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Industries: from manufacturing to service A
Industries and industrial practices expression
explanation
opposite expression
explanation
heavy industry
e.g. steel works, shipbuilding
light industry
e.g. manufacturing car parts, TV sets
manufacturing industry
making things, e.g. consumer goods
service industry
serving people, e.g. tourism, banking
high-technology (hightech; informal)
involving computers, e.g. software industry
low-technology (lowtech; informal)
involving little or no computer technology
cutting-edge technology
involving new and innovative technology
conventional technology
using standard, proven technology
privatisation
e.g. selling off state railways to private companies
nationalisation / state ownership
when industry is owned by the government
Many big industries are run as public-private partnerships. [partly state-owned, partly owned by private industries or businesses]
The nuclear industry receives a huge subsidy from the government. [money/grants which enable it to
stay in profit]
The government tries to encourage inward investment. [investment from foreign companies]
B
Industrial practices example
explanation
Most of the factory workers are on piecework.
they are only paid for the amount they produce
Many people now work on zero hours contracts, which means they have no job security.
they are employed by a company, but the number of hours they work each week may vary, and some weeks there may be no work for them, so they receive no pay
Child labour is a serious problem in some countries.
the employment of children to do adult jobs
In many countries, the right to trade union representation has only come after long struggles.
a union that negotiates wages and conditions for the people it represents
Many cheap electrical goods are produced in sweatshops in poorer countries.
factories where people work very long hours for low wages
Retraining and reskilling are necessary when an economy is modernised.
training people for new jobs and teaching them new skills
The big multinationals1 often close factories as a cost-cutting exercise2 and relocate3 and switch production4 to countries where labour and costs are cheaper. In many cases, components5 for cars are imported and then assembled6, rather than manufactured in the country. ig companies with operations in many different b countries 2 effort to reduce their costs 3 move the company’s offices (or, less commonly, production) to a different place 1
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English Vocabulary in Use Advanced
move the centre of manufacturing to a different place parts 6 put together 4 5
