Quaternary Activity

Quaternary Activity• activities which involve the collection, recoding, arranging,

storage, retrieval, exchange, and dissemination of information.

• Ex: Computers, Cell Phones, E-mail, the Internet, and Research and Development are some of the examples of new information technology sector.

Factors Affecting Location of Quaternary Activity

– Populations of people who are concentrated in an area make the information sector practical - provides a workforce and market.

– Infrastructure is required for the communication of information…towers, poles, cables, connectivity, computers, satellites, buildings and networks.

– Education of people is necessary for high-tech work.

Factors Affecting Mass Communications Patterns.• In global communications there are areas of activity and there

are areas where there is no activity because of a lack of development and no connectivity. 

* The more development – the more connectivity.

Mass Communication Affects Workplace Location.• Businesses do not need to be located physically near other

businesses as we saw with the agglomerating tendency of the manufacturing sector.

• If Infrastructure improves to the point where it overcomes distances, information technology will be a new source of employment in rural regions. (Call Centers and people working online from home.)

• However, we may lose high-tech jobs to other countries – educated people but cheap labour.

Assigned Work & Readings

• Read "The Quaternary Sector and The Information Age" p. 249

• Complete questions #19-21