Transport and Industry – the essentials!

Mode of transport Advantages Disadvantages

Car/road Convenient

Short journey time unless in congestion

CO2 released

Costly

Danger to self and others

Noise

Destruction of environment to create roads

Bus/road Less carbon monoxide released per person than car

Can use bus lanes

Cheaper than using the car

Cannot go at exact time of choice

Can suffer from congestion

Boat/sea Can carry heavy freight a long distance and cheaply Takes longer than air travel

Plane/air Quick

Safer than road and rail

Good for transporting light, valuable freight long

distances e.g. I phones

Expensive for people and freight

CO2 released

Noisy for people who live in flight path

Have to use another mode of transport to get to airport

and destination

Bicycle Healthy

Cheap

Danger but reduced by use of cycle lanes

Cannot carry freight

Lorry/road Most efficient for carrying freight short distances to

specific points (most freight is transported this way UK)

CO2 released

Noisy

Rail Can carry freight medium to long distances reasonably

cheaply

Cheaper than the car for most commuters

Can be expensive for passengers on certain routes (in and

out of London)

Have to use another mode of transport to get to exact

destination

Destruction of natural habitats to create rail tracks

Noise

Vibrations of trains can disturb foundations of buildings

As you can see from the Department for Transport

and Industry graph, the vast majority of people

use the car/van/taxi to get about (85% of all

journeys).

Railway journeys have also increased significantly

recently (doubling in the last 15 years).

Transport routes are vital for settlement growth

and the economy as a whole.

The quality of life is affected by increased use of

transport.

Currently there is 213,759 miles of roads in Bri tain with 32 million cars using these roads .

Impacts:-

Pollution – road transport accounts for 22% of all CO2 emissions in Bri tain (climate change contributor); noise from traffic affects

30% people in UK.

Losing the countryside – 2% of Bri tain’s land covered by roads .

£710 million from 2015 spent on new roads .

Congestion – new roads make journeys quicker in short term but more people encouraged to drive more often and at greater

dis tances from work (congestion increases in long term); congestion causes delays in work/home journeys and delivery of goods

which costs the economy £4.3 BILLION per year!

T

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P

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The HS2 rail proposal – an investment for the future or a waste of money?

The government proposes to build a high speed rail link between London and Birmingham and

beyond (following the success of HS1 linking London with the Channel Tunnel).

Opposing HS2 Supporting HS2

Other possible solutions exist, such as increasing

the length of trains on existing routes.

The road network is congested and nearing its

capacity. Providing high speed rail will reduce

traffic congestion in our city centres as more

people will be attracted to taking the faster train

services.

Some argue that only particular groups of people

will directly benefit from HS2, namely

commuters who travel between major cities.

Many badly needed jobs will be created, not only

in the building of HS2 but also in its operation.

With ever increasing numbers of workers now

working from home using the internet to

communicate with colleagues and clients, those

in opposition of HS2 question the true benefit of

improved speed of train journeys.

Trains have a better safety record than the

roads. Recent passenger death rates by car were

1.9 per billion km and by train were 0.3 per

billion km.

Loss of open countryside and wildlife habitat, as

the new line cuts through environmentally

sensitive areas such as the Chilterns.

The cost of construction will be spread out over

15-20 years; therefore we can afford it.

The government recognises the high costs and damage to the environment but consider the scheme

is worth it in the long term – jobs and future wealth creation are considered a priority.

There are two clear phases to this project:-

Phase 1 of the line is between London and Birmingham, with

construction planned to begin in 2017 and be completed by 2026.

Phase 2 extends high speed rail travel to other economic centres in

the north of Britain, and is projected to be completed by 2032.

At a cost of £42 Billion it is not cheap; damage to the environment

will be considerable - so it is no surprise that there is a good deal of

opposition to the proposals. However, there are two sides to this debate and both sides have compelling arguments.

The jobs that people do can be categorised into the following four sectors:-

PRIMARY SECONDARY TERTIARY QUATERNARY

Farming car factory shop work biotech technicians

Fishing clothes factory doctors/nurses systems analysts

Quarrying building teachers researching products

Mining oil refinery museum

You need to know how to identify Primary, Secondary and Tertiary activities from the OS map

extract that comes with the CE paper:-

Mill Fm = Primary Activity

Hillington Industrial Estate = Secondary activity

National Gallery, Information Centre, Police station = Tertiary

activity

INDUSTRY

You also need to be able to link the level of economic development (simply, how rich a country

is)and the percentage of population working in each of the above sectors:-

LEDC NIC MEDC

• High primary (farming)

• Little mechanisation on farms

• Little manufacturing

• In early stages of economic development

• Informal service sector in the cities is quite strong

• Strong manufacturing sector

• Many transnationals move to NICs to

take advantage of cheap labour and land

• Farming mechanised

• Automation of manufacturing or transfer of manufacturing to NICs

• Very strong tertiary sector with large

numbers employed in health, education and tourism

• Growth of jobs in the know ledge economy based on the processing of know ledge and information using

telecommunications

How do employment patterns change over time?

Primary: decreases Secondary: increases at first, then

decreases Tertiary: increases

• Mechanisation of farms reduces need for farm workers. Rural workers migrate to the urban areas

• Raw materials become exhausted leading to loss of mining jobs

• Rural depopulation of farmers in

MEDCs. Workers prefer the better paid and less physically demanding jobs in the tertiary sector

• Industrialisation initially requires a large secondary workforce

• Factory jobs eventually replaced by automation

• Manufacturing industries increasingly move from MEDCs to

NICs w here land and labour are cheaper

• Large and growing informal service sector in urban areas of LEDCs as workers migrate from the countryside

• As a country develops, demand

grows for services such as health, education and tourism

• Strong growth in MEDCs of jobs in the know ledge economy based on the processing of know ledge and information using telecommunications

• Increase in producer services for

manufacturing industry, e.g. market research

Generally, the poorer the country is (LEDC) the

higher the %age of people working in PRIMARY

employment (mainly farming and fishing). The

richer a country becomes (MEDC), the higher

the %age of people working in TERTIARY

activity (shops, museums, schools, hospitals,

councils etc.). Some countries, like Brazil lie

somewhere in the middle with growing

SECONDARY and TERTIARY sectors.

Transnational corporations (TNCs) in LEDCs

A transnational company (TNC) is a global company in that it operates across national boundaries.

They are attracted to the large pool of labour, low wages, taxes and fewer restrictions of LEDCs.

A transnational company has factories and offices in several countries. Therefore it is a global

company in that it operates across national boundaries.

The headquarters of a transnational company is usually in an MEDC with branch factories worldwide.

Transnational companies have the power to choose where to locate their factories. They are attracted

to LEDCs due to the large pool of labour, low wages and taxes and fewer restrictions.

TNCs bring economic, social and environmental advantages and disadvantages to the host countries.

Reasons for Industrial Change

LEDC’s have begun to play a dominant part in world markets due to good access to raw materials

and the ability to charge less for products.

People in LEDC’s are willing to work for less money so industries are able to charge less for their

products. Large multinational companies, many from MEDCs, have now begun to locate their

industries in LEDC’s for the same reasons as above and this has ensured that the gap between

MEDC’s and LEDC’s in terms of development has remained consistent.

Nike – a case study of a multinational company

operating in both developed and developing

countries.

What is Nike? Nike is a huge global company with offices and factories in many parts of the

world. Nike’s Headquarters is in Oregon, Texas. Most of its factories are in poorer LEDC

countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam and the rapidly developing China. Find out

where these places are on a world map.

Section B Examination questions on Economic Geography tend to start by asking you to

locate the various countries your case study industry (i.e. Nike and Clothing) has interests.

You may also be asked to explain the geographical distribution of your chosen industry:-

Reasons for locating in MEDCs (More Economically Developed Countries)

Reasons for locating in LEDCs (Less Economically Developed Countries)

Headquarters in Texas – most employees are highly skilled and well paid (Marketing and Advertising in particular)

Most of Nike’s shops are located in MEDCs where most customers are based.

Land for large factories is cheaper to buy in LEDCs.

Workforce is much cheaper.

Workforce is more flexible – willing to work longer hours and unions are weak.

Access to new global markets in South East Asia e.g. China.

Impacts (consequences) of Nike on developed and developing

countries.

Impacts on LEDCs (e.g. Indonesia) Impacts on MEDCs

Negative:- Many workers endure poor working conditions – lack of breaks, sacking with no explanation etc. Can influence the ‘host’ country’s government decisions Pays low wages e.g. £4 for a 12 hour day Can slow down the LEDC developing its own industry Some sweat shops develop (factories where workers are crowded or confined or are compelled to work unreasonable hours for low pa-y) Can cause environmental damage and pollution (some companies locate in LEDCs to avoid paying to comply with environmental legislation in the MEDCs) Positive:- Provides expertise including managerial and new technology Helps improve the country’s infrastructure – roads, railways, power supplies etc. Increases skills of the LEDCs Provides jobs

Negative:- Over dependence on LEDCs, some of which have fragile governments Loss of manufacturing jobs in the MEDC. Positive:- Greater profit made through cheap labour costs in the LEDC Spreads the influence of MEDCs – opens markets in the LEDC e.g. China Consumers (mainly in MEDCs) get cheaper products and greater choice

You may be asked why your chosen industry is important on

a Global scale. You will need to include the following points

in your answer:-

Nike has and is investing heavily in manufacturing and sales in China – as sales increase (Nike is one of the sponsors of the Beijing Olympics), wage demands increase

Nike has huge number of customers worldwide – benefits economies of many countries Sales in 2007 were $18 Billion and profits nearly $2 Billion Nike employs over 30,000 people directly and 1 million others are involved in making, supplying and selling goods worldwide Nike invests millions of dollars to get athletes and teams to wear its gear, appealing to customers across the world Advertising is everywhere – 70% of people under 16 in Britain

have one piece of Nike clothing/shoes

You may be asked to identify the INPUTS,

PROCESSES and OUTPUTS of the manufacturing

plant:-

INPUTS - Raw Materials e.g. leather for shoes,

thread for clothing , rubber for shoes etc.

PROCESSES – what actually goes on in the

factory! E.g. sewing clothing, dying clothing,

soling and heeling footwear etc.

OUTPUTS – Nike Footwear, clothing, profit

(how much Nike makes once costs are

accounted for), waste (off-cuts of clothing,

rubber soles etc.)

How can economic development be made sustainable?

Tourism in the Yorkshire Dales National Park

You will need to know the definition for the following terms:-

Living standards - Standard of living refers to the level of wealth, comfort, material goods

and necessities available to a certain socioeconomic class in a certain geographic area.

Exploit - Exploitation is defined as the act of using resources or the act of treating people

unfairly in order to benefit from their efforts or labour.

Protect – Environmental protection is a practice of protecting the natural environment on

individual, organizational or governmental levels, for the benefit of both the natural

environment and humans.

Stewardship - Environmental stewardship refers to responsible use and protection of

the natural environment through conservation and sustainable practices.

Conservation - The act of preserving and protecting something e.g. the Rainforests,

National Parks.

Manage - Environmental resource management is the management of the interaction and

impact of human societies on the environment e.g. managing tourism in the Yorkshire Dales

National Park.

Sustainable Development - is a pattern of resource use that aims to meet human needs

while preserving the environment so that these needs can be met not only in the present, but

also for future generations.

As part of an answer to this question, you could also list the attractions of your chosen area

has for tourists:-

680 square miles of unspoilt scenery

Malham Cove, White Scar Caves and Gaping Gill are all popular tourist attractions

Rare flowers, rich hay meadows and limestone woodland and scrub

Limestone scenery including underground caves

Famous Footpaths e.g. Dales Way and Pennine Way

You need to understand the problems created by tourism in the Yorkshire Dales before you

can understand how this economic activity can be made more sustainable:-

Conflicts in the Yorkshire Dales national Park:-

Tourists and Conservationists – tourists threaten the habitats of animals and erode

footpaths

Tourists and farmers – tourists may leave gates open for farm animals to escape and drop

litter which is dangerous for animals. Farmers can be unwelcoming to tourists, blocking

rights of way.

Conservationists and the National Park Authority (NPA) – the NPA want to encourage

visitors to the Yorkshire Dales NP but Conservationists want to limit numbers in order to

protect the countryside.

Local Businesses and Local People – many businesses (shops mainly) cater for tourists

because of the money they bring in but local needs are often ignored (e.g. shops are packed

with souvenirs instead of goods for locals).

Local People and Tourists – often villages and towns are swamped with tourists in the

summer. Locals object to the noise and air pollution from their cars and parking can be

difficult.

Property Developers and Local People – some tourists love the NP so much that they buy

a second home there. This puts prices of houses up which local people can not afford.

How is tourism (an economic activity) in the Yorkshire Dales National Park managed in a

sustainable way? Here are a few important points you need to know:-

Sustainable Management

Traffic congestion –

the NPA set up park-

and-ride system in

Malham, free guided

walks for those who

arrive by bus and

traffic restrictions in

the village

To combat footpath

erosion the NPA have

built steps at Malham

Cove, seeded bare

parts of many paths

and set up signs to

steer visitors away from

environmentally

sensitive areas.

Malham Park

Information Centre – set

up to educate the public

on conservation

(disturbance of habitats,

picking rare flowers)

Sustainable Development Fund – for

small businesses, local authorities

and community groups e.g. the

Brown Trout Project, Dales Biomass

Facilitation Service, GreenBeams

(providing sustainable hardwood)

Because of the

restrictions on

development and

lack of jobs for

locals young

people have

moved away,

creating an aging

population in

many of the

towns/villages.

NPA helps local farmers

diversify (create new

sources of income) e.g.

grants for study centres,

advice on farming

methods and Bed and

Breakfast

accommodation

Protection of local facilities

e.g. village shops by not

granting planning

permission for development

which would undermine

these facilities

e,g,supermarket

Planning controls for

new housing is strictly

controlled – limiting

holiday property but

not providing much

needed cheaper

housing for locals

Honeypot development at

places such as Malham have

increased disruption for locals

in Malham and other villages

but protects other parts of the

NP.