The document provides an overview of economic systems and how economies function. It discusses (1) the three phases of economic activity: production, distribution, and consumption; (2) the key factors affecting production: natural resources, labor, capital, and technology; (3) the four economic sectors: primary, secondary, tertiary, and quaternary; and (4) different economic systems including subsistence, capitalist, planned, and alternative economies.
2. CONTENTS
1. How economic activity works
2. Factors affecting production
3. Economic sectors
4. Economic systems
3. INTRODUCTION
The economic systems in the world today include subsistence
models, capitalism, planned economies and mixed models. All these systems
help peoples needs and desires in different ways.
Our planet resources are limited, and economic exploitation can lead to
the overuse of resources and the creation of excessive amount of waste.
Future generations should work on this problem or we will not have
enough natural resources . We must all work together to consume the Earths
resources responsibly.
4. 1.1 HOW ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
WORKS?
People have individual needs, such as
food, clothes, hygiene and exercise,
whereas society has collective needs, such
as healthcare, justice, communication and
education.
WHAT IS ECONOMIC ACTIVITY?
Economic activity describes all the jobs
done by workers in order to satisfy the
needs of people and societies by providing
goods or services.
5. 1.2THETHREE PHASES OFTHE
ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
1. PRODUCTION
The company decides on the products to be produced, the amount and the
manufacturing process.
These products can be goods or services.
GOODS
Consumer goods, which satisfy the
desires or needs of the consumer, such
as clothes and furniture.
Intermediate goods, such as machines
and tools, are used to manufacture
consumer goods
SERVICES
Healthcare, public transport, police, etc.
They require infrastructure and the
investment of the government.
6. 2. DISTRIBUTION
Distribution occurs after the production and consists of the delivery of goods
or services to the consumer.This involves:
Storage, transport, marketing, sale of goods.
There are two steps in the sales process:
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WHOLESALE
Wholesalers buy a large number
of products and sell them to
companies, who then sell the
goods to individual consumers
RETAIL
Retail businesses buy a small
number of goods from
wholesalers and sell them
directly to the public in shops
9. 3. CONSUMPTION
The buying of goods and services allows people to satisfy their needs.
This means they are able to consume products or use goods and services
People consume goods, such as food or drinks, and use others, such as
television or computers.
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11. 2.1. Natural resources
Nature gives us many elements
that we transform to satisfy the
needs of human society.
Because these resources are
limited and could run out soon,
we need to make sure we do not
overexploit them.
12. 2.2. Labour
Labour is all human activity,
whether physical or intellectual,
that is required to produce goods
or provide services that are
necessary for people and society.
13. 2.3. Capital
Capital includes all of the resources used to
produce goods and services. There are two type of
capitals:
Physical capital. This includes the land on which
the business is built, the construction and
maintenance of the premises, and the machinery
and raw materials needed for the production of
goods and services. All this requires a considerable
investment.
Financial capital. Money needed to begin
production. This includes loans of banks or other
institutions.
14. 2.4.Technology and expertise
Technical expertise makes possible the
design, construction and use of machines and
devices for the production of goods and
services.
We can distinguish three types of production
according to this technology:
Manual production
Mechanical production
Hi-tech production
Competitive companies require quality
training programmes for the employees and
also laboratories to reach new technology
and new products.
15. 3.THE ECONOMIC SECTORS
Economic sectors are so diverse that they have been traditionally
divided into three large economic sectors. However, a fourth sector
has been recently added to this classification.
1. THE PRIMARY SECTOR
2. THE SECONDARY SECTOR
3. THETERTIARY SECTOR
4. THE QUATERNARY SECTOR
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18. 3.1.The primary sector
This sector includes activities that
produce food for consumption
and raw materials for industry. It
consists of agriculture, livestock
farming, fishing and forestry.
19. 3.2.The secondary sector
This sector includes all economic
activities that transform raw materials
found in nature through industrial
processes into manufactured products.
The main activities are:
Industry
Construction
Exploitation of energy sources (water,
oil, gas)
20. 3.3.The tertiary sector
This sector includes a wide variety of
activities. It does not produce material
goods like the primary and secondary
sectors. It provides services to the
population or to companies such as
healthcare, education, transport,
tourism, trade and culture.
This sector is the fastest-growing sector
due to the appearance and expansion of an
information society, which has aided the
development of scientific and technical
research, including on-line services and
shops.
21. 3.4.The quaternary sector
This is a new economic sector based on
expertise that includes activities related
to the creation, distribution and
manipulation of information, and also
social, cultural and economic
innovation and research. Workers in
these fields need special training and
high levels of expertise.
The use of advance technology
22. 4. ECONOMIC SYSTEMS
All societies need to think about what products they can make, how they
make them, and who they will make them for.
These systems can be organised in different ways according to the societys
beliefs and historical background.
The subsistence system
The capitalist system
The planned economy system
Alternative economies
23. 4.1.The subsistence system
This system is characteristic of societies with
low levels of development, people produce
what they need to meet their basic needs. They
work the land for food, build their own
houses, make their own clothes, etc. Any
surplus goods are sold in local markets.
24. 4.2.The capitalist system
This system defends free competition
between individuals and companies to
develop economic activities. It is also called
the free market system.
It is based on the LAW OF SUPPLY AND
DEMAND for fair prices for good and services
that people need. The means of production
are private.
Capitalism started with the Industrial
Revolution in the late 18th century.
A little bit of critical thinking
25. 4.3.The planned economy system
In this system, the state owns the means of
production and controls all aspects of the
economy. It decides how much is produced.
It also decides how much goods will cost and
what to do with the profits.
Today this system exists in countries like
China or North Korea. China, however, is
changing it slowly by opening its economy to
foreign countries and investment.
26. 4.4. Alternative economies
These economies reject capitalism
because they say it does not meet the
real needs of its citizens and promotes
inequality.
They suggest unique model for society that
is based on solidarity between people,
respect for nature and the common good.