically the balance of power is still tilted towards the developed economies. To balance this equation the state actors like government, diplomats, politicians as well as non-state actors like civil society, voluntary groups, MNCs and TNCs etc. should work with the principle of social welfare of every single poor hungry person irrespective of his national identity. Then only the world will become a global village in a real sense.

Platos Repubulic- Music, Art, Literature Essay -- essays research pap

In The Republic, Plato uses many different aspects in Books II, III, and X including: art, literature, and music. These aspects play a huge part in the building of the â€Å"ideal city†. Plato includes what can and cannot be used and what is good and what is bad for the city. While building the city, everything is broken down and analyzed by Plato. Art as an imitation of real things, three types of imitation, the types of literature, art, and music allowed and not allowed in the city, and the impact of art on the people of the city will all be analyzed in this paper. Books III and X contain information on art as an imitation of real things. â€Å"Imitation, we say, imitates human beings performing forced or voluntary actions, and, as a result of the action, supposing themselves to have done well or badly, and in all of this experiencing pain or enjoyment† (287). Plato also describes art as the imitation of real things as a copy of an object. A painter paints a picture of a couch. The couch in the painting looks the same as the couch that was used for the painting, but the couch in the picture is a copy of the original couch. Plato makes it seem that art imitates the objects and events of real life. Plato furthers his point by introducing his theory that a copy of a copy of an object is imitation. For example, carpenters build a bed which they did not originally event. The carpenter’s bed was built by the carpenter but it was based off another bed that was originally created by God. This makes the carpenter’s bed a copy of another bed. When a painter is painting he also creates a copy of an object. If he paints the carpenters bed, it is a copy of a copy of an object. Plato includes, â€Å"imitation is surely far from the truth, and, as it... ...s that the people are very important to Plato. If degrading artwork, stories, or poems enter the city it could make the people weak, unhappy, and very depressed. On the other hand, if positive artwork is introduced the whole mood of the city changes. They could be come strong, happy, and vivacious. Plato made sure that there was no literature or music that sad or discouraging in the city. As seen in Books II, III, and X, art, literature, and music played a large part in putting the ideal city together. The imitation of art had a large impact on everyone in the city, each type of music had to fit the personality or job of each person in the city, and the literature had to be watched closely so that the women, children, and even men were not distraught by it. While building the ideal city Plato had to make sure everything was perfect so that everyone was happy.

Argumentative essay: Gay marriage Essay

The American dream, one of freedom and equality, is held highly in the hearts of every citizen in the United States. With the â€Å"American† dream in mind, most will say they support equal rights for homosexuals. But if you ask these members of society if they are for gay marriage then the support of gay equality comes to a stop and majority of Americans vote for the Constitutional Amendment, which bans gay marriage. Americans do believe in providing equal rights to the gay community, which include no toleration of discrimination in jobs, rights protecting gays from indecent actions, rights allowing same access to housing, rights allowing advancement in government, and so on and so forth. However, the concept of gay marriage is still not considered an â€Å"equal right† to American people. A huge misconception is the idea that gays have a choice to whom they can feel attracted to. Just as heterosexuals cannot† choose† who they are drawn to, neither can homo sexuals. Opposition movements promote that homosexuality is preventable. They believe living as a homosexual is not as easy as it is portrayed in media. How can a member of the straight community say that homosexuality can be changed, or even if homosexuals can be happy or not. What about the research that has been proven that homosexuality is genetic? No one would ever choose a life that is faced with prejudice and discrimination. Even if its ethnicity, religious beliefs or homosexuality. The same assumption of choice leads to the accusation that homosexuality is all about sex, which is called sexual perversion. Again, the truth is that homosexuality is multi-faceted. Homosexuality is more about the love and affection than it is sex. Sex, in a committed relationship is about expressing love. This is true whether it may be in a heterosexual or homosexual relationship. Being gay defines who that person is and makes up his or her identity. Very few straights can comprehend this. Instead, heterosexuals use their beliefs support for what â€Å"normal† should mean. The most repeated cases’ opposing gay marriages is the idea that it is immoral, but the â€Å"immoral† label is only based on religious perceptions. The First Amendment states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.† Religion is not, supposed to be the basis for our country’s laws according to the first amendment. Nevertheless, most of the individuals against gay marriage try to stress their religious beliefs onto others and make those beliefs into laws. Not everyone is religiously  inclined to the same morals and beliefs. The gay community is simply fighting to be free from religion in determining the laws of the country. The opposition believes marriage should be between man and a woman; otherwise, the marriage would be untraditional. The anti-gay community also believes same-sex marriages would threaten the basis of marriage. I strongly disagree with this argument because no evidence can support this allegation. How does giving a person the right to marry threaten marriage? Why is the right to get married only given to the heterosexual society? Courts recently say there is no reason why gays should not be allowed to marry realizing the American principles of human rights. The reasoning behind such laws and beliefs seems more like direct prejudice rather than an overwhelming reason worthy of denying people their civil rights. All in all, much of what the straight community believes to be true about gays is based only on stereotypes. There are those who assume gays are promiscuous and are unable to form long lasting relationships. I believe these stereotypes are extremely inaccurate. Even though unstable and sex-based relationships exist in both the gay and the straight communities, they are usually among the younger generation and only represent a small percentage. Gay marriage is defined as a legal union between members of the same sex. Ten percent of Americans, the size of the gay community, are denied the right to marry. The individuals representing this group want what every heterosexual has, the right to legally marry their life partner. As a country we need to move away from false reasoning, whether it may be based on ignorance or prejudice. Every person needs to be allowed the civil right to wed his or her life partner. Our society must live up to the quota of the American dream. The Pledge of Allegiance states â€Å"liberty and justice for all† and so should every citizen in our country.

The Impact of Technology on Music in the 20th Century

Matthew Hugenschmidt LBST 3020-090 Final Paper For centuries man has sought pleasure through music and visual arts. Until the last 100 years or so that required someone to go see a live performance, either locally or possibly to a larger metropolis with concert halls and theaters. The technological advances experienced in the last century have allowed the pairing of the audio and visual media for the masses, and have let them spread much farther than their local roots and changed their influence on society.Though essentially performing the same function, they have gone from merely allowing an escape from everyday life for very limited audiences to affecting American society’s values, view of its own culture, and consumerism. With the advent of the gramophone in 1901 people were able to listen to music inside their own homes, as well as were able to easily transport music from one area to another. (Savage 115) It was these earliest recordings brought with the American troops, o r doughboys, in WWI that brought jazz, blues, and other American musical styles to Europe.These recordings would heavily influence the shape of the European musical landscape after the war, and also increase the overseas demand for American culture and style. The music and associated dances were completely new to Europeans, and combined with the care free attitude of the Americans it showed what was seen as a hopeful way of life that had all but been forgotten in the war ravaged continent. This craving for American culture would have a large effect on the coming European generations, and would help steer the musical course for the bands that started the British Invasion.Almost simultaneously, nickelodeons started to become popular in urban areas of the United States. Named after their admission price, a nickel, these places showed short motion pictures and were usually located in working class districts. (essortment. com) Since the movies of the time were silent, the theaters usuall y had a piano or organ to provide music for the film. This was the first time there was a mass media distribution that included both audio and visual components, though the music played varied a bit from theater to theater. As movie technology improved nickelodeons soon ecame out of date, but they laid the ground work for audio and visual pairings in mass media. The rise of national radio broadcasts in the United States would play a huge part in the spread of music around the country. When the national broadcasts went to clear channel, it signaled the rise of weekly radio shows that became standard nationwide. Because of the limited variety of programming at the time, these programs had a very large audience base. One of these radio shows was Ozzie and Harriet, a family oriented radio show that was based on Ozzie and Harriet Nelson’s family.The show was quite popular on the radio since it portrayed the everyday stereotypical white suburban family. The major leap came when tel evision became the new medium of choice. In 1957 Ozzie and Harriet moved from radio to television, and by this point their son Ricky had also become an integral part of the show. This was during the very beginnings of Rock & Roll, and Ozzie saw an opportunity to cross market his son as both an actor and a singer. At the time the genre was represented primarily by figures like Elvis and Chuck Berry who were by considered risque by the elder suburban white population.Ricky Nelson was marketed as a wholesome alternative singing the same style of music, thereby appealing to both the youth and their parents. This was a major step in defining stars in pop culture since it cemented that the performers image could be more important than their musical ability and gave rise to the teen idol culture. Concurrently, since the national broadcasters had begun to focus on television, the local radio stations no longer had time occupied retransmitting the major station broadcasts. Because of this th ey found it necessary to diversify their offerings to fill the time slots.This allowed them to cater more to their local audience and what they wanted to hear. This heralded the rise of the disc jockey, and because the radio signals reached beyond the immediate locale it broadened the fan base for many musical styles. Programs like Red Hot and Blue in Memphis started playing some more alternative styles, and when it was realized that there was a large demand for this music they became important for the stations and their advertisers. (Miller 35) These shows would play what they pitched as new and â€Å"hot† tracks, thereby pushing their listeners in the directions they wanted.The person that would take this to the next step was Dick Clark with American Bandstand. He very successfully took what these radio shows were doing and applied it to national television. By carefully selecting the performing artists and the kids dancing to the music, he cultivated a very tame and innoce nt atmosphere for the show. This was integral in changing the image of Rock & Roll and its perception by the older generation, and though there had been variety shows for a good number of years, it was the first television show to completely focus on music and giving it a visual component.American Bandstand would go on to be one of the longest running series in television history. Also in the mid-1950s movie industry was becoming more popular than it had ever been, and this was due largely to the trickle down of the post World War II economic boom. Many teens had part time jobs doing things like delivering papers or running errands, and others were given an allowance by their parents. Because they had no bills to pay, all of the income for this demographic was disposable income. This led to almost all of their money being spent on entertainment.This started in the early 1900s with the nickelodeons, and then progressed as the movie industry expanded and technology progressed to allow longer films and include audio. When the movie Blackboard Jungle was released in 1955 it brought out a very interesting revelation. The Bill Haley and His Comets’ song â€Å"(We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock† was played over the opening credits, and though it had been released the year before it had not fared well at all on the charts. As soon as it was featured in the movie it immediately shot to the top of the charts, where it remained for eight weeks. Covach 78) Alan Freed, a New York City DJ, immediately saw an opportunity and began making movies such as Rock Around the Clock, Rock Rock Rock, and Mr. Rock and Roll. These movies had very little in the way of plot or story line, but focused on promoting some of the hottest musical acts of the time, including Chuck Berry and Little Richard. They also served to further the career of several new artists such as Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers. (Covach 84) This would mark the beginning of cross marketing musica l stars into movies.The person who is most responsible for the cross genre bridge between music and visual media was Elvis. His start was a humble one, beginning with him paying for his own recording at Sun Records. Sam Phillips thought the he heard something special and signed him. For the first year and a half that after his first Sun recordings, Elvis was primarily known in the south and was relegated to the country charts. It wasn’t until Phillips sold his contract to RCA that Elvis began getting television appearances, starting with Stage Show. Covach 85) The show had poor ratings, but within week of his start there he had become a national phenomenon. This led to his appearances on the Milton Berle show, the Steve Allen show, and culminating in the Ed Sullivan show. With his good looks, sex appeal, and exciting performance style, his television performances rapidly cast him onto the national stage. (Covach 84) This meteoric rise would forever cement the link between ima ge and popularity, and also add to the â€Å"rags to riches† dream which has always been prevalent in lower and middle class households.Once Freed’s movies started coming out and doing well, RCA was quick to pitch their new star as an actor as well, though more as a feature with hip music in it rather than a sort of American Bandstand movie. The movies Elvis did, such as Jailhouse Rock, fared decently well at the box office, and usually had a single by the same name released concurrently, which in turn became a hit. The companies behind the scenes had realized that by doing this they could have their star produce multiple revenue streams for them. This would lead to a slew of movies following the same formula, especially beach movies with surf music.These movies would prove to be very influential to the images of bands and individual singers for years to come. The next level of combining visual arts and music came in the form of marketing for a band, manifested as The Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night. This movie departed from the Elvis style fictional motion picture that just included songs by the featured artists, which were pretty much standard at the time. Rather, this film portrayed The Beatles roughly as their lives actually were. Though exaggerated, they used The Beatles playing themselves showing their daily lives.The use of irony and satire were prevalent throughout the movie, which makes it an entertaining comedy. Even so, the viewer gets the sense that they are connected to the band and has gotten to know them on a personal level, and they could easily be someone down the street. One of the common themes throughout the film is the manager’s futile attempts at controlling the band members. Whenever he tells the band they need to do something like reply to fan mail or stay in the dressing room the first thing that is done is the opposite.Though the band members are always going against what they are being told to do, they always come through to fulfill their responsibilities, usually at the last possible moment. This appealed to both the youth who appreciated the free spiritedness The Beatles exhibited as well as the adults who cared about the example it set of fulfilling responsibility, thereby successfully cross marketing the band to both demographics. All of these events were heavily intertwined with the boom in consumerism in the 1950s and 60s. In an era of excess, the image of success is what was being sold.The idea of the suburban house with two cars and modern amenities was what the older generation who still remembered the depression was being pushed towards. With the surplus of disposable income in the post WWII economic boom, Americans began replacing items rather than fixing them, which let almost all products to be disposable. This attitude carried over to entertainment as well. Because of the short attention span of the general public it was no longer enough to just make good music. The image of the artist and how they were marketed became in some cases more important than the music itself.Rock & Roll was integral in the shift of America’s values in 1950s to 1960s towards the liberal side, starting with the youth. The music and the image it portrayed meant different things to different people, usually split by generation, but the successful visual marketing done by some key players helped change the image and soften the transition to allow the older generation to become more receptive to the cultural changes. The liberalization of music and image that started in the 60s would grow by leaps and bounds in the 70s.Artists began to take the alter ego route started by the Beatles with Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and stepped it up a notch. One of the most notable examples of this was Alice Cooper. Alice Cooper’s lead singer, Vincent Furnier, had noticed that most rock stars of the day were portrayed as heroes, but there were few rock villain s. He created the persona of Alice Cooper as such a villain and also dressed in tattered women’s clothes to add more social controversy. The biggest break and controversy that really launched the band was the infamous â€Å"Chicken Incident†, where at a show a chicken somehow made its way on stage.Thinking chickens could fly Alice Cooper threw the chicken into the air above the audience thinking it would fly away. Unfortunately, the chicken fell into the audience where it was torn apart. This turned into a story of him biting the head off the chicken and drinking its blood, which made national headlines. As had been learned with Elvis, the only bad press is no press, and this rang true for Alice Cooper as well. Following this, their performances were known for being â€Å"dangerous, dark, and irreverent. † (Covach 344) These shows usually ended with some sort of gruesome death for Alice, frequently beheading or electric chair.This goes to show how important and image and show could be to the career of a band. The next major development in visual and music pairing was MTV. This would go on to change the course of pop music and culture from its inception in 1981 all the way through the present day. MTV was modeled after Top 40 radio, focusing on the most popular artists at the time. In the early days they found that their most successful market was mainly the Midwest, so they focused on playing the mainstream rock artists that were usually white as well.At the same time most videos were shot on shoestring budgets since labels weren’t convinced that music videos would pay off in additional sales. (Covach 451) The view of music videos would change with Michael Jackson. In 1983 â€Å"Billie Jean† was rising in the pop charts, but MTV refused to play the video, presumably because it was thought it wouldn’t appeal to their target audience. After a great deal of pressure from Jackson’s label MTV conceded, and the video became very successful. This brought a significant rise in popularity to both the network and artist, and that in turn showed the labels the importance of music videos.After that, videos were major undertakings with major label backing and significant repercussions. It was found that even if the music wasn’t good, if the artist looked good in the video then they could be successful. This really is a continuation of the teen idol phase of the late 1950s, just taken to the next level and across a broader range of styles, which still continues today. Though MTV had become more popular and mainstream, it also had the double edged effect of negative media attention for the content of the videos it played.Applying images to music that was said to be â€Å"a help to the devil† (Gilmore 263) would bring further scrutiny to the content of the music itself. Though rap music was already under attack from the media and PMRC (Parents Music Resource Commission), videos like that of N. W. A. would further widen the gap. The most important technological advancement of the last 20 years or so is the development of the internet. This one creation has done more to connect the globe and share information than anything else in the history of man. The amount of information that is readily available o anyone with an internet connection is almost incomprehensible. This sharing of information has also had a drastic effect on the music industry and artists. According to Brian Hiatt and Evan Serpick â€Å"the Internet appears to be the most consequential technology shift for selling music since the 1920s. † (Hiatt & Serpick) Because of the internet, anyone with a microphone or video camera and internet access can publish their music. With the advent of some computer programs like Pro-Tools there isn’t even a need for musicianship. This has greatly changed the landscape for artists and how music is viewed socially.Until an artist becomes successful enough for corporations to heavily invest in, the responsibility for creating an image and fan base has largely moved from the label to the artists themselves. No longer does the label sign a band, make a record, and then produce a formulaic video to try to garner interest. Take Arctic Monkeys for example. Their debut album â€Å"Whatever people Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not† released in 2006 became the fastest selling debut album in British music history. (NME) They did this by recording early demos and giving them away on burned CDs at shows.In the digital age, these songs were immediately shared on the internet as well by their fans, which greatly broadened their popularity. Once their popularity was recognized, they were signed and had a huge debut album. This shows the shift in landscape and how the sharing of information and files on the internet can impact such a major industry. Works Cited Covach, John. What's That Sound? An Introduction to Rock and Its History. Ne w York: W. W. Norton ; Company, 2009. Essortment. com. The Nickelodeon’s History. ; http://www. essortment. com/nickelodeons-history-21268. html;. Gilmore, Mikal.Night Beat: a Shadow History of Rock ; Roll. New York: Anchor Books, 1998. Hiatt, Brian and Evan Serpick. â€Å"The Record Industry’s Decline†. Rolling Stone 19 June 2007: n. pag. Web. Miller, James. Flowers In the Dustbin: The Rise of Rock n' Roll 1947-1977. New York: Fireside, 1999. NME. com. â€Å"Susan Boyle beats Leona Lewis, Arctic Monkeys to ‘biggest first week sales for UK debut album’ title†. < http://www. nme. com/news/various-artists/48619> Samuels, David. Only Love Can Break Your Heart. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 2008. Savage, Jon. Teenage: the prehistory of youth culture: 1875-1945. New York: Penguin Books, 2007.