topic 1-intro to ecomomics Flashcards
define wants
can be defined as the material desires of individuals or the community.
define individual wants
individual wants are the desires of each person. an individual’s desires depend on personal preferences but can be influenced by broader social trends.
what is the economic problem?
our wants are unlimited however resources are scarce, since we cannot satisfy everyone’s wants we must choose between them.
true or false
are our wants unlimited?
true
define recurrent wants
recurrent wants are wants that reoccur that we must satisfy such as clothes, petrol, and newspapers.
define complementary wants
complementary wants are said to be if its naturally follows the initial satisfaction of another want for instance when you satisfy the want for a car, you will also want petrol and car assesories.
what usually affects the change in our wants?
the factors include age, income, technology and fashion
define opportunity cost
also referred to as the real cost, it represents the cost of satisfying one wants over an alternative want.
how can opportunity cost be applied to individuals, businesses and government?
the individual consumer, with limited resources, may choose between satisfying her desire for a car and an overseas holiday
the business firm must also make a choice in the allocation of its scarce resources. an entrepreneur who decides to produce a computer gives up the opportunity to produce something else such as electrical appliances
the government has limited resources that it can use to satisfy community wants if the government allocates resources to constructing a new fleet of submarines it may be at the expense of a new airport
what are the 4 economic problems?
- what to produce
- how much to produce
- how to produce
- how to distribute the production
what is the production possibility frontier?
the production possibility frontier is a graphical representation of all the possible combinations of the production of two goods to services that the economy can produce at any given time.
what are consumer goods?
consumer goods are goods that satisfy consumer demand immediately
what are capital goods?
capital goods are items that have not been produced for immediate consumption but will be used for the production of other goods.
how does economic decision-making have future implications for individuals, businesses and governments?
for individuals if that individual decides to go without an overseas holiday and instead take out a mortgage and purchase a house. Saving up for a deposit will present a significant sacrifice for many individuals
a business must choose to focus on one area of business activity over another. businesses have a limited amount of labour, capital, entrepreneurial skills and other resources so they must focus on the products in which they are likely to maximise profit.
the decisions of the government shave very important long-term implications, both for governments themselves and for the entire economy. A government may choose to give the highest priority in its spending to satisfy immediate needs, such as increased welfare benefits and health care. AS a result, it may provide less funding for other areas of expenditure such as education, infrastructure, and research and development
examples of consumer goods
water, food, shoes, clothing, beverages
example of capital goods
machinery, tools, buildings, vehicles and computers
describe the cost and benefit of producing capital goods in an economy
while capital goods do not satisfy consumers’ wants now, they will allow us to satisfy these wants in the future by expanding our ability to produce, this is the benefit and the cost is that at the current time, our wants aren’t satisfied.
outline a possible future economic benifit for each of the following choices
1. saving money in a bank account
2. pursuing tertiary education
3. working beyond the retirement age
- savings can increase because of interest rates meaning that our wants can be satisfied in the future with the increased amount of money
- the education that we get will benefit us in the future when we look for jobs that are hiring with specific tertiary education requirements
- working beyond the retirement age will allow them to have more savings and earnings which will later benefit the wants and needs of the retired individual in the future. as well as additional return on investment assets, potentially lower the cost of purchasing an annuity, additional retirement contributions
why would the economic factors underlying decision-making by individuals include
1. spending
2. saving
3. work
4. education
5. retirement
6. voting
7. participation in the political process
1&2; Whatever their level of income, individuals must make a choice about how much of that income they will save and how much they will spend
3.the individual’s ability to consumer will be restricted by their limited income when a couple decides to start a family, they may have to cut down on their personal expenditure and one partner may have to reduce their working hours and income to care for younger children
- the decision to undertake further education may involve forgoing income for several years, although in most cases it will be rewarded with high income in the longer run.
Define “economic problem”
- Finite resources mean they are limited and can run out.
- Our wants are unlimited
Define “consumer goods”
Consumer goods are items produced for the immediate satisfaction of individual and community needs and wants.
What does GDP stand for and what is it?
Growth domestic product measures the monetary value of final goods and services—that is, those that are bought by the final user—produced in a country in a given period of time
Name benefits of competition to consumers.
lower prices, higher quality, more choices.
What policy does the RBA use and how does it work?
The RBA uses monetary policy to control inflation and interest rates as well as control the supply of the money.
define “factors of production”
factors of production are any resources that can be used in the production of goods and services. The main four types are natural resources (or land), capital, labour and enterprise
what is the outcome of the production process
goods and services
match the following
1. goods
2. services
- are intangible acts that are the benefit to us
- are tangible things such as goods, cars and electronics
1 goes with 2
2 goes with 1
what are the 4 main types of resources?
capital, labour, enterprise and natural resources.
what are the rewards for capital, labour, enterprise and natural resources?
capital-interest
natural resources-rent
labour-wages
enterprise-profit
what is the produced means of production?
capital
what is the reward to the owners of labour?
wages
define enterprise
enterprise involves organising the other factors of production(natural resources, labour and capital) for the purpose of producing goods and services
what is returned to the enterprise as the reward
profit
what are the limits with each of the 4 resources?
- labour
- natural resources
- capital
- enterprise
labour
- our supply of labour is limited by our population size, labour market skills and people’s willingness to work
natural resources
-there are limits to the amount of natural resources available for production, including land, fossil fuels or even clear air and water
capital
-our supplies of capital are limited by the extent to which governments and private sectors are willing to invest, as well as the level of domestic(or overseas) savings available for investment
enterprise
- the supply of entrepreneurial skills is also limited by the size of the population and a range of other cultural and economic factors including the ability and willingness of individuals to innovate and take risks.
what are the disadvantages of bartering?
the barter system are inability to make deferred payments, lack of common measure value, difficulty in storage of goods, and lack of double coincidence of wants.
define the business cycle
the business cycle refers to fluctuations in the level of economic growth due to either domestic of international factors.
define recessions
recessions are the stage of the business cycle where there is decreasing economic activity, defined as two consecutive quarters(6 months) of negative economic growth, that is, a fall in GDP
what is bartering
the non cash exchange of goods and services
when was the last recession?
2020 during covid
what are the factors influencing individuals economic decisions
age, income, future plans and expectations, family circumstances, attitudes towards risks
these influence our wants which are always changing
everyone has different preferences and plans that change all the time
what are the factors influencing business economic decisions
- pricing strategies
-have a key trade-off to consider - A higher price means you make more on each unit you sell but its also likely you sell less cause of the increase. So your income might go up or down
-however if the price is lower, you make less per unit, however you will most likely sell more once again income might go up or down
- marketing strategies
-the price depends on the target market
prices set to appeal to the target market - cost minimisation
big objective- increase profits and depends on resources
-business have to choose whether to buy high-quality equipment and supplies that
-last longer
-lead to more productivity
-however are more expensive
on the other hand if businesses buy lower-quality equipment
-than it will be cheaper
- but more likely to break or fail
- ethical issues
when activities of the business impact the environment and society
- extra costs to preserve the environment
or
-sacrifice environment to save money
- industrial relations
decisions regarding staff
-paying more which encourages better performance or pay minimum wage
what are the things businesses must consider when making decisions
pricing strategies
marketing strategies
cost minimisation
ethical issues
industrial relations
and in all these factors there are trade offs
what are the factors influencing governments in their economic decisions
where the government spends its money and gets its taxes from
spending and taxation policies have impacts on individuals and business
have to choose between satisfaction of immediate or long term needs
Individual economic decision-making has a large focus on patterns of spending and saving.
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
True
B
(Choice B)
False
a
Which of the following is least likely to influence individual decision-making?
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
Age
B
(Choice B)
Social connections
C
(Choice C)
Income
D
(Choice D)
Future expectations
b
Mary is a 65 years old, earning a large salary and preparing for retirement. She is likely to spend a greater proportion of her income than a university student.
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
True
B
(Choice B)
False
b
Which of the following is the least important consideration when businesses decide what prices to set for their goods and services?
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
Profit margins on each unit
B
(Choice B)
Impact of price on demand
C
(Choice C)
Appealing to the target market
D
(Choice D)
Number of employees
d
When businesses try to minimise costs, they will almost always buy the cheapest equipment possible.
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
True
B
(Choice B)
False
b
Why would a business decide to pay their employees above the minimum possible standard?
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
To increase the costs of production and make the output more expensive
B
(Choice B)
To fairly distribute business profits throughout the business
C
(Choice C)
To encourage labour to work harder and be more loyal
D
(Choice D)
To increase spending in the economy by increasing disposable incomes
c
Which of the following is not an ethical decision that must be made by businesses?
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
Reducing environmental damage
B
(Choice B)
Testing product safety before release
C
(Choice C)
Ensuring safe and fair working conditions for labour
D
(Choice D)
Improving product quality
d
Which of the following is something that the government would choose to tax?
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
Education
B
(Choice B)
Roads
C
(Choice C)
Healthcare
D
(Choice D)
Pollution
d
What are the main ways governments make economic choices?
2018 Atomi Question
A
(Choice A)
Determining patterns of spending and taxation
B
(Choice B)
Attempting to be re-elected
C
(Choice C)
Implementing regulations
D
(Choice D)
Promoting Australia’s image overseas
a
what are the factors of production
they are the resources and inputs used to make goods and services