1.1 Flashcards
Uses of opportunity cost (3)
- consumers use to decide what to spend money on
- producers use to decide what/how to produce goods and services
- government use it to decide what politics to choose
Causes of economic growth (3)
- increase in quantity of factors of production
- increase in quality of factors of production
- a combination of both
What things can cause a point to be under the PPF curve? (2)
- inefficient use of resources
- underutilisation of resources
What does increased productivity lead to? (3)
- higher output + quality
- higher living standards
- more efficient use of resources
Advantages of division of labour? (4)
- Workers become more skilled through repetition of tasks
- the productivity of workers rises, so output rises
- workers are more efficient so time is saved
- workers are easier and cheaper to train
- higher quality of goods
Disadvantages of the division of labour? (2)
- Repetition may result in boredom ->lower morale -> lower quality of goods
- simplified roles could result in a reduction in workers pride
- workforce does not have wide industrial training and thus could suffer from structural unemployment
Advantages of specialisation (3)
- better quality + quantity
- efficient resource use
- higher economic growth -> better living standards
- comparative advantage = greater output
Disadvantages of specialisation (4)
- over reliance on a few industries is risky
- increased interdependence reduces self sufficiency
- workers receive little training = struggle to find work = suffer structural unemployment.
- Mass-produced standardised goods may lack variety which damages consumer welfare.
Results of firms in free markets having profit motive
- Firms can develop own new products
- Firms incentivised to meet consumer demand
what type of science is economics and why?
Economics is a social science which means it studies society and relationships between people
what are positive statements?
Positive statements are objective statements that can be refuted
what are normative statements?
Normative statements are subjective statements – i.e. they carry value judgments
What is microeconomics?
Microeconomics considers the economics of everyday life such as the decisions that we as households take and the impact of businesses in different and related industries
what is the economic problem?
The basic economic problem is finding efficient and fair ways to meet infinite wants with finite resources.
Factors of Production
- Land: The stock of natural factor resources available for production
- Labour: The quantity/quality of human input available for production process.
- Capital: Man-made goods used to supply other products
- Enterprise: Entrepreneurs organise inputs and take risks when seeking to exploit market opportunities.