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SCARCE RESOURCE: A resource with an available quantity less than its desired use. Scarce resources are also called factors of production. Scarce goods are also termed economic goods. Scarce resources are used to produce scarce goods. Like the more general society-wide condition of scarcity, a given resource is scarce because it has a limited availability in combination with a greater (potentially unlimited) productive use. It's both of these that make it scarce. In other words, even though an item is quite limited it will not be a scarce resource if it has few if any uses (think pocket lint and free good).
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![](../images/a1.gif) ![](../images/b1.gif) ![](../images/c1.gif) ![](../images/d1.gif) ![](../images/e1.gif) ![](../images/f1.gif) ![](../images/g1.gif) ![](../images/h1.gif) ![](../images/i1.gif) ![](../images/j1.gif) ![](../images/k1.gif) ![](../images/l1.gif) ![](../images/m1.gif) ![](../images/n1.gif) ![](../images/o1.gif) ![](../images/p1.gif) ![](../images/q1.gif) ![](../images/r1.gif) ![](../images/s1.gif) ![](../images/t1.gif) ![](../images/u1.gif) ![](../images/v1.gif) ![](../images/w1.gif) ![](../images/x1.gif) ![](../images/y1.gif) ![](../images/z1.gif) ![](../images/nbr1.gif) GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISES: Government owned and operated productive activities that operate much like private sector firms. They hire resources and purchase other inputs, then produce goods sold through markets. In some cases, government enterprises compete directly with private firms. One common example of a government enterprise is a city-operated electrical generation and distribution system. In some cities, this service is provided by private, for-profit, businesses. In other cities it is provided by government. Other examples of government enterprises include urban transportation systems, parks and recreational facilities, and communication systems. The primary difference between private firms and government enterprises, especially in the National Income and Product Accounts, is the treatment of profit. In a private firm, any profit generated (the difference between revenue and cost) is claimed by the owners, or the entrepreneurs. A government enterprise, in contrast, has NO specific owners to claim the profit. In essence, the enterprise is owned by ALL citizens. As such, the "profit" of government enterprises is not earned by any specific factor of production.From a practical standpoint, the excess of revenue over cost for a government enterprise, which is termed "surplus" rather than profit, is merely returned to the appropriate government treasury. Should the city's electric utility "turn a profit" in a given year, this surplus is given back to the city. This is fitting because should the electric utility incur a loss, then the city makes up the difference.
![](../images/aw_sm.gif) Recommended Citation:GOVERNMENT ENTERPRISES, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2024. [Accessed: July 26, 2024]. Check Out These Related Terms... | | | | | | | | | | | Or For A Little Background... | | | | | | | | | | | And For Further Study... | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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BROWN PRAGMATOX [What's This?]
Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time at the confiscated property police auction trying to buy either a birthday greeting card for your grandmother or a coffee cup commemorating yesterday. Be on the lookout for telephone calls from former employers. Your Complete Scope
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Paper money used by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts prior to the U.S. Revolutionary War, which was issued against the dictates of Britain, was designed by patriot and silversmith, Paul Revere.
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"Old age isn't so bad when you consider the alternative. " -- Cato, Roman orator
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MR Marginal Revenue
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