Brandy Newland
Advanced Entrepreneurship Unit 1 IP
American Intercontinental University
April 29, 2012

Abstract
Washing machines have changed and developed through the years mostly due to entrepreneurship and now days due to intrapreneurship through R&D at such companies as Whirlpool and Maytag. It has faced many challenges through trial and error and the inventions such as the small motor, galvanized tubs, and the agitator. In the following paper is how the washing machine came to be, the challenges it faced, and how it was developed by several key people.
Innovation according to Dictionary.com is defined as "something new or different introduced." One invention that we overlook in such a high-tech world that was created to make our lives simpler is the washing machine. When the washing machine was invented it was just that a new product being brought to market to simplify the lives of women everywhere. Before the automatic washers of today there was no running water, gas, or electricity and laundry took unimaginable amounts of time and labor compared to today. To wash the clothes once, boil once, and one rinse used about 50 gallons of water (400 lbs.) that had to be moved from pump, well, or faucet to the stove and tub in buckets and wash boilers that might weigh about forty to fifty pounds, (History of the washing, n.d.). All of the rubbing, wringing, and moving heavy water laden clothes and linen (heavy sheets included) tired the women out and continuously exposed them to harsh chemicals such as lye, (History of the washing, n.d.). Washing machine technology was a slow process due to the fact that electricity was not commonly available until about 1930 and so the early wash machines were usually operated by hand and gasoline engines, (History of the washing, n.d.). Though they were still being operated by hand the process of using a machine with paddles or fingers that automatically agitated the clothes helped to save the women more time and labor than if they still had to rub and scrub the clothes and linen on their own, (History of the washing, n.d.). The evolution of the washing machine changed through the years as it went through additions such as the wringer, and the idea of wooden washing machines was almost immediately recycled to be replaced with metal due to the fact the water had to be constantly changed and warmed and wood have made this process almost impossible as water had to be constantly recycled, (History of the washing machine, n.d.). The washing machine continued to change through the decades as new inventions such as motors and electricity were invented and changed the times. It was in the late 1800s that companies actually started to produce hand operated machines with the paddles. Next, came the revolving drum invented by James King in 1851 and in 1858 Hamilton Smith invented the revolving drum with reversible action, (History of the washing, n.d.). In the early 1900s the invention of the small electric motors finally introduced the washing machine to the electric age. Alva J. Fisher was credited with inventing the first electric washer. However, the real inventor it was later found out was Louis Goldenberg an engineer at the Ford Motor Company, (History of the washing, n.d.). However, it was Fisher who introduced the washing machine that was drum-like with a galvanized tub and was drum like to the public in 1910, (History of washing, n.d.). Maytag, Upton Machine Company (became Whirlpool Company) and Schulthess were the first companies that began the process of developing and mass producing washing machines, (History of washing, n.d.). In the 1930s design was improved by enclosing the washer within a cabinet, electrical safety was actually paid attention to as several customers had been electrocuted, and in 1937 Bendix introduced the first automatic washer that is close to what you know as a washing machine today,(History of washing, n.d.). It was during the 1950s several advances were made and improved the quality of the washing machine (History of the washing, n.d.). The additions included the agitator system and the tumbling system which are still used today. Now days washers are so advanced they do almost everything by themselves all you need to do is put the clothes in and set the temperature. Entrepreneurship "is the practice of embarking on a new business idea or reviving an existing business by pooling together resources in order to exploit new found opportunities, (Shukla, A., 2009). Intrapreneurship "is the practice of entrepreneurship by employees within an organization, (Shukla, A., 2009). Due to the fact that the washing machine has been improved and developed upon through the years by several different people makes it a product developed through entrepreneurship. Each person that brought something to the washing machine from the agitator to the small motors was bringing something new to the washing machine and making it into what it is today, even though even now the washer is being improved upon. However, normally it is thorough intrapreneurship now as most new ideas are brought by employees of the organizations in R&D at such companies as Maytag and Whirlpool. The advantages of using entrepreneurship to create and develop the washing machine is by having so much talent and knowledge brought together to bring us the washing machine it gave the world an amazing product that did not only revolutionize its industry but revolutionized the world. The disadvantages was because it was created by so many different people it took years for it to get to where it is today and not just one person can take credit for the invention of the washing machine. The challenges the washing machine face were generally connected to trial and error. There were hundreds of prototypes of the washing machine that failed and only a few ideas succeeded to today such as the agitator, the motor, galvanized tub, and the cabinet. There were also ideas such as the gasoline motor being by the water that created a lot of danger and mishaps, (History of the washing, n.d.). But, it was through the trial and error that you are now using washers today and our lives have been made so much simpler for that.
If the washing machine had been brought to the market through the intraperneurial way the washing machine would probably not be what it is today as its design was created and developed thorough several key people and companies. If all of these people had worked for the same organization maybe the washer would have been created a little sooner than what it had been as its development was waiting on electricity and other important components such as the agitator and galvanized tub. It was because of all these great inventions and the entrepreneurship of these pioneers that made the washing machine a success.

References

History of the washing machine. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2012. From Softpedia. At gadgets.softpedia.com/news/History-of-the-washing-machine-031-01.html. Shukla, A. (2009, June 3). What is intrapreneurship?- Difference, features and examples of intrapreneurs. Retrieved April 29, 2012 From Paggu.com. at www.paggu.com/entrepreneurship/what-is-intrapreneurship-difference-features-and-examples-of-intrapreneurs/

References History of the washing machine. (n.d.). Retrieved April 29, 2012. From Softpedia. At gadgets.softpedia.com/news/History-of-the-washing-machine-031-01.html. Shukla, A. (2009, June 3). What is intrapreneurship?- Difference, features and examples of intrapreneurs. Retrieved April 29, 2012 From Paggu.com. at www.paggu.com/entrepreneurship/what-is-intrapreneurship-difference-features-and-examples-of-intrapreneurs/