How Do Innovations in the World of Business Affect People

7/31/2019 How Do Innovations in the World of Business Affect People

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Keegan Cheok MYP10FHumanities: Studies assessment Word count:

F a i r v i e w I n t e r n a t i o n a l S c h o o l S u b a n g J a y a


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The world around us is changing everyday. New inventions are beingcreated our best and brightest to make life easier. With every new invention,there will be repercussions. New jobs may be created to manufacture and use it.A whole new industry could come into existence. To see how advances andinnovations in techn ology affect people, lets wind back the clocks to the early20 th century.

It was 1908; the car has already come into existence for around twelveyears. It was a marvelous invention but it was ridiculously expensive and onlythe rich and wealthy could buy it. A man named Henry Ford had and idea, hecame up with the first ever production line. The production line meant that hiscar, The Model T, could be manufactured quickly and cheaply. This was a majormilestone in the world of industry. Car became easier to obtain and the factoryneeded a workforce, thus creatingmore jobs. Now that many peoplecould have cars, horses were not needed as much as they used to.Cars meant that jobs could be donefaster, goods can be transportedmore efficiently and families cantravel further for holiday. Theproduction line then went on to beused in manufacture of many otherthings, as it is cheap and efficient.

Fig 1.1, Model-T Production line wn.com

Another good example of this is the James Watts invention of the steamengine. It revolutionized the industrial world. The steam engine could powermills and factories. It was efficient and could work continuously without tiring.However, it needed steam to power it and to produce steam, heat is required.The only way to create heat during that time was fire and therefore coal was alsoneeded. Ming of coal had to commence to fulfill the sudden new demand for coal.

New jobs were created to mine the coaland transport it to the factories. Back then, most people worked as farmers.Some of the farmers took up the miningjob and were sent to work there. Newtowns had to be built for the workers tolive in. Shops could be opened to servicethe people who lived there and so on.The steam engine had created more jobsand helped the economy by just merelycoming into existence.

Fig 1.2, steam engine, spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk


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A drop of water may be small, but when dropped into stagnant watercauses ripples throughout its surface. A small invention may not be very big orcomplex, but it may cause things to happen. No matter how small or simple it is,if it is even a tiny bit useful, there will be some demand for it. The production of it will create more jobs automatically and more people will have work. Thechange may be small it is still change nevertheless.

Fig 2.1, Spanish and chocolate, janeaustensworld.wordpress.com

Not all discoveries lead to minor changes; some discoveries can eventopple nations! Take chocolate for example, it sunk the Spanish empire. How, you

may ask. How does a delicious tasty treat bring down a nation? Chocolate did not start as a bar or a drink. It is derived from cacao trees from tropical regions.When Spanish Conquistadors brought cacao beans from South America toEurope, chocolate became recognized and therefore became very valuable. It wasthought to have high medicinal values and was often prescribed by doctors forheadaches and joint aches. The demand for chocolate was booming and therewasnt enough to go around. There was only one option - plant more. The Spanishwent global. They spread the cacao trees to Asian regions and anywhere elsewhere they could grow. Sadly, the Spanish lost control of the cacao trade aspeople discovered how easy it is to plant it. People everywhere started plantingit and the Spanish could not enforce it as it went global. Its value dropped soquickly that the Spanish empire went bankrupt. And that is how chocolatebrought down the Spanish empire. That story shows how something as small aschocolate could set off a chain reaction that eventually brought an empire to itsknees. Research links chocolate to many other things like counterfeiting, theconstruction of two large towns, the microwave oven and many more. Thisshould give you an idea of how big the ripples of an invention can be.


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This is all very interesting but how do inventions, discoveries andinnovations affect people. Let us go back to the subject of chocolate. Chocolate isvery interesting indeed. Anyway, back to the topic at hand. Many years B.C(before chocolate), people in Great Britain worked 7 days a week. They had longshifts and had to work very hard. Enter the Quakers, they originally intended tosell chocolate drinks to encourage people to stay away from alcohol and drink healthy chocolate instead.

One day, a man named John Cadbury was given financial support from hisfather to start a business. He then went o n to open Cadburys chocolate. He thenbecame successful and opened a factory. The Cadbury Company had anenlightened attitude toward employees. This Quaker-owned chocolate companywas the first firm to grant its workers a 5-day workweek. Also, sports facilities,medical facilities, schools, kitchens and community gardens were built for theemployees who were also given retirement funds. It didnt take long for otherfactories and companies to use the Quaker method for their employees. If chocolate werent discovered, we would not have weekends off or other benefits.That answers the question on how chocolate was beneficial to society.

Fig 3.1 Cadbury chocolate factory, chestofbooks.com

Generally, every innovation will affect people in some way. It is just aquestion of how and on what scale. It is very difficult to explain how innovationsin the world of business affect people because it is different each and every time.It is all down to the company and the country.

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Bibliography:

"A World Transformed: What Are the Top 30 Innovations of the Last 30Years?" Knowledge@Wharton . 18 Feb. 2009. Web. 08 Oct. 2011..

Canizaro, Mark, and Jack Weatherford. "All about Chocolate -- History." All about Chocolate -- Www.xocoatl.org -- Mrk.'s Chocolate Site . Web. 07 Oct. 2011..

Hill, Pendle. "A Quaker's View." Welcome to West Hills Friends . Web. 08 Oct. 2011..

Kelley, Martin. "Steam Engine - Invention of the Steam Engine." American HistoryFrom About . Web. 08 Oct. 2011..

"Mass Production." Spartacus Educational . Web. 06 Oct. 2011..

Majewski, John. "The Industrial Revolution: Working Class Poverty orProsperity?" The Freeman | Ideas On Liberty . July 1986. Web. 08 Oct. 2011..

Other sources:Andrew Webber, Fairview International School.

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How Do Innovations in the World of Business Affect People