What are Physical Resources?

To achieve anything, one needs resources. Whether it be something intangible like knowledge or something tangible like food. Without resources, it is impossible for us to accomplish anything. You have come this far in society and technology due to the development of resources. As humans, you utilize resources every moment of your existence. However, exploiting such resources could lead to drastic, often negative, changes in the surroundings. One such example would be global warming due to the over-exploitation of fossil fuels and deforestation. In this article, you will look at what physical resources and human resources are there and develop an understanding of the same.

1. What is the Definition of Physical Resources?

Physical resources are daily things or resources that we use. The definition of physical resources is subjective as it changes with the context. Physical resources for human survival would be air, water, and food. Whereas in the context of businesses, they could refer to office buildings, data servers, or transport. (See What are Few Examples of Producers Consumers and Decomposers?)

2. What are Physical Resources in Environment?

For humans to exist, we depend on nature. About seven million years of human evolution was possible because humans learned to use the abundant resources in our environment. In the context of our environment, physical resources refer to the non-living resources that are integral or beneficial to the survival of an organism. Hence, in our environment, it includes water, air, minerals, sunlight, coal, soil, etc. (See What are Physical Features in Geography?)

3. What is the Importance of Physical Resources?

Physical resources have been integral to humanity’s progress since the earliest times. Whether it be the development of weapons from stones and wood or the development of the steam engine with coal, humans have used natural resources to move forward. Apart from the ideas of progress, you depend on resources such as air, water, and soil for your existence. Without physical resources, not only would all development come to a halt, but humanity and life itself may also cease to exist. (See How do Solar Powered Lights work?)

4. How do you get Physical Resources from Nature?

Humans make use of natural (physical) resources for their needs. Although you are dependent on these resources for your existence, you cannot use them in their raw form. Nature provides only the raw materials you require. Then, you process the raw material to make the resources you need. We have developed various methods to process the raw materials for our use. The following are some processes through which we obtain these resources:

• Fishing, Must read what are the uses of Water in our Daily Life?
• Agriculture, 
• Mining,
• Forestry, and
• Petroleum extraction (See Why is Agriculture Important?)

5. What are Material Resources in Business?

In business, material resources are the resources, ones you can touch and utilize. The resources are generally the physical assets that a company owns. They help in the achievement of the business’s targets and goals. These assets or material resources fall into four broad categories:

• Technology, machinery, and tools are subject to change with contemporary developments.
• Real estate and furniture and the location of the office are included.
• The resources or raw material that it utilizes.
• The product that a business manufactures. (See What Type of Energy is produced by Friction?)

6. What are Physical Resources of an Organization?

The physical resources that an organization employs are the resources that it utilizes. These resources are tangible, it takes up space and has value. Examples of physical resources in an organization include offices, properties, furniture, technology, machinery, tools, raw materials, products, data servers, transportation, accommodation, etc. Also, check out what is Empowered Consumerism?

7. How do you get Physical Resources?

These resources are crucial for any organization to function. The procurement of these resources may take place through various means. As this involves money, the organization looks at various factors such as costs, total budget, and Return on Investment (RoI). Subsequently, an organization may choose to own an asset, rent an asset, or enter into a partnership or sponsorship to procure the asset. (See Different types of Customers in Marketing and Retail)

8. What do you Mean by Human Resources?

Human resources are the living resources that an organization utilizes. They can be skilled or unskilled labor that serves an organization’s needs. They are the core of a company, personnel, or employees that make up the organization. Organizations employ humans to ensure the utilization of physical resources to achieve their goals. Humans are crucial to any organization’s functioning. Their purpose elevates an organization’s employees to the status of these resources. Must read how to build the entrepreneurial mindset?

9. What does HRD Mean?

HRD is an abbreviated term that stands for Human Resource Development. It is the development of human resources in an organization. Human Resource Development could refer to the technical skill directly related to a person’s performance or it could also be the development of verbal skills like anger management, workplace productivity, or cooperation, which are directly related to an organization’s smooth functioning.

HRD may take place through formal or informal means. Some aspects that Human Resource Development focuses on are:

• Mentoring,
• Tuition assistance,
• Performance management,
• Succession planning, and
• Employee coaching. (See What are the Benefits of Studying Business Administration?)

10. What is Physical Resource Management?

Physical resource management is a self-explanatory term that refers to managing physical resources at hand. It is an integral part of any project as it ensures high efficiency and low wastage. Many organizations have begun to adopt physical resource management practices to get maximum yield from effective budgetary allocations. Physical resource management involves four key processes, they are:

A. Planning

It is imperative to plan the requisite materials for a project. When you know your requirements, it becomes easy to manage the resources. As such, three key aspects to plan are:

• The physical resources you require and how to procure them.
• The management of these resources during the commencement of the project.
• The utilization of the resources themselves throughout the project. Also, check out what are examples of Screw as a Simple Machine?

B. Stimulation

It is the estimation of the quantity and cost of the physical resources. Understanding how much of a resource you require and how to go about it is crucial. The estimation could be on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. It will assist in the cost estimation, further opening up the question of efficiency and necessity.

C. Acquiring Resources

After the initial planning, you will need to procure the physical resources for the project. This process involves not just the procurement of said resources but also their transport, storage, and maintenance. (See How does Non Chlorine Bleach work?)

D. Actual Management

Management involves monitoring and controlling the use of resources. It ensures the prevention of misuse of resources. It prevents overuse or underuse, helping the project stay on track and reach requirement goals as initially planned. Also, check out what is the correct order of steps in the Scientific Method?

11. What are the Physical Resources in a School?

Like every institution, a school also has its physical resources. They can be infrastructural or material. The following are some of the resources that a school utilizes:

• School building,
• Classroom,
• Library,
• Administrative block,
• Laboratory,
• Playground,
• Other places like an auditorium or AV hall,
• Books,
• Gadgets, and
• Laboratory equipment (See Why was School Created?)