Question 1

Computers first became widely available in the:

Accepted Answer

Computers became widely available to the general public in the 1980s with the introduction of personal computers like the IBM PC, Apple Macintosh, and Commodore 64.

Question 2

The "end of geography" has become synonymous with which other metaphor?

Accepted Answer

The "end of geography" metaphor is closely associated with the "death of distance," as both suggest that geographical location is becoming less significant in the context of global communication, business, and social interactions, primarily due to advancements in technology and the internet.

Question 3

Many commentators have assumed that new technologies, and their associated benefits, are _________________________ and that there will be some kind of "leveling-out" of economic activities at the global scale as a result.

Accepted Answer

The assumption is that new technologies and their benefits are "universally available," leading to a global leveling-out of economic activities.

Question 4

"Technological determinism" describes:

Accepted Answer

Technological determinism is the theory that technology is the principal factor driving societal development and cultural change, suggesting that technology itself can drive economic and social processes, rather than merely being a tool used by humans.

Question 5

"Space-shrinking" transport and communications technologies help overcome the friction associated with:

Accepted Answer

Technologies that shrink the perceived distance between places by making transport and communication faster and more efficient primarily help overcome the friction associated with space and time, not product life cycles or employer-employee relations.

Question 6

Space-shrinking technologies enable capitalists to speed up ____________________ in their pursuit of profits.

Accepted Answer

Space-shrinking technologies primarily enable the spatial circulation of capital to be sped up in capitalists' pursuit of profits, by facilitating faster movement of goods, services, and information across geographical distances.

Question 7

_______________________ are ongoing small-scale changes to existing products and production processes- such as adding more features to a mobile phone or using computer software to replace paperwork in an office environment.

Accepted Answer

Incremental innovations refer to the small, ongoing changes made to products and processes to improve them or add new features, without overhauling the entire system.

Question 8

_______________________ are discontinuous events that significantly change an existing product or process. Examples here could include the invention of a new kind of television technology (e.g., flat-screen television).

Accepted Answer

Radical innovations are those that represent significant changes or breakthroughs in technology or processes, such as the development of flat-screen television technology, which marked a considerable departure from previous television designs.

Question 9

Changes in the techno-economic _______________ are revolutionary upheavals that have economy-wide effects.

Accepted Answer

Changes in the techno-economic paradigm refer to fundamental shifts in the technological and economic frameworks that guide how industries and economies operate, leading to widespread transformative effects across the economy.

Question 10

Kondratiev waves refer to:

Accepted Answer

Kondratiev waves, also known as Kondratiev cycles, refer to long-term economic cycles of boom and bust, typically lasting 40 to 60 years, characterized by periods of economic growth and prosperity followed by downturns.

Question 11

A term used to describe how the fortunes of certain places under conditions of technological change are partly determined by preexisting conditions.

Accepted Answer

Path dependency explains how the historical conditions or decisions influence the current and future development paths of technology or economies, making the fortunes of places under technological change partly determined by their preexisting conditions.

Question 12

Which of these is a constituent element of a commodity chain?

Accepted Answer

All of the above (Workers, Governments, Consumers) are constituent elements of a commodity chain, as each plays a crucial role in the production, regulation, and consumption of goods.

Question 13

It was only in the late ___________ that commercial air travel took off as an affordable and widely available mode of transport.

Accepted Answer

Commercial air travel became affordable and widely available in the 1950s.

Question 14

The approximate total of global aircraft flights in 2009 was:

Accepted Answer

In 2009, the total number of global aircraft flights was approximately 74 million, reflecting the extensive use of air travel for both passenger and cargo transportation worldwide.

Question 15

The approximate total of passengers handled by the world's airports in 2009 was:

Accepted Answer

In 2009, the world's airports handled approximately 4.8 billion passengers, reflecting the global scale of air travel.

Question 16

The approximate total of air freight shipped worldwide in 2009 was:

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is approximately 80 million tons. This figure aligns with data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA) and other industry sources, which indicate that global air freight volumes are in the tens of millions of tons annually, not in the billions or just a few million tons.

Question 17

This term refers to the adoption of standardized 20- and 40-foot- metal containers for land and sea freight:

Accepted Answer

Containerization refers to the use of standardized shipping containers that can be transported efficiently over long distances and transferred seamlessly between ships, trucks, and trains.

Question 18

The expansion of internet use over the last 15 years has been astounding, rising from 16 million in 1995 to _______________, or 33% of the global population, by late 2011.

Accepted Answer

The correct answer is B) 2,267 million, as this number represents a plausible and significant increase in internet users over the specified period, aligning with the growth to about 33% of the global population by late 2011.

Question 19

Mobile phone subscriptions globally leapt from 1 billion in 2002 to _____________ by the end of 2010, the latter representing 77% of the world's population.

Accepted Answer

By the end of 2010, mobile phone subscriptions had increased to 5.3 billion, which represented 77% of the world's population at that time. This significant growth reflects the rapid expansion of mobile technology and its widespread adoption globally.

Question 20

Space-shrinking technologies allow the ____________________ of different elements of the production process (or commodity chain) both within and between countries.

Accepted Answer

Space-shrinking technologies facilitate the disintegration of different elements of the production process (or commodity chain) both within and between countries, allowing for more specialized and geographically dispersed production stages.

Quiz 9: Technological Changeis the World Getting Smaller