| The word "society" refers to a group of people who | | | | and fruits, berries, nuts and the like. On the other |
| occupy a certain territory and possess a distinct | | | | hand, agriculturists subsist through the care and |
| culture, characteristics and institutions. Oftentimes, | | | | breeding of both plants and animals. Specifically, they |
| societies are also held together by a system of | | | | raise and process all types of livestock and are |
| shared beliefs or common goals. | | | | concerned with crop planting and harvesting. |
| There are four types of human societies based on | | | | Industrial societies are engaged in profit-generating |
| means of subsistence. These are the hunter-gatherer | | | | businesses involving the manufacturing and marketing |
| societies, nomadic pastoral societies, horticulturalist or | | | | of goods and services and involving large amounts of |
| simple farming societies and intensive agricultural | | | | capital investment. In terms of earnings, the financial |
| societies (civilizations). Some classifications also list | | | | services industry ranked as the largest industry in the |
| industrial and post-industrial societies, although this | | | | world in 2005. |
| may fall under agricultural societies. | | | | Finally, post-industrial societies, as the name indicates, |
| Hunter-gatherers main means of subsistence is | | | | are industrial societies that have evolved or |
| through foraging edible plants or hunting animals from | | | | undergone a series of structural changes as a result |
| the wild. They are not significantly concerned with | | | | of industrialization. For example, the recent explosion |
| domestication. Unlike hunter-gatherers, the nomadic | | | | in the area of information technology has led to an |
| pastoral society is wholly concerned with | | | | information age, which is a post-industrial society. Its |
| domestication and farming, agriculture and horticulture. | | | | raw materials are information, creativity, skills and |
| They are concerned with tending cattle, camels, | | | | knowledge. Some post-industrial societies are |
| sheep, goats and yaks. Their other defining feature is | | | | characterized by the rapid rise of service-providers to |
| that they are mobile and tend to move the herd | | | | the extent that they surpass manufacturers. |
| from place to pace in search of water and fresh | | | | Post-industrial societies are the most advanced, but |
| pasture. | | | | they have also been the subject of some criticism, |
| Horticulturist societies are primarily concerned with | | | | particularly in communities where shopping and |
| growing plants and crop production. They focus on | | | | recreational developments or new housing and |
| the storage, processing and transport of vegetables | | | | residential facilities have displaced old factories. |