Human Geo Ch 12 Flashcards
what did the assembly line do
allowed for the inexpensive production of consumer goods at a single site on a previously unknown scale
who pioneered the assembly line
henry ford
what is the fordist period marked by
mas production and mass consumption
what was ford’s goal
to mass produce goods at a price point where his workers could afford to purchase them
what changed with ford’s assembly line
machines replaced people and unskilled workers replaced craftsmen
what is vertical integration
ownership by the same firm of a number of companies that exist along a variety of points on a commodity chain
what is friction of distance
the increase in time and cost that usually comes with increased distance over which commodities must travel
what is distance decay
idea that the impact of a function or activity will decline as one moves away
what is one example of how distance was a major consideration in the location of industry under Fordist production
the furniture industry –> took off in NC in the early 1900s to take advantage of NC’s abundance of lumber, low labor costs, good proximity to customers, humid climate, good wood workers, etc
what is localization
a term coined by Alfred Marshall; the process in which a particular industry clusters in an area
what was Marshall’s theory about localization
that localized industries would attract workers with industry specific skills, share information, and attract industry-specific
what did Weber’s least cost theory focus on
a factory owner’s desire to minimize three categories of costs
what did marshall do vs what did weber do
marshall explained why industries would cluster, weber explained where industries would cluster
what three categories of costs did weber say factory owners would want to minimize
transportation
labor
agglomeration
what is agglomeration
when like industries cluster together
how does agglomeration help companies financially
industries can assist each other through shared talents, services, and facilities
what is an example of agglomeration
all manufacturers need official furniture and equipment. one or more office equipment stores in a city could provide supplies for all industries in the area, making this big city location more attractive and potentially overcoming higher transportation or labor costs
why did many enterprises begin moving towards a post-fordist, flexible production model in the last third of the 20th century
as the global economy became more integrated and transportation costs decreased, the advantages of concentrating production in large-scale complexes declined
what does the post-fordist model look like
components of goods are made in different places around the globe and then brought together as needed to meet customer demand
why is the post-fordist model described as a flexible production system
bc firms can pick and choose among a multitude of suppliers and production strategies in distant places, and then quickly shift their choices in response to adjustments in production costs or consumer demand
