Learning Objectives
- Describe the foundational philosophies of capitalism and socialism.
- Discuss private property rights and why they are key to economic development.
- Discuss the concept of gross domestic product (GDP).
- Explain the difference between fiscal and monetary policy.
- Discuss the concept of the unemployment rate measurement.
- Discuss the concepts of inflation and deflation.
- Explain other key terms related to this chapter including supply, demand, equilibrium price, monopoly, recession, and depression.
What Is Economics?
To appreciate how a business functions, we need to know something about the economic environment in which it operates. We begin with a definition of economics and a discussion of the resources used to produce goods and services.
Resources: Inputs and Outputs
Economics is the study of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Resources are the inputs used to produce outputs. Resources may include any or all of the following:
- Land and other natural resources
- Labor (physical and mental)
- Capital, including buildings and equipment
- Entrepreneurship
- Knowledge
Resources are combined to produce goods and services. Land and natural resources provide the needed raw materials. Labor transforms raw materials into goods and services. Capital (equipment, buildings, vehicles, cash, and so forth) are needed for the production process. Entrepreneurship provides the skill, drive and creativity needed to bring the other resources together to produce a good or service to be sold to the marketplace.
Because a business uses resources to produce things, we also call these resources factors of production. The factors of production used to produce a shirt would include the following:
- The land that the shirt factory sits on, the electricity used to run the plant, and the raw cotton from which the shirts are made
- The laborers who make the shirts
- The factory and equipment used in the manufacturing process, as well as the money needed to operate the factory
- The entrepreneurship skills and production knowledge used to coordinate the other resources to make the shirts and distribute them to the marketplace
Input and Output Markets
Many of the factors of production are provided to businesses by households. For example, households provide businesses with labor (as workers), land and buildings (as landlords), and capital (as investors). In turn, businesses pay households for these resources by providing them with income, such as wages, rent, and interest. The resources obtained from households are then used by businesses to produce goods and services, which are sold to provide businesses with revenue. The revenue obtained by businesses is then used to buy additional resources, and the cycle continues. This is described in Figure 3.1 “Circular Flow of Inputs and Outputs,” which illustrates the dual roles of households and businesses:
- Households not only provide factors of production (or resources) bu