1.2 Factor of production
Factors of production (Limited Resources)
Capital: equipment, materials (生产资料) (Goods used in the supply of other products e.g. tech)
Interest from savings + dividends from shares (Financial investment)
Enterprise: risk, management of other three, the skills of entrepreneurs,
Profits
Land: land and sea, extracted materials
Rental income to owners of land
Labour: physical workforce
Wages and salaries from employment
Factor income is the reward households receive when they sell their factors of production to firms (land = rent; labour=wages; capital=interest)
wage vs salary:
wage per hour, variable
salary per month, fixed
| Land | Labour | Capital |
|---|---|---|
| cotton | Advertising people | telephones |
| fertile soil | ships’ crew | shops |
| orange trees | bank clerks | lorries |
| orange | orange pickers | printing machines |
| coal | package designers | factory buildings |
| water | accountants | insecticide sprays |
| wood | warehouse workers | squeezing machines |
| shop assistants | power stations | |
| lorry drivers | roads | |
| calculators |
Production
[!def]
using inputs(resources) to produce outputs(goods and services) to satisfy the needs and wants for consumers.
Mobility of factors of production
[!def]
how easy or difficult it is for factors of production to be transferred to alternative industries
[!sticky | left | s-90]
Geographic Mobility: easy to relocate.
Occupational Mobility: easy to change the job.
| Factor of production | is it mobile | why | |
|---|---|---|---|
| power station | no | no alternative use | |
| lorry | yes | can be used by others, could be sold easily | |
| field used for growing rice | yes and no | could be used for different crop, sold to another:take time | |
| manager of a factory | yes | transferable skills | |
| computer | yes | can be sold easily | |
| shop | yes and no | to another retailer, for other uses: take time | |
| electrician | yes | can be transported easily |