Industrial inertia
When businesses in the same industry locate in an area with similar firms, this is called industrial inertia. Even when the original advantages cease to exist, new firms might be attracted to the area. The original attractions, coal and water, might be replaced by other power sources and the natural humidity of the area can be imitated by mechanical means. In addition, natural fibers might be replaced by synthetic materials. Firms continue to locate because of other advantages. These include a supply of skilled labor, specialist marketing and support services. Industrial inertial does have disadvantages. When a region relies heavily on one industry, it will suffer if that industry declines.
Copy out the topic sentence in each paragraph that could be useful for composing a plan to the text.
Write a brief summary of the text. Use the following key-patterns.
1.
The text deals with ….. .
2. As the title implies the text describes ….. .
3. It is spoken in detail ….. .
4. ….. are noted.
5. Much attention is given to ….. .
6. The article is of help to ….. .
7. The article is of interest to ….. .
Answer the questions.
1 .Why is the problem of business location very important?
2. In what cases does a company make a decision where to locate?
3. What businesses locate close to their markets?
4. What types of communications are there? How are they used by different firms?
5. When re-locating most firms take most of their staff with them. Why?
6.
What do firms need to find out choosing a new site?
7. What does IT revolution mean in terms of firms operation?
8. How does government regulate business location?
Summarize the information of the text and render its essentials.
Look through the text and fill in the gaps with the words given below.
Primary industry needs to be..(1)..near to raw materials. For example, in the UK, agricultural..(2)..has been, and still is, located in areas..(3)..the South Anglia, Wales and Scotland. The location of mining and extraction is..(4)..by deposits of coal, oil and iron ore. In Russia such deposits are..(5)..in the European North.
After the Industrial Revolution, secondary manufacturing industry..(6)..was located close to raw materials. This is true of most ..(7)..countries. One of the reasons of this was that coal was the..(8)..source of power for these industries. Also, transport systems were poor..(9)..today’s standards and raw materials were costly to carry.
It could be..(10)..that these “ traditional factors” are no longer as..(11)..as they were. Gas and electricity systems mean that..(12)..close to a power source is no longer a constraint for most..(13).. Also transport systems now carry goods..(14)..cheaply and efficiently to manufacturers. Only businesses which depend on extremely bulky raw materials are located..(15)..to them.
(found, by, close, located, main important, production, being, such as, argued, industrialized, relatively, determined, firms, largely)
Render the text into English.
Самым благоприятным периодом отечественного развития предпринимательства был период с 1861 г. по 1917 г., когда нарастание предпринимательской активности происходило вне зависимости от реформаторской деятельности царей, правительства, от кризисов или благоприятных условий. Российское общество было подготовлено к преобразованиям всем ходом предшествующего внутреннего и международного развития.
Предпринимательство, в широком смысле - самостоятельная деятельность людей, организующих производство или торговлю, т.е. имеющих свое дело, которое приносит доход. Развитие предпринимательства, рыночных отношений в России отличалось рядом особенностей, главная из которых сводится к следующему. Наша страна относится к группе стран (Германия, Италия, Япония), которые с определенным опозданием приступили к индустриализации своих экономик. Как следствие, они вынуждены были часто опираться не только на экономические, но и на административные методы. В экономике Российской империи государство играло особенно большую роль. Основная ставка делалась не на свободу предпринимательства, как в Англии или США, а на государственное регулирование.
Points for discussion.
What do you think the role of an entrepreneur in society should be?
Many people associate businessmen with dishonesty. Do you agree with this point of view?
Do Russian entrepreneurs, so-called “wealthy Russians”, act like their Western counterparts?
The entrepreneurs’ voices in the socio-political system aren’t the most decisive. Do you think they should mature and realize their role in the country?
How can you characterize businessmen who existed in Russia before the revolution? Give examples.
Do you think that Russian entrepreneurs should consolidate themselves and more actively take part in political life and lobby their interests?
