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  • 生产要素的生产要素

    Factors of Production
    ::生产要素的生产要素

    Choices concerning what goods and services to produce are choices about an economy’s use of its   , the resources available to it for the production of goods and services. More simply stated, the "factors of production" are the resources we need in order to produce the items that we would like to have. Those four factors are land , labor , capital , and entrepreneurs . Each of the factors makes production possible and the use, or misuse, of any one of them may impact the economy.
    ::如何选择生产商品和服务是经济使用其资源的选择。 更简单地说,“生产要素”是生产我们想要的产品所需要的资源。 这四个因素是土地、劳动力、资本和企业家。 每一种因素都使得生产成为可能,其中任何一个因素的使用或滥用都可能对经济产生影响。

    Universal Generalizations
    ::普遍化

    • Consumers decide how resources are allocated and what is produced.
      ::消费者决定如何分配资源和生产什么。
    • Since resources are limited, people must make choices related to goods and services.
      ::由于资源有限,人们必须作出与货物和服务有关的选择。
    • The wealth that an economy generates is made possible by the circular flow of economic activity.
      ::经济活动循环流动使经济产生的财富成为可能。

    Guiding Questions
    ::问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问 问

    1. What kinds of goods and services are required to meet peoples' needs and wants?
      ::为了满足人民的需要和愿望,需要何种商品和服务?
    2. What goods will be produced? How will they be produced? For whom will they be produced?
      ::将生产什么产品,将如何生产呢?将为谁生产呢?

     

    The concept of land has to do with specific items that humans get from nature, such as natural resources or things that are produced by the land, such as farm products.
    ::土地的概念与人类从自然中获得的具体物品有关,如自然资源或土地产生的物品,如农产品。

    Labor is what each person does as part of their livelihood or job to pay for their existence. Labor is performed by people and it is the total amount of talent and effort that a country’s labor force has to create products or services. The labor force may expand or contract over time, or it can evolve with changes to the market, but in the long run it will impact the economy of a country.
    ::劳动是每个人赖以生存的生计或工作的一部分。 劳动是由人来完成的,而国家劳动力必须创造产品或服务。 劳动力可能会随着时间而扩大或缩减,或者随着市场的变化而演变,但从长远看,它会影响到一个国家的经济。

    The third factor of production is capital , or capital goods, which are the tools or equipment necessary for production. Capital is both the result of production (assembly of a bulldozer) and can be used in production (bulldozer used on a construction site).  Any equipment or items used by a business, to help the business function, is a capital good.
    ::第三个生产要素是资本,或资本货物,它们是生产所需的工具或设备,资本既是生产的结果(装有推土机),也可以用于生产(建筑工地使用的推土机),企业使用的任何设备或物品帮助企业运作,都是资本货物。

    The last factor of production is the entrepreneur , or the person with the idea to create a product or develop a service. The entrepreneur is the one who believes that he/she has a better idea of how to build “a better mousetrap”. It is this person who ultimately tries to combine the factors of production to make a product or provide a service that people want and sell it for a profit. The entrepreneur is a risk-taker and the creative element that allows a free market economy to evolve as consumer demand changes.
    ::最后一个生产要素是企业家,或有创造产品或发展服务想法的人;企业家认为他/她对如何建立“更好的捕鼠陷阱”有更好的想法;是这个人最终试图将生产要素结合起来,生产产品或提供人们想要的产品或服务,并为了利润而出售产品;企业家是一个风险提供者,是使自由市场经济随着消费者需求的变化而演变的创造性因素。

     Video: Four Factors of Production 
    ::录像录像:四个生产因素

     

    Let's take  a closer look at the factors of production we use to produce the goods and services we consume.  
    ::让我们更仔细地研究一下我们用来生产我们消费的商品和服务的生产要素。

    Land (Natural Resources)
    ::土地(自然资源)

    Remember that the factor of production known as land is not just the land itself; "land" refers to the items humans get from nature. For this reason, it is helpful to think of "land" as "natural resources." There are two essential characteristics of natural resources. The first is that they are found in nature—that no human effort has been used to make or alter them. The second is that they can be used for the production of goods and services. That requires knowledge; we must know how to use the things we find in nature before they become resources.
    ::记住,土地的生产要素不仅仅是土地本身;“土地”是指人类从自然获得的物品;因此,将“土地”视为“自然资源”是有用的。 自然资源有两个基本特征:第一是自然资源在自然中被发现,没有利用人类的努力来制造或改变土地;第二是它们可用于生产商品和服务;这需要知识;我们必须知道如何在自然中发现的东西成为资源之前加以利用。

    The field, the cows, and the milk and beef they produce are all examples of the factor of production known as land.
    ::他们生产的田地、奶牛、牛奶和牛肉都是称为土地的生产要素的例子。

    Consider oil. Oil in the ground is a natural resource because it is found (not manufactured) and can be used to produce goods and services. However, 250 years ago oil was a nuisance, not a natural resource. Pennsylvania farmers in the eighteenth century who found oil oozing up through their soil were dismayed, not delighted. No one knew what could be done with the oil. It was not until the mid-nineteenth century that a method was found for refining oil into kerosene that could be used to generate energy, transforming oil into a natural resource. Oil is now used to make all sorts of things, including clothing, drugs, gasoline, and plastic. It became a natural resource because people discovered and implemented a way to use it.
    ::考虑石油。 地面石油是一种自然资源,因为它被发现(不是制造的),可以用来生产商品和服务。然而,250年前,石油是一种麻烦,而不是自然资源。 18世纪发现石油渗入土壤的宾夕法尼亚州农民感到沮丧,不高兴。没有人知道石油可以做什么。直到19世纪中叶,才找到一种方法将石油提炼成煤油,用来生产能源,将石油转化为自然资源。 石油现在被用来制造各种东西,包括服装、毒品、汽油和塑料。 石油成为自然资源,因为人们发现并运用了一种方法来使用石油。

    Defining something as a natural resource only if it can be used to produce goods and services does not mean that a tree has value only for its wood or that a mountain has value only for its minerals. If people gain enjoyment from the existence of a beautiful wilderness area, then that wilderness provides a service. The wilderness is thus a natural resource.
    ::只有在能够用于生产商品和服务时,才会将某物定义为自然资源,并不意味着一棵树仅对其木材具有价值,也不意味着一座山仅对其矿物具有价值。 如果人们从一个美丽的荒野地区的存在中得益,那么那片荒野就是一种服务。 因此,这块荒野就是一种自然资源。

    The natural resources available to us can be expanded in three ways. One is the discovery of new natural resources, such as the discovery of a deposit of ore containing titanium. The second is the discovery of new uses for resources, as happened when new techniques allowed oil to be put to productive use or sand to be used in manufacturing computer chips. The third is the discovery of new ways to extract natural resources in order to use them. New methods of discovering and mapping oil deposits have increased the world’s supply of this important natural resource.
    ::我们可利用的自然资源可以以三种方式扩大。一是发现新的自然资源,如发现含有钛的矿石矿床。二是发现资源的新用途,例如新技术允许石油用于生产,或将沙子用于制造计算机芯片。三是发现开采自然资源的新途径,以便利用这些资源。发现和测绘石油矿床的新方法增加了世界这一重要自然资源的供应量。

     

    Labor
    ::劳工劳工劳工劳工劳工劳动劳动

      is the human effort that can be applied to the production of goods and services. People who are employed or would like to be are considered part of the labor available to the economy.  People who work to repair tires, pilot airplanes, teach children, or enforce laws are all part of the economy’s labor. People who would like to work but have not found employment—who are unemployed—are also considered part of the labor available to the economy.
    ::就业者或希望就业者被视为经济现有劳动力的一部分。 修理轮胎、驾驶飞机、教育儿童或执法者都是经济劳动力的一部分。 愿意工作但没有找到工作的人 — — 失业者 — — 也被视为经济现有劳动力的一部分。

    These emergency room nurses are an example of the factor of production known as labor.
    ::这些急诊室护士是被称为劳动力的生产要素的一个例子。

    In some contexts, it is useful to distinguish two forms of labor. The first is the human equivalent of a natural resource. It is the natural ability an untrained, uneducated person brings to a particular production process. But most workers bring far more. The skills a worker has as a result of education, training, or experience that can be used in production are called   . Students who are attending a college or university are acquiring human capital. Workers who are gaining skills through experience or through training are acquiring human capital. Children who are learning to read are acquiring human capital.
    ::在某些情况下,区分两种劳动形式是有用的。第一类是自然资源的等同人。一种是未经培训、未受过教育的人将自然能力带给特定生产过程。但大多数工人带来更多。工人通过教育、培训或经验获得的技能可以用于生产,被称为“工人的技能”。在大专院校学习的学生正在获得人力资本。通过经验或培训获得技能的工人正在获得人力资本。正在学习阅读的儿童正在获得人力资本。

    The amount of labor available to an economy can be increased in two ways. One is to increase the total quantity of labor, either by increasing the number of people available to work or by increasing the average number of hours of work per week. The other is to increase the amount of human capital possessed by workers.
    ::经济可用的劳动力数量可以通过两种方式增加:一是增加劳动力总量,要么是增加工作人数,要么是增加每周平均工作时数;二是增加工人拥有的人力资本数量。

     

    Capital

      is a factor of production that has been produced for use in the production of other goods and services. Office buildings, machinery, and tools are examples of capital.  
    ::这是生产用于生产其他货物和服务的生产要素,办公大楼、机械和工具就是资本的例子。

    Long ago, when the first human beings walked the earth, they produced food by picking leaves or fruit off a plant or by catching an animal and eating it. We know that very early on, however, they began shaping stones into tools, apparently for use in butchering animals. Those tools were the first capital because they were produced for use in producing other goods—food and clothing.
    ::很久以前,当第一批人类在地球上行走时,他们通过摘树叶或摘果子或捕捉动物并食用它来生产食物,但我们知道,他们很早就开始把石头塑造成工具,显然是用于屠宰动物的工具,这些工具是第一个资本,因为它们是用来生产其他商品 -- -- 食物和衣服 -- -- 的。

    Modern versions of the first stone tools include saws, meat cleavers, hooks, and grinders; all are used in butchering animals. Tools such as hammers, screwdrivers, and wrenches are also capital. Transportation equipment, such as cars and trucks, is capital. Facilities such as roads, bridges, ports, and airports are capital. Buildings, too, are capital; they help us to produce goods and services.
    ::最早的石头工具的现代版本包括锯子、切肉机、钩子和研磨机;所有这些工具都用于屠宰动物;锤子、螺旋桨和扳手等工具也是资本;汽车和卡车等运输设备是资本;道路、桥梁、港口和机场等设施是资本;建筑也是资本;它们帮助我们生产货物和服务。

    This Boeing factory in Seattle, along with all of the machines housing inside, is an example of the factor of production known as capital.
    ::西雅图的这个波音工厂, 以及里面所有的机器, 就是一个称为资本的生产要素的例子。

    Capital does not consist solely of physical objects. The score for a new symphony is capital because it will be used to produce concerts. Computer software used by business firms or government agencies to produce goods and services is capital. Capital may thus include physical goods and intellectual discoveries. Any resource is capital if it satisfies two criteria:
    ::新交响乐的得分是资本,因为它将被用于制作音乐会。商业公司或政府机构用于生产货物和服务的计算机软件是资本。因此,资本可能包括有形货物和知识发现。任何资源如果满足以下两个标准即为资本:

    1. The resource must have been produced.
      ::资源必须已经产生。
    2. The resource can be used to produce other goods and services.
      ::这些资源可用于生产其他货物和服务。

    One thing that is not considered capital is money. A firm cannot use money directly to produce other goods, so money does not satisfy the second criterion for capital. Firms can, however, use money to acquire capital. Money is a form of financial capital.     includes money and other “paper” assets (such as stocks and bonds) that represent claims on future payments. These financial assets are not capital, but they can be used directly or indirectly to purchase factors of production or goods and services.
    ::一种不被视为资本的事物是金钱。 公司不能直接用钱来生产其他商品,因此钱不能满足资本的第二个标准。 但是,公司可以用钱来获取资本。 金钱是一种金融资本形式。 货币包括金钱和其他代表未来付款债权的“纸质”资产(如股票和债券 ) 。 这些金融资产不是资本,但可以直接或间接地用于生产要素或商品和服务的购买。

     

    Entrepreneurship

    Entrepreneurs play a role in putting these other three factors of production to work. As economists began to grapple with the problems of scarcity, choice, and opportunity cost two centuries ago, they focused on these concepts, just as they are likely to do two centuries hence.
    ::企业家在使另外三个生产要素发挥作用方面发挥了作用。 经济学家在两个世纪前开始处理稀缺、选择和机会成本问题,他们集中关注这些概念,就像他们可能从两个世纪开始做的那样。

    Goods and services are produced using the factors of production available to the economy. Two things play a crucial role in putting these factors of production to work. The first is   , the knowledge that can be applied to the production of goods and services. The second is an individual who plays a key role in a market economy: the entrepreneur. An     is a person who, operating within the context of a market economy, seeks to earn profits by finding new ways to organize factors of production. In non-market economies the role of the entrepreneur is played by bureaucrats and other decision makers who respond to incentives other than profit to guide their choices about resource allocation decisions.
    ::商品和服务的生产是利用经济现有的生产要素进行的,在使生产要素发挥作用方面,两件事起着关键的作用,一是可用于商品和服务生产的知识,二是在市场经济中发挥关键作用的个人:企业家;在市场经济中通过寻找新的生产要素组织方式来谋取利润的人;在非市场经济中,企业家的作用由官僚和其他决策者发挥,他们对利润以外的奖励作出反应,指导他们对资源分配决定的选择。

    Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are both well-known entrepreneurs; they founded Apple and Microsoft, respectively.
    ::史蒂夫·乔布斯和比尔·盖茨都是知名企业家;他们分别创立了苹果公司和微软公司。

    The interplay of entrepreneurs and technology affects all our lives. Entrepreneurs put new technologies to work every day, changing the way factors of production are used. Farmers and factory workers, engineers and electricians, technicians and teachers all work differently than they did just a few years ago, using new technologies introduced by entrepreneurs. The music you enjoy, the books you read, the athletic equipment with which you play are produced differently than they were five years ago. The book you are reading was written and manufactured using technologies that did not exist ten years ago. We can dispute whether all the changes have made our lives better. What we cannot dispute is that they have made our lives different.
    ::企业家和技术的相互作用影响到我们的所有生活。企业家们每天将新技术投入工作,改变生产要素的使用方式。农民和工厂工人、工程师和电工、技术人员和教师的工作都与几年前不同,他们使用企业家引进的新技术。你所欣赏的音乐、你读的书、你玩的体育设备的生产与五年前不同。你正在阅读的书是用十年前不存在的技术书写的和制造的。我们可以质疑这些变化是否使我们的生活变得更好。我们不能争议的是,这些变化使我们的生活变得不同。

     

    Answer the self check questions below to monitor your understanding of the concepts in this section.
    ::回答下面的自我核对问题,以监测你对本节概念的理解。

    Self Check Questions
    ::自查问题

    1. What are the factors of production? Which one do you think is the most important? Why?
    ::1. 生产要素是什么?你认为哪一个是最重要的?为什么?

    2. List two characteristics of natural resources.
    ::2. 列出自然资源的两个特点。

    3. What are the two forms of labor and how can we increase labor?
    ::3. 两种劳动形式是什么? 我们如何增加劳动力?

    4. What two criteria classify a resource as capital?
    ::4. 将资源归类为资本的两种标准是什么?

    5. What makes a person an entrepreneur?
    ::5. 是什么使一个人成为企业家?