AP Human Geography Chapter 11: Development

Cottage Industry

Manufacturing based in homes rather than in factories, most common prior to the Industrial Revolution

Site Factors

Location factors related to the costs of factors of production inside a plant, such as land, labor, and capital

Situation Factors

Location factors related to the transportation of materials into and from a factory.

Least Cost Theory

Theory that attempts to explain the location of manufacturing industries; according to Alfred Weber, the goal is to minimize three expenses: labor, transportation, and agglomeration

Bulk-Reducing Industry

AN industry in which the final product weighs less or comprises a lesser value than the inputs

Bulk-Gaining Industry

An industry in which the final product weighs more or comprises a greater volume than the inputs

Break-of-Bulk Point (aka- Intermodal Connection)

A location where transfer is possible from one mode of transportation to another

Just-in-time delivery

Shipment of parts and materials to arrive at a factory moments before they are needed

Labor-Intensive Industry

An industry for which labor costs comprise a high percentage of total expenses

Nonrenewable Energy

A source of energy that has a finite supply capable of being exhausted

Renewable Energy

A resource that has a theoretically unlimited supply and is not depleted when used by people

New International Division of Labor (some sources: International Division of Labor)

Transfer of some types of jobs, especially those requiring low-paid, less skilled workers, from developed to less developed countries

Deindustrialization

Region that has lost industrial jobs to other regions or possibly other countries; these areas often experience social and economic hardship as a result of this process

Outsourcing

A decision by a corporation to turn over much of the responsibility for production to independent suppliers

Vertical integration

An approach typical of traditional mass production in which a company controls all phases of a highly complex production process

Maquiladoras

A factory built by a U.S. company in Mexico near the U.S. border, to take advantage of the much lower labor costs in Mexico

Right-to-Work-Law

A U.S. law that prevents a union and a company from negotiating a contract that requires workers to join the union as a condition of employment.

Fordist Production

A form of mass production in which each worker is assigned one specific task to perform repeatedly.

Post-Fordist Production

Adoption by companies of flexible work rates, such as the allocation of workers to teams that perform a variety of tasks.

Remanufacturing

The rebuilding of a product to specifications of the original manufactured product using a combination of reused, repaired, and new parts.

Recycling

The separation, collection, processing, marketing and reuse of an unwanted material