How Boeing Got Better

1. A modern jet airliner does pretty much the same thing as an airliner from the 1960's:

it gets you there from here, in about the same time. Where's the technological

progress?

Ans. You can say that the modern jet airliner is pretty much the same as that of the

1960's because of what you have seen outside, but the technological progress here

is not visible to the naked eye as it happens beneath the surface. In fact, the modern

jet airliner is more efficient than the 1960's because of improvements like fuel

efficiency reducing the consumption of fuel to minimize cost, changes in engine

designs, improvement in aerodynamics, and the use of new materials to make

airframes much lighter. You can't say that there is no technological progress because

it is inevitable as things change from period to period because of human discoveries

and innovative thinking.

2. Do scientific advances play any role in the progress we've described? Explain.

Ans. Yes, because technological progress is mainly based on scientific knowledge.

Scientific advances like new discoveries such as the knowledge of fuel efficiency and

improvement in aerodynamics is a product of scientific experiment and research and

the application of such scientific knowledge is what we call technology that

transforms those knowledge into a finished product. E.g. Engineers and inventors

need scientific knowledge to design and build new things.

3. Some travelers complain that the flight experience has gone downhill. Does this

refute the claim of technological progress?

Ans. No, Airline services have nothing to do with technological progress. If you had a

bad flight experience because of the disgusting taste of free meals, high fares, poor

flight entertainment system and unpleasant staff then the defects are in the airline

service not the technological progress. Technological progress relates to the object

you ride on (jet airliner) not the services you have experienced.
 SUMMARY

Boeing Company is an American multinational corporation founded by William E. Boeing in

1916 that manufactures and sells airplanes and related parts. The case study about how

Boeing got better discusses two factors which are innovation and technology that were

primarily the key for the success of the company. Innovation and technology are

interdependent because innovation or the new ideas with the aid of science leads to

technological progress. The company invested much in science, technology, and innovation

to build quality and unique aircrafts that are distinct from others. The Boeing 707 was the

first commercially successful jetliner of the company and it ruled the skies for a long time

until the company innovated the old jetliners into a modern Boeing 777 followed by the more

advanced Boeing 787. These changes suggest technological progress, though it can not be

seen directly with the eye. Technological progress leads to efficiency like Boeing 777 and

787 is more efficient than the old 707 because of improvement in fuel consumption where

the company will be able to minimize the cost incurred in gas and oil, new engine designs

like high- bypass engines that direct most their intake around the combustion chamber rather

than through it, improvements in aerodynamics, and the use of new materials to make

airframes much lighter. Ordinary people can only see the visible appearance and

performance of the jets that's why they can say that the Boeing 707 is just the same as the

modern jets, but progress actually happens inside the jets- the hidden parts and its

composition. In conclusion, Boeing Company got better mainly because of the serious

investment in Research and Development that enables them to continue to develop a high

end technology equipped and quality aircrafts with a unique less fuel consumption

characteristics that definitely captured their customer's trust and also a factor that

distinguishes them from their strongest rival which is the Airbus. I believe that the Boeing

Company will continue to be a strong aircraft manufacturer if they continue to seek

innovations and always provide their customer a new dish to be fond of. The threat of strong

rivals like Airbus will moderately affect them if they continue to strengthen the R&D of the

company as it is the key to new discoveries that will lead to new innovative inventions.
SYNTHESIS