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For our fifth discussion post, we were instructed to watch the documentary, They say it can’t be done, and then write how it relates to our class and entrepreneurship. They say it can’t be done is a documentary that shows how some of the Worlds largest problems can be solved by innovation. The documentary consists of interviews with four different companies that brought new cutting edge technology and solutions to the market. These companies were all started by entrepreneurs who found a problem and a solution in our society. This documentary is their way of educating society about their business plan, and attracting more publicity. Each company is getting closer to solving major challenges like world
hunger and air pollution. Although the world thrives on innovation, it still comes with risks and consequences. The biggest deterrent to innovation is regulations. Government regulations are rules that define what behaviors are illegal and which aren’t. In certain cases, regulations are kept vague to allow for a range of circumstances. The FDA and the Department of Agriculture are two administrations that were created to enforce and create regulations. Without government regulations, there would be no way to ensure a fair and safe economy for entrepreneurs.
The first entrepreneurs interviewed during this movie were doctors from a hospital wanting to expand on genetically engineered organs. Ten years ago, a doctor named Anthony Atala created and placed genetically engineered organs in children, saving their lives. The doctors from this hospital continue to use and modify the technology innovated by Anthony. Genetically Engineered Organs are organs or human tissue that have been created or modified in a gene editing process. This hospital uses a 3D printer to engineer organs. The doctors from the hospital innovated a safer and more reliable way to harvest organs. Normally if a patient were to get an organ transplant, there would be a chance of the organ failing because it is a foreign object in the body. The 3D-printed organs completely reduce the chance of an organ failing because the organ was built completely from the patient's organ tissue. This new innovation immensely benefits society by reducing the amount of time a patient will wait for an organ. If they were on a transplant list, the patient could be waiting for days, weeks, months, or even years. Genetically engineered organs can be designed quickly, and they can be done in any hospital with the right equipment. Although the doctors found a perfect way to engineer organs, there were still some challenges they had to face before introducing it to the public. Since this is a new idea brought to the market, the Food and Drug Administration does not have testing protocols for this revolutionary method. This means that the technology currently remains unapproved for the general public. Since the technology is not approved, hospitals can’t use this method to improve organ transplantation. This gives them time to improve on their strategies and make it safer for everyone.
The second set of entrepreneurs interviewed was a company called JUST that cultures meat. Cultured meat is a type of cellular agriculture that produces meat by culturing animals' cells. Microscopic cells are taken from an animal, without killing it, to grow a specific cut of meat. Jason Matheny popularized the concept in the early 2000s. Jason found a need in his society, and that need was for a better way to grow animals and feed the world. Currently, in the United States, Around 99,000 cows are slaughtered each day. Cows are being murdered for only a portion
Of their meat, and the rest is disposed of. Cultured meat reduces the number of cows slaughtered Each year because it doesn’t require a cow to be killed. Cuts of meat can be grown faster and safer, and it reduces the number of chemicals in the meat. This innovation is benefitting society because it is a faster way to grow food, but it also hurts society. By culturing meat, there will be less demand for beef farms, which will hurt many economies. Before this is brought to the public, cultured Meat has to pass many regulations. Although it is real meat, cultured meat still has to go through pre-market approval. Cultured meat has two follow the regulations of both the Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. Regulations are the biggest Creative destruction facing innovation today.
The third people group of entrepreneurs that were interviewed in the documentary were a group of men that grew mussels and sea moss. These men are able to grow moss and mussels without using any resources besides the ocean. By allowing mussels and plant life to flourish, the environmental health of the water
It is greatly increased. Mussels and sea moss don’t eat other resources from the ocean, so they have no negative effect on the ocean. Society is benefiting from this innovation because the amount of food produced increases daily, and the amount of chemicals in our food is reduced. Because of this innovation, Scientists can grow food and clean it without using any chemicals. Although it seems like there are no downsides to this innovation, aquaculture still has to pass through many government regulations. One of the government regulations on aquaculture is that the food needs to be tested around 40 times a week before it is brought to the public. This is a problem for this company because they do not have enough resources, labor, and funds to do this. If society can increase the number of resources, labor, and funds this company has, the company can then benefit society by creating more affordable food.
For our society to function properly, innovation is a must. Innovation is the idea of Implementing ideas that result in introducing new goods or services or improving the offering of goods or services. Without innovation, we would still be using the same technologies that were invented years, and years ago. Entrepreneurs are able to create Innovations, strive for better opportunities, and push forward new ideas and inventions that help move society toward progress. Although innovation is a must in our society, it doesn’t come without risks. Innovation is very risky, and that is why certain government regulations exist. All new innovations have to go through
pre-market approval and pass all of the given regulations before introducing an innovation to the market. Government regulations are one of the biggest challenges that entrepreneurs face when innovating. I really enjoyed watching this documentary. It did a great job of
explaining the different relationships between an entrepreneur and society. The movie also taught me amount certain government regulations and how they can affect innovation. I would recommend this movie to any and every entrepreneur.
An interesting essay. I have personal knowledge of mussel growing, or to be more precise shellfish growing, from here in Scotland - we have a lot of fish and shellfish farms. With these farms there are a couple of particular problems that require regulation. Chemical dosing is one - chemicals can be dumped in the farms to treat parasites for example. Chemicals not abosrbed by the farm can go on to kill everything else in the seabed around the farms - treatments for sealice in salmon farms is a good example. Another example that is particularly applicable to shellfish is water borne pollution with e-coli from animal/human waste sources, and or toxic algae. In both of these cases, if a shellfish farm is situated in an area which high concentrations of these pollutants, then it can be a major issue, as the shellfish filter and retain theses contaminants, which then get into the human food chain, and can be completely lethal. In the UK, shellfish also have to be tested regularly for those exact reasons, and surveys are also undertaken in the shellfish growing areas for contaminants to stop infected shellfish being eaten. In these cases the regulation is there for a good reason - to protect public health. And I agree very strongly with that, even if the shellfish producers dont. So regulation is also a good thing - and I guess its about having a balance of having the right regulation in place.