Economics Flashcards
What is Economics?
the study of how resources are allocated to produce and distribute goods and services in society
What are products?
Products are goods (physical, can be touched & stored like ‘iron ore’ or ‘wheat’)
What are services?
Services (intangible, often rely on labour effort like ‘education’ and ‘medical’ to deliver it)
What products (goods & services) does Australia make and trade (export overseas)?
- Iron Ores and other ores
- Gold
- Lead and Diamonds
Why do other countries (economies) produce different goods & services in Australia? Examples?
- seasonal round fruit and vegetables
- All year round food that AUstraklia doesn’t produce eg, coffee.
What are the 4 factors of production?
Capital, entrepreneurship, Labour, Land
What is Capital?
The equipment and machinery used to make and package the product and the buildings where the production takes place. Eg, ovens, baking dish, racks and bakery.
What is Entrepreneurship?
The people who come up with the idea for the business and for the products made by the business. Eg, the owner of the company, a recipe for the bread
What is Land?
all the raw materials needed to produce the good or service. examples, flour, yeast, water, salt and electricity.
What is Labour?
The people who work to produce the relevant goods and services. Eg, bakers, office staff, shop assistants.
What is a basic economic problem?
Scarcity
What is scarcity?
Scarcity means there are limited resources available to meet unlimited wants.
Can come in the form of money, labour, or gold.
What is an opportunity cost?
The next best alternative that we gave up when we chose the thing we chose
Add-ons:
- When we make a choice, there is a winner (the thing we chose) and a loser (the thing we did not choose).
- Opportunity Costs arise from every decision made!
What is the relationship between scarcity and opportunity cost?
Opportunity costs arise from production decisions due to the scarcity of resources.
Add-ons:
- Resources are limited, so a person may not be able to afford all they want or need.
What is the cost-benefit analysis?
Carefully weighing up the advantages & disadvantages to help you make the best decision.