Describe and explain the value of industrial location models

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A-level Geography Industrial Location Models

What is an industrial location model? [5]

1)        A model is a mathematical representation that is used to show why patterns have occurred, or to predict how things will occur in the future.  A location model shows why certain things have located in certain spaces and aims to show where they will locate in the future.  An industrial location model therefore aims to show why industry has located in the area it has, and where it will locate in the future.  The term industry includes primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary sectors.  All sides of industry can be incorporated in these models, this includes tertiary and primary as well as secondary employment, although most models are designed with manufacturing specifically in mind.  There are many types of industrial location model.  Weber designed a model that showed where secondary manufacturing industry would locate based on the weight of raw materials used and the weight of the final product.  Smith (1971) built an alternative to Weber’s model, which is more updated and takes into account new types of transport and industries other than secondary.  There are also models such as the behavioural matrix which attempt to show what type of companies are more likely to choose the optimum location for their business.

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Describe and explain the value of industrial location models [20]

2)        A model of industrial location put forward by Alfred Weber in 1909 assumes that industrialists choose a least-cost location for the development of new industry.  The theory is based on a number of assumptions.  Weber assumes that there is a flat relief, uniform transport, culture, climate, labour costs, political and economic system, and that markets are of fixed size and location.  It is also assumed that transport costs are proportional to the weight of the goods and the distance covered by the goods, and that perfect competition exists. One of ...

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