Chapter 6

Secondary Activities

1. Choose the right answer from the four alternatives given below:

Question 1.(i)

Which one of the following statements is wrong?

(a) Cheap water transport has facilitated the jute mill industry along the
Hugli.

(b) Sugar, cotton textiles and vegetable oils are footloose industries.

(c) The development of hydro-electricity and petroleum reduced, to a

great extent, the importance of coal energy as a locational factor for
industry.

(d) Port towns in India have attracted industries.

Answer:

(b) Sugar, cotton textiles and vegetable oils are footloose industries.

Question 1.(ii)

In which one of the following types of economy are the factors of

production owned individually?

(a) Capitalist
(b) Mixed

(c) Socialist

(d) None

Answer:

(a) Capitalist

Question 1.(iii)

Which one of the following types of industries produces raw materials

for other industries?

(a) Cottage industries

(b) Small-scale industries

(c) Basic industries

(d) Footloose industries

Answer:

(c) Basic industries

Question 1.(iv)

Which one of the following pairs is correctly matched?

(a) Automobile industry … Los Angeles

(b) Ship building industry… Lusaka

(c) Air craft industry … Florence

(d) Iron and steel industry … Pittsburgh

Answer:

(d) Iron and steel industry … Pittsburgh

2. Write a short note on the following in about 30 words:

Question 2.(i)

High-Tech industry:

Answer.

This is the latest generation of manufacturing industries. It merges the

application of intensive research and development into the
manufacturing of products of an advanced scientific and engineering
character. Professional (white collar) workers make up a large share of
the total workforce and outnumber the actual (blue collar workers).

Question 2.(ii)

Manufacturing:

Answer:
Manufacturing adds value to natural resources by transforming raw
materials into finished goods of higher value for sale in local or distant
markets. It involves a full array of production from handicrafts to
moulding iron and steel and stamping out plastic toys to assembling
delicate computer components or space vehicles.

Question 2.(iii)

Footloose industry:

Answer:

Foot loose industries can be located in a wide variety of places. They are
not dependent on any specific raw-material, weight losing or otherwise.
They largely depend on component parts which can be obtained
anywhere.

3. Answer the following in not more than 150 words:

Question 3.(i)

Differentiate between primary and secondary activities.

Answer:

Primary Activities Secondary Activities

(i) those activities, which (i) They convert raw material obtained
depend directly on nature for from primary activities into finished
extraction of resources. goods of higher value.
(ii) It includes activities like (ii)It concerned with manufacturing,
agriculture, mining, fishing, processing and construction
etc. (infrastructure) industries.

(iii) They are pre-dominant in (iii) They are dominant in developed

under developed/developing countries.
countries.

(iv) They earn low value and (iv) produce goods of higher value.
some need to be processed They are dependent on primary
by secondary activities for activities for procurement of raw
sale in market. material.

(v) As economies develop, the (v) As economies develop, the share of

share of primary activities secondary activities increase.
decline.

(vi) They form the basis of (vi) Secondary activities along with
village economies tertiary, quaternary and quinary
activities form the basis of urban
centers.
Question 3.(ii)

Discuss the major trends of modem industrial activities especially in

the developed countries of the world.

Answer:

Major concentrations of modern manufacturing have flourished in a few

number of places. These cover less than 10 per cent of the world’s land
area. These nations have become the centres of economic and political
power. However, in terms of the total area covered, manufacturing sites
are much less conspicuous and concentrated on much smaller areas
than that of agriculture due to greater intensity, of processes. For
example, 2.5 sq km of the American corn belt usually includes about four
large farms employing about 10-20 workers supporting 50¬100 persons.
But this same area could contain several large integrated factories and
employ thousands of workers.

Following are the characteristics of the modem industries in the modern

world:

Mechanisation: Mechanisation refers to using gadgets which

accomplish tasks. Automation (without aid of human thinking during the
manufacturing process) is the advanced stage of mechanisation.

Technological Innovation: Technological innovations through research

and development strategy are an important aspect of modern
manufacturing for quality control, eliminating waste and inefficiency, and
combating pollution.

Organisational Structure and Stratification:

Modern manufacturing is characterized by:

 ● a complex machine technology extreme specialisation and
division of labour for producing more goods with less effort,
and low costs.

● vast capital
● large organisations
● executive bureaucracy.

Development of high tech industries and technopolies: High technology,

or simply high-tech, is the latest generation of manufacturing activities. It
is best understood as the application of intensive research and
development (R and D) efforts leading to the manufacture of products of
an advanced scientific and engineering character. Robotics on the
assembly line, computer -aided design (CAD) and manufacturing,
electronic controls of smelting and refining processes, and the constant
development of new chemical and pharmaceutical products are notable
examples of a high-tech industry.

High-tech industries which are regionally concentrated, self-sustained

and highly specialised are called technopolies. The Silicon Valley near
San Francisco and Silicon Forest near Seattle are examples of
technopolies.

Offshoring: Most of the industries in the developed countries are seeking

and establishing their back office operations in third world countries
where the work force is available in abundance at a cheaper rate. The
government in the countries where they set up their operations is also
eager to accommodate them with relaxed policies so as to generate
employment.

Agglomeration economies: The present times also happen to be a high

for agglomeration economies and industrial hubs where different related
industries localize themselves close to each other in order to maximize
profits and reduce overheads,
Question 3.(iii)

Explain why high-tech industries in many countries are being attracted

to the peripheral areas of major metropolitan centers ?

Answer:

High technology, or simply high tech, is the latest generation of

manufacturing activities. Professional workers make up for a large
number of the total workforce. These professional skilled workers are
located in urban areas, and due to high rent in the central areas of the
cities, they situate themselves in the periphery.

The industry is also situated in the periphery because of the low rent,
and also because of the closeness to the urban centres which provide
them with availability of the workers. Neatly spaced, low, modem,
dispersed, office-plant-lab buildings rather than massive assembly
structures, factories and storage areas mark the high-tech industrial
landscape.

This requires large areas for massive set up which due to increased
population in major metropolitan cities is not available. Hence, these
industries are set up near the urban centers where adequate space is
available. Also their situation near urban places helps them to gain
access to the-urban market, and also to tap the skilled workforce that is
available therein due to availability of educational institutes.

Example in case would be Gurgaon in Haryana, which has grown into

one of the greatest high tech hub near Delhi.

Question 3.(iv)
Africa has immense natural resources and yet it is industrially the most
backward continent. Comment.

Answer:

Although Africa has natural resources in abundance in terms of its land

resources, its forest and water resources, its mineral and energy
resources, the most important component to transfer these into usable
form- the human resource, is not well developed. All the characteristics
that mark an industrially developed nation are lacking. The following
discussion would make it amply clear why Africa remains industrially
backward.

● Specialization of skills/methods of production: African

industries still use primitive methods of production, which
makes its yield low. Lack of adequate training and
opportunities forces most of the African state to have low
skilled human capital and most of the workforce remains to
be unskilled.

● Mechanization and Technological innovation: Low level of

mechanization leads to a cut in the production level and as
the industries in Africa are generally not connected with the
other competing industries in the world, sharing of technology
does not take place in a greater scale and therefore
innovation, which is the important for the progress of
industries, does not take place.
● Organizational structure and stratification: A high level of
organization and an efficient division of labour is essential for
the thriving of giant enterprises. They lack in the said
continent.
● Access to market and raw material: For basic industries, it is
important that the raw materials are easily accessible to the
factories of production, and the finished goods should find
easy access to markets. This however, lacks because of the
lack of good transport network, effective communication
facilities and international markets.
● Access to labour supply: Although Africa is quite populous
and blue collar workers are available aplenty, skilled labour is
in a shortage, which makes industries suffer further on
managerial and technological fronts.
● Government policy: Because of the political turmoil that go on
in most of the African nations, a long term and healthy
government policy towards the progress of industries is
absent, thus making it a push factor for foreign multinationals
to invest in the said areas. This in turn acts as a repelling
factor for the formation of agglomeration economies, which
are vital for the sharing of technological innovation between
different industries.
● Transportation facilities: Development of modem industries
requires well transport linkage, so that agglomeration
economies can be created. Also it is necessity for
development of trading network both at national as well as
international level. Africa lacks development of adequate
network of highways, railways and airway linkage.