you can’t always get what you want but you can get what you need
TRANSCRIPT
You Can’t Always Get What You Want
But You Can Get What You Need
Production is knowing –
What -
How - For Who -
Factors of Production-Land- fixed
Capital- items used in service
Financial Capital- money
Labor- skill
Entrepreneurs- risk takers
To have Value- an object must be
Scarce and
Wanted
But what gives an object its wealth?
Wealth-accumulation of products that are:
Tangible
Scarce
Useful
Transferable
Adam Smith- 1776
Wealth of Nations
Single job skill = production
“Nation’s wealth is defined by the sum of its labor-produced goods, not by who owned those goods.”
“A true-free competitive market-operatingwith a minimum of government intervention would bring about the greatest good for society.”
“Laissez-faire”- government’s role
Supply- volume for sale
Law of Supply- more is offered at ahigher price and less at a lower price
When sales slow, maximum price reached
Demand- desire, ability and willingness tobuy a product
Law of Demand- quantity sets the price
When demand drops, price dropsand less is produced
Pricing Theory- similar goods for similar price
Competition keeps prices down
Buyer competition keeps prices steady
Similar products sell within a narrow range
Prices get customers toforget minor differences
Competition
Monopoly- one seller of a product
Natural monopoly-
Costs minimized
“Franchise” tag
Oligopoly- dominant few
Technological monopoly- patents
Invention- covered for 20 years
Design- covered for less time
Copyright- lifetime plus 50 years
Macroeconomics- national economics employment, G.D.P., inflation, growth,distribution of income
Unskilled labor- least amount of human capital invested
Semiskilled labor- work machines with minimum training
Skilled labor- use complex equipment without
supervision
Professional labor- knowledge basededucation and managerial skills
Theory of –Wage Determination-
Supply and demand for a worker’s skill
Comparable worth- equal pay for equal work
Part time workers- less than 35 hrs.weekly
Minimum Wage-
Texas- $6.55
Lowest legal wage
Does minimum wagelower the number ofpeople who have ajob?
Minimum Wage
3% of Texas workers
1.7 million or 2.2% of U.S. workers
Tipped employees
$2.13 per hour
If tips plus $2.13 do not equal $6.55, employer must make up the difference
Employees under 20
May be paid $4.25 per hour for the first90 days on the job
Stimulates consumption- more money tolow-income workers
Increases the average living standard
Creates incentive to work
Pros of minimum wage-
More people enter the job market instead of pursuing further education
Wage increase passed on to customers
Prices unemployable out of the market
Cons of minimum wage-
Evolution of Money
Barter economy- goods for services
Money- a medium of exchange
Medium of exchange- something accepted by all parties
“Salarium” – Roman salt payment formilitary service = “Salary”-
Characteristics of Money
Portable
Durable
Divisible
Limited in supply
Developmentof Banks
Colonial banks issued own money
Gold or silver backing
1865 – 1,600 state banks10,000 kinds of paper currency
“Greenbacks” – federal currency
“Legal tender” – guaranteed
“Gold Certificates” – backed by gold - 1861
“Silver Certificates” – silver backed – 1878
“Treasury Coin Notes” – 1890 – both
Gold Standard- 1900, currency backedby set price
1933- gold or certificates must declareGold Reserve Act of 1934 exchangegold certificates
Abandoning the Gold Standard
1930s cashing in for gold
“Inconvertible fiat money standard”-Neither gold nor silver monetary standard
Ones – 18 months
Fives- 15 months
Tens- 18 months
Twenties- 2 years
Fifties and Hundreds – 8 years
Life Span of Money
Trade union- skilled workers, same job
Industrial union- all workers, same industry
Right to work law-Illegal to force unionmembership as term ofemployment
Closed shop- union workers only
Union shop- membership required afteremployment