Characteristics of factors of production and their rewards.....

Ø Characteristics of factors of production and their rewards :

Factors of production are resources used to produce goods and services:

• Land covers all natural resources – for example, the surface of the earth, the sea, rivers, minerals below the earth. Most land is geographically immobile but occupationally mobile. The reward to land is rent.

• Labour is human effort, mental or physical, used in the production of goods and services. Labour may be geographically immobile due to differences in housing costs and because of family ties. It may be occupationally immobile if workers lack education and training. Spending on education and training increases human capital. Wages are the reward to labour.

• Capital is human made goods used to produce other goods and services. Investment is spending on capital goods. Net investment occurs when i rms purchase more capital goods than are needed to replace those capital goods which have become obsolete – gross investment exceeds depreciation. Capital varies in its occupational and geographical mobility. A photocopier, for instance, can be used in most types of industries and can be moved from one part of the country to another. In contrast, an operating theatre is likely to be occupationally immobile and a gold mine is geographically immobile. The reward for capital is interest.

 • Enterprise or Organisation is the willingness and initiative to organise the other factors of production and, crucially, to bear the uncertain risks of producing a product. Entrepreneurs are the people who have the willingness and initiative to make decisions and to take the risks involved in production. In a public limited company, the role of the entrepreneur is divided between the managers (who make the business decisions) and shareholders (who bear the risks). Entrepreneurs tend to be relatively, occupationally and geographically mobile. The reward for enterprise is profit.