{"id":251,"date":"2015-04-21T15:58:58","date_gmt":"2015-04-21T15:58:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/courses.candelalearning.com\/masterybusiness1xngcxmaster\/?post_type=chapter&p=251"},"modified":"2017-03-10T23:31:37","modified_gmt":"2017-03-10T23:31:37","slug":"putting-it-together-2","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/courses.lumenlearning.com\/suny-hccc-introbusiness\/chapter\/putting-it-together-2\/","title":{"raw":"Putting It Together: Economic Environment","rendered":"Putting It Together: Economic Environment"},"content":{"raw":"

Synthesis<\/h2>\r\n\"Black-and-white<\/a>\r\n\r\nIn this module you learned about the fundamental economic principles that affect\u00a0the environment in which businesses operate. Understanding the economy is like getting\u00a0the weather forecast before you head out the door. Might you need to pack a sweater or an umbrella or grab some sunscreen? Perhaps, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz<\/em>, head for the nearest\u00a0cellar? If you ignore the forecast, you can find yourself unprepared and caught in a storm. Of course economic forecasts aren't totally\u00a0reliable\u2014sometimes there's a freak weather event\u00a0that no one saw coming. Nonetheless, having a basic understanding of how supply and demand work, how different economic systems function, and how the business cycle connects to the economy can help you make informed decisions\u2014and make the best out of a rainy day.\r\n

Summary<\/h2>\r\nIn this module you learned about the\u00a0fundamental principles of economics and how they shape the business environment. Below is a summary of the key points covered.\r\n

What Is Economics?<\/h3>\r\nEconomics focuses on\u00a0the ways in which people, businesses, and governments make decisions when faced with scarce resources. Economists study the economy at either the microeconomic level (focus on individuals) or the macroeconomic level (focus on systems).\r\n

Economic Systems<\/h3>\r\nEconomic systems can be organized as traditional, planned, or market economies. Traditional systems are hunter-gatherer economies in which\u00a0people consume what they produce. In command economies such as communism and socialism, the government exercises a high degree of control over production and pricing. In market economies such as capitalism, free-market supply and demand drives what is produced and consumed. The increasing complexity of the world has led to mixed economic systems that have\u00a0characteristics of both command and market economies.\r\n

Demand<\/h3>\r\nDemand is\u00a0the amount that consumers are willing and able to purchase of a good or service at a given price. Quantity\u00a0demanded is a specific quantity that will be supplied at a single point (price) on the demand curve.\r\n

Supply<\/h3>\r\nSupply is the amount of a good or service that a business is willing to produce at a given price.\u00a0Quantity supplied refers\u00a0to a specific quantity that will be supplied at a single point (price) on the supply curve.\r\n

Equilibrium<\/h3>\r\nEquilibrium is said to exist at the point where quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded, and therefore there is no excess or shortage in the market. The market is \"in balance.\" The equilibrium price<\/em> is the price where the amount that consumers want to purchase is equal to the quantity that the producers are willing to supply. The equilibrium quantity<\/em> is the quantity supplied and demanded at the equilibrium price.<\/em>\r\n

Health of the Economy<\/h3>\r\nEconomists use several measures to evaluate the health of an economy. Among the most important are GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the unemployment rate, and the CPI (Consumer Price Index). These three key economic indicators are used to measure how well the economy is achieving the goals of growth, high employment, and price stability.\r\n

Economic Stages<\/h3>\r\nThe business environment is\u00a0cyclical, meaning it goes\u00a0through a cycle of stages, each of which\u00a0is characterized by a different set of economic conditions. The four stages of the business environment are expansion, peak, contraction, and trough.","rendered":"

Synthesis<\/h2>\n

\"Black-and-white<\/a><\/p>\n

In this module you learned about the fundamental economic principles that affect\u00a0the environment in which businesses operate. Understanding the economy is like getting\u00a0the weather forecast before you head out the door. Might you need to pack a sweater or an umbrella or grab some sunscreen? Perhaps, like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz<\/em>, head for the nearest\u00a0cellar? If you ignore the forecast, you can find yourself unprepared and caught in a storm. Of course economic forecasts aren’t totally\u00a0reliable\u2014sometimes there’s a freak weather event\u00a0that no one saw coming. Nonetheless, having a basic understanding of how supply and demand work, how different economic systems function, and how the business cycle connects to the economy can help you make informed decisions\u2014and make the best out of a rainy day.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/h2>\n

In this module you learned about the\u00a0fundamental principles of economics and how they shape the business environment. Below is a summary of the key points covered.<\/p>\n

What Is Economics?<\/h3>\n

Economics focuses on\u00a0the ways in which people, businesses, and governments make decisions when faced with scarce resources. Economists study the economy at either the microeconomic level (focus on individuals) or the macroeconomic level (focus on systems).<\/p>\n

Economic Systems<\/h3>\n

Economic systems can be organized as traditional, planned, or market economies. Traditional systems are hunter-gatherer economies in which\u00a0people consume what they produce. In command economies such as communism and socialism, the government exercises a high degree of control over production and pricing. In market economies such as capitalism, free-market supply and demand drives what is produced and consumed. The increasing complexity of the world has led to mixed economic systems that have\u00a0characteristics of both command and market economies.<\/p>\n

Demand<\/h3>\n

Demand is\u00a0the amount that consumers are willing and able to purchase of a good or service at a given price. Quantity\u00a0demanded is a specific quantity that will be supplied at a single point (price) on the demand curve.<\/p>\n

Supply<\/h3>\n

Supply is the amount of a good or service that a business is willing to produce at a given price.\u00a0Quantity supplied refers\u00a0to a specific quantity that will be supplied at a single point (price) on the supply curve.<\/p>\n

Equilibrium<\/h3>\n

Equilibrium is said to exist at the point where quantity supplied equals the quantity demanded, and therefore there is no excess or shortage in the market. The market is “in balance.” The equilibrium price<\/em> is the price where the amount that consumers want to purchase is equal to the quantity that the producers are willing to supply. The equilibrium quantity<\/em> is the quantity supplied and demanded at the equilibrium price.<\/em><\/p>\n

Health of the Economy<\/h3>\n

Economists use several measures to evaluate the health of an economy. Among the most important are GDP (Gross Domestic Product), the unemployment rate, and the CPI (Consumer Price Index). These three key economic indicators are used to measure how well the economy is achieving the goals of growth, high employment, and price stability.<\/p>\n

Economic Stages<\/h3>\n

The business environment is\u00a0cyclical, meaning it goes\u00a0through a cycle of stages, each of which\u00a0is characterized by a different set of economic conditions. The four stages of the business environment are expansion, peak, contraction, and trough.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t

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