How information affects businesses

Over the years we have had researchers releasing information on different topics and it has either negatively or positively affected businesses. Some of those stories were bizarre while others were well researched. Let’s look at some of them.

Mobile phones and radiation.

Back in the early 2000s, mobile phones became very popular. Communication became easier and faster. Some researchers however came up with a narrative that stated that receiving and making calls on a mobile device can cause brain cancer. This scared some people to the point that they stopped using them. Others who had become addicted to their devices opted to use phones which had hands free capabilities. Others bought a tiny object placed on top of the earpiece and behind the phone. This device was meant to reduce the level of radiation the phone generates. So many units were sold. However, more research was done and the conclusion was mobile devices cause no great harm to its users. Majority of people worldwide now use their devices without worrying about any side effects. 

Solid cooking fats.

In the past, liquid cooking oil was so expensive. Majority of Kenyans used solid cooking fat. There were different types each with a specific job in the kitchen. One brand was used for cooking chapatti while another brand was good for vegetables. Some years ago, some researchers said that solid fat was bad for your health. The problem was that when you buy it, it’s in a solid state. When you cook with it, it turns melts and you use it to prepare your food nicely. Once you have eaten the food and it reaches your small intestines, it turns back into its original solid state. Once it becomes solid, your body doesn’t digest it and it end up giving you stomach cancer. May people were shocked and they immediately switched to liquid cooking oil. These days it is hard to find in many people’s homes solid cooking oil. Some hotels however are still using it. Other hotels are using oil harvested from electric transformers but that is a story for another day.

Healthy drinks, energy drink plus fruit juice.

Everyone has gotten sick in one point in their lives. In the past, every time you visit someone in hospital, you have to buy an energy drink (because the person does not have energy) and some fruit juice. These two products were so popular that if you go to any supermarket you will find a whole shelf dedicated to these two products. What happened next? Researches. These people don’t sleep. The first thing they found out is that energy drinks contain a lot of sugar which may not be so good to a recovering patient. The next thing they found out is that the fruit drinks people bought may actually not contain fruits! They were just water, colouring and some fruit flavour.  These products were deemed to be harmful to consumers leave alone a recovering patient. The trend changed. These days I see some people going with flowers to patients (I don’t know the benefit of flowers). Others carry fruit juices which contain actual fruits. Others opt to buy fruits. I remember one time someone’s bedside in hospital had so many fruits that it looked like a market.  

Conclusion

The point of this article is to show you, the reader, that information can affect anyone’s business. If someone wants to take your business down, he may use researchers rather than use force. As a business owner, you have to be alert to this form of tactic. Information can also be a good thing. It can open up business opportunities that did not exist in the past. You only need to know how to reach the masses.

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