Capitalism is an economic system dominated by free markets and private ownership of wealth, assets and business. Within the broad church of capitalism, there are different forms – from unregulated ‘Turbo-capitalism’ to ‘responsible or ‘social welfare capitalism.’ In practice, all ‘capitalist economies have a degree of government intervention. Turbo Capitalism This refers to an unregulated …
Economic growth measures the change in real GDP (national income adjusted for inflation; ONS call it chained volume measure of GDP) Since the end of the great recession (2008 – 2009) the UK economy has grown in fits and starts. It has been a relatively weak economic recovery compared to previous recessions. 2019 has seen …
Readers Question: Why is it that the value of the exchange rate falls when there is higher inflation? How inflation affects the exchange rate A higher inflation rate in the UK compared to other countries will tend to reduce the value of the Pound Sterling because: High inflation in the UK means that UK goods …
An assumption in classical economics is that firms seek to maximise profits. Profit = Total Revenue (TR) – Total Costs (TC). Therefore, profit maximisation occurs at the biggest gap between total revenue and total costs. A firm can maximise profits if it produces at an output where marginal revenue (MR) = marginal cost (MC) Diagram …
The main objectives of firms are: Profit maximisation Sales maximisation Increased market share/market dominance Social/environmental concerns Profit satisficing Co-operatives Business Objectives of firmsWatch this video on YouTube Sometimes there is an overlap of objectives. For example, seeking to increase market share, may lead to lower profits in the short-term, but enable profit maximisation in the …
Bank run definition A bank run occurs when there is a sudden demand to withdraw money from a bank, that the commercial bank struggles to meet. The first signs of ‘bank panic’ will encourage other depositors to also try and withdraw their savings, causing a further ‘run on the bank.’ In a bank run, investors …
A look at the main macroeconomic objectives (economic growth, inflation and unemployment, government borrowing) and possible conflicts between these different macro-economic objectives. The main macro-economic objectives Economic growth – positive and sustainable growth (The UK, long-run trend rate is around 2.5%) Low inflation (UK target 2% +/-1) – Low unemployment / Full employment (e.g. around …
Readers Question: What are the effects of the exchange rate on UK businesses? The exchange rate will play an important role for firms who export goods and import raw materials. Essentially: A depreciation (devaluation) will make exports cheaper and exporting firms will benefit. However, firms importing raw materials will face higher costs of imports. An …