Factors of Production
Production relies on four fundamental resources known as the factors of production:
1. Land: This encompasses all natural resources utilized in production, such as soil, water, and minerals. It is fixed in supply and has various applications such as agriculture and construction, leading to the reward of rent.
2. Labour: Reflections of human effort used in producing goods and services, labour is categorized into skilled, semi-skilled, and unskilled types. It is perishable and inseparable from the worker, and its reward is wages.
3. Capital: These are man-made assets like tools, machines, and buildings that assist in production. They are of two types: fixed capital (long-lasting, like machinery) and working capital (consumed during production, like raw materials). Capital is mobile and results from savings and investments, rewarded with interest.
4. Entrepreneur: An individual who combines land, labour, and capital to initiate production while taking financial risks. Entrepreneurs drive innovation and manage business operations, earning profits as their reward.
Understanding these factors is critical as they form the backbone of the productive mechanism and play a significant role in economic growth.