1. Changing locations: quaternary and tertiary
Key Idea 4.4
Changing locations: quaternary and tertiary
Economic Activity and Energy
High-tech Industry
Lesson 2 of 2

2. The changing Location of tertiary and quaternary industry
Use of a case study to show factors affecting the development and location of one hi-tech industry.

3. The decentralisation of tertiary activities:
When industry moves out from the CBD and relocates towards the urban fringe.
Why is it happening?

4. What is high-tech industry?
High-technology industry involves a highly-skilled workforce and its products require a high proportion of research and development.
High-technology industry is relatively footloose since access to raw materials is not very important. The ‘raw materials’ that are required are usually lightweight electronic components.

5. Examples of high-tech industry

6. Biotechnology
Read the case study on page 102 and answer the following questions:
What is biotechnology industry?
Referring to figure 4.13 why do you think majority of the worlds biotechnology firms are located in HICs?
What are the factors that determine the location of a biotechnology firm?
Case study example: Cambridge Science Park, Cambridge, UK

7. cRshaere dna dpvlentmeoe
rbaLuo
vEnrmiorten
cRshaere dna dpvlentmeoe
Factors attracting
high tech industry
csAces
putRnietao
Gvtmnoerne ciploeis

8. Research and development
Labour
Environment
Research and development
Factors attracting
high tech industry
Access
Reputation
Government policies

9. Match these statements to the location factors attracting hi-tech industries
Near to, and links with, a top class university
Place of
high-tech excellence
Supply of highly
qualified and
adaptable labour
Availability of good transport networks, raw materials, services and markets
Attractive
location in which
to live and work
National and local governments
encourage
investment and
enterprise

10. Plenary
This exercise can be used to develop understanding of industrial location factors. Individuals or groups could decide on the best location for each industry and then this could lead to a class discussion: Do all groups have the same answers? If not, why not? What location factors are important for each industry? Which are the ‘best’ sites for each industry and why?
More detail on the location of the steel industry and high-tech industry can be found in the separate presentations.

11. Additional Information about Biotech Industry

12. The global area of biotech crops continued to climb for the tenth consecutive year at a sustained double-digit growth rate of 13%, or 12 million hectares (30 million acres), reaching 102 million hectares (252 million acres) in 2006.
The year-to-year increase of 12 million hectares from 2005 to 2006 is the second highest in the last five years in absolute area, despite the fact that the adoption rates in the United States, the principal grower of biotech crops, are already over 80% for soybean and cotton.
India, the largest cotton-growing country in the world, registered the highest proportional increase with an impressive gain that almost tripled its Bt cotton area to 3.8 million hectares.
The number of countries planting biotech crops increased from 21 to 22 with the EU country Slovakia, planting Bt maize for the first time and bringing the total number of countries planting biotech crops in the EU to six of 25. Spain continued to be the lead country in Europe, planting 60,000 hectares in The other five countries (France, Czech Republic, Portugal, Germany and Slovakia) increased over five-fold from approximately 1,500 hectares in 2005 to approximately 8,500 hectares.