For other uses of this term, see Industry (disambiguation)

An industry is generally any grouping of businesses that share a common method of generating profits, such as the "music industry", the "automobile industry", or the "cattle industry". It is also used specifically to refer to an area of economic production focused on manufacturing which involves large amounts of capital investment before any profit can be realized, also called "heavy industry.". As-of 2004, Financial services is the largest industry (or category of industries) in the world in terms of earnings.

Industry in the second sense became a key sector of production in European and North American countries during the Industrial Revolution, which upset previous mercantile and feudal economies through many successive rapid advances in technology, such as the development of steam engines, power looms, and advances in large scale steel and coal production. Industrial countries then assumed a capitalist economic policy. Railroads and steam-powered ships began speedily integrating previously impossibly-distant world markets, enabling private companies to develop to then-unheard of size and wealth. Following the Industrial Revolution, perhaps a third of the world's economic output is derived from manufacturing industries—more than agriculture's share, but now less than that of the service sector.

More on [ Industry ]

NPR Topics: Technology

Obama Uses Text Messaging With Eye On Nov. 4
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:22:00 -0400
The Obama campaign has used text messaging to communicate with its supporters. Andrew Rasiej, founder of TechPresident, a blog that focuses on technology and the presidential campaigns, says the cell phone numbers can be used to get out the vote on Nov. 4.
'Marketplace' Report: Relief For Porn Addicts
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:00:00 -0400
In the newest test version of Microsoft's forthcoming Internet Explorer, consumers will have the option to surf without a "history." There are benefits to this feature beyond just prolonging marriages.
FCC Spreads The Word On Digital TV Switchover
Mon, 25 Aug 2008 10:04:00 -0400
In February, people who use an antenna to get television signals will have to begin using conversion boxes to watch their favorite programs. The Federal Communications Commission will start an 80-city tour this week to talk about the changes.

L.A. Times - Technology News

Blogger Kevin Cogill charged with felony in leak of Guns N' Roses songs
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The Culver City man had posted nine songs from the yet-to-be released album 'Chinese Democracy.' He faces up to three years in prison and fines under a law cracking down on individual bootleggers. When five FBI agents arrested Kevin Cogill at his Culver City apartment, it marked the newest weapon in the entertainment industry's war on piracy: felony charges against small-time bootleggers.
DNA databases blocked from the public
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
The National Institutes of Health removes patients' genetic profiles from its website after a study reveals that a new type of analysis could confirm identities. The National Institutes of Health quietly blocked public access to databases of patient DNA profiles after learning of a study that found the genetic information may not be as anonymous as previously believed, The Times has learned.
Where technology and politics meet
Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0700
Companies push their cellphone-related products at the Democratic convention. It must have been tough to be a delegate at the Democratic National Convention -- you had to know when to scream for Hillary Rodham Clinton, when to scream for Barack Obama and when not to scream. And then you had to learn the art of shaking hands and networking while listening for really important announcements about, for example, someone somewhere offering free pizza.

Subscribe to Data_Communications RSS feed