Economic activity and energy

Question 1

What is the definition of economic activity?

Answer 1

It’s a term used to describe any type of undertaking which involves farming, manufacturing or the provision of services.

Question 2

Which three things does every economic activity do?

Answer 2

It creates jobs - employment
It generates income - wealth
It produces something for sale or consumption

Question 3

What is the primary sector? Give some examples

Answer 3

Involves the production or extraction of raw materials.
Fishing, mining, farming.

Question 4

What is the secondary sector? Give some examples

Answer 4

Manufacturing of goods through processing, assembling or building.
Car manufacturing, textiles, food processing.

Question 5

What is the tertiary sector? Give some examples

Answer 5

Involves providing services to people.
Retail, lawyers, cinema, school, beauty.

Question 6

What is the quaternary sector? Give some examples

Answer 6

The newest sector. It focuses on knowledge-based or high-tech industries.
Universities (in their research capacity), research and development.

Question 7

What is capital?

Answer 7

Wealth used for the production of further wealth. Money is used to build, grow and run a business.

Question 8

What are capital goods?

Answer 8

A physical asset that’s used in the production of another product or the delivery of a service.

Question 9

What are raw materials?

Answer 9

Items from which more complex items are made. Wood, iron, copper, etc.

Question 10

What are the three phases of development according to the Clark-Fisher model?

Answer 10

Pre-industrial phase
Industrial phase
Post-industrial phase

Question 11

What is GDP?

Answer 11

Gross domestic product. Measures the monetary value of final goods and services produced in a country.

Question 12

What is GNI?

Answer 12

Gross national income. The total amount of money earned by a nation’s people and businesses. Includes at home and abroad.

Question 13

What are some factors affecting the location of economic activities?

Answer 13

Infrastructure, amenities, raw materials, cheap land, customers, employees, good transport

Question 14

What needs does commercial farming have?

Answer 14

basic raw material, suitable land, water, access or nearness to places where the food is processed or taken.

Question 15

What are the needs of heavy industry?

Answer 15

Raw materials, supply of energy, good transport links.

Question 16

What are the needs of the light industry?

Answer 16

Energy source, availability of skilled labour.

Question 17

What are the needs of the retailing industry?

Answer 17

Accessibility to customers, ability to recruit workers in large numbers.

Question 18

What are the needs of research and development?

Answer 18

High-skilled workforce, access to the latest research.

Question 19

What is the CBD?

Answer 19

Central Business District

Question 20

Name some features of the urban fringe

Answer 20

-Lots of car parking space
-Workers and work available closeby
-Good accessibility
-Attractive environment, little pollution
-Space for expansion
-Cheap land

Question 21

What types of buildings and businesses are located in the urban fringe?

Answer 21

superstores, retail parks, industrial estates, business parks and science parks.

Question 22

What are the 5 main factors affecting changes in economic sectors?

Answer 22

Raw materials
New technology
Globalisation
Government policies
Demographic and social change

Question 23

What factors influence the sector shifts? primary to secondary and secondary to tertiary.

Answer 23

Global shift in manufacturing
Lower costs
Foreign investments
Momentum
Government policy

Question 24

What is the informal sector?

Answer 24

It’s unofficial and unregulated. Any field of work that isn’t monitored or regulated by the state. It isn’t included in the official figures produced by governments.

Question 25

Why does the informal sector develop?

Answer 25

Rural-urban migration, low wages and underemployment.

Question 26

What are some ways of earning money in the informal market?

Answer 26

Selling things on the street, petty crime, prostitution, mercenary work or gang association, begging, rubbish-collecting, informal transport.

Question 27

What are some benefits of informal employment?

Answer 27

Higher paying than some official jobs, a way to avoid poverty, paratransit, and access to cheap goods and services, requires no education.

Question 28

What are some issues with the informal economy?

Answer 28

Can lead to crime, adds congestion to the streets (paratransit), no healthcare or insurance, high exposure to work-related risks, discrimination, child labour, no way to break the cycle of poverty, uncertain legal status.

Question 29

What are the three different views on the topic of population and resources? What is their focus?

Answer 29

Malthus, Boserup and The Club of Rome. Their focus is food.

Question 30

Explain the Malthus view of population and resources.

Answer 30

He argues that population growth proceeds at a faster rate than increase in food supply. There would come a time when there was not enough food to feed the population, and at this point, population growth would stop, either by lowering the birth rate or raising the death rate as a result of famine, disease and war.

Question 31

Explain the Boserup view of population and resources.

Answer 31

Based her theory on the argument that increases in population stimulate an improvement in food production. So, developments in technology would solve the problem.

Question 32

Explain the Club of Rome's view of population and resources.

Answer 32

argued that the limits of global population growth would be reached within the next 100 years if population and development continued at the rates seen in the 1970s. However, they suggested that it would still be possible to reduce the trends using growth-regulating processes.

Question 33

What are the different balance situations in regards to resources and population?

Answer 33

Overpopulation, underpopulation, optimum population.

Question 34

What does achieving the right resource-population balance depend on?

Answer 34

Controlling population growth, reducing our resource consumption, using technology to discover and exploit new resources, and making sure that development is less based on natural resources.

Question 35

What are the two main reasons for increasing energy demand?

Answer 35

Population and economic development.

Question 36

How much of the world's energy production comes from fossil fuels?

Answer 36

75%.

Question 37

Who are the major energy producers?

Answer 37

USA, Canada, Russia, Western Europe, Australia, New Zealand and part of the Middle East.

Question 38

What is energy security?

Answer 38

A country's ability to meet all of its energy needs reliably, preferably from within its borders.

Question 39

Which country is an example of energy security? Why?

Answer 39

The UK. They're phasing out fossil fuels as a way of reducing carbon emissions. The UK still has plenty of coal deposits though.

Question 40

Name some renewable energy sources.

Answer 40

Nuclear, biomass, hydroelectric, wind, solar, geothermal.

Question 41

Name some non-renewable energy sources.

Answer 41

Coal, oil, natural gas, fuelwood.

Question 42

Name some strategies to make the home more energy efficient.

Answer 42

Solar panels, isolated walls, rainwater cleansing system, isolated floors with heating.

Question 43

How can businesses manage energy more efficiently?

Answer 43

Minimising artificial lighting, replacing light bulbs with LEDs, installing efficient AC units and thermostats, and installing solar panels.

Question 44

Name some strategies to minimise energy use that individuals can apply to their daily lives. Think transport-related.

Answer 44

Using public transport, biking/walking short distances, using electric cars and scooters, using joint car services.