Human Geo 11.1-11.2 Vocab Flashcards
Cottage Industry
Manufacturing based in homes rather than in factories, most common prior to the Industrial Revolution. Prior to the Industrial Revolution (A series of improvements in industrial tech, starting in the UK in the late 1700s, that transformed the process of manufacturing goods), industry was geographically dispersed across the landscape.
Site Factors
Location factors related to the costs of factors of production inside a plant, such as land, labor, and capital.
Labor-Intensive Industry
An industry for which labor costs comprise a high % of total expenses. Labor constitutes 11% of overall manufacturing costs in the US (lower than a labor-intensive-industry). An industry with much lower-than-average labor expenditures is considered capital intensive. The most important site factor on a global scale is Labor. Some industries want to minimize labor costs (variations of which around the world is large). 1/2 billion workers are engaged in Industry (1/4 in China, 1/5 in India, and 1/5 in all developed countries)
Fordist Production
A form of mass production in which each worker is assigned 1 specific task to perform repeatedly. Manufacturing centers in North America/Europe attract industries that depend on skilled labor like this. Ford Motor Co. was one of the first companies to organize this way.
Post-Fordist Production
Adoption by companies of flexible work rules (like the allocation of workers to teams that perform a variety of tasks). Factory workers increasingly need computer literacy/college degrees.
Situation Factors.
Location factors related to the transportation of materials into and from a factory. A firm seeks a location that minimizes transporting inputs to the factory and finished goods to consumers. Manufacturers buy from suppliers of inputs (minerals, energy, etc.) & sell them to companies/individuals, & they try to locate factories close to both. They locate plants near inputs if that is more $$ than transporting to consumers, and they locate plants near inputs if that is more $$ than transporting raw materials/inputs to the factory.
Bulk-Reducing Industry
An industry in which the final product weighs less or comprises a lower volume than the inputs. It locates near its sources of inputs to minimize costs. With copper, the first 4 steps are bulk-reducing industries (2/3 of US copper is mined in AZ) that are located near the sources of their inputs. Manufacturing isn’t bulk reducing, so foundries are located near markets (on East/West coasts).
Bulk-Gaining Industry
An industry in which the final product weighs more or comprises a greater volume that the inputs. It needs to locate near where the product is sold. Example: fabrication of parts/machinery from steel/metals. It brings together metals and previously manufactured parts as the main inputs and transforms them into a more complex product. They shape individual metal pieces using bending, forging, stamping, and forming. Separate parts are joined together thru welding, bonding, bolts.
Break-of-bulk point
A location where transfer is possible from one mode of transportation to another. Seaports & airports (ex. steel mill in Gary, IN, may receive iron ore by ship via Lake Michigan & coal from Appalachia). Many companies that use multiple transport modes locate at this point.
Just-in-Time Delivery
Shipment of parts and materials to arrive at a factory moments before they are needed. Important for the delivery of inputs (parts/raw materials) to manufacturers of fabricated products. In this system, parts/materials arrive at a factory frequency (daily and hourly) and their suppliers are told a few days in advance of how much will be needed and when. The suppliers must locate factories near its consumers depending on how much notice they are given.
Supply
The quantity of something that producers have available for sale. Some developing regions have abundant energy supplies, others have little
Demand
The quantity of something that people wish to consume and are able to buy. The heaviest consumers of energy are in developed countries, whereas most of the energy sources are found in developing countries.
Animate Power
Power supplied by animals or people. Historically, this was what people relied on. Now, 5/6 of the world’s energy is supplied by 3 types of fossil fuels.
Fossil Fuels
An energy source formed from the residue of plants/animals buried millions of years ago. As sediment accumulated over these remains, intense pressure & chemical reactions slowly converted them into fossil fuels. When they are burned, the energy is released.
Nonrenewable Energy
A source of energy that has a finite supply capable of being exhausted. Sustainable development will will lead to future reliance on renewable energy instead of fossil fuels. The US is highly dependent on the 3 fossil fuels (wood was main energy source in 19th, then coal in late 19th, then petroleum/natural gas in 2nd half of 20th).
