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CAPACITY UTILIZATION RATE: The ratio of actual production by business sector factories and other productive establishments in the economy to the potential production of these establishments. This rate indicates if our economy's factories are being used as effectively and as fully as possible. Like the unemployment rate, the capacity utilization rate measures how close our economy is to full employment. And like unemployment, this rate moves up and down over the course of a business cycle. During expansions, the rate is near 85 percent (considered full employment), and during contractions, it tends to be in the 70 percent range. In addition to an overall rate, there are also separate rates for manufacturing, mining, and utility industries.
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                           PRODUCTION: The process of transforming the natural resources of the land into consumer satisfying consumption goods or productive capital goods. This transformation process involves the four scarce resources or factors of production--labor, capital, land, and entrepreneurship. Although production is generally the physical transformation of materials, it often involves the spatial relocation, or transportation, of commodities, as well. Scarcity is better addressed and living standards are enhanced by transforming natural resources of the land into more valuable and more satisfying goods. In their natural state raw materials generally provide less satisfaction of wants and needs than they do once processed, transformed, or fabricated into products.For example, most people obtain greater satisfaction from driving around in a finely crafted sports car than what they might be able to obtain directly from lumps of iron ore, silicon dioxide, bauxite ore, and other car-making materials buried in the Earth's crust. Most people prefer eating a finely crafted hot fudge sundae than what they might be able to obtain directly from the raw, unprocessed cocoa beans, vanilla beans, almond nuts, and maraschino cherries hanging on their respective trees and bushes. Although production is generally seen as the physical transformation of natural resources, it can also involve the spatial transportation of commodities. A commodity must be in the desired form as well as the desired location to be effectively used. For example, Duncan Thurly enjoys eating hot fudge sundaes (more so than having unprocessed cocoa beans, vanilla beans, almond nuts, and maraschino cherries hanging on their respective trees and bushes). However, the hot fudge sundae provides little satisfaction if it is located in the Hot Mamma Fudge Ice Cream Shoppe, but Duncan Thurly is in home in suburban Shady Valley ten miles away. Either Duncan needs to visit the Hot Mamma Fudge Ice Cream Shoppe or the hot fudge sundae needs to be shipped to Duncan's suburban residence. Either action requires the use of scarce resources. In the same manner that scarce resources are used to transform materials into a more suitable physical form, scarce resources are also needed to transport a commodity to a suitable spatial location.
Recommended Citation:PRODUCTION, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2025. [Accessed: December 12, 2025].
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BEIGE MUNDORTLE
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Today, you are likely to spend a great deal of time going from convenience store to convenience store seeking to buy either a set of luggage with wheels or a birthday gift for your aunt. Be on the lookout for fairy dust that tastes like salt.
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The 1909 Lincoln penny was the first U.S. coin with the likeness of a U.S. President.
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"Defeat is simply a signal to press onward." -- Helen Keller, lecturer, author
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BEA
Bureau of Economic Analisys
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