Question

In: Operations Management

Though the develoment of railroads began in the first half of the 189th century, their true...

Though the develoment of railroads began in the first half of the 189th century, their true impact was not experienced until the Gilded Age. Railroads broke down many barriers withtin the country. Physically, people and products could travel year-round further and faster. Before people rarely travel more than 100 miles from the place they were born. Culturally, ideas and differing people would influence the country. This is the first time that a truly American culture began to develop instead of just regional identities. Lastly, business opportunities expanded and a national market was developed. Now goods produced in one area of the country could easily be transportd to another without the need of a water route.

Railroads became the model for all the big businesses that followed. What was that model and give two examples how other businesses adopted it?

Solutions

Expert Solution

Railroads became the backbone of many businesses as it moved the materials, manufactured commodities and manpower at rapid pace from one place to other, that saw many new businesses coming up.

One example was industries based on the natural resources. For example, the metal and mineral based industries like iron, Aluminium and coal benefitted immensely owing to the complexity of the industry where raw materials, manpowers and markets were scattered in different areas and involved continuous movement of heavy commodities like raw materials and manufactured goods and the manpower that travelled from one place to the other for work. The railroad helped the business grow, first nationally then internationally where the rails ferried the products to the ports. This would never have been possible otherwise, at that time when infrastructure was not good enough to provide economy of scale to these businesses to be feasible.

Besides core businesses based on iron,coal, cotton, sugercane and other cash crops, the railroads boosted other small and big businesses that depended on these core businesses. These included suppliers, service providers, freight movers, brokers, warehousing agents, maritime industries,plantations, labor contractors and many others who facilitated the trade through their services.


Related Solutions

America’s Gilded Age in the late nineteenth century began with a raft of innovations – railroads,...
America’s Gilded Age in the late nineteenth century began with a raft of innovations – railroads, steel production, oil extraction – but culminated in mammoth trusts owned by “robber barons” who used their wealth and power to drive out competitors, and then to corrupt American politics. We are now in a second Gilded Age – ushered in by semiconductors, software, and the Internet – and a handful of technology giants are the new robber barons. Facebook and Google now dominate...
QUESTION 1 True or False: In the last half of the 19th century, at least 25%...
QUESTION 1 True or False: In the last half of the 19th century, at least 25% of the immigrants each year were German. In 2015, about 14.2% of Americans traced their ancestors to Germany, more than any other country. True False QUESTION 3 "________________" is the process in which formerly distinct and separate groups come to share a common culture and merge socially. a. Assimilation b. Pluralism c. Stereotyping d. Immigration e. None of the above. QUESTION 4 "__________________________" are...
2. A, B. During the first half of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union had excellent...
2. A, B. During the first half of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union had excellent economic growth, with socialism. Friedrich von Hayek nevertheless predicted back in 1945 that the socialist counties would go into future economic decline and eventually collapse. Separately answering as parts A and B, give and fully explain two different reasons why Hayek believed that the Soviet Union was headed for a long run collapse. With each reason, also give what the Soviet Union tried to...
A, B. During the first half of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union had excellent economic...
A, B. During the first half of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union had excellent economic growth, with socialism. Friedrich von Hayek nevertheless predicted back in 1945 that the socialist counties would go into future economic decline and eventually collapse. Separately answering as parts A and B, give and fully explain two different reasons why Hayek believed that the Soviet Union was headed for a long run collapse. With each reason, also give what the Soviet Union tried to do...
During the first half of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union had excellent economic growth, with...
During the first half of the 20th Century, the Soviet Union had excellent economic growth, with socialism. Friedrich von Hayek nevertheless predicted back in 1945 that the socialist counties would go into future economic decline and eventually collapse. Give and fully explain two different reasons why Hayek believed that the Soviet Union was headed for a long run collapse. With each reason, also give what the Soviet Union tried to do to prevent the problem identified by Hayek?
Which of the following statements best describes railroads’ contribution to the second half of the 1800s...
Which of the following statements best describes railroads’ contribution to the second half of the 1800s here in the United States? The railroads helped to prompt the process of national unity. People for the first time in history could travel everywhere, but such regional accessibility was only for those people who had economic resources. Of course, railroads helped to start the process of industrialization in the United States right after the Civil War. Still, such railroad companies served those leading...
in the second half of the 20th century, the city of phoenix, Arizona exploded in size....
in the second half of the 20th century, the city of phoenix, Arizona exploded in size. between 1990 and 2000 the population of phoenix increased exponentially. in 1990 the population was 928,000 people, and in 2000. the population was 1,377,000. a) what is the 1 decade (10 year) growth factor for the population of phoenix since 1990? b) write a function f(d), that determines the population of phoenix in terms of the number of decades, d, that have elapsed since...
A​ half-century ago, the mean height of women in a particular country in their 20s was...
A​ half-century ago, the mean height of women in a particular country in their 20s was 64.7 inches. Assume that the heights of​ today's women in their 20s are approximately normally distributed with a standard deviation of 1.72 inches. If the mean height today is the same as that of a​ half-century ago, what percentage of all samples of 22 of​ today's women in their 20s have mean heights of at least 65.74 ​inches?
The Inefficiency of the Efficient Market Hypothesis Almost half a century after it surfaced in the...
The Inefficiency of the Efficient Market Hypothesis Almost half a century after it surfaced in the financial literature, the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is still taught in schools and occasionally debated in public arenas. Like most models in finance, it is what economist Robert Shiller calls a “half-truth.” The basic premise is that financial markets are so efficient at integrating information into asset prices that none has the opportunity to make profits, or “none can beat the market.” Over time,...
Discuss The Economics of Information in the second half of the 20th Century (maximum 1,000)
Discuss The Economics of Information in the second half of the 20th Century (maximum 1,000)
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT