economic activities

presentation

1. Economic Activities Subject:Human Geography

2. Definition: According to Raich : “economic activity is the production, distribution and consumption of commodities”. This definition was criticized and rephrased bt O’Connor : “any economic activity involving the production, distribution and consumption of commodities depending on the level of generality”.

3. Location of economic activities: The economic activities are not located in a void. They occupy space. It is desirable to locate the activity at the most suitable place. The least-cost location , place where the cost of collection and distribution of goods and raw materials etc. is least. Every economic activity enjoys two locations : Specific location Relative location  The specific location is the exact place or the site where the activity is located. The relative location refers to the position of the economic activity in relation to other connected features.    The specific location of the main cotton growing region of Punjab is in the Tech and Rachna Doabs. This region is related vertically with fertile alluvial plains, good irrigation facilities and high temperature during growing season. In terms of relative location, it is close to the cotton mills of Faisalabad.

4. Inter-relation of economic activities: The economic activities do not operate in isolation. They are inter-related with one another and with physical and cultural environment. The sugar mill sits usually in the midst of sugarcane field. Chip board factory is located near a sugar mill. The wholesale center tries to be close to the retail market. The transport repair workshops go together with the transport terminal. The petrol stations are located on roads with vehicular traffic . On the other hand, rice cultivation is not found in regions of little rainfall and with no irrigation facilities.

5. Classification of economic activities: In terms of the national economy, a basic classification of economic activities is following: Primary economic activities Secondary economic activities Tertiary economic activities Quaternary economic activities Quinary economic activities

6. Primary activities(raw materials): Primary activities are those which relate to the cultivation of the land and the extraction of minerals and fuels from the rocks. They are at the beginning of production cycle, where humans are in closest contact with the resources and potentialities of the environment. Primary activities include age-old activities, such as hunting animals and gathering wild berries and nuts, grazing, extracting minerals from theearth’s crust, fishing from rivers, lakes and oceans; and the harvesting of trees . Primary producers might be labeled as red-collar workers due to the outdoor nature of their work.

7. Secondary activities(manufacturing and industry): These include all forms of manufacturing and processing of raw materials. Secondary activity increases the value of a previously existing item by changing its form. Such activities include manufacturing and commercial agriculture. Steel makers turn iron into a more durable metal in blast furnaces and steel mills. Lumber mills process products of primary activities logs, processing them into boards, plywood, or prefabricated houses by a secondary activity that increases their value by altering their form. This group is known as the blue-collar labor force.

8. Tertiary activities(service industry): Tertiary activities consist of those business and labor specializations that provide services to the primary and secondary sectors, to the general community, and to the individual. These include financial, business, professional, clerical and personal services. Services of various kinds like education, health, banking, insurance, trade and transport are included in this sector . In advanced countries, the contribution of tertiary sector to national income is highest. This group is categorized as pink-collar workers.

9. Quaternary activities(Knowledge sector): In economically advanced societies many individuals and some entire organizations are engaged in the processing and dissemination of information and in the administration and control of their own or other enterprises. It typically includes services such as information technology, information generation and sharing, media, research and development as well as knowledge based services like consultation, education, financial planning, blogging and designing. This group is categorized as white-collar workers.

10. Quinary activities( d ecision making sector): Q uinary activities are distinguished to recognize high level decision making roles in all types of large organizations, public and private . The most visible persons in this group include chief executive officers and other top management executives in both government and private sectors / service. Research scientists, legal authorities, financial advisors, and professional consultants who provide strategic planning and problem-solving services belong to this cluster. Most of these high-order analytical and managerial activities occur in large urban centers or in close proximity to large university, medical, and/or research centers. An appropriate label for this group is the gold-collar worker.

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