Teachers notes

This major topic covers an area of rapid change, particularly caused by improvements in technology which affect both location and levels of employment.

Suitable lines of enquiry might be:

1. The problems of change - this includes the issues of retraining and the fluidity of the labour market.

2. Unemployment - this is a major topic which may be considered from two viewpoints. These are the social effects of unemployment and the factors which cause it.

3. Overproduction - this has become a product of increasing technological developments in both agriculture and manufacturing industry. Consideration may be given to the methods of controlling it - quotas, international agreements and market forces.

4. Pollution - the environmental issues may relate to the method of production which can destroy habitats to provide agricultural land or can be air, water or land pollution by the manufacturing process. A second approach might be the pollution caused by the end product - the influence and control of the motor car is an obvious topic with many well documented resources.

5. Finance - the different methods of financing development may be considered, particularly looking at the effects of development grants within the United Kingdom.

6. The motor industry - coverage of this topic may include the change in location and the reasons for this or the environmental aspect of the use of the motor car.

7. Agriculture - as the industry becomes more efficient and capable of producing more with less land and fewer employees, what effects are there on the landscape of a country such as the United Kingdom? Other studies might include the origin of fresh foods in supermarkets and the effects on pricing of quotas.

8. Service industries - as these become major employers, what are the problems to be faced? These might include the growth in part time work, low wages in some sectors and the influence of computers on employment levels in industries such as finance.

9. The spread of industrialisation - what effect does this have on the economy of nations, world trade and the changing distribution of population? Related issues include the level of international debt and freeing trade barriers to imports from developing countries.