Transcript People are Consumers of Technology

People
Consume, Create
and Govern
Technology
People are Consumers of
Technology
Consume means “to use up.” People
consume the products and services of
technology.
As consumers, we create a market for
these products.
People are Consumers of
Technology
If we like a product, we buy it. Products
we do not like, or do not meet our needs
are left on the shelves.
People are Consumers of
Technology
How do companies know what consumers
want?
It is the job of market researchers to
determine what new products consumers
want and are willing to purchase.
People are Consumers of
Technology
Consumer demand for new products
keeps a constant flow of new technologies
emerging.
People are Consumers of
Technology
Through their purchases, consumers also
contribute to the strength of our nation’s
economy.
By purchasing goods and services,
consumers create an increased demand
for these items.
People are Consumers of
Technology
To meet this demand, companies increase
production and hire additional employees.
People are Consumers of
Technology
Economists study the production and
consumption of goods and use this
information to determine the health of our
nation’s economy.
People are Consumers of
Technology
A healthy economy produces a large
Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The Gross Domestic Product is defined as
an index of the production and
consumption of a country’s goods, used to
determine the health of the country’s
economy.
People are Consumers of
Technology
A fall in the GDP means consumers are
buying less and production is declining.
People Create Technology
People are responsible for developing,
producing, and maintaining our technical
world.
People Create Technology
The skills and talents of workers around
the world create the products and services
we use each day.
People Create Technology
The use of technology begins when a
need or want is identified.
People think of products that meet the
need.
People combine the seven resources of
technology to bring their ideas to reality.
People Create Technology
The seven resources are the following:
People
Money
Time
Energy
Materials/Supplies
Tools/Machines
Information
People Create Technology
During the late 1800s, Whitcomb Judson
saw a need for a device to fasten boots
quickly.
In 1891, his creative use of resources
gave the world the zipper.
People Create Technology
Professionals such as engineers,
architects, and scientists develop technical
ideas and create specific plans for making
them.
Technicians and skilled workers work from
these plans to produce the product or
provide the service.
People Create Technology
Entrepreneurs
How creative are you? Do you often come
up with great ideas or solutions to
technical problems?
You might someday make a lot of money
as an entrepreneur. An entrepreneur is a
person who forms or starts his or her own
business.
People Create Technology
Entrepreneurs
Your business might be based on a brand
new invention or an innovation.
An innovation is a modification to a
product that already exists.
People Create Technology
Entrepreneurs
Bette Claire Graham was an entrepreneur.
As a secretary for a Texas bank, she made
her share of typing mistakes (on a
typewriter).
People Create Technology
Entrepreneurs
In search of a quick correction process,
she drew upon her knowledge as an
amateur artist.
Mixing white paint and turpentine, she
developed the first liquid correction fluid.
She sold her product to secretaries in her
building. Her small company grew into a
nation-wide industry.
People Create Technology
Entrepreneurs
Bette Graham died in 1980.
Her business was sold to the Gillette
Company for $45.5 million.
People Create Technology
Human Factors Engineering
Have you ever sat in a chair and noticed
that the chair back didn’t fit the contour of
your spine?
It was not a very comfortable chair-one
you wouldn’t want to spend a great deal of
time in.
People Create Technology
Human Factors Engineering
Sometimes the products of technology
don’t seem to match the people that use
them.
When people create technology, they must
consider the “human factor”
People Create Technology
Human Factors Engineering
Human factors engineering is also called
ergonomics.
Ergonomics is defined as the type of
designing in which the designer studies
how to match the product to the human
user.
If the designer of that uncomfortable chair
had studied human posture, a more
comfortable chair might have resulted.
People Govern Technology
Technology brings about change within the
community and workplace.
People are responsible for governing and
regulating this change.
By creating rules and laws, people can
maintain control over the impacts of
technology..
People Govern Technology
Regulations are designed to protect
workers, consumers, and the environment
from negative effects of technology.
People Govern Technology
Worker Safety
The technological workplace can be
hazardous.
Conditions are much better now than they
were in the sweatshops and 18-hour work
days.
People Govern Technology
Worker Safety
This came about through regulations
designed to create better working
conditions.
The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) is the federal office
that creates regulations designed to
improve the working conditions.
People Govern Technology
Worker Safety
OSHA regulations are designed to protect
the health and welfare of workers.
OSHA inspectors make surprise visits to
factories and other workplaces.
People Govern Technology
Worker Safety
OSHA makes sure employees are wearing
proper protective clothing, machines are
safe, and the company is following the
regulations set up by OSHA to protect the
employees.
If violations are found during an OSHA
visit, the employer can be fined.
People Govern Technology
Worker Safety
Minimum wage laws guarantee a fair wage
for workers.
Worker’s compensation laws provide
medical care and income if a worker is
hurt on the job.
People Govern Technology
Consumer Safety Laws
Product safety laws are designed to
protect consumers from products that
might be unsafe.
People Govern Technology
Consumer Safety Laws
Products are tested to ensure that they are
safe to use.
Take a look at a radio or stereo. There is
probably a UL label somewhere on the
product.
People Govern Technology
Consumer Safety Laws
UL stands for Underwriter’s Laboratory.
The Underwriter’s Laboratory is the
agency that tests products to ensure that
they work properly.
People Govern Technology
Consumer Safety Laws
Local towns and cities use building codes
to set standards on methods used in
construction.
Electrical codes, plumbing codes, and
construction codes ensure that buildings
and homes are constructed safely.
People Govern Technology
Environmental Laws
Many of the impacts of technology are
unforeseen or not realized when the
technology is first developed.
People Govern Technology
Environmental Laws
Henry Ford never dreamed that the
automobile would have such a negative
effect on the environment.
People Govern Technology
Environmental Laws
People have created laws and regulations
to protect our environment from further
damage.
People Govern Technology
Environmental Laws
The Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) is the office of the federal
government that creates regulations to
protect our air, land and water.
EPA laws forbid the dumping of industrial
waste into our waters and land.
People Govern Technology
Environmental Laws
People have also created laws to regulate
fumes coming out of smokestacks and
tailpipes of automobiles.
People Govern Technology
Environmental Laws
Other environmental laws require
developers or builders to fill out
Environment Impact Statements before
they begin any major construction
projects.
People Govern Technology
Environmental Laws
Environmental Impact Statements try to
predict the impact of construction on the
environment, wildlife, and the surrounding
community.
Key Terms/Definitions
Resources: All the things that are needed to accomplish or get a job done.
Consumers: The people who buy or use a product
Gross Domestic Product: an index of the production and consumption of a country’s
goods
Entrepreneur: a person that starts his or her own business
Innovation: a modification to a product that already exists
Ergonomics: type of designing in which the designer studies how to match the
product to the human user.
Occupational Health and Safety Administration: A federal office that creates
regulations designed to improve working conditions.
Environmental Protection Agency: A federal office that creates regulations to help
protect our air, land, and water.