Impact of Technology on Society (Automobile) - Essay Example

? Impact of Technology on Society (Automobile) Introduction Technology is the use of specialized knowledge, tools, machines, structures, etc that is aimed to manufacture, modify or improve the input-output relationship of systems and thereby helping to attain a far more efficient, productive and profitable performance. The technological applications have helped the mankind to adapt to the natural environment and overcome the challenges in the daily lives of the society. The technologies have been used in the society that has led to the increased efficiency in the working environment through advancements in communication, travel, accessibility and in various other spheres. The automobile technology has had far reaching effects on the society. The advent of technology in the field of automobile has led to the design and production of high quality features of the automobiles used in the industry. The technological progress in the field of automobile has led to development in the cooling systems of engines, increased fuel efficiency of cars, advanced suspension and emission systems, increased horse-power, etc (Volti, 2004). The use of technologies has however, impacted the society by bringing about changes in the socio-economic lives of the people and also affecting the environmental conditions. Functions of society prior to use of technology The functions of the society prior to the invention and use of technology was primitive in nature. The people of the society were accustomed to undertake huge efforts in doing works like gathering of food, travelling from one place to another, sending messages for communication. The works of the society were done over longer period of time. The wooden chariots pulled by animals like horses, cows, buffaloes, etc. was used for moving from one place to another. The poorer sections of the society even had to walk long distances for the purpose of travelling from one place to another. There were several limitations in the modes of transport and long distance travel was done only cases of high need. The people of the society depended on the natural resources and the animals for maintaining their livelihood. The functions of the society before the use of technology was highly dependent on the natural and the natural resources were worshipped as Gods and Goddesses for securing their livelihood. The functions of the society changed as they learnt to convert the natural resources into beneficial elements for their use that would help to lead to attain improvement in the style of livelihood. The invention of the wheel, motor, steam engine and mechanical engines gradually changes the function of the society as they could achieve their goals with much lesser efforts than before. Functions of the society after adoption of technology The functions of the society changed drastically with the adoption of technologies. The discovery and application of technology increased the efficiency of several modes of communication and transport. The use of automobiles in the society that incorporate complicates and sophisticated technologies were able to provide faster and smoother ways of communication all over the world. The people of the society could travel longer distances with the help of fuel efficient and high horse-power driven automobile engine used in cars and aircrafts. The barriers of communication were reduced and people could not travel farther distances within their national boundaries but could also cross international borders with ease. The reduction of these barriers with the wide-spread adoption of technology helped in fostering social and cultural exchange between the nations. The various meeting and conferences held across the world from people of society in different corners of the globe were part of daily routines. This brought about economic changes in the lives of the people as the increase in business activities with the spread of technology and world-wide exchanges of culture, ideas and businesses led to the advent of globalization which reshaped the functions of the society. The wide spread use of technology led to the incorporation of advanced methodologies that increased the productivity of the economies. The increase in productivity led to the higher level of employment that led to the engagement of higher number of workers. Several automobile companies increased their production of cars for the usage of people of the society (Larminie and Lowry, 2004). This has been due to the increase in the level of liquidity as a result of increased business due to the impacts of technology. With the increase in the level of incomes of the population, the lifestyle and social trends also changes with the passage of time. Impact of automobile technology on society Although the discoveries of technology in the field of automobile have benefitted the society, it has also impacted the health and welfare as well as the environmental conditions of the society. The wide spread use of technology has led to increase in the usage of automobile which has caused an increase in the emission of harmful gases from the automobiles. These harmful gases have been inhaled by the populations of the society which have caused life-threatening diseases starting cancer, skin diseases, etc. The emission of gases like carbon-dioxide, methane and other green house gases due to the use of automobile technologies in the industry have impacted the environment of the society. The occurrences of global warming in the environment have led to the changes in the atmospheric and social condition, changes in temperature and weather, etc. The impacts of technology had adverse impacts on the society due to the emission of harmful gases in the environment. The people have also been affected in terms of deterioration of health conditions. The changes in the global climate have occurred, one of the major reasons have been the aggressive strategies of the automobile sector and the industry with the potential to increase its production levels due to the use of technology. The high volume of emissions has created operational hazards and has polluted the environment and the society. The increase in pollution and the changes in the climate and the environment have affected the society through various diseases which have even long term effects of the health of the people (Degobert, 1995). Discussion In several developing and developed countries organizations in the automobile industry are trying to implement advanced technology in overall business process to maximize the business profit. Day-by-day, the demand for technologically advanced vehicles are increasing among the target customers. Looking into these market demand and customer preferences, organizations are randomly giving pressure to their research and development teams to introduce technologically developed cars. It is true that demand for vehicles with advanced technology among the customers is increasing at a significant growth rate due to globalization, technological revolution and growing knowledge of people about technological equipments that are used in modern day vehicles. It is clear from the above discussions that modern automobile technology has both negative and positive impact on the society. Following examples will help to determine the impact of the technology that is used in vehicles on the society and environment. Examples of Positive and Negative Impacts Several leading organizations within the global automobile industry are introducing technologically advanced cars in order to meet current market demand. Use of vehicles benefits human beings and society in several ways. People now-a-days can cover long distance within quick period of time comparing to the older days through the help of high tech vehicles. For examples, Bugatti, Series of McLaren are considered as the high speed cars. These companies use advanced technology in order to increase BHP of the engines. High engine combustion can automatically increase the speed of the vehicles. Introduction of high speed vehicles automatically increases the market demand. As a result, it fosters the economic growth of the country. There are several positive impacts of the technologically development of this automobile industry on the economy and society of people. In the year 2011, the industry has contributed 4-5% to the GDP growth of the United States of America. In addition to this, 716,900 individuals were employed by this industry in 2012 (Larmine & Lowry, 2012). Implementation of advanced technologically in automobile requires effective and skilled human resources. Recently, leading car manufactures used to outsource employees from foreign country or increase the number of employees in order to supply the cars according to the market demand. On the other hand, several disadvantages and limitations of these automobile technologies affecting the brand image of the organizations within the industry. The federal government of United States of America developed an environmental policy in 2002-2003 for the automobile manufacturing organizations to make fuel efficient and emission free vehicles. It is discussed earlier that, several leading organizations use advanced technology to introduce high speed vehicles. Consumption of these vehicles has several negative impacts on the society. It is known to all the high cc cars with high BHP engine consumes huge fossil fuel as energy resources (Anderson & Anderson, 2010). High consumption of fossil fuel generally results high emission level of carbon. In an addition, it is known to all that the hike in fuel price is affecting the financial stability of several middle income group households. High carbon emission causes air pollution and several critical human diseases as it affects the balance and greenness of environment. It is highly important for the organization to use fuel efficient technological equipments in cars to ensure the sustainability of the environment. However, the emission level of carbon has increased by 15 percent in the 2002 comparing to the previous years due to high consumption of fossil fuel. In addition to this, people also started prefer for fuel efficient small cars in order to save the environment from the negative impact of the carbon emission. Looking into these changes in market demand and governmental policies, several vehicle manufacturing organizations started to introduce small and fuel efficient cars. For example, Ford Motor Company and Toyota has introduced electronic car to avoid the consumption of fossil fuel as energy resources. The emission level of carbon has significantly reduced by 13 percent in last five years due to the development of strict government polices and sustainable business operation of the car manufacturing organizations. Evaluation It is clear from the above facts and figures, that the use of advanced and modern technology in automobile has both negative and positive consequences. Emergence of advanced automobile technology helps the manufacturing organizations to satisfy the needs of target customers. In addition to this, modified and advanced vehicle engines help people to reach to the desired destination within a quick time period comparing to the previous old days. There are several negative impacts of these advanced automobile technologies (Herring, 2012). High BHP engines require huge amount fossil fuel to perform. According to the given statistics in the discussion part, it can be stated that high consumption of fuel can create several issues. High carbon emission level is the major consequence of this consumption and burning of fossil fuel. It is important for the government to maintain the strict rules and regulations for the organizations in order to maintain the environmental sustainability. Now-a-days, several leading organizations within the industry are trying to introduce substitute energy resources vehicles in order to avoid legal and environmental challenges. Conclusion Automobile industry is considered as one of the developing industry. This particular industry is significantly contributing to the economic growth of several developed and developing countries. The demand for differentiated vehicles with advanced technology is increasing significantly among the people of modern era. It is clear from the above discussion that use of modern and advanced technology in the business process and product development process can have several negative and positive impacts on the society, environment and economy of a country. However, it is important for the organizations to think about the future environmental and social perspectives while manufacturing the cars or any kind of vehicle. First of all, it is necessary for the organization to review each and every business goals and objectives that can help the organization to perform conflict free business operations. Last but not the least; it would be effective if the organization can introduce substitute of fuel energy resources cars. It can reduce the business operation cost and can increase the brand image of the organization. References Anderson, C., & Anderson, J. (2010). Electric and Hybrid Cars. Stamford: Cengage Learning. Degobert, P. (1995). Automobiles and Pollution. Paris: Editions OPHRYS. Herring, H. (2012). Living in a Low-Carbon society 2050. New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Larmine, J., & Lowry, J. (2012). Electric Vehicle Technology Explained. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Larminie, J. and Lowry, J. (2004). Electric Vehicle Technology Explained. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. Volti, R. (2004). Cars and Culture: The Life Story of a Technology. WestPort: Greenwood Publishing Group. Read More