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AFC: The abbreviation for average fixed cost, which is fixed cost per unit of output, found by dividing total fixed cost by the quantity of output. Average fixed cost is one of three related cost averages. The other two are average variable cost and avarage total cost. Average fixed cost decreases with larger quantities of output. Because fixed cost is FIXED and does not change with the quantity of output, a given cost is spread more thinly per unit as quantity increases. A thousand dollars of fixed cost averages out to $10 per unit if only 100 units are produced. But if 10,000 units are produced, then the average shrinks to a mere 10 cents per unit.
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                           VALUE ADDED: The increase in the value of a good at each stage of the production process. The "value" part of this phrase means the ability of a good to satisfy wants and needs either directly as a consumption good or indirectly as a capital good. The "added" part means that resources have transformed the good in the course of production, to make it more valuable. A good that provides greater satisfaction has greater value. The act of production is essentially the process of transforming raw materials and natural resources that have relatively little value into goods and services that have greater value. Gross domestic product, among other things, measures the value added by resources in the course of production.Production and IncomeThis notion of value added is fundamental to the measurement of gross domestic product. Gross domestic product, as a measure of current production, identifies the value added to raw materials and natural resources as they are transformed into final goods and services during a given time period. For example, a Hot Momma Fudge Bananarama Ice Cream Shoppe transforms ice cream, hot fudge, bananas, almond sprinkles, whipped cream, and maraschino cherries into a highly valued Hot Momma Fudge Bananarama Ice Cream Sundae.Value added is also important for the income generated by productive factors in the transformation of raw materials and natural resources into final goods. The income received by owners of the factors of production (labor, capital, land, and entrepreneurship) corresponds with the value added by the particular factor. In other words, workers who add greater value to a final good generally receive higher incomes. For example, Harold "Hair Doo" Dueterman, the superstar baseball player for the Shady Valley Primadonnas, receives a greater income than Edgar Millbottom, a taco-making employee of Waldo's TexMex Taco World, because the value of the baseball entertainment produced by Hair Doo is greater than the value of the tacos produced by Edgar. Adding Stuffed ValueTo examine this value added concept more closely, consider the production of a relatively simple product like Wacky Willy Stuffed Amigos. Stuffed Amigos begins with the three primary material inputs or intermediate goods: fabric, thread, and stuffing. The fabric is 100 percent cotton, produced by OmniTextiles. The thread is a cotton-polyester blends, produced by MegaThread. And the stuffing is a gelatinous substance produced using soybean extract, graphite, and recycled newspapers by a firm called Ooze, Inc.In addition to these intermediate goods, The Wacky Willy Company also uses the four basic factors of production. Labor includes a staff of 300 employees. Capital includes the Wacky Willy factory and equipment. Land includes the land on which the factory rests. Entrepreneurship includes the founder and president of The Wacky Willy Company, William J. Wackowski. These factors of production are responsible for adding value to the intermediate goods. The Wacky Willy Company buys the fabric, thread, and gelatinous substance as intermediate products, which it then transforms into more valuable Stuffed Amigos. Stuffed Amigo Production |
| Production Input | Value |
| Intermediate Goods | $4.00 | Labor | $5.00 | Capital | $3.00 | Land | $0.50 | Profit | $2.45 |
| Total Value | $14.95 |
| Value Added | $10.95 |
| The table to the right presents a breakdown of the revenue received by The Wacky Willy Company for the sale of one Stuffed Amigo and the cost incurred in its production. The sales price is $14.95. This is the revenue collected by The Wacky Willy Company. More notably this is the value placed on this product by the buyer. And most important of all, this value is included as part of gross domestic product.The production of the Stuffed Amigo is divided into five categories. One is the cost of purchasing intermediate goods (fabric, thread, and stuffing). The next three is the cost of using the factors of production (labor, capital, and land). The last item listed is profit, the difference between the revenue received and the total cost. More on profit later. The cost of acquiring the three intermediate goods is $4. This $4 is the value of these intermediate goods when purchased from OmniTextiles (fabric), MegaThread (thread), and Ooze, Inc. (gelatinous stuffing). The function of The Wacky Willy Company is to add value to these intermediate goods, which they do by transforming these material inputs into a highly valued Stuffed Amigo. In particular, the value added by The Wacky Willy Company is $10.95, the difference between the $4 worth of intermediate goods and the $14.95 price for the final good. This value is added by the factors of production. How much value added by each factor can be determined by noting its "cost." Labor adds $5 worth of value, capital adds $3 of value, and the land adds $0.50 of value. These cost items are also the income received by the owners of each factor. But what about the profit? The profit is actually the value added by the entrepreneur, William J. Wackowski, the person who undertook the risk of starting The Wacky Willy Company to produce Stuffed Amigos. The $2.45 of profit is the income he receives in compensation for the value added by his entrepreneurship.
 Recommended Citation:VALUE ADDED, AmosWEB Encyclonomic WEB*pedia, http://www.AmosWEB.com, AmosWEB LLC, 2000-2025. [Accessed: July 18, 2025]. Check Out These Related Terms... | | | | | | | Or For A Little Background... | | | | | | | And For Further Study... | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Related Websites (Will Open in New Window)... | |
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