Disproving the Theories of Evolution

Disproving the Theories of Evolution Abstract Natural selection is one of the numerous theories that attempt to explain the evolution of living things from their primitive origins to the more advanced organisms existing today. At its core, this theory supports the notion that only the strongest organisms survive in a changing environment while their weak counterparts die off. Nevertheless, various circles regard the evolutionary theory by natural selection as practically impossible. Since its conception, proponents of the theory have defended it with the help of serious misinformation and propaganda. However, the theory of evolution has been discredited entirely as being scientifically invalid by such fields as paleontology, genetics, biochemistry, and microbiology. Numerous findings continue to reveal that evolution never happened, is devoid of tangible scientific evidence, and is incompatible with the truth. One such area is the creationist perspective of the origin of life and the universe. Creationism provides the indication that the universe is the work of an Omniscient Creator. Scientific communitys Opposition Evolution has been and continues to be not only one of the most widely debated issue but also one of the most controversial. Some quarters have a serious problem with calling the Darwinist evolution a theory for the reason that it lacks testable explanations for observable occurrences (Isaak). The Darwinian theory of evolution postulates the idea that the planetary species arose through descent with progression and modification from a single common ancestor by the process of natural selection. While this presumption may contain some element of truth, it has not received complete acceptance across the entire spectrum of the society since evolutionary ideas first came to prominence in the early parts of the 19th century (Luskin). The first opposition to its tenets comes mainly from the scientific community, which has not found any past or present scientific evidence to validate the claims of Darwin. Moreover, todays criticisms and denials also come from all quarters in various forms su ch as creationism, neo-creationism, and intelligent design. Even though several points exist on either side of the creationism versus evolution argument, notwithstanding the gaps on both sides of the divide, it becomes apparent that the theory of evolution has some serious fundamental flaws. Creationism is the belief that concept and design require a creator (Sarfati and Mathews). When applied to detecting design in the universe and life, this principle becomes a more reasonable explanation to believe in a higher power as the Creator or Designer of both (Sarfati and Mathews). Unlike the concept of evolution, which remains unproven and continues to lack even the slightest experimental or observational support, the creationist argument is sound because it argues against a set of misunderstandings about evolution that people are right to consider ludicrous (Fodor and Piattelli-Palmarini). For this reason, a large part of the society is likely to embrace creationism. Moreover, various religious denominations already propagate the belief in a higher power, making creationism more intellectually and socially palatable to a majority of people, both scholars and lay audiences. A related issue is the tendency of individuals to identify with things, beliefs, or concepts that exemplify the best of humanity or portray humans as special. In this regard, creationism hits the nail on the head as it conceives the advent of humankind as a deliberate, personal, well-thought out, and loving process. In contrast, evolution paints a grim picture of a random, impersonal, and d etached process that does not appeal to the moral and spiritual sensibilities of many people, hence its unpopularity. The first claim against natural selection, the central premise upon which the theory of evolution rests, is that it lacks the power to be responsible for all the variability seen in all the innumerable forms of life. A close inspection shows that neither natural selection nor mutation has any evolutionary force or gives the slightest support to the notion that living things can evolve and gradually turn into a new species (Yahya). Natural selection predicts the survival of organisms possessing the most appropriate characteristics for their natural habitats and the extinction of those that lack the advantages (Rennie). For instance, in a herd of deer threatened by wolves, those who run fastest survive and those who do not run swiftly are hunted down and eliminated resulting in a herd of swift-running deer. However, no matter how long the process lasts, the deer will a lways remain a deer and never another species. For that reason, natural selection cannot cause the development of a new species, much less new life forms (Yahya). Competition for survival The second criticism of evolution driven by the process of natural selection concerns the assertion that the living world is in a perpetual competition for survival, something Darwinism calls the survival of the fittest (Yahya). Several reliable observations continue to reveal that organisms, particularly those at more advanced levels such as humans and dolphins display solidarity and social behavior that can be defined as cooperation. Therefore, the survival of the fittest might not be any more superior or significant than the survival of the luckiest (Yahya). The weakness of evidence The third criticism against evolution is that several lines of evidence for Darwinian evolution and common ancestry are weak. Firstly, there is the failure of development of biology in explaining why vertebrate embryos start diverging from the very beginning of development. Secondly, DNA and molecular evidence paint conflicting pictures about the grand tree of life (Luskin). Lastly, available fossil records do not provide proof for the Darwinian evolution (Luskin). The evidence of small-scale changes commonly paraded by evolutionists such as the slight variations in the color of wings of peppered moths or the size of finch beaks are isolated cases of microevolution and are not evidential proof for macroevolution (Rennie). Conclusion Even though evolutionists portray the theory of evolution as a scientific fact, various findings for the several years separating Charles Darwin and the present day has utterly disapproved this theory. Darwinism is inconsistent with the truth, and its principles of natural selection and mutation have been shown to lack any evolutionary power to create new species. The more the details of nature and scientific studies have been revealed, the more extraordinary characteristics of life in its diversity have been discovered that can never be explained in terms of natural selection. Works Cited Fodor, Jerry, and Massimo Piattelli-Palmarini. Survival of the Fittest Theory: Darwinisms Limits. New Scientist, 3 Feb. 2010, www.newscientist.com/article/mg20527466.100-survival-of-the-fittest-theory-darwinisms-limits?full=true. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. Isaak, Mark. Five Major Misconceptions About Evolution. TalkOrigins Archive: Exploring the Creation/Evolution Controversy, 1 Oct. 2003, www.talkorigins.org/faqs/faq-misconceptions.html. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. Luskin, Casey. Punctuated Equilibrium and Patterns from the Fossil Record. Intelligent Design and Evolution Awareness Center, 9 Sept. 2004, www.ideacenter.org/contentmgr/showdetails.php/id/1232. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. Rennie, John. 15 Answers to Creationist Nonsense. Scientific American, 1 July 2002, Nature America, Inc.. www.scientificamerican.com/article/15-answers-to-creationist/. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. Sarfati, Jonathan, and Michael Mathews. Refuting Evolution 2 Chapter 4: Argument: Natural Selection Leads to Speciation. Creation | Creation Ministries International, Creation Ministries, creation.com/refuting-evolution-2-chapter-4-argument-natural-selection-leads-to-speciation#noteref. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017. Yahya, Harun. Confessions of the Evolutionists. Global Publishing, www.muslim-library.com/dl/books/English_CONFESSIONS_OF_THE_EVOLUTIONISTS.pdf. Accessed 20 Feb. 2017.

Holocaust-concentration Camps Essay -- essays research papers

Concentration Camps   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concentration Camps were a big part of the Holocaust. My first topic is the concentration camp Dachau. Then I will talk about another concentration camp called Bergen-Belsen. After that, I will tell you about the concentration camp Treblinka. Finally, the last concentration I will talk about is Auschwitz-Birkenau. Describing these camps will inform you that concentration camps were a huge part of the Holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dachau was a devastating concentration camp of the Holocaust. Dachau was built in 1933. At first, it was a extermination camp for Jewish people and political prisoners. Then it became a full-time concentration camp for prisoners. In 1943, the Nazis decided to force the occupants into back-breaking labor. The Nazis made the prisoners make arms and supplies for the war. At this camp, they performed brutal medical experiments on the prisoners. Over 3,500 people had experiments performed on them and most all died. When the war was coming to an end, the United States liberated over 32,000 prisoners on April 29, 1945. This was one of the most devastating concentration camps of the Holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bergen-Belsen was another horrifying concentration camp. This camp was a holding center camp. This means that the people that were sent there were going to be kept there until they died, or until the war was over. The people at this camp were usually killed by diseases like tu... Holocaust-concentration Camps Essay -- essays research papers Concentration Camps   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Concentration Camps were a big part of the Holocaust. My first topic is the concentration camp Dachau. Then I will talk about another concentration camp called Bergen-Belsen. After that, I will tell you about the concentration camp Treblinka. Finally, the last concentration I will talk about is Auschwitz-Birkenau. Describing these camps will inform you that concentration camps were a huge part of the Holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Dachau was a devastating concentration camp of the Holocaust. Dachau was built in 1933. At first, it was a extermination camp for Jewish people and political prisoners. Then it became a full-time concentration camp for prisoners. In 1943, the Nazis decided to force the occupants into back-breaking labor. The Nazis made the prisoners make arms and supplies for the war. At this camp, they performed brutal medical experiments on the prisoners. Over 3,500 people had experiments performed on them and most all died. When the war was coming to an end, the United States liberated over 32,000 prisoners on April 29, 1945. This was one of the most devastating concentration camps of the Holocaust.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Bergen-Belsen was another horrifying concentration camp. This camp was a holding center camp. This means that the people that were sent there were going to be kept there until they died, or until the war was over. The people at this camp were usually killed by diseases like tu...

Effects of computers on society :: Computer Science

Effects of computers on society Internet The internet was a major break-through in computing. It enabled people to communicate and transfer information. The internet has been around for about 30 years and is always changing. It has many different uses. It can be used for video and teleconferencing, finding information, buying products, downloading programmes and music and much more. I think that the internet has helped society a great deal. On the other hand, it does have its disadvantages as anything can be found on the internet, whether it is good or bad. If the internet is in the wrong hands it can be a very bad thing as it could be held responsible for things like rape etc. I am saying this because it is very easy for an adult to go into a chat room and pretend that they are a teenager. They could then arrange to meet up with someone, and this person would be thinking that they are a teenager. This is the disadvantage of the internet, but I feel that the good points over-power the bad. CCTV Without CCTV, crime rates would be higher and many criminals would go uncaught. Thanks to CCTV, this has changed. CCTV allows several cameras to film several different areas at the same time. If someone commits a crime and it is caught on camera, it is then taken to court and used as evidence against them. I think that this is another huge benefit to today's society. Credit Card Use/Fraud Computers allow people to use credit cards to pay for products that they buy in shops. This makes it much easier for people to buy something instead of having to pay with cash or a cheque, which takes a while to clear; they can just pay instantly with a card. Fraud is one major problem faced with credit cards. If the card it stolen, it would be relatively easy for someone to pay for products that they buy with the card, especially over the internet where no signature is required to make the payment. This is another disadvantage of the internet, that anyone's credit card can be used without consent. I think that, although fraud is an issue with credit cards, credit cards still benefit society greatly. Availability of Information This topic links in with the internet, as well as using programmes like encyclopaedias on the computer to find information. The internet has such a broad range of information on it that it would be almost impossible to not find what you are looking for. Almost any word can be typed into a search engine (e.g.

Day 3 Hw Essay

Emerging Markets Spring 2013 Sarath Nonis CASE 3-2 Hong Kong Disneyland 1. What led to the eventual woes experienced by Hong Kong Disneyland in its first year of operation? How should Hong Kong Disneyland rectify its market situation? Cultural Adaptation: The Chinese did not easily connect with the characters in the park because they were unfamiliar with the product; they enjoy focusing on what they can buy, eat, and bring home, and taking pictures and bringing them back home rather than the experience of being in the place itself. Chinese Tourist Behavior: Going to Hong Kong means a shopping experience, so they choose the cheaper one, which is Ocean Park; also, the Chinese people put a premium on education, where Ocean Park provides the educational slant. Relationship with Travel Agents: The Hong Kong Disneyland did not heed too much attention to building a relation- ship with the travel agents while Chinese tourists depend a lot on travel agents. Thus, the best way for Hong Kong Disneyland is to determining differences in the Chinese culture and adopting it; to understand Chinese tourist behavior in depth, then to handle the pressures of local demand in terms of the need of Chinese shoppers and tourists; try to pay more attention to building a relationship with the travel agents. 2. To what extent could Hong Kong Disneyland adapt its product to Chinese consumers without diluting its image? Put more educational materials about its image. Taking photos with Donald Duck at the Hong Kong Disneyland. Providing goods which are connected its image for tourist to buy as gifts to bring home. 3. How should Hong Kong Disneyland address competition? Expand the theme of the Hong Kong Disneyland; it should consider the culture and behaviors of Chinese. For example, connect the park theme with children’s education. Cut the price to make people think it is worth to pay. It should understand that travel agents are the most important sales channel in the mainland China. It is very popular in mainland China to provide a group discount.

Informative speech about earthquake Essay

Good morning everyone, I am Jialin Yin. Today, I want to talk about the earthquake. In 2008 May 12th, it was the first time that I felt the earthquake which was a 7.8-magnitude earthquake happened in Wenchuan China. At that time, I was a 7th grade student and sit in class room, then, I noticed that the light on the ceiling began to shake slightly. Then, the broadcast news reminds me, that was an earthquake and approximately 70000 people died in this severe natural disaster. During the speech, I will explain the earthquake in geographic view to you. Firstly, for what reason caused the earthquake? Generally, when rocks experience brittle failure, a kind of energy called seismic waves are released from the point of breakage. The seismic waves generated cause the ground shake, creating an earthquake. That point of breakage is called the focus, or hypocenter of the earthquake. A term people might be generally familiar with is epicenter which is the point on the surface of Earth directly above the focus, and the focus is the true center of an earthquake. Secondly, I want to talk about where are earthquake located, the first picture is the plate boundary. You can observe that there are many red dots on the second picture. These red dots represent epicenter of earthquakes that have occurred over the past 50 year. Actually, what you can notice right away is that most of these earthquakes occurred along with the plate boundaries. Moreover, we can also notice is that there are a few earthquakes that occur far away from plate boundaries, these kinds of earthquakes named intra-plate earthquakes. About only five percent of earthquakes that occur each year are intra-plate earthquakes. Look at this chart, here are five columns, they are magnitudes, frequency, description, example and energy release. In fact, from earthquake magnitude 2 to 6, the energy release and damage is not huge. The classes of seismic measure for the modern buildings are 5 to 6. However, if the earthquake magnitude is bigger than 6, the energy release can be destructive even billions dollar loss of life. Let us specify the damage of magnitude 8 and 9. The difference of energy from one magnitude to another is approximately 31 times.

Marketing Strategy for Competitive Advantage Essay

Executive Summary Three friends – Lyndon Duke Hanson, Scott Seamans, and George Boedecker, founded Crocs Inc. in the year 2002 in Colorado, USA. As the firm grew, it acquired Foam Creations in Canada to own manufacturing operations, under the leadership of Ronal Snyder in 2004, and gained sole rights. Crocs is a designer, manufacturer and retailer of molded, casual footwear for men, women and children. All Crocs footwear feature a proprietary closed-cell resin called ‘Croslite’ that provides the wearer with extreme comfort by taking the shape of the feet of the wearer due to heat. The company boasts the footwear as being ideal for casual use as well as for professional and recreational uses viz. boating, hiking and hospitality. The product is claimed to be lightweight, slip-resistant, and odor-free, and is available in several bright colors. Crocs shoes are sold across 129 countries and come in 250 styles. The company has also diversified into apparel and accessories. One major acquisition has been of that of Jibbitz show charms, for which the company has also acquired  licensing agreements with Disney, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. and DC Comics. The case discusses the phenomenal supply chain management of the company that has been a major reason for the success of the company, besides of course the popularity of the shoes. The achievement of an extremely flexible supply chain was the vision of Ronal Snyder, CEO, to meet customer’s demand based on the exact same principle followed by software giants. This supply chain provided Crocs with a competitive advantage in the footwear industry. Crocs had the highest profit margin in the industry at 56.5% in 2006, considerably higher than that of its competitors. Crocs created a blue ocean by creating differentiation and low costs and breaking out of the red ocean. This resulted in global expansion and quick growth. Profits increased from $10.9million in 2004 to $763.3milion in 2007. Later in the case study, we will see the Industry Analysis to understand the competitive scenario. This reveals that Nike is the market leader, followed by Adidas. A look at Porter’s Model shows that consumer’s bargaining power is a major threat in the industry. We also see the standard manufacturing practices in the industry compared to Crocs’ manufacturing techniques. The SWOT Analysis gives an understanding of the potential threats and rising opportunities. Customer’s changing tastes and threat of substitutes pose immediate threat to the firm, but it can capitalize on its unique product range and supply chain in order to gain a majority market share. Industry Analysis The global footwear market has grown from $153.2 billion in 2004 to $189.3 billion in 2007. Although the footwear industry is in the maturity stage, it is known that the demand for the product will not decline. Hence, global  sales are forecasted to reach $238 billion in 2013. Footwear industry is a highly fragmented market. The industry experiences intensive competition led by major firms such as Nike, Reebok, Adidas, and Converse. Nike is the industry leader, followed by Reebok and Adidas; Nike has a market share of 47%, Reebok – 16% and Adidas – 6%. Competitors Nike Nike is the world’s largest designer and marketer of athletic footwear and apparel. The stores are located over 180 countries. Nike is based in Oregon. It runs its manufacturing operations primarily in Asia. Nike’s footwear accounted for 60% of the company’s total net sales in 1999, after which the firm attempted to become more diversified. Nike’s largest share of sales comes from United States. Nike is one company to have crossed the $5 billion mark. Nike’s target consumers were 18-44 aged people, with six-digit income. Adidas Adidas is in the second position in the global market. It is based in Germany and sourced 97% of its footwear from Asian. Its main market is the Europe region. The firm had only a 3% market share in 2005, but after the acquisition of Reebok in 2006, the share jumped up to 9%. Footwear sales accounted for 45.5% of the total sales for Adidas in 2007. Adidas target slightly young aged, 18-44 and was especially popular among Hispanics and African Americans. Other competitors include Puma (Germany), New Balance (USA – largest privately held manufacturer), and C&J Clark (UK-based) nearing the $2.0billion mark. Porter’s Five Forces Model Threat from Existing Competition The industry is characterized by easy entry and exit. The market is competitive, with the industry being described as red ocean, often. The market has reached maturity stage, and the growth is slow-paced. Firms are  always attempting to lower costs and manage supply chain effectively to meet the changing demand. There is always a potential threat of a competitor eating into the market share. Threat from New Entrants The footwear industry is an easy market to enter for new players. Investments required are not huge, and raw materials are easily available. Legal policies are not strict, except in cases of imports in some countries. However, human rights issue is a major cause for concern in the footwear industry. Manufacturing/outsourcing decisions are used for low costs. Threat of Substitutes As entry is easy, substitutes are a major threat. Pricing becomes a key concern. Knock-offs also pose a great threat to companies even though certain designs are proprietary. Bargaining Power of Suppliers Shoes are mostly made from similar raw materials that are easily available. So, most firms manage to get materials at low costs. However, for Crocs, this is not a problem because it owns the manufacturing units and has a proprietary right over croslite. Bargaining Power of Consumers Consumers have the greatest power in the footwear industry due to availability of substitutes. Price and quality are major attributes of the product. Changing consumer taste is a potential threat. Changing fashion and trends and even fads are a problem faced by manufacturers. Competitors have come up with the concept of ‘Shoe Design’ to give the consumer the ability to custom design shoes that are delivered with two weeks. SWOT Analysis Opportunities Market penetration in the footwear industry is still considerably low, especially in Asia-Pacific region. Developing countries like India are emerging markets with huge population for firms to capitalize on.  Purchasing power of people in these countries is increasing, thus showing potential target consumer groups. Threats Substitutes and knock offs pose great threat to major players in the industry. Since pricing and quality are major concerns, low costs are the main objectives. Changing trends and consumer taste are also a serious threat. Strengths Crocs’ unique design that offers great comfort, odor-free, slip-resistant lightweight shoes at comparatively lower prices is a distinctive competency. Supply chain flexibility offers Crocs a competitive advantage over the other firms. Weakness Crocs is required to distinguish its product, especially with the usage of croslite in its footwear. This makes it difficult for Crocs to develop new products in the formal range. Financial Analysis While 92% of company’s revenues came from footwear, the remaining 8% was from the sales of accessories and apparels. Revenue has increased over the years and reached $354.7 million in 2006. There has been a tremendous increase in cost of the goods sold and was reported to be $154.2 million in 2006 from $47.8 million in 2005. Net profit margin has also been increasing and it was found to be 18.2% in 2006. Revenue was found to be $142 million in the year 2007 for Q1. Gross profit was reported to be 84.4% in the first quarter of 2007. In comparison with competitors viz. Nike and Deckers, gross profit margin of Crocs has been considerably higher. Debtor’s turnover ratio is the highest in the industry, indicating that Crocs is efficient at handling debts. Asset  management is also performed well at Crocs. But looking at the inventory turnover ratio, Crocs is one of the lowest in the industry. This shows that Crocs is unable to turn inventory into cash as effectively. It is seen that in 2006, Crocs has inventory worth $86.2million compared to $28.5million in the previous year. This shows that Crocs capital is blocked in its stock. About Crocs Inc. Mission Bring profound comfort, fun and innovation to the world’s feet. Brand Attributes Innovative Crocs shoes are distinguished from others by the following motive of the firm – Radical thinking, health-minded research, and providing solution to the Feet. Fun Colors and designs offered and the emotional experience served are important to Crocs to create its brand image. Comfort Crocs claims to offer profound comfort, ergonomic design, massaging foot bed, and lightweight. Simple Crocs believes in keeping its products simple with a versatile function. Crocs Shoes Clogs with Croslite Target Consumer Segment: Men, women and children of all ages Diabetic patients and other ailments Crocs shoes are lifestyle products that exhibit personalities like trendy, fun, and high fashion, dressy, casual and active. Various models offered include mammoth, clogs, sandals, flats, heels, boots, slip-ons, flip flops, sport, work, Ocean Minded among others. Crocs started off as a company with about 25 models in 2004, and reached a point in 2007 when it offered 250 models. Original design was the clogs that kids could personalize with Jibbitz. Over time, Crocs extended its line by using usual raw materials like leather and suede with croslite soles. Supply Chain Management For consumer, Crocs designed an extensive distribution system so its shoes were available in a variety of retail outlets from specialty stores to department stores and large shoe store chains. Footwear companies have two alternatives to choose from in the manufacturing of their products; they can both own and operate the factories that produce their products, or outsource operations. Factories may be located internationally or locally. Most firm practice outsourcing of operations to enable reduced costs. Crocs believed in meeting customer demands in the current season. Supply Chain was Crocs main focus. Crocs had adopted the global logistics strategy. The firm was vertically integrated and by 2007, had acquired various units all across the world for its operations to cater to different consumers. Hence it was faced with large capital expenditure requirements and the management of the factories themselves. Yet Crocs did a tremendous job at supply management. Where its competitors followed the seasonal order placements, Crocs had a delivery time of two to four weeks for newly placed orders, indicating how Crocs understood the demand for the product. Crocs owned the manufacturing, warehousing and retails units in almost all countries. With its effective management, Crocs was able to maintain low costs. Any other company in the footwear industry did not achieve such a flexible supply chain. The firm maintained good professional relations with the retailers, and deployed its own personnel in stores and provided a store-in-store experience to customers. Core Competencies Unique Product Crocs is the only company that offers shoes made of croslite. This material ensures extreme comfort to the wearer. Crocs owns proprietary rights over  the material, and this becomes the firm’s distinctive competency. Since Crocs is the only firm with the sole right of manufacturing such footwear, it should ensure no knock-offs are sold in the market in its name. Flexible supply chain Crocs understood the dynamic footwear industry and built a revolutionary supply chain to meet the demands of it consumers. Crocs is able to replenish stocks within weeks at short notice. This gives the firm a competitive advantage over the rivals. Other than the core business activities, Crocs has initiated a program called Crocs Cares to provide the inhabitants of disaster affected areas with shoes in over forty countries. Conclusion Crocs has managed to develop an extremely flexible supply chain in order to meet customer and retailer demands, similar to none other in the footwear industry. The firm is extensively vertically integrated and has followed a pattern of a series of acquisitions for growth. Another advantage for the firm is the sole proprietary rights over the croslite material. However, Crocs has learnt the need to extend its product line and incorporating materials like leather and suede in its products. Crocs has also managed to lure its customers by acquiring the charm business, and also by diversifying into accessories and apparels.   Although the firm is showing year-on-year profits, it is seen that by following the model of semi-finished products to achieve quick delivery, it is faced by the problem of low inventory turnover. The important thing to understand is that the industry is dynamic, and the demand is quite unpredictable due to varying trends. Thus, Crocs will continue doing better by focusing on the end-user product. References www.packagedfacts.com Global Footwear Market Report http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com How Crocs Is Outpacing The Pack http://logisticsviewpoints.com Crocs Revolutionary Supply Chain http://www.blueoceanstrategy.com Crocs Review http://ezinearticles.com History of Crocs http://www.hoovers.com Factsheet of Crocs http://company.crocs.com About Crocs – Company Profile

The Globalization/Consumption of Digital Media

University of Maryland University College-Adelphi University of Maryland University College-Adelphi By: Joshua A. Hood Instructor: Professor Robert T. Zornes Course: CMST 301 Paper Title: Globalization of Digital Media By: Joshua A. Hood Instructor: Professor Robert T. Zornes Course: CMST 301 Paper Title: Globalization of Digital Media Research ProjectProject 3 Research ProjectProject 3 Globalization of Digital Media Outline: 1. Introduction. 2. Think globally. 3. Rapid sharing. 4. Interactivity (changing the game) a. Web 1. 0 (convenience) b. Digital media defined c. Evolution of the Internet . Graph 5. Mobile digital media. e. Graph f. Iphone and Steve Jobs 6. Metaphorical summary relating to the inevitability of the evolution of digital media (and education) g. Recognizing power. 7. Education with digital media h. Comparison of differing educations 8. Globalization i. Globalization does not only include digital media 9. Globalization of digital media = powerhouse 10. Downloading. j. Consumption of digital media k. P2P (Peer to Peer) l. Digital media ethics? 11. Music industry/cinema m. Digital media creates musicians, literally. n. Myspace o. Adam Young (Owl City) i.Singer/songwriter thanks to digital media. 12. Refresh: What exactly has digital media done for us? p. Information availability q. Creates contributing members of society r. Creates scholars s. Creates new disciplines, academics. t. Information on burst! 13. Webisodes u. A young tool in the digital media world. v. Proposed outlet for successful cinema. 14. Social networking=shortened gap between nations. w. Purpose of Facebook/Twitter x. Business/networking y. Mark Schaefer; author of Tao of Twitter ii. Tweeting/retweeting iii. Twitter is unique. Why? z. Dell; the pioneer of social networking v. Cory Edwards v. â€Å"Dell Outlet Feed† via Twitter vi. Advantages/disadvantages through customer reviews {. Colorado shootings via Twitter. ————-Body——â⠂¬â€Ã¢â‚¬â€œGlobalization of Digital Media——————– I would like to base my final project on a very simple article that –if read in depth and understood correctly, –publically announces the influence that digital media has on our modern world. My topic on the other hand –not the article, more like the idea behind the article –focuses on global digital media. It focuses on humanity’s horizons, expanding through digital media.Subtopics discussed include: education, brick and mortar commerce, E-commerce, music, cinema, shared â€Å"common† culture from every corner of the globe (shared in a matter of seconds), education and the effects of the availability of education (in a global aspect) to the common man and the not-so-common man and lastly, social networking with its massive influence on digital media consumption. All of these topics relate to one another. They all contribute to the globalizati on of digital media. A main article I am basing my personal opinion off of can be found here: http://media. ezinemark. om/evolution-of-digital-media-an-incredible-advancement-511ee16da73. html Think globally. Even though Digital media began locally. From the television (and its mass development immediately after its invention) to the common simple radio, communication has only been moving up in the technological world. Here is an interesting fact. â€Å"The television took 13 years to reach 50 million viewers, Facebook added 100 million viewers in 9 months. † (Hopkinson, 2009) Is this a miracle? Or just excellent progress? So, along with the development of the television, also came the development of the ever growing rapid sharing of information.As you can see, Facebook’s growth rate is on a completely different level of expansion compared to the old days, when the Television was the â€Å"next big thing†. What changed the game for digital media? I would have to notice the advantages sprouting from an interactive interface system. Designed to be controlled by the user and their own interest, in the â€Å"Web. 1† days, interactivity was a game changer. It still is today. Back in the early 90’s, choosing what interested you online was a big deal. Users could view what they wanted, and when they wanted. Interactivity created a very personal experience.Today, I see interactivity focusing on convenience. Convenience seems to be the key with todays big sellers like Apple, Microsoft, Sony and more. Applications or â€Å"Apps† are always selling like wildfire. This is just me, but I made a keen observation on price free apps being in more abundance than apps that must be purchased. I wonder why that is? Where did it all start? Well, to answer this question we must ask ourselves another question. What is the purest definition of digital media? There is some debate to its actual meaning. I pulled the exact definition from the on line portal for my CMST 301 class.In the week 1, terms and concepts section, it is stated that: â€Å"The term â€Å"digital media† is often used unilaterally to describe any â€Å"online† content but ultimately includes digital transmittable text, graphics, audio, or video content. † –UMUC Webtycho portal I will provide a similar definition, so that readers without access to UMUC’s Webtycho portal may have a quick reference to the definition. According to Microsoft. com (who hasn’t heard of Microsoft? ), this is the definition of Digital Media: â€Å"Digital media refers to audio, video, and photo content that has been encoded (digitally compressed). †So now that we understand just what exactly digital media is. Lets dig deeper to get a better sense of understanding, regarding the evolution of the Internet (digital media), its global influence and how a globalization of digital media will ultimately enhance an already interconnected world. The Internet was not meant to stay the same. It was meant to grow and evolve. I believe what started the dramatic change in Internet experience from the early days, was the interactivity. Like stated before, interactivity was the game changer. Take this image for example. I included this image just to remind you of where digital media came from. In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. † – Eric Hoffer â€Å"In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists. † – Eric Hoffer Digital media is always changing. I see it as a way of life. If you read the quotation above, you will see what I mean. If you do not adapt to new ways of this innovative and technologically advanced world, then you will be dealing with a world that doesn’t exist.However, of co urse it may exist in your own mind, making you what the young kids these days call â€Å"old school†. And there is nothing wrong with being â€Å"old school†; my parents are a bit old school themselves! And I still love them both regardless of their unwillingness to purchase an I-pad instead of a palm pilot. Yes, palm pilots are still made. Humorous. Get an Ipad, Dad. To clarify how important interactivity is to the digital media world, take a look at the graph below. I pulled this from http://www. threeminds. organic. com.It gives us a visual of just how committed companies have become to the concept of customer interactivity. If you check out the percentages on the right side of the table graphic, you will see CAGR. CAGR is an acronym for Compound Annual Growth Rate. This is the most important aspect of this table. It sums up specifically the amount of increases in financial spending, for different branches of the Internet. Not surprisingly, Social media had the high est percentage increase of 34%. Which is why I chose to near my conclusion with social networking. Source: Forrester’s Interactive Advertising Models, 4/09 and 10/08 (US only)With mobile marketing following behind just 7%, social media continued to have the highest increase in spending from 2009 to present, and predicted to hold the same pattern in the future (2014). However, another graph I pulled from the same website shows the growth of mobile media and browsing audiences. News, information and entertainment are also included when discussing â€Å"Mobile Phone Owners†. â€Å"Clearly, the days when parents admonished their kids to use cell phones only for emergencies are over. † * Ben Rogers Cell phones are a huge part of the globalization of digital media. Really I see Apple as a pioneer for the cell phone.Steve Jobs summed it up when he said â€Å"An iPod, a phone, an Internet mobile communicator†¦ these are NOT three separate devices! And we are calli ng it iPhone! Today Apple is going to reinvent the phone. And here it is. † Whatever kind of phone you may have, know that these devices are stealthily taking over our lives. Cellphones, smartphones, mobile phones, and my dad still calls his smart phone a â€Å"Telephone†. For some reason this word â€Å"telephone† is beginning to sound foreign, maybe it’s just me. I only hear that word when talking to older generations. Many households these days don’t even have land line phones.What do you think they use? You guessed it. Smart phones, pre paid cellphones and etc. It’s not even the actual phone calling from phone to phone; it’s the usage of mobile data, applications, email, music and shopping applications that cause smart phones to be more and more popular. We cannot stop the inevitable. We cannot stop the globalization of digital media, no matter what form it may be. We cannot stop the tide. Its basic knowledge to know that any form of progression towards convenience will lead to the popularity of that specific convenience, being smartphones, or whatever form of digital media you happen to be utilizing.There is a story popular in Australia. I believe it directly relates to the subject of fighting what is inevitable. The story goes like this. A King by the name of Canut, attempted to stop an incoming ocean tide. The more educated members of his audience knew that Canute was demonstrating to his followers that neither his royal authority nor his ferocious fighting skills would ever control the power and laws of the great Mother Nature. He demonstrated that you couldn’t stop what is inevitable, what is meant to happen.We cannot fight its growth, its much better to work with it and use it to our advantage, rather than try to remain in a â€Å"traditional† stance and continue to argue over the true meaning of education. So in all the confusion between different types of education, modern, traditional, ivy league, public, military, cultural, life lessons and etc. We must ask ourselves. What is the solid, finite definition of education? Is there one such meaning? I say no. I say this because; education is such a broad term.To help us understand what education is, check out the definition from http://businessdictionary. com: â€Å"The wealth of knowledge acquired by an individual after studying particular subject matters or experiencing life lessons that provide an understanding of something. Education requires instruction of some sort from an individual or composed literature. The most common forms of education result from years of schooling that incorporates studies of a variety of subjects. † –www. businessdictionary. com Now, I recall viewing a national geographic documentary a few years back.It discussed the different types of people with different types of intelligence. The national geographic researchers really focused on the comparison between a NASA rocket sci entist and a Sherpa. You can imagine the amount of graduate/masters programs a NASA rocket scientist would have to achieve, before being employed as a rocket scientist. Could you imagine the amount of experience needed to be a certified Sherpa? A Sherpa is a member of a Himalayan people living on the borders of Nepal and Tibet. They are known worldwide for their skills in mountaineering.Both the individuals were very educated in their respective environments, however if they were to switch places, they would be fall into the category of confused and lost. The ties between education and digital media are intertwined within the threads. Don’t forget that the globalization of digital media does not only include education. I am fascinated by education; this may make me lean towards research regarding education intertwined with digital media, rather than the other numerous aspects of digital media. The Internet really is as diverse as the world itself.With that in mind, let me ask this question. Is it not understood that globally, digital media is the #1 powerhouse. Take entertainment for example. The music and movie industry both benefit (and not so much) from digital media. Of course and up to date person knows that music and movies are easily downloadable through peer to peer (P2P) programs online, such as UTorrent or Bearshare. com. There are so many examples out illegally downloading content out there, this gets more into the ethics of digital media, so lets not get to in depth with this.That is a totally different subject in and of itself. The music industry/cinema industries have gained an innumerable amount of advertising space through digital media. Skilled programmers have created interactive tools online and offline. These programmers have actually given birth to an entirely new genre of music called â€Å"dub step† or modern â€Å"Techno† music. This is just a theory of mine, so please don’t go out of your way to prove me wro ng, unless of course you feel inclined to do so. Constructive criticism is always helpful if taken the right way.Musicians such as Adam Young, more commonly known to the electronica listeners as â€Å"Owl City†. He is a singer and songwriter. In the beginning he did not play the guitar, he was just getting into the keyboard. His instrument of choice during the early stages of his career was his computer and its digital media capabilities. He used programs such as â€Å"Garage Band† on his MacBook, which was incorporated into Apples computer devices in 2006. He used programs online, which were created for interactivity with beats and the incorporation of pieces of musical work from numerous guitarists, pianists and percussionists.His music mainly become known at first through the social networking website known as Myspace. com. Many musicians who become well known in 2007 and after became known through social networking sites. This is just a sample from a musician which most of you probably have not heard of (if you have, I apologize for judging my audience! ) Not only did it influence the creation of an entirely new musical genre, it created a new type of television dubbed â€Å"Webisodes†. This gets more into the cinematic part of digital media, rather than music and education.I remember seeing my first webisode. They were mini episodes composed of small time actors from the show we all know as â€Å"Scrubs†. I believed it originally aired on HBO in 2007. The webisodes were the first of many. Today the more popular show â€Å"The Walking Dead† has its own webisodes. I don’t watch them; research simply showed me they exist. Another discovery here, digital media has created its own vocabulary. I just stumbled upon one right now. The term â€Å"webisode† is not recognized on Microsoft word. It tries to correct the term to â€Å"episode†.Here is an actual definition of the term. â€Å"A Webisode is a single push technology episode. A Webisode can be a preview or promotion of a particular TV show, music video, or other show presented from a Web site using streaming video or other techniques. Some sites are dedicated to presenting Webisodes. † (Rouse, 2005). This is just another minute example of digital media is changing things everywhere. Throughout this class, I have really focused on the social networking aspect of digital media. I did this because I use social networking everyday. I use digital media everyday.With that, I would like to end this research paper with a short focus on social networking, including examples of how social networking has changed the world already, and how it triumphs the consumption of digital media, ultimately resulting in the globalization of digital media. Today, almost everyone, young or old, has some type of social network account. Social networks such as Facebook and Twitter, serve other purposes than that of keeping in touch with loved ones. I n terms of business and networking, they are being used by countless businesses, ranging from a small business to large companies such as Dell.There has been much praise and of course, criticism for using social media. When starting a small business, Mark Schaefer, author of Tao of Twitter, suggests using Twitter to help jumpstart one’s business if they, themselves think personal networking would be beneficial for it. In his book, he dedicates an entire chapter on searching for people who are pertinent in helping one build a business. He mentioned that one could use features on Twitter, like the â€Å"Retweet† option, to assist in getting some recognition. To â€Å"retweet† something on Twitter means to merely re-share or spread something that someone else posted. Retweeting† someone else’s tweet is somewhat a compliment for them. It’s as if you are telling them that are in agreement with what they say or you’re simply telling them â⠂¬Å"Good job†. Personal note, I see this as an attempt by twitter to distinguish itself as different from Facebook, making it more unique. What Schaefer also mentioned was that one can also manage the people who follow him and what they say by arranging them in lists on Twitter. This is to organize and efficiently manage the groups that are associated with his business.Organizing business-related groups in this fashion makes it much easier to interact with those people and network. Large companies can and have benefited from using Twitter and the like. Dell was actually among the first to use social media. Dell’s social director, Cory Edwards, stated that the key to being successful in using these networks is to be attentive towards what the customers are saying and prove to them that you are listening to their feedback. Dell uses social media to obtain feedback from their customers on the quality of their products and to get any suggestions on how to improve them.They have been so successful in doing so that sales have increased significantly via their DellOutlet feed on Twitter. And mentioned earlier, some criticism comes along with the praises. Dell actually utilizes the criticism and uses it to their advantage. For the past few years, they have invited ten critics and ten enthusiasts to talk about the products and what they disliked and liked, respectively. Finally, after that event, Dell would do a follow-up and would inform those 20 people on how their opinions changed them. In addition to using social networks for business, it has also displayed some otential promise spreading the news in the most immediate manner. Because we live in a world where almost all of us are â€Å"glued† to our smart phones/ Iphones, it is convenient to use these devices when informing the public when tragedy strikes. For example, when the Colorado shootings occurred last summer, a 31-year-old woman logged on her Facebook to check her brother’s page. He was supposed to attend the Batman showing. She saw his status, which stated that he didn’t attend the Batman showing, giving her some relief. Many other stories, similar to this, were posted on Facebook and Twitter, but in somewhat different ways.With Facebook, it’s mainly family and friends who view your profile (unless your profile is public or you accept anyone who sends you a friend request). With Twitter, you obtain news from loved ones and from everywhere else in the world because of â€Å"trending topics† that are displayed. In regards to the Colorado shooting, the American Red Cross also tweeted on Twitter advising people in the theater to let their loved ones know that they are safe. Social media networks are, without a doubt, the fastest and most convenient way to update family and friends in times of tragedy.Digital media has touched so many different aspects of our lives. It shares information. It creates musicians. It creates scholars. It shares information from one side of the globe to the other. It communicates like a machine gun on burst. Much like King Canute, I recognize power when I see it. Digital media is one powerful beast. Embrace it, so we may reach our full potential, and thrive in this world of inevitable evolution thanks to digital media. Sources Cited Mathers, L. (2010, 07). Evolution of digital media- an incredible advancement. Free content article directory.Retrieved 03, 2013, from http://media. ezinemark. com/evolution-of-digital-media-an-incredible-advancement-511ee16da73. html Hopkinson, R. (2009, 10). A brief history of digital media. Three minds. Retrieved 03, 2013, from http://threeminds. organic. com/2009/10/a_brief_history_of_digital. html Alexander, A. (2012, 02). Top 15 cell phone and smartphone quotes of all time. Technology, tutorials, social media and infographics. Retrieved 03, 2013, from http://ansonalex. com/technology/top-15-cellphone-smartphone-and-mobile-quotes-of-all-time/ Ryan, Y. 1998 ). Time and tide: teaching and learning online. 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