Industry organizes the provision of things that people need to live their lives, from essential items such as food and water, to luxury goods like tolls and chocolate. Without industry, we would have to produce everything we need ourselves. Not all industries produce goods. Service industries offer a service — washing clothes, for example — in return for money.
Many people think of industry as the collective large-scale manufacturing of goods in well-organized plants with a high degree of automation and specialization. Although this is a common example of industry, it can also include other commercial activities that provide goods and services such as agriculture, transportation, hospitality, and many others.
Industry can be classified into different categories or levels for a better understanding of the different types and for making it easier to study. Although many school textbooks list only three levels, more advanced books classify industry into five levels. The terms for each level originate from Latin words referring to the numbers one to five.
Levels of Industry
Primary (first): Primary industries are those that extract or produce raw materials from which useful items can be made. Extraction of raw materials includes mining activities, forestry, and fishing. Agriculture is also considered a primary industry as it produces “raw materials” that require further processing for human use.
Secondary (second):
Secondary industries are those that change raw materials into usable products through processing and manufacturing. Bakeries that make flour into bread and factories that change metals and plastics into vehicles are examples of secondary industries. The term “value added” is sometimes applied to processed and manufactured items since the change from a raw material into a usable product has added value to the item. Tertiary (third):
Tertiary industries are those that provide essential services and support to allow other levels of industry to function. Often simply called service industries, this level includes transportation, finance, utilities, education, retail, housing, medical, and other services. Since primary and secondary levels of industry cannot function without these services, they are sometimes referred to as “spin-off” industries. Much of the city of Thompson, for example, is made up of tertiary or service industries to support the primary industry of mining.
Quaternary (fourth):
Quaternary industries are those for the creation and transfer of information, including research and training. Often called information industries, this level has seen dramatic growth as a result of advancements in technology and electronic display and transmission of information.
Quinary (fifth):
Quinary industries are those that control the industrial and government decision-making processes. This level includes industry executives and management and bureaucrats and elected officials in government. Policies and laws are made and implemented at this level.
Picture Credit : Google
