Understanding the Service Sector: Evolution and Impact

Posted on Nov 17, 2024 in Geography

The Unit Service Sector

Service: Non-material goods and services meeting post-industrial society needs. Society: Societies undergoing tertiarization. GDP: Value of national production. Active population: Shift as per Petty-Clark law.

Classification of Services

Management

  • Public: Administration, defense, education, health, transport, communications.
  • Private: Education, health, transport, services for families and businesses.

Type of Service

  • Social: Health, education, grants (basic needs).
  • Other: High-performance services.

Locations of Tertiary Activities

The primary sector declined from 90% to 80% by 2000. The secondary sector peaked around 1950, then decreased by 2000. The tertiary sector rose from 9% in 1800 to 70% in 2000.

Trade

Economic activities connecting producers with consumers.

Internal Trade

Within a country, requiring good communication and business structure.

  • Wholesale: Large quantities purchased from producers and sold to retailers.
  • Retail: Direct sales to consumers.

Trade Forms

  • Peddling: Urban and central areas.
  • Small Trade: Inside urban centers (supermarkets, department stores, hypermarkets, catalog sales).

Centers

  • Bourgeois Ensandie: Commercial, orthogonal streets (late 19th century).
  • CBD: Well-connected, high activity, tall buildings.
  • Old Town: Transformations, attempts to revive traditional trade.

Periphery

  • Residential: Neighborhoods based on socioeconomic levels.
  • Non-Residential: Industrial services.

Site: Physical location of a city. Location: City’s position relative to its environment.

Tourism

Types

  • Beach/Coastal: Climate and beach attractions.
  • Mountain/Snow: Scenic destinations.
  • Rural: Tranquil environments.
  • Religious: Religious reasons.
  • Business: Courses, conferences, conventions.
  • Spa: Relaxation or recovery.
  • Shopping: Specialized shops in big cities.
  • Artistic/Health: Origins of 19th-century tourism.
  • Recreation: Complementary activity.
  • Green: Natural assets.

Consequences

Positive
  • Increased GDP and balance of payments.
  • Job creation.
  • Promotion of local products.
  • Infrastructure development.
Negative
  • Uncontrolled urbanization.
  • Increased waste disposal.
  • Water contamination.
  • Excessive consumption.

Service Sector in Spain

Causes of outsourcing:

  • Increased standard of living and purchasing power.
  • Demand for specialized services.
  • Development of the welfare state (post-1980).
  • Spain’s incorporation into the EU.
  • Spain as a major tourist destination.

Information Services

  • Media: Mass communication.
  • Telecommunications: Communication systems (Hertzian waves, telephone).
  • Media Technology: Creating and playing text, sound, and images.
  • ICT: Information and Communication Technology (third industrial revolution).

Globalization

Development of ICT and transport leading to globalization of economic activities, culture, and migration.

Factors
  • Physical: Mild climate, coastal peninsula, mountain tourism, natural heritage.
  • Human: Rural tourism development, low service costs, European aid, historical cities, good transport network.
Consequences
  • Positive: Diversification, increased GDP, balance of payments.
  • Negative: Job insecurity, environmental impact, waste generation.
Flows
  • Sources: Europe, Southeast Asia, North America.
  • Destinations: Mediterranean coast, Balearic Islands, Madrid, Barcelona, Santiago de Compostela, Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada.