Economics
Economics
Dr. Christopher Pass
A comprehensive guide to Economics for students in all related fields.This fourth edition of the popular and bestselling Collins Dictionary of Economics has been thoroughly revised for the new millennium, and is a valuable reference book not just for students of economics, but for anyone studying economics as part of a business or social science course.
Collins dictonary of
Economics
fourth edition
Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes
& Leslie Davies
William Collins’ dream of knowledge for all began with the publication of his first book in 1819. A self-educated mill worker, he not only enriched millions of lives, but also founded a flourishing publishing house. Today, staying true to this spirit, Collins books are packed with inspiration, innovation, and practical expertise. They place you at the centre of a world of possibility and give you exactly what you need to explore it.
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Contents
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Preface (#ulink_d8ffa031-217e-5597-a14a-6b8ef0e35db4)
This dictionary contains material especially suitable for students reading ‘foundation’ economics courses at polytechnics and universities, and for students preparing for advanced school economics examinations. The dictionary will be useful also to ‘A’ and degree-level students reading economics as part of broader-based business studies, commerce or social science courses as well as to students pursuing professional qualifications in the accountancy and banking areas. Finally, it is expected that the dictionary will be of interest to general readers of the economic and financial press.
The dictionary provides a comprehensive coverage of mainstream economic terms, focusing in particular on theoretical concepts and principles and their practical applications. Key economic terms are given special prominence, including, where appropriate, diagrammatic illustrations. In addition, the dictionary includes various business and commercial terms that are relevant to an understanding of economic analysis and applications. It is, of course, difficult to draw a precise dividing line between economic and economics-related material and other subject matter. Accordingly, readers are recommended to consult other volumes in this series, in particular the Collins Dictionary of Business, should they fail to find a particular entry in this dictionary. In the interests of brevity, we have kept institutional minutiae and description, as well as historical preamble, to a minimum.
To cater for a wide-ranging readership with varying degrees of knowledge requirements, dictionary entries have been structured, where appropriate, so as to provide, firstly, a basic definition and explanation of a particular concept, then leading on through cross-references to related terms and more advanced refinements of the original concept.
Cross-references are denoted both in the text and at the end of entries by reproducing the keywords in small capital letters.
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We should to thank Edwin Moore and Clare Crawford for their excellent work in preparing the manuscript for publication. Particular thanks are due to Sylvia Ashdown, Chris Barkby and Sylvia Bentley for their patience and efficiency in typing the manuscript.
Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes
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ability-to-pay principle of taxation the principle that TAXATION should be based on the financial standing of the individual. Thus, persons with high income are more readily placed to pay large amounts of tax than people on low incomes. In practice, the ability-to-pay approach has been adopted by most countries as the basis of their taxation systems (see PROGRESSIVE TAXATION). Unlike the BENEFITS-RECEIVED PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION, the ability-to-pay approach is compatible with most governments’ desire to redistribute income from high income earners to low income earners. See REDISTRIBUTION-OF-INCOME PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION, POVERTY.
above-normal profitorexcess profit a PROFIT greater than that which is just sufficient to ensure that a firm will continue to supply its existing product or service (see NORMAL PROFIT). Short-run (i.e. temporary) above-normal profits resulting from an imbalance of market supply and demand promote an efficient allocation of resources if they encourage new firms to enter the market and increase market supply. By contrast, long-run (i.e. persistent) above-normal profits (MONOPOLY or super-normal profits) distort the RESOURCE ALLOCATION process because they reflect the overpricing of a product by monopoly suppliers protected by BARRIERS TO ENTRY. See PERFECT COMPETITION.
above-the-line promotion the promotion of goods and services through media ADVERTISING in the press and on television and radio, as distinct from below-the-line promotion such as direct mailing and in-store exhibitions and displays. See SALES PROMOTION AND MERCHANDISING.
absenteeism unsanctioned absences from work by employees. The level of absenteeism in a particular firm often reflects working conditions and morale amongst workers in that firm and affects the firm’s PRODUCTIVITY. See SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS.
Fig. 1 Absolute advantage. The relationship between resource input and output.
absolute advantage an advantage possessed by a country engaged in INTERNATIONAL TRADE when, using a given resource input, it is able to produce more output than other countries possessing the same resource input. This is illustrated in Fig. 1 with respect to two countries (A and B) and two goods (X and Y). Country A’s resource input enables it to produce either 100X or 100Y; the same resource input in Country B enables it to produce either 180X or 120Y. It can be seen that Country B is absolutely more efficient than Country A since it can produce more of both goods. Superficially this suggests that there is no basis for trade between the two countries. It is COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE, however, not absolute advantage, that determines whether international trade is beneficial or not, because even if Country B is more efficient at producing both goods it may pay Country B to specialize (see SPECIALIZATION) in producing good X at which it has the greater advantage.
absolute concentration measure see CONCENTRATION MEASURES.
ACAS see ADVISORY, CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION SERVICE.
accelerator the relationship between the amount of net or INDUCED INVESTMENT (gross investment less REPLACEMENT INVESTMENT) and the rate of change of NATIONAL INCOME. A rapid rise in income and consumption spending will put pressure on existing capacity and encourage businesses to invest, not only to replace existing capital as it wears out but also to invest in new plant and equipment to meet the increase in demand.
By way of simple illustration, let us suppose a business meets the existing demand for its product, utilizing 10 machines, one of which is replaced each year. If demand increases by 20%, it must invest in two new machines to accommodate that demand in addition to the one replacement machine.
Investment is thus, in part, a function of changes in the level of income: I = f(ΔY). A rise in induced investment, in turn, serves to reinforce the MULTIPLIER effect in increasing national income.
Fig. 2 Accelerator. The graph shows how gross national product and the level of investment vary over time. See entry.
The combined effect of accelerator and multiplier forces working through an investment cycle has been offered as an explanation for changes in the level of economic activity associated with the BUSINESS CYCLE. Because the level of investment depends upon the rate of change of GNP, when GNP is rising rapidly then investment will be at a high level, as producers seek to add to their capacity (time t in Fig. 2). This high level of investment will add to AGGREGATE DEMAND and help to maintain a high level of GNP. However, as the rate of growth of GNP slows down from time t onward, businesses will no longer need to add as rapidly to capacity, and investment will decline towards replacement investment levels. This lower level of investment will reduce aggregate demand and contribute towards the eventual fall in GNP. Once GNP has persisted at a low level for some time, then machines will gradually wear out and businesses will need to replace some of these machines if they are to maintain sufficient production capacity to meet even the lower level of aggregate demand experienced. This increase in the level of investment at time t
will increase aggregate demand and stimulate the growth of GNP.
Like FIXED INVESTMENT, investment in stock is also to some extent a function of the rate of change of income so that INVENTORY INVESTMENT is subject to similar accelerator effects.
acceptance the process of guaranteeing a loan, which takes the form of a BILL OF EXCHANGE that will be repaid even if the original borrower is unable to pay. This is done by a commercial institution which signs, that it ‘accepts’, the bill drawn up by the borrower in return for a fee. See ACCEPTING HOUSE.
accepting house a MERCHANT BANK or similar organization that underwrites (guarantees to honour) a commercial BILL OF EXCHANGE in return for a fee. See DISCOUNT, REDISCOUNTING, DISCOUNT MARKET.
account period a designated trading period for the buying and selling of FINANCIAL SECURITIES on the STOCK EXCHANGE. On the UK stock market all trading takes place within a series of end-on fortnightly account periods. All purchases and sales agreed during a particular account period must be paid for or settled shortly after the end of the account period.
accounts the financial statements of an individual or organization prepared from a system of recorded financial transactions. Public limited JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES are required to publish their year-end financial statements, which must comprise at least a PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT and BALANCE SHEET, to enable SHAREHOLDERS to assess their company’s financial performance during the period under review.
acquisition see TAKEOVER.
activity-based costs see COST DRIVERS.
activity rateorparticipation rate the proportion of a country’s total POPULATION that makes up the country’s LABOUR FORCE. For example, the UK’s total population in 2004 was 59 million and its labour force numbered 29 million, giving an overall activity rate of 49%. Similar activity rate calculations can be done for subsets of the population such as men, women, ethnic groups, etc.
The activity rate is influenced by social customs and government policies affecting, for example, the school-leaving age and the proportion of young people remaining in further and higher education beyond that age; the ‘official’ retirement age and the proportion of older people retiring early or working beyond the retirement age. Opportunities for PART-TIME WORK and job-sharing can also influence, in particular female, participation rates. In addition, government TAXATION policies can also affect activity rates insofar as high marginal tax rates may serve to deter some people from offering themselves for employment (see POVERTY TRAP). See LABOUR MARKET, DISGUISED (CONCEALED) UNEMPLOYMENT.
actual gross national product (GNP) the level of real output currently being produced by an economy. Actual GNP may or may not be equal to a country’s POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT. The level of actual GNP is determined by the interaction of AGGREGATE DEMAND and potential GNP. If aggregate demand falls short of potential GNP at any point in time, then actual GNP will be equal to aggregate demand, leaving a DEFLATIONARY GAP (output gap) between actual and potential GNP. However, at high levels of aggregate demand (in excess of potential GNP), potential GNP sets a ceiling on actual output, and any excess of aggregate demand over potential GNP shows up as an INFLATIONARY GAP.
Over time, the rate of growth of actual GNP will depend upon the rate of growth of aggregate demand, on the one hand, and the growth of potential GNP, on the other.
actuary a statistician who calculates insurance risks and premiums. See RISK AND UNCERTAINTY, INSURANCE COMPANY.
adaptive expectations (of inflation) the idea that EXPECTATIONS of the future rate of INFLATION are based on the inflationary experience of the recent past. As a result, once under way, inflation feeds upon itself with, for example, trade unions demanding an increase in wages in the current pay round, which takes into account the expected future rate of inflation which, in turn, leads to further price rises. See EXPECTATIONS-ADJUSTED/AUGMENTED PHILLIPS CURVE, INFLATIONARY SPIRAL, RATIONAL EXPECTATIONS, HYPOTHESIS, ANTICIPATED INFLATION, TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.
‘adjustable peg’ exchange-rate system a form of FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM originally operated by the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, in which the EXCHANGE RATES between currencies are fixed (pegged) at particular values (for example, £1 = $3), but which can be changed to new fixed values should circumstances require it. For example, £1 = $2, the re-pegging of the pound at a lower value in terms of the dollar (DEVALUATION); or £1 = $4, the re-pegging of the pound at a higher value in terms of the dollar (REVALUATION).
adjustment mechanism a means of correcting balance of payments disequilibriums between countries. There are three main ways of removing payments deficits or surpluses:
(a) external price adjustments;
(b) internal price and income adjustments;
(c) trade and foreign-exchange restrictions. See BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM for further elaboration.
While conventional balance of payments theory emphasizes the role of monetary adjustments (e.g. EXCHANGE RATE devaluations/depreciations) in the removal of payments imbalances, a crucial requirement in this process is for there to be a real adjustment in terms of industrial efficiency and competitiveness. An example will reinforce this point. Let us assume that, because UK goods are more expensive, the UK imports more manufactured goods from Japan than it exports manufactures to Japan. Since each country has its own separate domestic currency, this deficit manifests itself as a monetary phenomenon – the UK runs a balance of payments deficit with Japan, and vice-versa. Superficially, this situation can be remedied by, for example, an external price adjustment: currency devaluation/depreciation of the pound and currency revaluation/appreciation of the yen.
But price differences in the domestic prices of manufactured goods themselves reflect differences between countries in terms of their real economic strengths and weaknesses, that is, causality can be presumed to run from the real aggregates to the monetary aggregates and not the other way round: a country has a strong, appreciating currency because it has an efficient and innovative real economy; a weak currency reflects a weak economy. Simply devaluing the currency does not mean that there will be an improvement in real efficiency and competitiveness overnight. Focusing attention on the monetary aggregates tends to mask this fundamental truth. Thus, if the UK and Japan were to establish an economic union in which, as provided for by the European Union’s Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) arrangements, their individual domestic currencies would be replaced by a single currency, then, in conventional balance of payments terms, the UK’s deficit would disappear.
Or does it? It does so in monetary terms but not in real terms, that is, the disequilibrium manifests itself not in terms of cross-border (external) foreign currency flows but as an internal problem of regional imbalance. The ‘leopard has changed its spots’ – a balance of payments problem has become a regional problem, with the UK region of the customs union experiencing lower industrial activity rates, lower levels of real income and higher rates of unemployment compared with the French region. To redress this imbalance in real terms requires an improvement in the competitiveness of the UK region’s existing industries and the establishment of new industries by inward investment. For example, within the UK itself the decline of iron and steel production in Wales has been partly offset by the establishment of consumer appliance and electronics industries by American and Japanese multinational companies. See EURO, REGIONAL POLICY.
adjustment speed the rate at which MARKETS adjust to changing economic circumstances. Adjustment speeds will tend to vary between different types of market. For example, in the case of the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET, the exchange rate of a currency will tend to adjust rapidly to EXCESS SUPPLY or EXCESS DEMAND for it. A similar rapid response tends to characterize COMMODITY MARKETS and MONEY MARKETS, with commodity prices and INTEREST RATES changing quickly as supply or demand conditions warrant. Product markets (see PRICE SYSTEM) tend to adjust more slowly because the prices of products are usually fixed administratively and are generally changed infrequently in response to major supply or demand changes. Finally, some commodity markets, in particular the LABOUR MARKET, tend to adjust more slowly still because wages tend to be fixed through longer-term collective bargaining arrangements. See WAGE STICKINESS.
administered price 1 a price for a PRODUCT that is set by an individual producer or group of producers. In PERFECT COMPETITION, characterized by many very small producers, the price charged is determined by the interaction of market demand and market supply, and the individual producer has no control over this price. By contrast, in an OLIGOPOLY and a MONOPOLY, large producers have considerable discretion over the prices they charge and can, for example, use some administrative formula like FULL-COST PRICING to determine the particular price charged. A number of producers may combine to administer the price of a product by operating a CARTEL or price-fixing agreement.
2 a price for a product, or CURRENCY, etc., that is set by the government or an international organization. For example, an individual government or INTERNATIONAL COMMODITY AGREEMENT may fix the prices of agricultural produce or commodities such as tin to support producers’ incomes; under an internationally managed FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, member countries establish fixed values for the exchange rates of their currencies. See PRICE SUPPORT, PRICE CONTROLS.
administrator see INSOLVENCY ACT 1986.
ad valorem tax a TAX that is levied as a percentage of the price of a unit of output. See SPECIFIC TAX, VALUE-ADDED TAX.
advances see LOANS.
adverse selection the tendency for people to enter into CONTRACTS in which they can use their private information to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of the less informed party to the contract. For example, an insurance company may charge health insurance premiums based upon the average risk of people falling ill, but people with poorer than average health will be keener to take out health insurance while people with better than average health will tend not to take out such health insurance, so that the insurance company loses money because the high risk part of the population is over-represented among its clients.
Adverse selection results directly from ASYMMETRY OF INFORMATION available to the parties to a contract or TRANSACTION. Where there is hidden information that is private and unobservable to other parties to a transaction, the presence of hidden information or even the suspicion of hidden information may be sufficient to hinder parties from entering into transactions.
advertisement a written or visual presentation in the MEDIA of a BRAND of a good or service that is used both to ‘inform’ prospective buyers of the product’s attributes and to ‘persuade’ them to purchase it in preference to competing brands. Advertisements are usually featured as part of an ‘advertising campaign’ involving a series of presentations of the brand in the media over a run of weeks, months or even years that is designed to reinforce the ‘image’ of the brand, thereby expanding sales of the product and establishing BRAND LOYALTY. See ADVERTISING.
advertising a means of stimulating demand for a product and establishing strong BRAND LOYALTY. Advertising is one of the main forms of PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION competition and is used both to inform prospective buyers of a brand’s particular attributes and to persuade them that the brand is superior to competitors’ offerings.
Fig. 3 Advertising. (a) The static market effects of advertising on demand (D). The profit maximizing (see PROFIT MAXIMIZATION) price-output combination (PQ) without advertising is shown by the intersection of the marginal revenue curve (MR) and the marginal cost curve (MC). By contrast, the addition of advertising costs serves to shift the marginal cost curve to MC
, so that the PQ combination (shown by the intersection of MR and MC
) now results in higher price (P
) and lower quantity supplied (Q
).
(b) The initial profit-maximizing price-output combination (PQ) without advertising is shown by the intersection of the marginal revenue curve (MR) and the marginal cost curve (MC). The effect of advertising is to expand total market demand from DD to D
D
with a new marginal revenue curve (MR
). This expansion of market demand enables the industry to achieve economies of scale in production, which more than offsets the additional advertising cost. Hence, the marginal cost curve in the expended market (MC
) is lower than the original marginal cost curve. The new profit maximizing price-output combination (determined by the intersection at MR
and MC
results in a lower price (P
) than before and a larger quantity supplied (Q
). See BARRIERS TO ENTRY, MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, OLIGOPOLY, DISTRIBUTIVE EFFICIENCY.
There are two contrasting views of advertising’s effect on MARKET PERFORMANCE. Traditional ‘static’ market theory, on the one hand, emphasizes the misallocative effects of advertising. Here advertising is depicted as being solely concerned with brand-switching between competitors within a static overall market demand and serves to increase total supply costs and the price paid by the consumer. This is depicted in Fig. 3 (a). (See PROFIT MAXIMIZATION).
The alternative view of advertising emphasizes its role as one of expanding market demand and ensuring that firms’ demand is maintained at levels that enable them to achieve economies of large-scale production (see ECONOMIES OF SCALE). Thus, advertising may be associated with a higher market output and lower prices than allowed for in the static model. This is illustrated in Fig. 3 (b).
advertising agency a business that specializes in providing marketing services for firms. Agencies usually devise, programme and manage specific advertising campaigns on behalf of clients. See ADVERTISEMENT, ADVERTISING.
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) a body that regulates the UK ADVERTISING industry to ensure that ADVERTISEMENTS provide a fair, honest and unambiguous representation of the products they promote.
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) a body established in the UK in 1975 to provide counselling services with regard to INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS and employment policy matters, in particular that of MEDIATION, CONCILIATION and ARBITRATION in cases of INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE.
after-sales service the provision of back-up facilities by a supplier or his agent to a customer after he has purchased the product. After-sales service includes the replacement of faulty products or parts and the repair and maintenance of the product on a regular basis. These services are often provided free of charge for a limited period of time through formal guarantees of product quality and performance, and thereafter, for a modest fee, as a means of securing continuing customer goodwill. After-sales service is thus an important part of competitive strategy. See PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
agency cost a form of failure in the contractual relationship between a PRINCIPAL (the owner of a firm or other assets) and an AGENT (the person contacted by the principal to manage the firm or other assets). This failure arises because the principal cannot fully monitor the activities of the agent. Thus there is a possibility that an agent may not act in the interests of his principal, unless the principal can design an appropriate reward structure for the agent that aligns the agent’s interests with those of the principal.
Agency relations can exist between firms, for example, licensing and franchising arrangements between the owner of a branded product (the principal) and licensees who wish to make and sell that product (agents). However, agency relations can also exist within firms, particularly in the relationship between the shareholders who own a public JOINT-STOCK COMPANY (the principals) and salaried professional managers who run the company (the agents). Agency costs can arise from slack effort by employees and the cost of monitoring and supervision designed to deter slack effort. See PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY, CONTRACT, TRANSACTION, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL, MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, TEAM PRODUCTION.
agent a person or company employed by another person or company (called the principal) for the purpose of arranging CONTRACTS between the principal and third parties. An agent thus acts as an intermediary in bringing together buyers and sellers of a good or service, receiving a flat or sliding-scale commission, brokerage or fee related to the nature and comprehensiveness of the work undertaken and/or value of the transaction involved. Agents and agencies are encountered in one way or another in most economic activities and play an important role in the smooth functioning of the market mechanism. See PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY for discussion of ownership and control issues as they affect the running of companies. See ESTATE AGENT, INSURANCE BROKER, STOCKBROKER, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL.
aggregate concentration see CONCENTRATION MEASURES.
aggregate demandoraggregate expenditure the total amount of expenditure (in nominal terms) on domestic goods and services. In the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL aggregate demand is made up of CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE (C), INVESTMENT EXPENDITURE (I), GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE (G) and net EXPORTS (exports less imports) (E):
aggregate demand = C + I + G + E
Some of the components of aggregate demand are relatively stable and change only slowly over time (e.g. consumption expenditure); others are much more volatile and change rapidly, causing fluctuations in the level of economic activity (e.g. investment expenditure).
In 2003, consumption expenditure accounted for 52%, investment expenditure accounted for 13%, government expenditure accounted for 15% and exports accounted for 20% of gross final expenditure (GFE) on domestically produced output. (GFE minus imports = GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT). See Fig. 133 (a) NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS.
Aggregate demand interacts with AGGREGATE SUPPLY to determine the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME. Governments seek to regulate the level of aggregate demand in order to maintain FULL EMPLOYMENT, avoid INFLATION, promote ECONOMIC GROWTH and secure BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM through the use of FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY. See AGGREGATE DEMAND SCHEDULE, ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCTS DEFLATIONARY GAP, INFLATIONARY GAP, BUSINESS CYCLE, STABILIZATION POLICY, POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT.
aggregate demand/aggregate supply approach to national income determination see EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME.
aggregate demand schedule a schedule depicting the total amount of spending on domestic goods and services at various levels of NATIONAL INCOME. It is constructed by adding together the CONSUMPTION, INVESTMENT, GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE and EXPORTS schedules, as indicated in Fig. 4 (a).
A given aggregate demand schedule is drawn up on the usual CETERIS PARIBUS conditions. It will shift upwards or downwards if some determining factor changes. See Fig. 4 (b).
Alternatively, the aggregate demand schedule can be expressed in terms of various levels of real national income demanded at each PRICE LEVEL as shown in Fig. 4 (c). This alternative schedule is also drawn on the assumption that other influences on spending plans are constant. It will shift rightwards or leftwards if some determining factors change. See Fig. 4 (d). This version of the aggregate demand schedule parallels at the macro level the demand schedule and DEMAND CURVE for an individual product, although in this case the schedule represents demand for all goods and services and deals with the general price level rather than with a particular price.
Fig. 4 Aggregate demand schedule. (a) The graph shows how AGGREGATE DEMAND varies with the level of NATIONAL INCOME. b) Shifts in the schedule because of determining factor changes. For example, if there is an increase in the PROPENSITY TO CONSUME, the consumption schedule will shift upwards, serving to shift the aggregate demand schedule upwards from AD to AD
; a reduction in government spending will shift the schedule downwards from AD to AD
. (c)The graph plots the quantity of real national income demanded against the price level. (d) Shifts in the schedule because of determining factor changes. For example, if there is an increase in the propensity to consume, the aggregate demand schedule will shift rightwards from AD to AD
; a reduction in government spending will shift the schedule leftwards from AD to AD
.
aggregated rebate a trade practice whereby DISCOUNTS on purchases are related not to customers’ individual orders but to their total purchases over a period of time. Aggregated rebate is used to foster buyer loyalty to the supplier, but it can produce anti-competitive effects because it encourages buyers to place the whole of their orders with one supplier, to the exclusion of competing suppliers. Under the Competition Act 1980, aggregated rebates can be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading and (if necessary) the COMPETITION COMMISSION and prohibited if found to unduly restrict competition.
aggregate expenditure see AGGREGATE DEMAND.
aggregate supply the total amount of domestic goods and services supplied by businesses and government, including both consumer products and capital goods. Aggregate supply interacts with AGGREGATE DEMAND to determine the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME (see AGGREGATE SUPPLY SCHEDULE).
In the short term, aggregate supply will tend to vary with the level of demand for goods and services, although the two need not correspond exactly. For example, businesses could supply more products than are demanded in the short term, the difference showing up as a build-up of unsold STOCKS (unintended INVENTORY INVESTMENT). On the other hand, businesses could supply fewer products than are demanded in the short term, the difference being met by running down stocks. However, discrepancies between aggregate supply and aggregate demand cannot be very large or persist for long, and generally businesses will offer to supply output only if they expect spending to be sufficient to sell all that output.
Over the long term, aggregate supply can increase as a result of increases in the LABOUR FORCE, increases in CAPITAL STOCK and improvements in labour PRODUCTIVITY. See ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, ECONOMIC GROWTH.
aggregate supply schedule a schedule depicting the total amount of domestic goods and services supplied by businesses and government at various levels of total expenditure. The AGGREGATE SUPPLY schedule is generally drawn as a 45° line because business will offer any particular level of national output only if they expect total spending (AGGREGATE DEMAND) to be just sufficient to sell all of that output. Thus, in Fig. 5 (a), £100 million of expenditure calls forth £100 million of aggregate supply, £200 million of expenditure calls forth £200 million of aggregate supply, and so on. This process cannot continue indefinitely, however, for once an economy’s resources are fully employed in supplying products then additional expenditure cannot be met from additional domestic resources because the potential output ceiling of the economy has been reached. Consequently, beyond the full-employment level of national product, Y
, the aggregate supply schedule becomes vertical. See POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT.
Alternatively, the aggregate supply schedule can be expressed in terms of various levels of real national income supplied at each PRICE LEVEL as shown in Fig. 5 (b). This version of the aggregate supply schedule parallels at the macro level the supply schedule and SUPPLY CURVE for an individual product, though in this case the schedule represents the supply of all goods and services and deals with the general price level rather than a particular product price. Fig. 5 (c) shows a shift of the aggregate supply curve to the right as a result of, for example, increases in the labour force or capital stock and technological advances.
Aggregate supply interacts with aggregate demand to determine the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME.
Fig. 5 Aggregate supply schedule. See entry.
AGM see ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
agricultural policy a policy concerned both with protecting the economic interests of the agricultural community by subsidizing farm prices and incomes, and with promoting greater efficiency by encouraging farm consolidation and mechanization.
Fig. 6 Agricultural policy. (a) The short-term shifts in supply (S) and their effects on price (P) and quantity (Q). (b) Long-term shifts caused by the influence of productivity improvement on supply.
The rationale for supporting agriculture partly reflects the ‘special case’ nature of the industry itself: agriculture, unlike manufacturing industry, is especially vulnerable to events outside its immediate control. Supply tends to fluctuate erratically from year to year, depending upon such vagaries as the weather and the incidence of pestilence and disease, S
, S
and S
in Fig. 6 (a), causing wide changes in farm prices and farm incomes. Over the long term, while the demand for many basic foodstuffs and animal produce has grown only slowly, from DD to D
D
in Fig. 6 (b), significant PRODUCTIVITY improvements associated with farm mechanization, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, etc., have tended to increase supply at a faster rate than demand, from SS to S
S
in Fig. 6 (b), causing farm prices and incomes to fall (see MARKET FAILURE).
Farming can thus be very much a hit-and-miss affair, and governments concerned with the impact of changes in food supplies and prices (on, for example, the level of farm incomes, the balance of payments and inflation rates) may well feel some imperative to regulate the situation. But there are also social and political factors at work; for example, the desire to preserve rural communities and the fact that, even in some advanced industrial countries (for example, the European Union), the agricultural sector often commands a political vote out of all proportion to its economic weight. See ENGEL’S LAW, COBWEB THEOREM, PRICE SUPPORT, INCOME SUPPORT, COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY, FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION.
aid see ECONOMIC AID.
allocative efficiency an aspect of MARKET PERFORMANCE that denotes the optimum allocation of scarce resources between end users in order to produce that combination of goods and services that best accords with the pattern of consumer demand. This is achieved when all market prices and profit levels are consistent with the real resource costs of supplying products. Specifically, consumer welfare is optimized when for each product the price is equal to the lowest real resource cost of supplying that product, including a NORMAL PROFIT reward to suppliers. Fig. 7 (a) depicts a normal profit equilibrium under conditions of PERFECT COMPETITION with price being determined by the intersection of the market supply and demand curves and with MARKET ENTRY/MARKET EXIT serving to ensure that price (P) is equal to minimum supply cost in the long run (AC).
Fig. 7 Allocative efficiency. (a) A normal profit equilibrium under conditions of perfect competition. (b) The profit maximizing price-output combination for a monopolist.
By contrast, where some markets are characterized by monopoly elements, then in these markets output will tend to be restricted so that fewer resources are devoted to producing these products than the pattern of consumer demand warrants. In these markets, prices and profit levels are not consistent with the real resource costs of supplying the products. Specifically, in MONOPOLY markets the consumer is exploited by having to pay a price for a product that exceeds the real resource cost of supplying it, this excess showing up as an ABOVE-NORMAL PROFIT for the monopolist.
Fig. 7 (b) depicts the profit maximizing price-output combination for a monopolist, determined by equating marginal cost and marginal revenue. This involves a smaller output and a higher price than would be the case under perfect competition, with BARRIERS TO ENTRY serving to ensure that the output restriction and excess prices persist over the long run. See PARETO OPTIMALITY, MARKET FAILURE.
Alternative Investment Market see UNLISTED-SECURITIES MARKET.
amalgamation see MERGER.
Amsterdam Treaty, 1997 a EUROPEAN UNION (EU) statute that extended various provisions of the MAASTRICHT TREATY in the areas of social policy (particularly discriminations against persons and the integration of the SOCIAL CHAPTER), internal procedures for the administration of EU institutions and the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (including defence).
Andean Pact a regional alliance originally formed in 1969 with the general objective of establishing a COMMON MARKET. The current members of the Andean Pact are Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Columbia and Bolivia. By the mid 1980s, however, it had all but collapsed because of various economic and political instabilities. The Pact was relaunched in 1990 minus Chile but with a new member, Venezuela, renewing its commitment to the eventual introduction of a common market. See TRADE INTEGRATION.
annual general meeting (AGM) the yearly meeting of SHAREHOLDERS that JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES are required by law to convene, in order to allow shareholders to discuss their company’s ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS, elect members of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS and agree the DIVIDEND payouts suggested by directors. In practice, annual general meetings are usually poorly attended by shareholders and only rarely do directors fail to be re-elected on the strength of PROXY votes cast in favour of the directors. See CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
annual report and accounts a yearly report by the directors of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY to the SHAREHOLDERS. It includes a copy of the company’s BALANCE SHEET and a summary PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT, along with other information that directors are required by law to disclose to shareholders. A copy of the annual report and accounts is sent to every shareholder prior to the company’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
annuity a series of equal payments at fixed intervals from an original lump sum INVESTMENT. Where an annuity has a fixed time span, it is termed an annuity certain, and the periodic receipts comprise both a phased repayment of principal (the original lump sum payment) and interest, such that at the end of the fixed term there is a zero balance on the account. An annuity in perpetuity does not have a fixed time span but continues indefinitely and receipts can therefore come only from interest earned. Annuities can be obtained from pension funds or life insurance schemes.
anticipated inflation the future INFLATION rate in a country that is generally expected by business people, trade union officials and consumers. People’s anticipations about the inflation rate will influence their price-setting, wage bargaining and spending/saving decisions. As part of its policy to reduce inflation, governments seek to influence anticipations by ‘talking down’ prospects of inflation, publishing norm percentages for prices and incomes, etc. Compare UNANTICIPATED INFLATION. See EXPECTATIONS, EXPECTATIONS-ADJUSTED/AUGMENTED PHILLIPS CURVE.
anti-competitive agreement a form of COLLUSION between suppliers aimed at restricting or removing competition between them. For the most part, such agreements concentrate on fixing common selling prices and discounts but may also contain provisions relating to market-sharing, production quotas and coordinated capacity adjustments. The main objection to such agreements is that they raise prices above competitive levels, impose unfair terms and conditions on buyers and serve to protect inefficient suppliers from the rigours of competition. In the UK, anti-competitive agreements are prohibited by the COMPETITION ACT 1998. See also RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.
anti-competitive practice a commercial practice operated by a firm that has the effect of restricting, distorting or eliminating competition (especially if operated by a dominant firm) to the detriment of other suppliers and consumers. Examples of restrictive practices include EXCLUSIVE DEALING, REFUSAL TO SUPPLY, FULL LINE FORCING, TIE-IN SALES, AGGREGATED REBATES, RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE and LOSS LEADING.
Under the COMPETITION ACT 1980, exclusive dealing, full line forcing, tie-in sales and aggregated rebates can be investigated by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING and (if necessary) the COMPETITION COMMISSION and prohibited if found to unduly restrict competition. The RESALE PRICES ACTS 1964, 1976 make the practice of resale price maintenance illegal unless it is, very exceptionally, exempted by the Office of Fair Trading. See also PRICE SQUEEZE.
anti-dumping duty see COUNTERVAILING DUTY.
antimonopoly policy see COMPETITION POLICY.
antitrust policy see COMPETITION POLICY.
APEC see ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION.
application money the amount payable per share on application for a new SHARE ISSUE.
applied economics the application of economic analysis to real world economic situations. Applied economics seeks to employ the predictions emanating from ECONOMIC THEORY in offering advice on the formulation of ECONOMIC POLICY. See ECONOMIC MODELS, HYPOTHESIS, HYPOTHESIS TESTING.
appreciation 1 an increase in the value of a CURRENCY against other currencies under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM. An appreciation of a currency’s value makes IMPORTS (in the local currency) cheaper and EXPORTS (in the local currency) more expensive, thereby encouraging additional imports and curbing exports, so assisting in the removal of a BALANCE OF PAYMENTS surplus and the excessive accumulation of INTERNATIONAL RESERVES.
How successful an appreciation is in removing a payments surplus depends on the reactions of export and import volumes to the change in relative prices; that is, the PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for exports and imports. If these values are low, i.e. demand is inelastic, trade volume will not change very much and the appreciation may in fact make the surplus larger. On the other hand, if export and import demand is elastic then the change in trade volumes will operate to remove the surplus, BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM will be restored if the sum of export and import elasticities is greater than unity (the MARSHALL-LERNER CONDITION). See REVALUATION for further points. Compare DEPRECIATION 1. See INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL. 2 an increase in the price of an ASSET and also called capital appreciation. Assets held for long periods, such as factory buildings, offices or houses, are most likely to appreciate in value because of the effects of INFLATION and increasing site values, though the value of short-term assets like STOCKS can also appreciate. Where assets appreciate, then their REPLACEMENT COST will exceed their HISTORIC COST, and such assets may need to be revalued periodically to keep their book values in line with their market values. See DEPRECIATION 2, INFLATION ACCOUNTING.
apprentice see TRAINING.
APR the ‘annualized percentage rate of INTEREST’ charged on a LOAN. The APR rate will depend on the total ‘charge for credit’ applied by the lender and will be influenced by such factors as the general level of INTEREST RATES, and the nature and duration of the loan.
Where lenders relate total interest charges on INSTALMENT CREDIT loans to the original amount borrowed, this can give a misleading impression of the interest rate being charged, for as borrowers make monthly or weekly repayments on the loan, they are reducing the amount borrowed, and interest charges should be related to the lower average amount owed. For example, if someone borrows £1,000 for one year with a total credit charge of £200, the ‘simple interest’ charge on the original loan is 20%. However, if the loan terms provide for monthly repayments of £100, then at the end of the first month the borrower would have repaid a proportion of the original £1,000 borrowed and by the end of the second month would have repaid a further proportion of the original loan, etc. In effect, therefore, the borrower does not borrow £1,000 for one whole year but much less than this over the year on average, as he or she repays part of the outstanding loan. If the total credit charge of £200 were related to this much smaller average amount borrowed to show the ‘annualized percentage rate’, then this credit charge would be nearer 40% than the 20% quoted.
To make clear to the borrower the actual charge for credit and the ‘true’ rate of interest, the CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974 requires lenders to publish both rates to potential borrowers.
a prioriadj. known to be true, independently of the subject under debate. Economists frequently develop their theoretical models by reasoning, deductively, from certain prior assumptions to general predictions.
For example, operating on the assumption that consumers behave rationally in seeking to maximize their utility from a limited income, economists’ reasoning leads them to the prediction that consumers will tend to buy more of those products whose relative price has fallen. See ECONOMIC MAN, CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM
arbitrage the buying or selling of PRODUCTS, FINANCIAL SECURITIES or FOREIGN CURRENCIES between two or more MARKETS in order to take profitable advantage of any differences in the prices quoted in these markets. By simultaneously buying in a low-price market and selling in the high-price market a dealer can make a profit from any disparity in prices between them, though in the process of buying and selling the dealer will add to DEMAND in the low-price market and add to SUPPLY in the high-price market, so narrowing or eliminating the price disparity. See SPOT MARKET, FUTURES MARKET, COVERED INTEREST ARBITRAGE.
arbitration a procedure for settling disputes, most notably INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, in which a neutral third party or arbitrator, after hearing presentations from all sides in dispute, issues an award binding upon each side. Arbitration is mostly used only as a last resort when normal negotiating proceedings have failed to bring about an agreed settlement. In the UK, the ADVISORY CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION SERVICE (ACAS) acts in this capacity. See MEDIATION, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS.
arc elasticity a rough measure of the responsiveness of DEMAND or SUPPLY to changes in PRICE, INCOME, etc. In the case of PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND, it is the ratio of the percentage change in quantity demanded (Q) to the percentage change in price (P) over a price range such as P
to P
in Fig. 8. Arc elasticity of demand is expressed notationally as:
where P
= original price, Q
= original quantity, P
= new price, Q
= new quantity. Because arc elasticity measures the elasticity of demand (e) over a price range or arc of the demand curve, it is only an approximation of demand elasticity at a particular price (POINT ELASTICITY). However, the arc elasticity formula gives a reasonable degree of accuracy in approximating point elasticity when price and/or quantity changes are small. See also ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
articles of association the legal constitution of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY that governs the internal relationship between the company and its members or SHAREHOLDERS. The articles govern the rights and duties of the membership and aspects of administration of the company. They will contain, for instance, the powers of the directors, the conduct of meetings, the dividend and voting rights assigned to separate classes of shareholders, and other miscellaneous rules and regulations. See MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION.
ASA see ADVERTISING STANDARDS AUTHORITY.
ASEAN see ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS.
Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) a regional alliance formed in 1990 with the general objective of establishing a FREE TRADE AREA, specifically creating a free trade zone for industrialized country members by 2010 and for developing country members by 2020. There are currently 17 members of APEC: USA, Canada, Japan, China/Hong Kong, Mexico, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. The USA, Canada and Mexico are also members of the NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA), and Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand are also members of the ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN). See TRADE INTEGRATION.
ask price see BID PRICE.
Fig. 8 Arc elasticity. See entry.
asset an item or property owned by an individual or a business that has a money value. Assets are of three main types: (a) physical assets, such as plant and equipment, land, consumer durables (cars, washing machines, etc);
(b) financial assets, such as currency, bank deposits, stocks and shares;
(c) intangible assets, such as BRAND NAMES, KNOW-HOW and GOODWILL. See INVESTMENT, LIQUIDITY, BALANCE SHEET, LIABILITY.
asset-growth maximization a company objective in the THEORY OF THE FIRM that is used as an alternative to the traditional assumption of PROFIT MAXIMIZATION. Salaried managers of large JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES are assumed to seek to maximize the rate of growth of net assets as a means of increasing their salaries, power, etc., subject to maintaining a minimum share value, so as to avoid the company being taken over with the possible loss of jobs. In Fig. 9, the rate of growth of assets is shown on the horizontal axis, and the ratio of the market value of company shares to the book value of company net assets (the share-valuation ratio) on the vertical axis. The valuation curve rises at first, as increasing asset growth increases share value but beyond growth rate (G) excessive retention of profits to finance growth will reduce dividend payments to shareholders and depress share values. Managers will tend to choose the fastest growth rate (G*), which does not depress the share valuation below the level (V
) at which the company risks being taken over. See also MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, FIRM OBJECTIVES, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL, PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY.
asset specificity the extent to which a TRANSACTION or CONTRACT needs to be supported by transaction-specific assets. Where a contract involves the need to create transaction-specific assets, this creates a fundamental transformation in the nature of the relationship between the parties to the transaction. Before investing in specific assets, the investing partner is likely to have many alternative trading partners, which allows for bidding competition. However, after the investment creates transaction-specific assets these become SUNK COSTS with no alternative use and the parties to the transaction then have no alternative trading partners. The terms of the transaction are then determined by bilateral bargaining between the parties to the transaction.
Bargaining between the parties can lead to opportunistic behaviour where one party in a contractual relationship seeks to exploit the other’s vulnerability. For example, a seller might attempt to exploit a buyer who is dependent on the seller by claiming that the production costs have risen and pressing for an upward adjustment of the negotiated price. Such opportunistic behaviour seeks to exploit or ‘hold up’ one party to the transaction to benefit the other party
Fig. 9 Asset-growth maximization. The variation of share valuation ratio against the company growth rate.
For transactions with high asset specificity, the costs of MARKET transactions are high and such transactions are likely to be ‘internalized’ and conducted within organizations, for example a VERTICALLY INTEGRATED firm. See INTERNALIZATION.
asset-stripper a predator firm that takes control of another firm (see TAKEOVER) with a view to selling off that firm’s ASSETS, wholly or in part, for financial gain rather than continuing the firm as an ongoing business.
The classical recipe for asset-stripping arises when the realizable market value of the firm’s assets are much greater than what it would cost the predator to buy the firm; i.e. where there is a marked discrepancy between the asset-backing per share of the target firm and the price per share required to take the firm over. This discrepancy usually results from a combination of two factors:
(a) gross under-valuation of the firm’s assets in the BALANCE SHEET;
(b) mismanagement or bad luck, resulting in low profits or losses, both of which serve to depress the firm’s share price.
asset-value theory (of exchange rate determination) an explanation of the volatility of EXCHANGE-RATE movements under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM. Whereas the PURCHASING-POWER PARITY THEORY suggests that SPECULATION is consistent with the achievement of BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM, the asset-value theory emphasizes that, in all probability, it will not be. In this theory, the exchange rate is an asset price, the relative price at which the stock of money, bills and bonds and other financial assets of a country will be willingly held by foreign and domestic asset holders. An actual alteration in the exchange rate or a change in expectations about future rates can cause asset holders to alter their portfolios. The resultant change in demand for holdings of foreign currency relative to domestic currency assets can at times produce sharp fluctuations in exchange rates. In particular, uncertainty about future market rates and the unwillingness of banks and other large financial participants in the foreign-exchange markets to take substantial positions in certain currencies, especially SOFT CURRENCIES, may diminish funds for stabilizing speculation that would in turn diminish or avoid erratic exchange-rate movements.
If this should prove the case, then financial asset-switching is likely to reinforce and magnify exchange-rate movements initiated by current account transactions (i.e. changes in imports and exports), and in consequence may produce exchange rates that are inconsistent with effective overall balance-of-payments equilibrium in the longer run.
assisted area an area of a country designated as qualifying for financial and other assistance under a country’s REGIONAL POLICY in order to promote industrial regeneration. Assisted areas typically suffer from severe unemployment problems resulting from the decline of local firms and industries and are characterized by INCOME PER HEAD (GDP per capita) levels that are substantially below the national average.
In the UK, the main assisted areas are ‘Tier 1’ areas (formerly DEVELOPMENT AREAS) and ‘Tier 2’ areas (formerly INTERMEDIATE AREAS). These arrangements came into force in 2000 as part of a European Union (EU) programme aimed at establishing a comparable regional aid system across all the then 15 EU member states. Under EU policy, the main criteria for designating an assisted area is a GDP per capita that is below 75% of the EU average.
In the case of the UK, the areas proposed by the government, based on electoral voting ‘wards’, are still under review by the European Commission. Proposed Tier 1 areas are Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Wales and the Valleys, together with the whole of Northern Ireland. Proposed Tier 2 areas, totalling some 1550 smaller localities, are 79 from the east of England region; 133 from the East Midland region; 44 from the London region; 228 from the Northeast region; 144 from the Northwest region; 440 from Scotland; 129 from the Southeast region; 20 from the Southwest region; 51 from Wales; 197 from the West Midlands region and 91 from the Yorkshire and Humber region. Regarding Tier 2 submissions, the European Commission’s preferred policy is to support ‘clusters’ of adjacent localities, providing sufficient ‘critical mass’ for industrial development rather than isolated localities.
In addition, a ‘Tier 3’ of assisted areas has been designated that covers areas of ‘special need’ (for example, coalfields and rural development areas).
The application of the new Tier structures is subject to an overall population ceiling requirement; specifically, for any country the number of persons residing in the assisted areas should not exceed more than 28.7% of the total population of the country. See REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.
associated company a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY in which another company or group has a significant, but not controlling, shareholding (specifically 20% or more of the voting shares but not more than 50%). In such a situation the investing company can exert influence on the commercial and financial policy decisions of the associated company, though in principle the associated company remains independent under its own management, producing its own annual accounts, and is not a subsidiary of the HOLDING COMPANY.
Association of British Insurers see INSURANCE COMPANY.
Association of Futures Brokers and Dealers (AFBD) see SELF-REGULATORY ORGANIZATION.
Association of Investment Trust Companies see INVESTMENT TRUST COMPANY.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a regional alliance formed in 1967 with the general objective of creating a FREE TRADE AREA. The current member countries of ASEAN are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. However, only limited progress has been made to date towards the reduction of internal tariffs and quotas. See ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION, TRADE INTEGRATION.
assumptions see ECONOMIC MODEL.
assurance see INSURANCE.
asymmetry of information a situation where the parties to a CONTRACT or TRANSACTION have information available but this information is unevenly distributed between the parties. This information could include the identity of alternative suppliers or customers or product quality or performance.
Asymmetry of information is likely to lead to ADVERSE SELECTION or to MORAL HAZARD in transactions. Asymmetric information also applies to the principal-agent relationship (see AGENCY COST) where the principal cannot observe the agent’s level of effort. See PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY.
ATM see AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINE.
atomistic competition see PERFECT COMPETITION.
attributes model see PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS/ATTRIBUTES MODEL.
auction a means of selling goods and services to the highest bidder among a number of potential customers. Auctions can take several forms. One form is an open auction, increasing bid, competition in which the bids of all parties are observable and bidders drop out as the price increases until only the highest bidder remains. Another form is an open auction, decreasing price, auction in which the auctioneer starts off from a very high price that is then slowly decreased until one bidder agrees to buy at the last announced price. This form of auction is often called a ‘Dutch auction’. Yet another form is a sealed-bid, closed auction in which all bidders have to submit their bids in sealed envelopes at the same time. In open auctions, bidders can gain some information about the private valuations that other bidders place upon the goods to be sold, while in sealed-bid auctions the private valuations of bidders remain unobservable. The principles of auctions apply to situations where firms seek tenders to supply products.
audit the legal requirement for a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY to have its BALANCE SHEET and PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT (the financial statements) and underlying accounting system and records examined by a qualified auditor, so as to enable an opinion to be formed as to whether such financial statements show a true and fair view and that they comply with the relevant statutes. See also ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT, VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT.
Austrian school a group of late 19th-century economists at the University of Vienna who established and developed a particular line of theoretical reasoning. The tradition originated with Professor Carl Menger who argued against the classical theories of value, which emphasized PRODUCTION and SUPPLY. Instead, he initiated the ‘subjectivist revolution’, reasoning that the value of a good was not derived from its cost but from the pleasure, or UTILITY, that the CONSUMER can derive from it. This type of reasoning led to the MARGINAL UTILITY theory of value whereby successive increments of a commodity yield DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY.
Friedrich von Wieser developed the tradition further, being credited with introducing the economic concept of OPPORTUNITY COST. Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk helped to develop the theory of INTEREST and CAPITAL, arguing that the price paid for the use of capital is dependent upon consumers’ demand for present CONSUMPTION relative to future consumption. Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich von Hayek subsequently continued the tradition established by Carl Menger et al. See also CLASSICAL ECONOMICS.
authorizedorregisteredornominal share capital the maximum amount of SHARE CAPITAL that a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY can issue at any time. This amount is disclosed in the BALANCE SHEET and may be altered by SHAREHOLDERS at the company ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. See also ISSUED SHARE CAPITAL.
automatic (built-in) stabilizers elements in FISCAL POLICY that serve to automatically reduce the impact of fluctuations in economic activity. A fall in NATIONAL INCOME and output reduces government TAXATION receipts and increases its unemployment and social security payments. Lower taxation receipts and higher payments increase the government’s BUDGET DEFICIT and restore some of the lost income (see CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL). See FISCAL DRAG.
automatic teller machine (ATM) a cash point (‘hole in the wall’) facility in which a banker’s card can be used by a customer of a COMMERCIAL BANK or BUILDING SOCIETY to withdraw cash both inside and outside banking hours. The ‘Link’ network enables customers to use their cards in the ATMs of other banks as well as their own.
automatic vending a means of retailing products to consumers via vending machines. Automatic vending has been employed extensively in selling, for instance, food, beverages and cigarettes. The use of vending machines has also become prominent in the banking/building society sector as a means of dispensing cash.
automation the use of mechanical or electrical machines, such as robots, to undertake frequently repeated production processes to make them self-regulating, thus minimizing or eliminating the use of labour in these processes. Automation often involves high initial capital investment but, by reducing labour costs, cuts VARIABLE COST per unit. See FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM, PRODUCTIVITY, TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESSIVENESS, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, MASS PRODUCTION, COMPUTER.
autonomous consumption that part of total CONSUMPTION expenditure that does not vary with changes in NATIONAL INCOME or DISPOSABLE INCOME. In the short term, consumption expenditure consists of INDUCED CONSUMPTION (consumption expenditure that varies directly with income) and autonomous consumption. Autonomous consumption represents some minimum level of consumption expenditure that is necessary to sustain a basic standard of living and which consumers would therefore need to undertake even at zero income. See CONSUMPTION SCHEDULE.
autonomous investment that part of real INVESTMENT that is independent of the level of, and changes in, NATIONAL INCOME. Autonomous investment is mainly dependent on competitive factors such as plant modernization by businesses in order to cut costs or to take advantages of a new invention. See INDUCED INVESTMENT, INVESTMENT SCHEDULE.
Fig. 10 Average cost (long-run). (a) The characteristic U-shape of the long-run average cost curve. (b)The characteristic L-shaped curve that in practice normally results from expansion.
average cost (long-run) the unit cost (TOTAL COST divided by number of units produced) of producing outputs for plants of different sizes. The position of the SHORT-RUN average total cost (ATC) curve depends on its existing size of plant. In the long run, a firm can alter the size of its plant. Each plant size corresponds to a different U-shaped short-run ATC curve. As the firm expands its scale of operation, it moves from one curve to another. The path along which the firm expands – the LONG-RUN ATC curve – is thus the envelope curve of all the possible short-run ATC curves. See Fig. 10 (a).
It will be noted that the long-run ATC curve is typically assumed to be a shallow U-shape, with a least-cost point indicated by output level OX. To begin with, average cost falls (reflecting ECONOMIES OF SCALE); eventually, however, the firm may experience DISECONOMIES OF SCALE and average cost begins to rise.
Empirical studies of companies’ long-run average-cost curves, however, suggest that diseconomies of scale are rarely encountered within the typical output ranges over which companies operate, so that most companies’ average cost curves are L-shaped, as in Fig. 10 (b). In cases where diseconomies of scale are encountered, the MINIMUM EFFICIENT SCALE at which a company will operate corresponds to the minimum point of the long-run average cost curve (Fig. 10 (a)). Where diseconomies of scale are not encountered within the typical output range, minimum efficient scale corresponds with the output at which economies of scale are exhausted and constant returns to scale begin (Fig. 10 (b)). Compare AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN).
average cost (short-run) the unit cost (TOTAL COST divided by the number of units produced) of producing particular volumes of output in a plant of a given (fixed) size.
Average total cost (ATC) can be split up into average FIXED COST (AFC) and average VARIABLE COST (AVC). AFC declines continuously as output rises as a given total amount of fixed cost is ‘spread’ over a greater number of units. For example, with fixed costs of £1,000 per year and annual output of 1,000 units, fixed costs per unit would be £1, but if annual output rose to 2,000 units, the fixed cost per unit would fall to 50 pence – see AFC curve in Fig. 11 (a).
Over the whole potential output range within which a firm can produce, AVC falls at first (reflecting increasing RETURNS TO THE VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT output increases faster than costs), but then rises (reflecting DIMINISHING RETURNS to the variable inputs – costs increase faster than output), as shown by the AVC curve in Fig. 11 (a). Thus the conventional SHORT-RUN ATC curve is U-shaped.
Fig. 11 Average cost (short-run). (a) The characteristic curves of average total cost (ATC), average variable cost (AVC), and average fixed cost (AFC), over the whole output range. (b) The characteristic curves of ATC and AFC and constant line of AVC over the restricted output range.
Over the more restricted output range in which firms typically operate, however, constant returns to the variable input are more likely to be experienced, where, as more variable inputs are added to the fixed inputs employed in production, equal increments in output result. In such circumstances, AVC will remain constant over the whole output range, as in Fig. 11 (b), and as a consequence ATC will decline in parallel with AFC. Compare AVERAGE COST (LONG-RUN). See LOSS, LOSS MINIMIZATION.
average-cost pricing 1 a pricing method that sets the PRICE of a product by adding a percentage profit mark-up to AVERAGE COST or unit total cost. This method is identical in most respects to FULL-COST PRICING; indeed, the terms are often used interchangeably.
2 a pricing principle that argues for setting PRICES equal to the AVERAGE COST of production and distribution, so that prices cover both MARGINAL COSTS and FIXED OVERHEADS costs incurred through past investments. This involves the (sometimes arbitrary) apportionment of fixed (overhead) costs to individual units of output, though it does seek to recover in the price charged all the costs that would have been avoided by not producing the product. See MARGINAL-COST PRICING, TWO-PART TARIFF.
average fixed cost see AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN).
average physical product the average OUTPUT in the SHORT-RUN theory of supply produced by each extra unit of VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT (in conjunction with a given amount of FIXED FACTOR INPUT). This is calculated by dividing the total quantity of OUTPUT produced by the number of units of input used. In the SHORT RUN theory of supply, average physical product, together with AVERAGE REVENUE per unit of output, indicates to a firm how many factor inputs to employ in order to maximize profit. See MARGINAL PHYSICAL PRODUCT, DIMINISHING RETURNS, VARIABLE-FACTOR INPUT.
average propensity to consume (APC) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is spent on consumption:
Alternatively, consumption can be expressed as a proportion of DISPOSABLE INCOME. See CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE, PROPENSITY TO CONSUME, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO CONSUME.
average propensity to import (APM) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is spent on IMPORTS:
Alternatively, imports can be expressed as a proportion of DISPOSABLE INCOME. See also PROPENSITY TO IMPORT, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO IMPORT.
average propensity to save (APS) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is saved (see SAVING):
Alternatively, saving can be expressed as a proportion of DISPOSABLE INCOME. See also PROPENSITY TO SAVE, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO SAVE.
average propensity to tax (APT) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is appropriated by the government in TAXATION:
See also PROPENSITY TO TAX, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO TAX, AVERAGE RATE OF TAXATION.
average rate of taxation the total TAX paid by an individual divided by the total income upon which the tax was based. For example, if an individual earned £10,000 in one year upon which that individual had to pay tax of £2,500, the average rate of taxation would be 25%. See STANDARD RATE OF TAXATION, MARGINAL RATE OF TAXATION, PROPENSITY TO TAX, PROPORTIONAL TAXATION, REGRESSIVE TAXATION, PROGRESSIVE TAXATION.
average revenue the total revenue received (price X number of units sold) divided by the number of units. Price and average revenue are in fact equal: i.e. in Fig. 12, the price £10 = average revenue (£10 × 10 ÷ 10) = £10. It follows that the DEMAND CURVE is also the average revenue curve facing the firm.
average revenue product the total REVENUE obtained from using a given quantity of VARIABLE-FACTOR INPUT to produce and sell output, divided by the number of units of input. The average revenue product of a factor is given by the factor’s AVERAGE PHYSICAL PRODUCT multiplied by the AVERAGE REVENUE or PRICE of the product. The average revenue product, together with average cost, indicates to a firm how many factor inputs to employ in order to maximize profit in the SHORT RUN. See MARGINAL REVENUE PRODUCT.
Fig. 12 Average revenue. The demand curve or average revenue curve.
average total cost (ATC) see AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN), AVERAGE COST (LONG-RUN).
average variable cost (AVC) see AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN), AVERAGE COST (LONG-RUN).
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back door the informal mechanism whereby the BANK OF ENGLAND buys back previously issued TREASURY BILLS in the DISCOUNT MARKET at their ruling market price in order to release money to help the DISCOUNT HOUSES overcome temporary liquidity shortages. This is done as a means of increasing the liquid funds available not only to the discount houses themselves but also to the COMMERCIAL BANKS at prevailing interest rates to enable them to maintain their lending. Compare FRONT DOOR.
back-to-back loanorparallel loan an arrangement under which two companies in different countries borrow each other’s currency and agree to repay the loans at a specified future date. At the expiry date of the loans, each company receives the full amount of its loan in its domestic currency without risk of losses from exchange-rate changes. In this way back-to-back loans serve to minimize EXCHANGE-RATE EXPOSURE.
backward integration the joining together in one firm of two or more successive stages in a vertically related production/distribution process, with a later stage (for example, bread making) being combined with an earlier stage (for example, flour milling) Backward integration is undertaken to cut costs and secure supplies of inputs. See VERTICAL INTEGRATION, FORWARD INTEGRATION.
BACS (Bank Automated Credit System) a money transmission system whereby a payer instructs a COMMERCIAL BANK to debit a specified sum of money from his or her account and transfer it to a named payee’s bank account. This obviates the need for the payer to issue and post a cheque to the payee and for the payee then to bank it, thus saving on time and expense. Many employers now use BACS to pay their employees’ monthly salaries, and many companies use the system to transfer dividend payments to shareholders.
bad debt an accounting term for money owed that is unlikely to be paid because, for example, a customer has become insolvent (see INSOLVENCY). Such bad debts are written off against the PROFITS of the trading period as a business cost. See CREDIT CONTROL.
balanced budget a situation where GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE is equal to TAXATION and other receipts. In practice, most governments run unbalanced budgets as a means of regulating the level of economic activity.
Where the government spends more than it receives in taxation, then a BUDGET DEFICIT is incurred. Where the government spends less than it receives in taxation, then a BUDGET SURPLUS ensues. See BUDGET, FISCAL POLICY, PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
balanced budget multiplier a change in AGGREGATE DEMAND brought about by a change in GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE, which is exactly matched by a change in revenues received from TAXATION and other sources. The change in government expenditure has an immediate effect on aggregate demand and generates income of an equivalent size. By contrast, the change in taxation does not change aggregate demand by an equivalent amount because some of the increased/reduced DISPOSABLE INCOME will be offset by changes in SAVING. Consequently, an increase in government expenditure and taxation of equal amounts will have a net expansionary effect on aggregate demand and incomes, while a decrease in government expenditure and taxation of equal amounts will have a net contractionary effect. See BUDGET, FISCAL POLICY.
balance of payments
A statement of a country’s trade and financial transactions with the rest of the world over a particular time period, usually one year. Fig. 13 (a), shows a summary presentation of the UK balance of payments for 2003. The account is divided into two main parts:
(a) current account, and
(b) capital and financial account.
The current account shows the UK’s profit or loss in day-to-day dealings. It is made up under two headings. The ‘visible’ trade balance (BALANCE OF TRADE) indicates the difference between the value of merchandise EXPORTS and IMPORTS of goods (raw materials, foodstuffs, oil and fuels, semi-processed and finished manufactures). ‘Visibles’ are so called because they consist of tangible goods that can be seen directly and recorded by the country’s CUSTOMS AND EXCISE authorities as they move into or out of the country. The second group of transactions make up the ‘INVISIBLE’ TRADE BALANCE. These transactions include earnings from, and payments for, such services as banking, insurance, transport and tourism. It also includes interest, dividends and profits on investments and loans, and government receipts and payments relating to defence, upkeep of embassies, etc., and transfers to the European Union budget. (See Fig. 62 (a)).
‘Invisibles’ are so called because basically they represent transactions that cannot be seen directly and can be compiled only indirectly from company returns, government accounts, foreign currency purchases and sales data from banks. Traditionally, the UK has incurred deficits on ‘visibles’ largely because of the need to import basic foodstuffs, raw materials and (until the 1980s) oil. What are worrying to some economists, however, are the large deficits in manufactures, where seemingly the UK has been losing international competitiveness. (See DEINDUSTRIALIZATION.) The service sector has traditionally been in surplus thanks to the City of London’s banking and insurance business, which, together with proceeds from the UK’s position as a leading overseas investor, have been major foreign exchange earners. As can be seen in Fig. 13 (b), the UK has recently been in overall surplus on current account after previously chalking up large deficits.
Fig. 13 Balance of payments. (a) The UK Balance of Payments, 2003. (b) UK Balance of Payments, 1993–2003. Source: UK Balance of Payments, Office for National Statistics (Pink Book), 2004.
In addition to current account transactions, there are also currency flows into and out of the country related to capital items. The capital and financial account is made up of a number of elements including: receipts and payments related to FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (monies spent by companies on setting up or acquiring overseas manufacturing plants, sales offices, etc.); receipts and payments related to PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT (monies spent by mainly financial institutions in purchasing overseas stocks and shares, government bonds, etc.); and receipts and payments related to interbank transfers (for example, foreign currency deposits with UK commercial banks taking advantage of higher UK interest rates compared to other financial centres). Recently the UK has been a net exporter of capital after a number of years of capital account surpluses – see Fig. 13 (b).
The current balance and the capital and financial account, together with the ‘balancing item’ (which includes errors and omissions in recording transactions and leads and lags in currency payments and receipts), result in the balance for official financing. This figure shows whether the country has incurred an overall surplus or deficit. If the balance of payments is in surplus, the country can add to its INTERNATIONAL RESERVES and, if necessary, repay borrowings; if it is in deficit, this has to be covered by running down its international reserves or by borrowing (for example, from the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND).
Maintaining BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM over a run of years is usually one of the four major objectives of a government’s MACROECONOMIC POLICY. A balance of payments surplus or deficit can be remedied in a number of ways, including external price adjustments, internal price and income adjustments, and trade and currency restrictions.
balance-of-payments disequilibrium see BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM.
balance-of-payments equilibrium a situation where, over a run of years, a country spends and invests abroad no more than other countries spend and invest in it. Thus, the country neither adds to its stock of INTERNATIONAL RESERVES, nor sees them reduced.
In an unregulated world it is highly unlikely that external balance will always prevail. Balance of payments deficits and surpluses will occur, but provided they are small, balance-of-payments disequilibrium can be readily accommodated. The main thing to avoid is a FUNDAMENTAL DISEQUILIBRIUM – a situation of chronic imbalance.
There are three main ways of restoring balance-of-payments equilibrium should an imbalance occur:
(a) external price adjustments. Alterations in the EXCHANGE RATE between currencies involving (depending upon the particular exchange-rate system in operation) the DEVALUATION/DEPRECIATION and REVALUATION/APPRECIATION of the currencies concerned to make exports cheaper/more expensive and imports dearer/less expensive in foreign currency terms. For example, with regard to exports, in Fig. 14 (a), if the pound-dollar exchange rate is devalued from $1.60 to $1.40 then this would allow British exporters to reduce their prices by a similar amount, thus increasing their price competitiveness in the American market.
(b) internal price and income adjustments. The use of deflationary and reflationary (see DEFLATION, REFLATION) monetary and fiscal policies to alter the prices of domestically produced goods and services vis-à-vis products supplied by other countries so as to make exports relatively cheaper/dearer and imports more expensive/cheaper in foreign currency terms. For example, again with regard to exports, if it were possible to reduce the domestic price of a British product, as shown in Fig. 14 (b), given an unchanged exchange rate, this would allow the dollar price of the product in the American market to be reduced, thereby improving its price competitiveness vis-à-vis similar American products. The same policies are used to alter the level of domestic income and spending, including expenditure on imports.
(c) trade and foreign exchange restrictions. The use of TARIFFS, QUOTAS, FOREIGN-EXCHANGE CONTROLS, etc., to affect the price and availability of goods and services, and of the currencies with which to purchase these products.
Under a FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, minor payments imbalances are corrected by appropriate domestic adjustments (b), but fundamental disequilibriums require, in addition, a devaluation or revaluation of the currency (a). It must be emphasized, however, that a number of favourable conditions must be present to ensure the success of devaluations and revaluations (see DEPRECIATION 1 for details).
Fig. 14 Balance-of-payments equilibrium. (b) Internal price adjustment.
In theory, a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM provides an ‘automatic’ mechanism for removing payments imbalances in their incipiency (that is, before they reach ‘fundamental’ proportions): a deficit results in an immediate exchange-rate depreciation, and a surplus results in an immediate appreciation of the exchange rate (see PURCHASING-POWER PARITY THEORY). Again, however, a number of favourable conditions must be present to ensure the success of depreciations and appreciations. See also ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM, J-CURVE, INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL, MARSHALL-LERNER CONDITION, TERMS OF TRADE.
balance of trade a statement of a country’s trade in GOODS (visibles) with the rest of the world over a particular period of time. The term ‘balance of trade’ specifically excludes trade in services (invisibles) and concentrates on the foreign currency earnings and payments associated with trade in finished manufactures, intermediate products and raw materials, which can be seen and recorded by a country’s customs authorities as they cross national boundaries. See BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
balance sheet an accounting statement of a firm’s ASSETS and LIABILITIES on the last day of a trading period. The balance sheet lists the assets that the firm owns and sets against these the balancing obligations or claims of those groups of people who provided the funds to acquire the assets. Assets take the form of FIXED ASSETS and CURRENT ASSETS, while obligations take the form of SHAREHOLDERS’ CAPITAL EMPLOYED, long-term loans and CURRENT LIABILITIES.
balances with the Bank of England deposits of money by the COMMERCIAL BANKS with the BANK OF ENGLAND. The Bank of England acts as the ‘bankers’ bank’ and commercial banks settle indebtedness between themselves by transferring ownership of these balances. Such balances are included as part of the commercial banks’ CASH RESERVES RATIO and RESERVE ASSET RATIO. In addition to the balances held for settling indebtedness, the banks may be required from time to time to make SPECIAL DEPOSITS with the Bank, which have the effect of reducing their reserve assets.
balancing item see BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
bank a deposit-taking institution that is licensed by the monetary authorities of a country (the BANK OF ENGLAND in the UK) to act as a repository for money deposited by persons, companies and institutions, and which undertakes to repay such deposits either immediately on demand (CURRENT ACCOUNT 2) or subject to due notice being given (DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS). Banks perform various services for their customers (money transmission, investment advice, etc.) and lend out money deposited with them in the form of loans and overdrafts or use their funds to purchase financial securities in order to operate at a profit. There are many types of banks, including COMMERCIAL BANKS, MERCHANT BANKS, SAVINGS BANKS and INVESTMENT BANKS. In recent years many BUILDING SOCIETIES have also established a limited range of banking facilities. See BANKING SYSTEM, CENTRAL BANK, FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
bank deposit a sum of money held on deposit with a COMMERCIAL BANK (or SAVINGS BANK). Bank deposits are of two main types: sight deposits (CURRENT ACCOUNTS), which are withdrawable on demand; time deposits (DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS), which are withdrawable subject usually to some notice being given. Sight deposits represent instant LIQUIDITY: they are used to finance day-to-day transactions and regular payments either in the form of a CURRENCY withdrawal or a CHEQUE transfer. Time deposits are usually held for longer periods of time to meet irregular payments and as a form of savings.
Bank deposits constitute an important component of the MONEY SUPPLY. See BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, MONETARY POLICY.
bank deposit creationorcredit creationormoney multiplier the ability of the COMMERCIAL BANK system to create new bank deposits and hence increase the MONEY SUPPLY. Commercial banks accept deposits of CURRENCY from the general public. Some of this money is retained by the banks to meet day-to-day withdrawals (see RESERVE-ASSET RATIO). The remainder of the money is used to make loans or is invested. When a bank on-lends, it creates additional deposits in favour of borrowers. The amount of new deposits the banking system as a whole can create depends on the magnitude of the reserve-asset ratio. In the example set out in Fig. 15, the banks are assumed to operate with a 50% reserve-asset ratio: Bank 1 receives initial deposits of £100 million from the general public. It keeps £50 million for liquidity purposes and on-lends £50 million. This £50 million, when spent, is redeposited with Bank 2; Bank 2 keeps £25 million as part of its reserve assets and on-lends £25 million; and so on. Thus, as a result of an initial deposit of £100 million, the banking system has been able to ‘create’ an additional £100 million of new deposits.
Fig. 15 Bank deposit creation. Deposit creation operated with a 50% reserve-asset ratio in a multibank system.
Since bank deposits constitute a large part of the MONEY SUPPLY, the ability of the banking system to ‘create’ credit makes it a prime target for the application of MONETARY POLICY as a means of regulating the level of spending in the economy.
Bank for International Settlements (BIS) an international bank, situated in Basle and established in 1930, that originally acted as a coordinating agency for the central banks of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and the UK in settling BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS imbalances and for other intercentral bank dealings. Nowadays its membership comprises all western European central banks together with those of the USA, Canada and Japan. Although the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND is the main institution responsible for the conduct of international monetary affairs, the BIS is still influential in providing a forum for discussion and surveillance of international banking practices.
banking system a network of COMMERCIAL BANKS and other more specialized BANKS (INVESTMENT BANKS, SAVINGS BANKS, MERCHANT BANKS) that accept deposits and savings from the general public, firms and other institutions, and provide money transmission and other financial services for customers, operate loan and credit facilities for borrowers, and invest in corporate and government securities. The banking system is part of a wider FINANCIAL SYSTEM and exerts a major influence on the functioning of the ‘money economy’ of a country. Bank deposits occupy a central position in the country’s MONEY SUPPLY and hence the banking system is closely regulated by the money authorities. See BANK OF ENGLAND, CENTRAL BANK, CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM.
bank loan the advance of a specified sum of money to an individual or business (the borrower) by a COMMERCIAL BANK, SAVINGS BANK, etc. (the lender). A bank loan is a form of CREDIT that is often extended for a specified period of time, usually on fixed-interest terms related to the base INTEREST RATE, with the principal being repaid either on a regular instalment basis or in full on the appointed redemption date. Alternatively, a bank loan may take the form of overdraft facilities under which customers can borrow as much money as they require up to a pre-arranged total limit and are charged interest on outstanding balances.
In the case of business borrowers, bank loans are used to finance WORKING CAPITAL requirements and are often renegotiated shortly before expiring to provide the borrower with a ‘revolving’ line of credit.
Depending on the nature of the loan and the degree of risk involved, bank loans may be unsecured or secured, the latter requiring the borrower to deposit with the bank COLLATERAL SECURITY (e.g. title deeds to a house) to cover against default on the loan.
bank note the paper CURRENCY issued by a CENTRAL BANK which forms part of a country’s MONEY SUPPLY. Bank notes in the main constitute the ‘high value’ part of the money supply. See MINT, LEGAL TENDER, FIDUCIARY ISSUE, BANK OF ENGLAND.
Bank of England the CENTRAL BANK of the UK, which acts as banker to the government and the BANKING SYSTEM and acts as the authority responsible for implementing MONETARY POLICY. The Bank of England handles the government’s financial accounts in conjunction with the TREASURY, taking in receipts from taxation and the sale of government assets, and making disbursements to the various government departments to fund their activities. The bank acts as the government’s broker in its borrowing and lending operations, issuing and dealing in government BONDS and TREASURY BILLS to underpin its year-to-year budgetary position and management of the country’s NATIONAL DEBT.
COMMERCIAL BANKS hold accounts with the Bank of England and, in its role as banker to the banking system, the Bank makes it possible for banks to settle their indebtedness with one another by adjusting their accounts as appropriate (see CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM).
The Bank of England and its satellite, the Royal Mint, are responsible for issuing the country’s basic stock of money – LEGAL TENDER, consisting of bank notes and coins (see MONEY SUPPLY). The Bank occupies a key role in the implementation of monetary policy through controls on the money supply, influencing the level of bank deposits and credit creation by the financial institutions, particularly commercial banks (see BANK DEPOSIT CREATION), while the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE has the responsibility for setting ‘official’ INTEREST RATES in the UK, which in turn determines all other short-term interest rates (BASE RATE, BILL DISCOUNTING INTEREST RATE, INTERBANK CLEARING INTEREST RATE).
The Bank is also responsible for managing the country’s EXCHANGE RATE and holding the country’s stock of INTERNATIONAL RESERVES to be used in the financing of balance-of-payments deficits. The Bank of England operates a ‘Foreign Exchange Equalization Account’ that it uses to intervene in the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET, buying and selling currencies to support the exchange rate at a particular level or to ensure that it falls (depreciates) or rises (appreciates) in an ‘orderly’ manner. See LENDER OF LAST RESORT.
bank rate the former ‘official’ INTEREST RATE that was administered by the government as part of MONETARY POLICY in controlling the economy. Bank rate operated as the BASE RATE for the banking system, influencing interest rates charged on bank loans, mortgages and instalment credit. Bank rate was replaced in 1972 by the ‘minimum lending rate’, which itself was abolished in 1984. The ‘official’ interest rate is now set by the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE of the BANK OF ENGLAND. See Fig. 125.
bankruptcy see INSOLVENCY.
bank statement a periodic record of an individual’s or business’s transactions with a BANK (or BUILDING SOCIETY) which itemizes, on the one hand, cash deposits and cheques paid in, and, on the other hand, cash withdrawals and cheques drawn and presented against the account.
bar chartorhistogram a chart that portrays data in pictorial form and shows the relative size of each category in a total by means of the relative height of its ‘bar’ or ‘block’.
bargaining see BARTER, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
barometric forecasts see FORECASTING.
barometric price leader see PRICE LEADER.
barriers to entry an element of MARKET STRUCTURE that refers to obstacles in the way of potential newcomers to a MARKET. These obstacles operate in a number of ways to discourage entry:
(a) lower cost advantages to established firms, arising from the possession of substantial market shares and the realization of ECONOMIES OF LARGE SCALE production and distribution;
(b) strong consumer preferences for the products of established firms, resulting from PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION activities;
(c) the control of essential raw materials, technology and market outlets by established firms, either through direct ownership or through PATENTS, FRANCHISES and EXCLUSIVE DEALING CONTRACTS;
(d) large capital outlays required by entrants to set up production and to cover losses during the initial entry phase.
The economic significance of barriers to entry lies in their capacity for blocking MARKET ENTRY, thereby allowing established firms to earn ABOVE NORMAL PROFIT and affecting the RESOURCE ALLOCATION function of markets.
One, or some combination, of the above factors may pose particular problems for a small-scale, GREENFIELD type of entrant. However, they may be of little consequence to a large conglomerate firm possessing ample financial resources that chooses to effect entry by MERGER with, or TAKEOVER of, an established producer. Moreover, the basic assumption of much entry theory – that established firms invariably possess advantages over potential entrants – must also be challenged. In a dynamic market situation, entrants may be in a position to introduce new technology ahead of existing firms or to develop innovative new products, thereby giving them COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES over established firms.
For example, the introduction of FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS has enabled small entrant firms to secure similar cost advantages to their larger established rivals’ exploitation of economies of scale, while giving them greater adaptability to rapid changes in customers demands. Changes in distribution channels likewise have provided firms with entry opportunities. For example, E-COMMERCE on the INTERNET has enabled small firms to tap into markets at low cost and to sell their products at lower prices directly to customers than rivals using traditional wholesaler-retailer networks (see DIRECT SELLING/MARKETING). See also CONDITION OF ENTRY, LIMIT PRICING, POTENTIAL ENTRANT, OLIGOPOLY, MONOPOLY, MOBILITY BARRIERS.
barriers to exit elements of MARKET STRUCTURE that refer to obstacles in the way of a firm contemplating leaving a MARKET which serve to keep the firm in the market despite falling sales and profitability. Exit barriers include: whether the firm owns the assets it uses or leases them; whether assets are special-purpose or can be redeployed to other uses; whether assets are resaleable in second-hand markets; the extent of market excess capacity and the extent of shared production and distribution facilities. Barriers to exit determine the ease with which firms can leave declining markets and thus affect both the profitability of firms and the smooth functioning of markets.
Exit barriers can limit the incentives for a firm to leave a market even when the returns from producing are less than the potential earnings from the company’s assets in their next best alternative use. Exit barriers arise when a firm has contractual obligations that it must meet whether or not it ceases production: for example, long-term contracts to purchase raw materials and components; or large redundancy pay obligations; or the presence of specific assets (see ASSET SPECIFICITY). See PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE, PRICE SYSTEM, CONTESTABLE MARKET.
barriers to imitation see MOBILITY BARRIERS.
barter the EXCHANGE of one economic good or service for another. Barter as an exchange mechanism, however, suffers from a number of serious disadvantages:
(a) for barter to take place, there must be a ‘coincidence of wants’, that is, each party to the barter must be able to offer something that the other wants. For example, an apple-grower wishing to obtain oranges must not only find an orange-grower but must particularly find an orange-grower wishing to acquire apples. Finding appropriate exchange partners can involve lengthy search activity, which reduces the time available for actually producing goods;
(b) even if the parties meet up, they then have to agree on an appropriate ‘rate of exchange’, for example, how many apples are to be exchanged for one orange? Haggling over exchange terms is again time-consuming, and where agreement cannot be reached between the two parties each will then have to seek out new exchange partners.
Overall, barter is a very inefficient means of organizing transactions in an economy and has been largely superseded by the PRICE SYSTEM in modern economies, using money as a medium of exchange. See COUNTERTRADE, BLACK ECONOMY.
base rate the INTEREST RATE that is used by the COMMERCIAL BANKS to calculate rates of interest to be charged on bank loans and overdrafts to their customers. For example, a large company might be charged, say, an interest rate of base rate plus 2% on a loan, whereas a smaller borrower might be charged, say, base rate plus 4%. Formerly, base rates were linked directly to BANK RATE but are now fixed by reference to the ‘official’ rate of interest set by the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE of the Bank of England. See PRIME RATE.
base year the initial period from which a system of INDEXATION proceeds. For example, the present UK Consumer Price Index has as the base period 1996 = 100, with the average price of a typical basket of goods in 1996 being taken as the basis for the index. The 2004 index number was 111 for all items in the basket of goods. Convention dictates that the base period always commences from the number 100. See PRICE INDEX.
basing point price system a form of pricing products, such as cement, that are bulky and expensive to transport, which involves charging different prices to customers based in different locations. Customers located near to the supply source (or ‘base point’) are charged a lower delivery price compared to customers farther afield. See PRICE DISCRIMINATION, DELIVERED PRICE.
batch production the manufacture of a product in small quantities using labour-intensive methods of production (see LABOUR-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY). Batch production is typically employed in industries where the product supplied is nonstandardized, with consumers demanding a wide variety of product-choice. Batch production industries are usually characterized by low levels of SELLER CONCENTRATION, easy entry conditions and high unit costs of supply. See PRODUCTION, MASS PRODUCTION, CONDITION OF ENTRY, FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM.
bear a person who expects future prices in a STOCK EXCHANGE or COMMODITY MARKET to fall and who seeks to make money by selling shares or commodities. Compare BULL. See SPOT MARKET, FUTURES MARKET, BEAR MARKET.
bearer bonds FINANCIAL SECURITIES that are not registered under the name of a particular holder but where possession serves as proof of ownership. Such securities are popular in the American financial system but fairly rare in Britain, where the names of holders of STOCKS and SHARES are recorded in a company’s share register.
bear market a situation where the prices of FINANCIAL SECURITIES (stocks, shares, etc.) or COMMODITIES (tin, wheat, etc.) are tending to fall as a result of persistent selling and only limited buying. See SPECULATOR. Compare BULL MARKET.
beggar-my-neighbour policy a course of action that is entered into by a country unilaterally in pursuit of its own self interest in INTERNATIONAL TRADE even though this might adversely affect the position of other countries. For example, country A might decide to impose TARIFFS or EXCHANGE CONTROLS on imports from other countries in order to protect certain domestic industries. The great danger with this type of policy, however, is that it can be self-defeating; that is, other countries may retaliate by imposing tariffs, etc., of their own on country A’s exports, with the result that everybody’s exports suffer. To avoid confrontation of this kind, various international organizations have been established to regulate the conduct of international trade and monetary dealings. See WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, EXPORT INCENTIVES, IMPORT RESTRICTIONS, DIRTY FLOAT, DUMPING.
behavioural theory of the firm an alternative to the traditional, profit-maximizing THEORY OF THE FIRM, which stresses the nature of large companies as complex organizations beset by problems of goal conflict and communications. The behavioural theory examines the inherent conflict between the goals of individuals and subgroups within the organization and suggests that organizational objectives grow out of the interaction among these individuals and subgroups.
Cyert and March, who helped develop the behavioural theory, suggested five major goals that are relevant to companies’ sales, output and pricing strategies:
(a) production goal;
(b) inventory goal;
(c) sales goal;
(d) market-share goal;
(e) profit goal.
Each of these goals will be the primary concern of certain managers in the organization, and these managers will press their particular goals. The goals become the subject of ‘bargaining’ among managers, and such overall goals as do emerge will be compromises, often stated as satisfactory-level targets (see SATISFACTORY THEORY). This intergroup conflict, however, rarely threatens the organization’s survival because ORGANIZATIONAL SLACK provides a pool of emergency resources that permit managers to meet their goals when the economic environment becomes hostile.
In order to achieve rational decision-making, it would be necessary to eradicate inconsistencies between goals and resolve conflicts between objectives. Traditional economic theory suggests that rationality can be achieved, painting a picture of ‘ECONOMIC MAN’, able to specify his objectives and take actions consistent with their achievement. By contrast, the behavioural theory argues that goals are imperfectly rationalized so that new goals are not always consistent with existing policies; and that goals are stated in the form of aspiration-level targets rather than maximizing goals, targets being raised or lowered in the light of experience. Consequently, not all objectives will receive attention at the same time and objectives will change with experience.
The behavioural theory also focuses attention on internal communications problems in large organizations, pointing out that decision-making is distributed throughout the firm rather than concentrated at the apex of the organization pyramid. This happens because lower-level managers do not just execute the orders of those at the top; they exercise initiative:
(a) in detailed planning within broad limits set by a top management;
(b) in summarizing information to be passed upwards as a basis for decision-making by their superiors. These communications problems make it difficult for senior managers to impose their objectives upon the organization.
Although the behavioural theory of the firm is somewhat descriptive, lacking the determinism necessary to generate tes table predictions, it has offered many useful insights into the objectives of large companies. See also MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, PROFIT MAXIMIZATION, FIRM OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY.
below-the-line promotion see ABOVE-THE-LINE PROMOTION.
benchmarking the process of measuring aspects of a firm’s performance and comparing this measured performance with that of other firms. Benchmarking can help a firm to discover where its performance is deficient and can suggest means of improving competitive performance.
benefit drivers elements of a firm’s operations that individually and collectively create ‘benefits’ for consumers who buy the firm’s product, e.g. quality, design, accessories, performance in use, guarantees and warranties. The ability to offer a product that is ‘perceived’ by customers to offer superior value to them is an important consideration where PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION is the key basis of the firm’s COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rival suppliers. See VALUE-CREATED MODEL.
Benefits Agency see DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS.
benefits-received principle of taxation the principle that those who benefit most from government-supplied goods and services should pay the TAXES that finance them. The problem with this proposition, apart from the obvious difficulties of quantifying the benefits received by individuals, particularly as regards the provision of items such as national defence, fire service, etc., is that it cannot be reconciled with the wider responsibilities accepted by government in providing social services and welfare benefits, i.e. it would make no sense at all to tax an unemployed man in order to finance his unemployment pay. See ABILITY-TO-PAY PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION, REDISTRIBUTION-OF-INCOME PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION.
Bertrand duopoly see DUOPOLY.
bid 1 an offer by one company to purchase all or the majority of the SHARES of another company as a means of effecting a TAKEOVER. The bid price offered by the predator for the voting shares in the victim company must generally exceed the current market price of those shares, the difference being a premium that the predator must pay for control of the company. On occasions, however, the market price of the shares may subsequently rise to exceed the initial bid price where investors either feel that the bid price undervalues the company or where investors anticipate, for example, the possibility of a second party making a higher bid. The offer price could be paid solely in cash, or in a mix of cash and shares in the acquirer’s own company, or solely in terms of the acquirer’s shares (called a paper bid). In order to finance a takeover bid, a predator company may raise loans. See TAKEOVER BID (leveraged bid). 2 an indication of willingness to purchase an item that is for sale at the prevailing selling price. This may occur at auction when many purchasers bid for items on sale, the final sale going to the purchaser offering the highest price unless a predetermined reserve price has been set that was not reached. See AUCTION.
bid price the price at which a dealer in a FINANCIAL SECURITY (such as a STOCK or SHARE), FOREIGN CURRENCY or COMMODITY (tin, wheat, etc.) is prepared to buy a security, currency or commodity. Such dealers usually cite two prices to potential customers, the smaller bid price and a higher ‘offer price’ or ‘ask price’ at which they are prepared to sell a security, etc. The difference between the bid and offer price (referred to as the ‘spread’) represents the dealer’s profit margin on the transaction. See MARKET MAKER.
big bang see STOCK EXCHANGE.
bilateral flows movements of money between sectors of the economy to match opposite flows of goods and services. For example, income in return for factor inputs supplied and consumption expenditure in payment for goods and services consumed. Bilateral flows make it possible to ignore flows of goods and services in the economy and to concentrate on money movements in the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
bilateral monopoly a market situation comprising one seller (like MONOPOLY) and one buyer (like MONOPSONY).
bilateral oligopoly a market situation with a significant degree of seller concentration (like OLIGOPOLY) and a significant degree of buyer concentration (like OLIGOPSONY). See COUNTERVAILING POWER.
bilateral trade the trade between two countries. Bilateral trade is a part of INTERNATIONAL TRADE, which is multilateral in scope. See MULTILATERAL TRADE, COUNTERTRADE.
bill 1 a financial instrument, such as a BILL OF EXCHANGE and TREASURY BILL, that is issued by a firm or government as a means of borrowing money.
2 the colloquial term used to describe an INVOICE (a request for payment for products or services received).
3 a draft of a particular piece of legislation that forms the basis of an Act of Parliament, such as the Fair Trading Act 1973.
bill-discounting interest rate the INTEREST RATE at which the BANK OF ENGLAND is prepared to lend money to the DISCOUNT HOUSES. This rate is fixed by reference to the ‘official’ rate of interest set by the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE of the Bank of England.
bill of exchange a FINANCIAL SECURITY representing an amount of CREDIT extended by one business to another for a short period of time (usually three months). The lender draws up a bill of exchange for a specified sum of money payable at a given future date, and the borrower signifies his agreement to pay the amount indicated by signing (accepting) the bill. Most bills are ‘discounted’ (i.e. bought from the drawer) by the DISCOUNT MARKET for an amount less than the face value of the bill (the difference between the two constitutes the interest charged). Bills are frequently purchased by the COMMERCIAL BANKS to be held as part of their RESERVE ASSET RATIO. See DISCOUNT, ACCEPTING HOUSE, DISCOUNT HOUSE.
biodiversity the variety of plant and animal life in a particular area. Envi-ronmentalists have expressed concern about the extent to which ECONOMIC GROWTH, in particular modern methods of farming, forestry and manufacturing, has reduced biodiversity, with some plant and animal species becoming rare or extinct. See POLLUTION.
birth rate the number of people born into a POPULATION per thousand per year. In 2004, for example, the UK birth rate was 11 people per 1,000 of the population. The difference between this rate and the DEATH RATE is used to calculate the rate of growth of the population of a country over time. The birth rate tends to decline as a country attains higher levels of economic development. See DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION.
black economy NONMARKETED ECONOMIC ACTIVITY that is not recorded in the NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS, either because such activity does not pass through the market place or because it is illegal. Illegality is not the same as nonmarketed activity. Illegal economic activity may operate quite efficiently in the usual PRICE SYSTEM, which is determined by SUPPLY and DEMAND. Examples may be the purchase and sale of illegal drugs on the street, or alcohol in the US prohibition era of the 1920s, or foodstuffs in Britain during the Second World War when RATIONING was in force. Nonmarketed activity does not have a price determined by demand and supply. Certain nonmarketed activity may be undertaken for altruistic reasons, for example, the services of a housewife on behalf of her family and the work of charity volunteers. Other nonmarketed activity is done on a BARTER basis, for example, where a mechanic services the motor car of an electrician who in return installs new light fittings in the mechanic’s house. Money has not changed hands and the activity is not recorded. Most references to the black economy refer to the illegal situation of people working without declaring their income. See BLACK MARKET.
black knight see TAKEOVER BID.
black market an ‘unofficial’market that often arises when the government holds down the price of a product below its equilibrium rate and is then forced to operate a RATIONING system to allocate the available supply between buyers. Given that some buyers are prepared to pay a higher price, some dealers will be tempted to divert supplies away from the ‘official’ market by creating an under-the-counter secondary market. See BLACK ECONOMY.
board of directors the group responsible to the SHAREHOLDERS for running a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY. Often, boards of directors are made up of full-time salaried company executives (the executive directors) and part-time, nonexecutive directors. The board of directors meets periodically under the company chairman to decide on major policy matters within the company and the appointment of key managers. Directors are elected by rotation at the company ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. See TWO-TIER BOARD, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
bond a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued by businesses and by the government as a means of BORROWING long-term funds. Bonds are typically issued for periods of several years; they are repayable on maturity and bear a fixed NOMINAL (COUPON) INTEREST RATE. Once a bond has been issued at its nominal value, then the market price at which it is sold subsequently will vary in order to keep the EFFECTIVE INTEREST RATE on the bond in line with current prevailing interest rates. For example, a £100 bond with a nominal 5% interest rate paying £5 per year would have to be priced at £50 if current market interest rates were 10%, so that a buyer could earn an effective return of £5/50 = 10% on his investment.
In addition to their role as a means of borrowing money, government bonds are used by the monetary authorities as a means of regulating the MONEY SUPPLY. For example, if the authorities wish to reduce the money supply, they can issue bonds to the general public, thereby reducing the liquidity of the banking system as customers draw cheques to pay for these bonds. See also OPEN MARKET OPERATION, BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT, SPECULATIVE DEMAND FOR MONEY, CONSOLS.
bonus scheme a form of INCENTIVE PAY SCHEME wherein an individual’s or group’s WAGES are based on achievement of individual or group output targets. Bonus schemes often provide for a guaranteed basic wage for employees. See PAY.
bonus shares SHARES issued to existing SHAREHOLDERS in a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY without further payment on their part. See CAPITALIZATION ISSUE.
boom a phase of the BUSINESS CYCLE characterized by FULL EMPLOYMENT levels of output (ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT) and some upward pressure on the general PRICE LEVEL (see INFLATIONARY GAP). Boom conditions are dependent on there being a high level of AGGREGATE DEMAND, which may come about autonomously or be induced by expansionary FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY. See DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
borrower a person, firm or institution that obtains a LOAN from a LENDER in order to finance CONSUMPTION or INVESTMENT. Borrowers are frequently required to offer some COLLATERAL SECURITY to lenders, for example, property deeds, which lenders may retain in the event of borrowers failing to repay the loan. See DEBT, DEBTOR, FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
Boston matrix a matrix (developed by the Boston Consulting Group) for analysing product-development policy within a firm and the cash-flow implications of product development. Fig. 16 shows the matrix, which is used to identify products that are cash generators and products that are cash users. One axis of the matrix measures market growth rate: because the faster the growth rate for a product the greater will be the capital investment required and cash used. The other axis measures market share: because the larger the market share the greater will be the profit earned and cash generated. The market growth/share matrix encompasses four extreme product types:
(a) star products – those that have a high growth rate (so that they tend to use cash) and a high market share (so that they tend to generate cash). Star products are usually new products in the growth phase of the PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE.
(b) problem child products – those that have a high growth rate (and so tend to use cash) and a low market share (so that they tend to generate little cash). Problem products are frequently a cash drain but they have potential if their market share can be improved.
(c) cash cow products – those that have a low growth rate and a high market share (so that they tend to generate a lot of cash). Cash cows are usually mature products in the later phases of the product life cycle.
Fig. 16 Boston matrix. The matrix identifies cash generators and cash users.
(d) dog products – those that have a low growth rate and a low market share and tend to generate little cash. Dog products generally have little potential for future development.
It is important for any firm to have a balanced portfolio of mature ‘cash cow’ products, newer ‘stars’, etc., and to use the cash generated by cash cows to help the development of ‘problem children’ if its product development policy is to ensure the firm’s long-term survival. See PRODUCT PERFORMANCE, DIVERSIFICATION, PRODUCT-MARKET MATRIX.
bounded rationality limits on the capabilities of people to deal with complexity, process information and pursue rational aims. Bounded rationality prevents parties to a CONTRACT from contemplating or enumerating every contingency that might arise during a TRANSACTION, so preventing them from writing complete contracts.
boycott 1 the withholding of supplies of GOODS from a distributor by a producer or producers in order to force that distributor to resell those goods only on terms specified by the producer. In the past, boycotts were often used as a means of enforcing RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE.
2 the prohibition of certain imports or exports, or a complete ban on INTERNATIONAL TRADE with a particular country by other countries.
brand the name, term or symbol given to a product by a supplier in order to distinguish his offering from that of similar products supplied by competitors. Brand names are used as a focal point of PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION between suppliers.
In most countries, brand names and trade marks are required to be registered with a central authority so as to ensure that they are uniquely applied to a single, specific product. This makes it easier for consumers to identify the product when making a purchase and also protects suppliers against unscrupulous imitators. See INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, BRAND TRANSFERENCE.
brand loyalty the continuing willingness of consumers to purchase and repurchase the brand of a particular supplier in preference to competitive products. Suppliers cultivate brand loyalty by PRODUCT-DIFFERENTIATION strategies aimed at emphasizing real and imaginary differences between competing brands. See ADVERTISING.
brand proliferation an increase in the number of brands of a particular product, each additional brand being very similar to those already available. Brand proliferation occurs mainly in oligopolistic markets (see OLIGOPOLY) where competitive rivalry is centred on PRODUCT-DIFFERENTIATION strategies, and is especially deployed as a means of MARKET SEGMENTATION. In the THEORY OF MARKETS, excessive brand proliferation is generally considered to be against consumers’ interests because it tends to result in higher prices by increasing total ADVERTISING and sales promotional expenses.
brand switching the decision by consumers to substitute an alternative BRAND for the one they currently consume. Brand switching may be induced by ADVERTISING designed to overcome BRAND LOYALTY to existing brands.
brand transference the use of an existing BRAND name for new or modified products. Brand transference or extension seeks to capitalize on consumers’ BRAND LOYALTY towards the firm’s established brands to gain rapid consumer acceptance of a new product.
brand value the money value of an established BRAND name. The valuation of a brand reflects the BRAND LOYALTY of consumers towards it, built up by cumulative ADVERTISING. See TAKEOVER.
Fig. 17 Break-even. A supplier’s typical short-run costs and revenues. Fixed costs do not vary with output and so are shown as the horizontal line FC. Total cost comprises both fixed costs and total variable costs and is shown by line TC. Total revenue rises as output and sales are expanded and is depicted by line TR. At low levels of output like Q
total costs exceed total revenues and the supplier makes a loss equal to AB. At high levels of output like Q
revenues exceed costs and the supplier makes a profit equal to DE. At output Q
total revenues exactly match total costs (at C) and the supplier breaks even.
break-even the short-run rate of output and sales at which a supplier generates just enough revenue to cover his fixed and variable costs, earning neither a PROFIT nor a LOSS. If the selling price of a product exceeds its unit VARIABLE COST, then each unit of product sold will earn a CONTRIBUTION towards FIXED COSTS and profits. Once sufficient units are being sold so that their total contributions cover the supplier’s fixed costs, then the company breaks even. If less than the break-even sales volume is achieved, then total contributions will not meet fixed costs and the supplier will make a loss. If the sales volume achieved exceeds the break-even volume, total contributions will cover the fixed costs and leave a surplus that constitutes profit. See Fig. 17.
Bretton Woods System see INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND.
bridging loan a form of short-term LOAN used by a borrower as a continuing source of funds to ‘bridge’ the period until the borrower obtains a medium- or long-term loan to replace it. Bridging loans are used in particular in the housing market to finance the purchase of a new house while arranging long-term MORTGAGE finance and awaiting the proceeds from the sale of any existing property.
broad money see MONEY SUPPLY.
brownfield location a derelict industrial site or housing estate that has been demolished and redeveloped to accommodate new industrial premises, often as part of a regional industrial regeneration programme. Compare GREENFIELD LOCATION. See REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.
budget (firm) a firm’s planned revenues and expenditures for a given future period. Annual or monthly sales, production, cost and capital expenditure budgets provide a means for the firm to plan its future activities, and by collecting actual data about sales, product cost, etc., to compare with budget the firm can control these activities more effectively.
budget (government) a financial statement of the government’s planned revenues and expenditures for the fiscal year. The main sources of current revenues, as shown in Fig. 18 (a), are TAXATION, principally income and expenditure taxes, and NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS. The main current outgoings of GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE are the provision of goods and services (principally wage payments to health, education, police and other public service employees), TRANSFER PAYMENTS (old-age pensions, interest payments on the NATIONAL DEBT, etc.) and social security benefits.
Fig. 18 Budget (government). (a) The UK budget for 2003/04. (b) UK budget deficits and surpluses, 1979–2004. Source: UK National Accounts, ONS (Blue Book), 2004.
The budget has two main uses: (a) it forms the basis of the government’s longer-term financial planning of its own economic and social commitments; (b) it is an instrument of FISCAL POLICY in regulating the level (and composition) of AGGREGATE DEMAND in the economy. A BUDGET SURPLUS (revenues greater than expenditures) reduces the level of aggregate demand. By contrast, a BUDGET DEFICIT (expenditure greater than revenues) increases aggregate demand. Fig. 18 (b) shows UK budget deficits (and surpluses) over the past two decades.
Recently (post 1997) the government has accepted that fiscal stability is an important element in the fight against INFLATION and UNEMPLOYMENT. To this end, fiscal ‘prudence’, specifically a current budget deficit within the European Union’s MAASTRICHT TREATY limits of no more than 3% of GDP (and an outstanding total debt limit of 60% of GDP), was endorsed as being a necessary adjunct to avoid excessive monetary creation of the kind that fuelled previous runaway inflation.
In fact, the government has gone further than this in adopting the so-called ‘golden rule’, which requires that the government should ‘aim for an overall budget surplus over the economic cycle’ (defined as 1998/99 to 2003/04, with some of the proceeds being used to pay off government debt to reduce outstanding debt eventually to 40% of GDP. Along the way it has introduced more rigorous standards for approving increases in public spending, in particular the ‘sustainable investment rule’, which stipulates that the government should borrow only to finance capital investment and not to pay for general spending. In addition, the government has announced it will ‘ring-fence’ increases in particular tax receipts to be used only for funding specific activities. For example, receipts from future increases in fuel taxes and tobacco taxes will be spent, respectively, only on road-building programmes and the National Health Service. See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR DEBT REPAYMENT, DEMAND MANAGEMENT, PUBLIC FINANCE.
budget (household) a household’s planned income and expenditure for a given time period. The household’s expenditure will depend upon its DISPOSABLE INCOME, and the THEORY OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR seeks to show how households, or consumers, allocate their income in spending on various goods and services. See CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM.
budget deficit the excess of GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE over government TAXATION and other receipts in any one fiscal year. See BUDGET (government). The operation of a budget deficit (deficit financing) is a tool of FISCAL POLICY to enable government to influence the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND and EMPLOYMENT in the economy. Such a policy was advocated by KEYNES in the 1930s to offset the DEPRESSION that occurred at that time. Opinion prior to this was that the government should operate a BALANCED BUDGET policy, allowing the economy to respond in its own way without government intervention. Keynes argued that government should intervene by deliberately imbalancing its budget in order to inject additional aggregate demand into a depressed economy and vice-versa.
Since the Second World War, most western governments have tended to operate a budget deficit to keep employment high and to promote long-term ECONOMIC GROWTH. This has been financed by increasing the PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT (PSBR) through the issue of TREASURY BILLS and long-term bonds. This is acceptable as long as the economy is growing and the interest payments on such borrowings do not become disproportionate to the overall level of government expenditure. Government borrowing in excess of the amount required to promote long-term growth and effect counter-cyclical policies will ultimately result in INFLATION. Consequently, both the timing and magnitude of the expenditure over and above receipts is of crucial importance. In more recent times recognition that low inflation is necessary to secure low UNEMPLOYMENT has led to an acceptance of the need for ‘fiscal stability’. This has found expression, for example, within the European Union’s MAASTRICHT TREATY limits of a current budget deficit of no more than 3% of GDP and a total outstanding government debt limit of no more than 60% of GDP.
BUDGET SURPLUS is the opposite of the above whereby there is an excess of government receipts over expenditure. See AUTOMATIC (BUILT-IN) STABILIZERS, KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS, BUSINESS CYCLE, DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
budget lineorconsumption possibility line a line showing the alternative combinations of goods that can be purchased by a consumer with a given income facing given prices. See Fig. 19. See also CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM, REVEALED PREFERENCE THEORY, PRICE EFFECT.
budget surplus a surplus of TAXATION receipts over GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE. Budget surpluses are used as an instrument of FISCAL POLICY to reduce the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND in the economy. See BUDGET (government), BUDGET DEFICIT, PUBLIC SECTOR DEBT REPAYMENT.
buffer stock a stock of a COMMODITY (copper, wheat, etc.) that is held by a trade body or government as a means of regulating the price of that commodity. An ‘official’ price for the commodity is established, and if the open-market price falls below this because there is excess supply at the fixed price, then the authorities will buy the surplus and add it to the buffer stock in order to force the price back up. By contrast, if the open-market price rises above the fixed price because there is an excess demand at the fixed price, then the authorities will sell some of their buffer stock in order to bring the price down. Through this mechanism the price of the commodity can be stabilized over time, avoiding erratic, short-term fluctuations in price.
Thus this mechanism attempts to avoid erratic short-term fluctuations in price. If the official price is set at too high a level, however, this will encourage over-supply in the long term and expensively accumulating stocks; while if the official price is set at too low a level, this will discourage supply in the long term and lead to shortages. See INTERNATIONAL COMMODITY AGREEMENT, PRICE SUPPORT, COMMON AGRICULTURE POLICY.
Fig. 19 Budget line. If a consumer has an income of £10 and the price of good X is 50 pence and the price of good Y is £1, he can buy 20 units of X or 10 units of Y, or some combination of both, for example 10 units of X and 5 units of Y. The slope of the budget line measures the relative prices of the two goods.
Building Societies Act 1986 a UK Act that gave BUILDING SOCIETIES new powers to augment their traditional business MORTGAGES by providing a range of other financial services for their customers. These include money transmission facilities (via cheque books), arranging insurance cover, obtaining traveller’s cheques and foreign currencies, managing unit trust pension schemes, buying and selling stocks and shares, and the provision of estate agency facilities. The Act has thus served to increase competition in the provision of financial services as between building societies, the COMMERCIAL BANKS and other financial institutions.
The Act also permits building societies to increase their capital resources and growth potential by incorporating themselves as JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES (as have the Abbey National and the Halifax), issuing shares and securing a stock exchange listing.
building society a financial institution that offers a variety of savings accounts to attract deposits, mainly from the general public, and which specializes in the provision of long-term MORTGAGE loans used to purchase property. In recent years, many of the larger UK building societies have moved into the estate agency business. Additionally, they have entered into arrangements with other financial institutions that have enabled them to provide their depositors with limited banking facilities (the use of cheque books and credit cards, for instance) and other financial services, a development that has been given added impetus by the BUILDING SOCIETIES ACT 1986.
Most notably, major building societies, such as the Abbey National and Halifax, have taken advantage of changes introduced by the BUILDING SOCIETIES ACT 1986 and the FINANCIAL SERVICES ACT 1986 and have converted themselves into public JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES, setting themselves up as ‘financial supermarkets’ offering customers a banking service and a wide range of personal financial products, including insurance, personal pensions, unit trusts, individual savings accounts (ISAs), etc. This development has introduced a powerful new competitive impetus into the financial services industry, breaking down traditional ‘demarcation’ boundaries in respect of ‘who does what’, allowing former building societies to ‘cross-sell’ these services and products in competition with traditional providers such as the COMMERCIAL BANKS, INSURANCE COMPANIES, UNIT TRUSTS, etc.
Building society deposits constitute an important source of liquidity in the economy and count as ‘broad money’ in the specification of the MONEY SUPPLY. See FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
built-in stabilizers see AUTOMATIC (BUILT-IN) STABILIZERS.
bulk-buying the purchase of raw materials, components and finished products in large quantities, thereby enabling a BUYER to take advantage of DISCOUNTS off suppliers’ LIST PRICES. A supplier may offer a price discount to encourage the placement of large orders as a means of obtaining extra sales in order to exploit fully the ECONOMICS OF SCALE in production and distribution. In many cases, however, the initiative lies with buyers, with powerful retailing and wholesaling groups exacting favourable price concessions from suppliers by playing one supplier off against another. See CHAIN STORE, OLIGOPSONY, MONOPSONY.
bull a person who expects future prices in a STOCK EXCHANGE or COMMODITY MARKET to rise and who seeks to make money by buying shares or commodities. Compare BEAR. See SPOT MARKET, FUTURES MARKET, BULL MARKET.
bullion precious metals, such as GOLD, silver, platinum, etc., that are traded commercially in the form of bars and coins for investment purposes and are used to produce jewellery and as industrial base metals. Some items of bullion, gold in particular, are held by CENTRAL BANKS and are used as INTERNATIONAL RESERVES to finance balance of payments imbalances.
bullion market a MARKET engaged in the buying and selling of precious metals such as GOLD and silver and gold and silver coins such as ‘Krugerrands’ and ‘Sovereigns’. The London Bullion Market is a leading centre for such transactions.
bull market a situation where the prices of FINANCIAL SECURITIES (stocks, shares, etc.) or COMMODITIES (tin, wheat, etc.) are tending to rise as a result of persistent buying and only limited selling. Compare BEAR MARKET. See SPECULATOR.
Bundesbank the CENTRAL BANK of Germany.
burden of debt INTEREST charges on DEBT that arise as a result of BORROWING by individuals, firms and governments. In the case of governments, interest charges on the NATIONAL DEBT are paid for out of TAXATION and other receipts. The term ‘burden’ would seem to imply that government borrowing is a ‘bad’ thing insofar as it passes on financial obligations from present (overspending) generations to future generations. The fundamental point to emphasize, however, is that the interest paid on the national debt is a TRANSFER PAYMENT and does not represent a net reduction in the capacity of the economy to provide goods and services, provided that most of this debt is owed to domestic citizens.
INFLATION has the effect of eroding the real burden of debts, which are denominated in NOMINAL VALUES. See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
burden of dependency the non-economically active POPULATION of a country in relation to the employed and self-employed LABOUR FORCE. Dependants include very young, very old and disabled members of the community, their unpaid carers and the unemployed who must rely on the efforts of the labour force to provide them with goods and services. Countries with a proportionately large dependent population need to levy high taxes upon the labour force to finance the provision of TRANSFER PAYMENTS such as pensions, child benefit and unemployment benefit.
burden of taxation see TAX BURDEN.
business a supplier of goods and services. The term can also denote a FIRM. In economic theory, businesses perform two roles. On the one hand, they enter the market place as producers of goods and services bought by HOUSEHOLDS; on the other hand, they buy factor inputs from households in order to produce those goods and services. The term ‘businesses’ is used primarily in macro (national income) analysis, while the term ‘firms’ is used in micro (supply and demand) analysis. See also CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
business cycleortrade cycle fluctuations in the level of economic activity (ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT), alternating between periods of depression and boom conditions.
The business cycle is characterized by four phases (see Fig. 20):
Fig. 20 Business cycle. Fluctuations in the level of economic activity.
(a) DEPRESSION, a period of rapidly falling AGGREGATE DEMAND accompanied by very low levels of output and heavy UNEMPLOYMENT, which eventually reaches the bottom of the trough;
(b) RECOVERY, an upturn in aggregate demand accompanied by rising output and a reduction in unemployment;
(c) BOOM, aggregate demand reaches and then exceeds sustainable output levels (POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT) as the peak of the cycle is reached. Full employment is reached and the emergence of excess demand causes the general price level to increase (see INFLATION);
(d) RECESSION, the boom comes to an end and is followed by recession. Aggregate demand falls, bringing with it, initially, modest falls in output and employment but then, as demand continues to contract, the onset of depression.
What causes the economy to fluctuate in this way? One prominent factor is the volatility of FIXED INVESTMENT and INVENTORY INVESTMENT expenditures (the investment cycle), which are themselves a function of businesses’ EXPECTATIONS about future demand. At the top of the cycle, income begins to level off and investment in new supply capacity finally ‘catches up’ with demand (see ACCELERATOR). This causes a reduction in INDUCED INVESTMENT and, via contracting MULTIPLIER effects, leads to a fall in national income, which reduces investment even further. At the bottom of the depression, investment may rise exogenously (because, for example, of the introduction of new technologies) or through the revival of REPLACEMENT INVESTMENT. In this case, the increase in investment spending will, via expansionary multiplier effects, lead to an increase in national income and a greater volume of induced investment. See also DEMAND MANAGEMENT, KONDRATIEF CYCLE, SECULAR STAGNATION.
Business Link a nationwide network of agencies that brings together the business support activities of many chambers of commerce, enterprise agencies, learning and skills councils and local authorities to provide a single local point of access for business information and advisory services to small and medium-sized businesses. The Business Link operates under the auspices of the SMALL BUSINESS SERVICE (SBS), an arm of the DEPARTMENT FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY (DTI). See INDUSTRIAL POLICY.
business strategy the formulation of long-term plans and policies by a firm which interlock its various production and marketing activities in order to achieve its business objectives. See FIRM OBJECTIVES, COMPETITIVE STRATEGY, HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION, VERTICAL INTEGRATION, DIVERSIFICATION.
buyer a purchaser of a GOOD or SERVICE. A broad distinction can be made between purchasers of items such as raw materials, components, plant and equipment that are used to produce other products (referred to as ‘industrial buyers’) and purchasers of products for personal consumption (referred to as ‘consumers’).
In general, industrial buyers (in the main purchasing/procurement officers) are involved in the purchase of ‘functional’ inputs to the production process, usually in large quantities and often involving the outlay of thousands of pounds. Their particular concern is to obtain input supplies that are of an appropriate quality and possess the technical attributes necessary to ensure that the production process goes ahead smoothly and efficiently. In selling to industrial buyers, personal contacts, the provision of technical advice and back-up services are important.
Buyers of consumer goods, by contrast, typically buy a much wider range of products, mainly in small quantities. Purchases are made to satisfy some ‘physical’ or ‘psychological’ need of the consumer. Thus, it is important for suppliers to understand the basis of these needs and to produce and promote BRANDS that satisfy identifiable consumer demands. In this context, ADVERTISING and SALES PROMOTION are important tools for shaping consumers’ perceptions of a brand and establishing BRAND LOYALTY. See PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
buyer concentration an element of MARKET STRUCTURE that refers to the number and size distribution of buyers in a market. In most markets, buyers are numerous, each purchasing only a tiny fraction of total supply. In some markets, however, most notably in INTERMEDIATE GOODS industries, a few large buyers purchase a significant proportion of total supply. Such situations are described as OLIGOPSONY, or, in the case of a single buyer, MONOPSONY.
Market theory predicts that MARKET PERFORMANCE will differ according to whether there are many buyers in the market, each accounting for only a minute fraction of total purchases, (PERFECT COMPETITION), or only a few buyers, each accounting for a substantial proportion of total purchases (oligopsony), or a single buyer (monopsony). See COUNTERVAILING POWER, MARKET CONCENTRATION, SELLER CONCENTRATION, BULK-BUYING.
buyer’s market a SHORT-RUN market situation in which there is EXCESS SUPPLY of goods or services at current prices, which forces prices down to the advantage of the buyer. Compare SELLER’S MARKET.
buy-in see MANAGEMENT BUY-IN.
buy-out see MANAGEMENT BUY-OUT.
by-product a product that is secondary to the main product emerging from a production process. For example, the refining of crude oil to produce petroleum generates a range of by-products like bitumen, naptha and creosote.
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Cadbury Committee Report see CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
called-up capital the amount of ISSUED SHARED CAPITAL that shareholders have been called upon to subscribe to date where a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY issues SHARES with phased payment terms. Called-up capital is usually equal to PAID-UP CAPITAL except where some shareholders have failed to pay instalments due (CALLS IN ARREARS). See SHARE ISSUE.
call moneyormoney at call and short notice CURRENCY (notes and coins) loaned by the COMMERCIAL BANKS to DISCOUNT HOUSES. These can be overnight (24-hour) loans or one-week loans. Call money is included as part of the commercial banks’ RESERVE ASSET RATIO.
call option see OPTION.
calls in arrears the difference that arises between CALLED-UP CAPITAL and PAID-UP CAPITAL where a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY issues SHARES with phased payment terms and shareholders fail to pay an instalment. See SHARE ISSUE.
Cambridge equation see QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY.
CAP see COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY.
capacity 1 the maximum amount of output that a firm or industry is physically capable of producing given the fullest and most efficient use of its existing plant. In microeconomic theory, the concept of full capacity is specifically related to the cost structures of firms and industries. Industry output is maximized (i.e. full capacity is attained) when all firms produce at the minimum point on their long-run average total cost curves (see PERFECT COMPETITION). If firms fail to produce at this point, then the result is EXCESS CAPACITY.
2 in macroeconomics, capacity refers to POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT. The percentage relationship of actual output in the economy to capacity (i.e. potential national income) shows capacity utilization. See also MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION.
capital the contribution to productive activity made by INVESTMENT in physical capital (for example, factories, offices, machinery, tools) and in HUMAN CAPITAL (for example, general education, vocational training). Capital is one of the three main FACTORS OF PRODUCTION, the other two being LABOUR and NATURAL RESOURCES. Physical (and human) capital make a significant contribution towards ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL FORMATION, CAPITAL STOCK, CAPITAL WIDENING, CAPITAL DEEPENING, GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION, CAPITAL ACCUMULATION.
capital account 1 the section of the NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS that records INVESTMENT expenditure by government on infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and schools; and investment expenditure by the private sector on plant and machinery.
2 the section of the BALANCE OF PAYMENTS accounts that records movements of funds associated with the purchase or sale of long-term assets and borrowing or lending by the private sector.
capital accumulationorcapital formation 1 the process of adding to the net physical CAPITAL STOCK of an economy in an attempt to achieve greater total output. The accumulation of CAPITAL GOODS represents foregone CONSUMPTION, which necessitates a reward to capital in the form of INTEREST, greater PROFITS or social benefit derived. The rate of accumulation of an economy’s physical stock of capital is an important determinant of the rate of growth of an economy and is represented in various PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS and ECONOMIC GROWTH models. A branch of economics, called DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, devotes much of its analysis to determining appropriate rates of capital accumulation, type of capital required and types of investment project to maximize ‘development’ in underdeveloped countries (see DEVELOPING COUNTRY). In developed countries, the INTEREST RATE influences SAVINGS and INVESTMENT (capital accumulation) decisions, to a greater or lesser degree, in the private sector (see KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS) and can therefore be indirectly influenced by government. Government itself invests in the economy’s INFRASTRUCTURE. This direct control over capital accumulation, and the indirect control over private investment, puts the onus of achieving the economy’s optimal growth path on to the government. The nature of capital accumulation (whether CAPITAL WIDENING or CAPITAL DEEPENING) is also of considerable importance. See also CAPITAL CONSUMPTION, INVENTION, INNOVATION, CAPITAL-OUTPUT RATIO. 2 the process of increasing the internally available CAPITAL of a particular firm by retaining earnings to add to RESERVES.
capital allowances ‘write-offs’ against CORPORATION TAX when a FIRM invests in new plant and equipment. In the UK currently (as at 2004/05) a 25% ‘writing-down allowance’ against tax is available for firms that invest in new plant and equipment. Additionally, in the case of small and medium-sized firms, a 40% ‘first-year allowance’ is available for investment in new plant and equipment and a 100% tax write-off for investment in computers and e-commerce.
Capital allowances are aimed at stimulating investment, thereby increasing the supply-side capabilities of the economy and the rate of ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL GOODS, DEPRECIATION 2.
capital appreciation see APPRECIATION 2.
capital asset pricing model a model that relates the expected return on an ASSET or INVESTMENT to its risk. Assets that show greater variability in their annual returns generally need to earn higher expected average returns to compensate investors for the variability of returns. See RISK AND UNCERTAINTY.
capital budgeting the planning and control of CAPITAL expenditure within a firm. Capital budgeting involves the search for suitable INVESTMENT opportunities; evaluating particular investment projects; raising LONG-TERM CAPITAL to finance investments; assessing the COST OF CAPITAL; applying suitable expenditure controls to ensure that investment outlays conform with the expenditures authorized; and ensuring that adequate cash is available when required for investments. See INVESTMENT APPRAISAL, DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW, PAYBACK PERIOD, MARGINAL EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL/INVESTMENT.
capital consumption the reduction in a country’s CAPITAL STOCK incurred in producing this year’s GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT (GNP). In order to maintain (or increase) next year’s GNP, a proportion of new INVESTMENT must be devoted to replacing worn-out and obsolete capital stock. Effectively, capital consumption represents the aggregate of firms’ DEPRECIATION charges for the year.
capital deepening an increase in the CAPITAL input in the economy (see ECONOMIC GROWTH) at a faster rate than the increase in the LABOUR input so that proportionally more capital to labour is used to produce national output. See CAPITAL WIDENING, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, PRODUCTIVITY.
capital employed see SHAREHOLDERS’ CAPITAL EMPLOYED, LONG-TERM CAPITAL EMPLOYED.
capital expenditure see INVESTMENT.
capital formation see CAPITAL ACCUMULATION.
capital gain the surplus realized when an ASSET (house, SHARE, etc.) is sold at a higher price than was originally paid for it. Because of INFLATION, however, it is important to distinguish between NOMINAL VALUES and REAL VALUES. Thus what appears to be a large nominal gain may, after allowing for the effects of inflation, turn out to be a very small real gain. Furthermore, in an ongoing business, provision has to be made for the REPLACEMENT COST of assets, which can be much higher than the HISTORIC COST of the assets being sold. See CAPITAL GAINS TAX, CAPITAL LOSS, REVALUATION PROVISION, APPRECIATION 2.
capital gains tax a TAX on the surplus obtained from the sale of an ASSET for more than was originally paid for it. In the UK, CAPITAL GAINS tax for business assets is based (as at 2005/06) on a sliding scale, falling from 40% on gains from assets held for under one year to 10% on gains realised after four years. For persons, capital gains on ‘chargeable’ assets (e.g. shares) up to £8,500 per year are exempt from tax; above this they are taxed at 40%.
capital gearingorleverage the proportion of fixed-interest LOAN CAPITAL to SHARE CAPITAL employed in financing a company. Where a company raises most of the funds that it requires by issuing shares and uses very few fixed-interest loans, it has a low capital gearing; where a company raises most of the funds that it needs from fixed-interest loans and few funds from SHAREHOLDERS, it is highly geared. Capital gearing is important to company shareholders because fixed-interest charges on loans have the effect of gearing up or down the eventual residual return to shareholders from trading profits. When the trading return on total funds invested exceeds the interest rate on loans, any residual surplus accrues to shareholders, enhancing their return. On the other hand, when the average return on total funds invested is less than interest rates, then interest still has to be paid, and this has the effect of reducing the residual return to shareholders. Thus, returns to shareholders vary more violently when highly geared.
The extent to which a company can employ fixed-interest capital as a source of long-term funds depends to a large extent upon the stability of its profits over time. For example, large retailing companies whose profits tend to vary little from year to year tend to be more highly geared than, say, mining companies whose profit record is more volatile.
capital goods the long-lasting durable goods, such as machine tools and furnaces, that are used as FACTOR INPUTS in the production of other products, as opposed to being sold directly to consumers. See CAPITAL, CONSUMER GOODS, PRODUCER GOODS.
capital inflow a movement of funds into the domestic economy from abroad, representing either the purchase of domestic FINANCIAL SECURITIES and physical ASSETS by foreigners, or the borrowing (see BORROWER) of foreign funds by domestic residents.
Capital inflows involve the receipt of money by one country, the host, from one or more foreign countries, the source countries. There are many reasons for the transfer of funds between nations:
(a) FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT by MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES in physical assets such as the establishment of local manufacturing plant;
(b) the purchase of financial securities in the host country which are considered to be attractive PORTFOLIO investments;
(c) host-government borrowing from other governments or international banks to alleviate short-term BALANCE OF PAYMENTS deficits;
(d) SPECULATION about the future EXCHANGE RATE of the host country currency and interest rates, expectation of an appreciation of the currency leading to a capital inflow as speculators hope to make a capital gain after the APPRECIATION of the currency.
By contrast, a CAPITAL OUTFLOW is the payment of money from one country to another for the sort of reasons already outlined. See also FOREIGN INVESTMENT, HOT MONEY.
capital-intensive firm/industry a firm or industry that produces its output of goods or services using proportionately large inputs of CAPITAL equipment and relatively small amounts of LABOUR. The proportions of capital and labour that a firm uses in production depend mainly on the relative prices of labour and capital inputs and their relative productivities. This in turn depends upon the degree of standardization of the product. Where standardized products are sold in large quantities, it is possible to employ large-scale capital-intensive production methods that facilitate ECONOMICS OF SCALE. Aluminium smelting, oil refining and steelworks are examples of capital-intensive industries. See MASS PRODUCTION, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO.
capitalism see PRIVATE-ENTERPRISE ECONOMY.
capitalization issueorscrip issue the issue by a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY of additional SHARES to existing SHAREHOLDERS without any further payment being required. Capitalization issues are usually made where a company has ploughed back profits over several years, so accumulating substantial RESERVES, or has revalued its fixed assets and accumulated capital reserves. If the company wishes to capitalize the reserves, it can do so by creating extra shares to match the reserves and issue them as BONUS SHARES to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholdings. See also RETAINED PROFIT.
capital-labour ratio the proportion of CAPITAL to LABOUR inputs in an economy. If capital inputs in the economy increase over time at the same rate as the labour input, then the capital-labour ratio remains unchanged (see CAPITAL WIDENING). If capital inputs increase at a faster rate than the labour input, then CAPITAL DEEPENING takes place. The capital-labour ratio is one element in the process of ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY, LABOUR-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY, AUTOMATION.
capital loss the deficit realized when an ASSET (house, SHARE, etc.) is sold at a lower price than was originally paid for it. Compare CAPITAL GAIN.
capital market the market for long-term company LOAN CAPITAL and SHARE CAPITAL and government BONDS. The capital market together with the MONEY MARKET (which provides short-term funds) are the main sources of external finance to industry and government. The financial institutions involved in the capital market include the CENTRAL BANK, COMMERCIAL BANKS, the saving-investing institutions (INSURANCE COMPANIES, PENSION FUNDS, UNIT TRUSTS and INVESTMENT TRUST COMPANIES), ISSUING HOUSES and MERCHANT BANKS.
New share capital is most frequently raised through issuing houses or merchant banks, which arrange for the sale of shares on behalf of client companies. Shares can be issued in a variety of ways, including: directly to the general public by way of an ‘offer for sale’ (or an ‘introduction’) at a prearranged fixed price; an ‘offer for sale by TENDER’, where the issue price is determined by averaging out the bid prices offered by prospective purchasers of the share subject to a minimum price bid; a RIGHTS ISSUE of shares to existing shareholders at a fixed price; a placing of the shares at an arranged price with selected investors, often institutional investors. See STOCK EXCHANGE.
capital movements the flows of FOREIGN CURRENCY between countries representing both short-term and long-term INVESTMENT in physical ASSETS and FINANCIAL SECURITIES and BORROWINGS. See CAPITAL INFLOW, CAPITAL OUTFLOW, BALANCE OF PAYMENTS, FOREIGN INVESTMENTS.
capital outflow a movement of domestic funds abroad, representing either the purchase of foreign FINANCIAL SECURITIES and physical ASSETS by domestic residents or the BORROWING of domestic funds by foreigners. See CAPITAL INFLOW, BALANCE OF PAYMENTS, FOREIGN INVESTMENT, HOT MONEY.
capital-output ratio a measure of how much additional CAPITAL is required to produce each extra unit of OUTPUT, or, put the other way round, the amount of extra output produced by each unit of added capital. The capital-output ratio indicates how ‘efficient’ new INVESTMENT is in contributing to ECONOMIC GROWTH. Assuming, for example, a 4:1 capital-output ratio, each four units of extra investment enables national output to grow by one unit. If the capital-output ratio is 2:1, however, then each two units of extra investment expands national income by one unit. See CAPITAL ACCUMULATION, PRODUCTIVITY. See also SOLOW ECONOMIC-GROWTH MODEL.
capital stock the net accumulation of a physical stock of CAPITAL GOODS (buildings, plant, machinery, etc.) by a firm, industry or economy at any one point in time (see POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT).
The measurements most frequently used for the value of a country’s capital stock are from the NATIONAL INCOME and expenditure statistics. These statistics take private and public expenditure on capital goods and deduct CAPITAL CONSUMPTION (see DEPRECIATION 2) to arrive at net accumulation (which may be positive or negative). The more relevant value of capital stock, from the economist’s point of view, is the present value of the stream of income such stock can generate. More broadly, the size of a country’s capital stock has an important influence on its rate of ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL ACCUMULATION, CAPITAL WIDENING, CAPITAL DEEPENING, DEPRECIATION METHODS, PRODUCTIVITY, CAPITAL-OUTPUT RATIO.
capital transfer tax see WEALTH TAX.
capital widening an increase in the CAPITAL input in the economy (see ECONOMIC GROWTH) at the same rate as the increase in the LABOUR input so that the proportion in which capital and labour are combined to produce national output remains unchanged. See CAPITAL DEEPENING, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, PRODUCTIVITY.
cardinal utility the (subjective) UTILITY or satisfaction that a consumer derives from consuming a product, measured on an absolute scale. This implies that the exact amount of utility derived from consuming a product can be measured, and early economists suggested that utility could be measured in discrete units referred to as UTILS. However, because it proved impossible to construct an accurate measure of cardinal utility, ORDINAL UTILITY measures replaced the idea of cardinal utility in the theory of CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM. See DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY.
cartel a form of COLLUSION between a group of suppliers aimed at suppressing competition between themselves, wholly or in part. Cartels can take a number of forms. For example, suppliers may set up a sole selling agency that buys up their individual output at an agreed price and arranges for the marketing of these products on a coordinated basis. Another variant is when suppliers operate an agreement (see RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT) that sets uniform selling prices for their products, thereby suppressing price competition but with suppliers then competing for market share through PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION strategies. A more comprehensive version of a cartel is the application not only of common selling prices and joint marketing but also restrictions on production, involving the assignment of specific output quotas to individual suppliers, and coordinated capacity adjustments, either removing over-capacity or extending capacity on a coordinated basis.
Cartels are usually established with the purpose of either exploiting the joint market power of suppliers to extract MONOPOLY profits or as a means of preventing cut-throat competition from forcing firms to operate at a loss, often resorted to in times of depressed demand (a so-called ‘crisis cartel’). In the former case, a central administration agency could determine the price and output of the industry, and the output quotas of each of the separate member firms, in such a way as to restrict total industry output and maximize the joint profits of the group. Price and output will thus tend to approximate those of a profit-maximizing monopolist. See Fig. 21.
A number of factors are crucial to the successful operation of a cartel, in particular the participation of all significant suppliers of the product and their full compliance with the policies of the cartel. Non-participation of some key suppliers and ‘cheating’ by cartel members, together with the ability of buyers to switch to substitute products, may well serve to undermine a cartel’s ability to control prices. In many countries, including the UK, the USA and the European Union, cartels concerned with price fixing, market sharing and restrictions on production and capacity are prohibited by law. See COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), ORGANIZATION OF PETROLEUM-EXPORTING COUNTRIES (OPEC).
Fig. 21 Cartel. D is the industry demand curve, showing the aggregate quality that the combined group may sell over a range of possible prices and MR is the industry marginal revenue curve. The industry marginal cost curve ΣMC is constructed from the marginal cost curves of the individual firms making up the cartel. For any given level of industry output, the cartel is required to calculate the allocation of the output among member firms on the basis of their individual marginal costs to obtain the lowest possible aggregate cost of producing their output. To maximize industry profit, the cartel will set price OP and produce output OQ. Quotas of Q
and Q
are given to firms A and B respectively where a horizontal line drawn from the intersection of MR and ΣMC (the line of aggregate marginal costs) intersects MC
and MC
. Profit contributed by each firm is computed by multiplying the number of units produced by the difference between industry price and the firm’s average cost at that level of output. The aggregate profit is then divided among the member firms in some agreed manner, not necessarily, it is to be noted, in the same proportion as actually contributed by each of the individual firms. Disputes over the sharing of aggregate profit frequently lead to the break-up of cartels.
cash see CURRENCY.
cash and carry a form of wholesaling that requires customers (predominantly RETAILERS) to pay cash for products bought and to collect these products themselves from a warehouse. See DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
cash card see COMMERCIAL BANK.
cash discount see DISCOUNT.
cash drain a constraint on the expansion of the MONEY SUPPLY through BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, caused by individuals retaining larger amounts of cash than usual. This means that not all of the increase in cash calculated by using the reciprocal of the RESERVE ASSET RATIO is passed on from the public back into the banking system. For example, a new deposit of £100 is made into the banking system. Assuming a 10% reserve asset ratio, the average fraction of money held in cash form is one-tenth and the reciprocal 10. Thus ultimately a £1,000 increase in money supply is theoretically possible. If the public’s demand for cash grows, however, then the increase in the money supply will not be 10 times the initial deposit, but something less.
cash flow the money coming into a business from sales and other receipts and going out of the business in the form of cash payments to suppliers, workers, etc.
cash limits a means of controlling public sector spending by setting maximum expenditure totals for government departments or nationalized industries, deliberately making no allowance for inflation. See GOVERNMENT (PUBLIC) EXPENDITURE.
cash ratio see CASH RESERVE RATIO.
cash reserve ratio the proportion of a COMMERCIAL BANK’S total assets that it keeps in the form of highly liquid assets to meet day-to-day currency withdrawals by its customers and other financial commitments. The cash reserve ratio comprises TILL MONEY (notes and coins held by the bank) and its operational BALANCES WITH THE BANK OF ENGLAND. The cash reserve ratio is a narrowly defined RESERVE ASSET RATIO that can be used by the monetary authorities to control the MONETARY BASE of the economy. See BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, MONETARY BASE CONTROL, MONETARY POLICY.
CAT see COMPETITION APPEALS TRIBUNAL.
caveat emptor a Latin phrase meaning ‘let the buyer beware’. Put simply, this means that the supplier has no legal obligation to inform buyers about any defects in his goods or services. The onus is on the buyer to determine for himself or herself that the good or service is satisfactory. Compare CAVEAT VENDOR.
caveat vendor a Latin phrase meaning ‘let the seller beware’. In brief, this means that the supplier may be legally obliged to inform buyers of any defects in his goods or services. Compare CAVEAT EMPTOR.
census a comprehensive official survey of households or businesses undertaken at regular intervals in order to obtain socioeconomic information. In the UK, a population census has been carried out every 10 years since 1891 to provide information on demographic trends. This data is useful to the government in the planning of housing, education and welfare services. A production census is carried out annually to provide details of industrial production, employment, investment, etc. A distribution census provides data about wholesaling and retailing. This information can be used by the government in formulating its economic and industrial policies.
central bank a country’s leading BANK, generally responsible for overseeing the BANKING SYSTEM, acting as a ‘clearing’ banker for the COMMERCIAL BANKS (see CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM) and for implementing MONETARY POLICY. In addition, many central banks are responsible for handling the government’s budgetary accounts and for managing the country’s external monetary affairs, in particular the EXCHANGE RATE.
Examples of central banks include the USA’s Federal Reserve Bank, Germany’s Deutsche Bundesbank, France’s Banque de France and the European Union’s EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK. (For a more detailed discussion of a central bank’s activities see the BANK OF ENGLAND entry.)
centralization the concentration of economic decision-making centrally rather than diffusing such decision-making to many different decision-makers. In a country, this is achieved by the adoption of a CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY where the state undertakes to own, control and direct resources into particular uses. In a firm, centralization involves top managers retaining authority to make all major decisions and issuing detailed instructions to particular divisions and departments. See U-FORM ORGANIZATION.
centrally planned economyorcommand economyorcollectivism a method of organizing the economy to produce goods and services. Under this ECONOMIC SYSTEM, economic decision-making is centralized in the hands of the state with collective ownership of the means of production, (except labour). It is the state that decides what goods and services are to be produced in accordance with its centralized NATIONAL PLAN. Resources are allocated between producing units, and final outputs between customers by the use of physical quotas.
The main rationale underlying state ownership of industry is the view that the collective ownership of the means of production ‘by the people for the people’ is preferable to a situation in which the ownership of the means of production is in the hands of the ‘capitalist class’ who are able to exploit their élite position to the detriment of the populace at large. State control of industry enables the economy as a whole to be organized in accordance with some central plan, which by interlocking and synchronizing the input-output requirements of industry is able to secure an efficient allocation of productive resources. Critics of state-owned economic systems argue, however, that in practice they tend to be ‘captured and corrupted’ by powerful state officials, and that their top-heavy bureaucratic structures result in a highly inefficient organization of production and insensitivity to what customers actually want. See PRIVATE-ENTERPRISE ECONOMY, MIXED ECONOMY, NATIONALIZATION, COMMUNISM.
certificate a document signifying ownership of a FINANCIAL SECURITY (STOCK, SHARE, etc.). In the UK, such certificates are issued in the name of the person or company recorded in the company’s register of SHAREHOLDERS as the owner of these shares, new certificates being issued to buyers when shares are sold. In countries like the USA, where BEARER BONDS are used, stock certificates merely note the number of stocks or shares represented and do not include the name of the owners, the holder of the certificate being presumed to be the owner.
certificate of deposit a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued by BANKS, BUILDING SOCIETIES and other financial institutions as a means of borrowing money for periods ranging from one month to five years. Once issued, certificates of deposit may be bought and sold on the MONEY MARKET and are redeemable on their maturity for their face value plus accrued interest.
certificate of incorporation a certificate issued by the COMPANY REGISTRAR to a new JOINT-STOCK COMPANY whose MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION and ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION are acceptable to the Registrar. A company starts its legal existence from the date of its incorporation and thereafter is able to enter into contracts, etc., in its own name.
certificate of origin a document used to authenticate the country of origin of internationally traded goods. Most trading countries are prepared to accept certificates of origin issued by government departments of their trade partners or their appointees (CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE in the UK). However, complications as to their precise country of origin often arise in the case of goods that are assembled in one country using components that are in the main imported from others. See LOCAL CONTENT RULE, EXPORT.
ceteris paribus a Latin term meaning ‘other things being equal’ that is widely used in economic analysis as an expository technique. It allows us to isolate the relationship between two variables. For example, in demand analysis, the DEMAND CURVE shows the effect of a change in the price of a product on the quantity demanded on the assumption that all of the ‘other things’ (incomes, tastes, etc.) influencing the demand for that product remain unchanged.
chain store a multi-branch retail firm. All types of retailer, ranging from SPECIALIST SHOPS to DEPARTMENT STORES, can be organized to take advantage of the economics of HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION. Unlike single-shop concerns, chain stores are able to maximize their sales potential through geographical spread and maximize their competitive advantage by being able to secure BULK-BUYING price concessions from manufacturers and the supply of OWN LABEL BRANDS. See SUPERMARKET, DISCOUNT STORE, COOPERATIVE, DO-IT-YOURSELF STORE, RETAILER, DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
Chamberlin, Edward (1899–1967) an American economist who helped develop the theory of MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION in his book The Theory of Monopolistic Competition. Prior to Chamberlin’s work, economists classified markets into two groups:
(a) perfect competition, where firm’s products are perfect substitutes;
(b) monopoly, where a firm’s product has no substitutes.
Chamberlin argued that in real markets goods are often partial substitutes for other goods, so that even in markets with many sellers the individual firm’s DEMAND CURVE might be downward sloping. He then proceeded to analyse the firm’s price and output decisions under such conditions and derive the implications for market supply and price. See also ROBINSON.
chamber of commerce an organization that operates primarily to serve the needs of the business community in an industrial city or area. Chambers of commerce provide a forum for local businessmen and traders to discuss matters of mutual interest and provide a range of services to their members, especially small businesses, including, for example, in the UK, information on business opportunities locally and nationally and, in conjunction with the DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY, export advisory services, export market intelligence, etc. See also BUSINESS LINK.
Chancellor of the Exchequer the UK government official heading the TREASURY whose main responsibility is the formulation and implementation of the government’s economic policy.
Chancellors of the Exchequer since 1970:
A. Barber 1970–74 (Conservative);
D. Healey 1974–79 (Labour);
G. Howe 1979–83 (Conservative);
N. Lawson 1983–89 (Conservative);
J. Major 1989–90 (Conservative);
N. Lamont 1990–93 (Conservative);
K. Clarke 1993–97 (Conservative) and
G. Brown 1997–to date (Labour).
change in demand see DEMAND CURVE (SHIFT IN).
change in supply see SUPPLY CURVE (SHIFT IN).
channel see DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
cheap money a government policy whereby the CENTRAL BANK is authorized to purchase government BONDS on the open market to facilitate an increase in the MONEY SUPPLY (see MONETARY POLICY).
The increase in money supply serves to reduce INTEREST RATES, which encourages INVESTMENT because previously unprofitable investments now become profitable as a result of the reduced cost of borrowing (see MARGINAL EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL/INVESTMENT).
Cheap money policy, through MONEY SUPPLY/SPENDING LINKAGES, increases AGGREGATE DEMAND. Compare TIGHT MONEY. See LIQUIDITY TRAP.
cheque a means of transferring or withdrawing money from a BANK or BUILDING SOCIETY current account. In the former case, the drawer of a cheque creates a written instruction to his or her bank or building society to transfer funds to some other person’s or company’s bank or building society account (the ‘payee’). In the latter case, money may be withdrawn in cash by a person or company writing out a cheque payable to themselves. Cheques may be ‘open’, in which case they may be used to draw cash, or ‘crossed’ with two parallel lines, in which case they cannot be presented for cash but must be paid into the account of the payee. See COMMERCIAL BANK.
cheque card see COMMERCIAL BANK.
Chicago school a group of economists at Chicago University, most notable of whom is Milton FRIEDMAN, who have adopted and refined the QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY, arguing the need for governments to control the growth of the MONEY SUPPLY over the long term. Within the broad parameters set by stable money growth, the Chicago school stresses the importance of the market system as an allocative mechanism, leaving consumers free to make economic decisions with minimal government interference. See MONETARISM.
Chinese wall the segregation of the stockbroking, jobbing (see MARKET MAKER), fund management, etc., activities of a financial institution in order to protect the interest of its clients. For example, the same institution could be responsible for making a market in a particular financial security while at the same time offering investment advice to clients to purchase this security, with the danger that the advice given will not be impartial. See CITY CODE.
choice the necessity for CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMIES and PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMIES to have to choose which goods and services to produce and in what quantities, arising from the relative SCARCITY of economic resources (FACTORS OF PRODUCTION) available to produce those goods and services. See ECONOMICS, PREFERENCES.
c.l.f.abbrev. for cost-insurance-freight, i.e. charges that are incurred in transporting imports and exports of goods from one country to another. In BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS terms, c.i.f. charges are added to the basic prices of imports and exports of goods in order to compute the total foreign currency flows involved. See F.O.B.
circular flow of national income model a simplified exposition of money and physical or real flows through the economy that serves as the basis for macroeconomic analysis. In Fig. 22 (a) the solid lines show how, in monetary terms, HOUSEHOLDS purchase goods and services from BUSINESSES using income received from supplying factor inputs to businesses (CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE). In physical terms (shown by the broken lines), businesses produce goods and services using factor inputs supplied to them by households.
The basic model can be developed to incorporate a number of ‘INJECTIONS’ to, and ‘WITHDRAWALS’ from, the income flow. In Fig. 22 (b), not all the income received by households is spent – some is saved, SAVINGS is a ‘withdrawal’ from the income flow. INVESTMENT expenditure ‘injects’ funds into the income flow. Part of the income accruing to households is taxed by the government and serves to reduce disposable income available for consumption expenditure. TAXATION is a ‘withdrawal’ from the income flow. GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE on products and factor inputs ‘injects’ funds into the income flow. Households spend some of their income on imported goods and services. IMPORTS are a ‘withdrawal’ from the income flow. On the other hand, some output is sold to overseas customers. EXPORTS represent a demand for domestically produced goods and services and hence constitute an ‘injection’ into the income flow. See also AGGREGATE DEMAND, EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
Fig. 22 Circular flow of national income model. (a) The basic model of the relationship between money flows and physical flows. (b) A more complex model, incorporating injections to and withdrawals from the income flow.
City code a regulatory system operated voluntarily by interested parties to the UK STOCK EXCHANGE that lays down ‘rules of good conduct’ governing the tactics and procedures used in TAKEOVER BIDS and MERGERS. The general purpose of the code is to ensure that all SHAREHOLDERS (both the shareholders of the firm planning the takeover and those of the target firm) are treated equitably, and that the parties City (of London) involved in arranging a takeover bid do not abuse privileged ‘insider’ information, or misuse such tactics as CONCERT PARTIES, DAWN RAIDS and CHINESE WALLS.
The City code is administered by the City Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, which is responsible for formulating rules of practice and for investigating suspected cases of malpractice. See also INSIDER TRADING.
City (of London) the centre of the UK’s FINANCIAL SYSTEM, embracing the MONEY MARKETS (commercial banks, etc.), CAPITAL MARKET (STOCK EXCHANGE), FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET, COMMODITY MARKETS and INSURANCE MARKETS. The City of London is also a major international financial centre and earns Britain substantial amounts of foreign exchange on exports of financial services.
City Panel on Takeovers and Mergers see CITY CODE.
claimant count unemployment measure a UK measure of UNEMPLOYMENT that is based on the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits (see JOBSEEKERS ALLOWANCE) at job centre offices. The unemployment rate is then expressed as a percentage of ‘workforce jobs’ (the number of persons recorded as being in full-time and part-time employment) plus claimant unemployment. In 2004 (third quarter) the unemployment rate was calculated at 2.7% using this measure. Compare INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION UNEMPLOYMENT MEASURE. See REGISTERED UNEMPLOYMENT.
classical economics a school of thought or a set of economic ideas based on the writings of SMITH, RICARDO, MILL, etc., which dominated economic thinking until about 1870, when the ‘marginalist revolution’ occurred.
The classical economists saw the essence of the economic problem as one of producing and distributing the economic wealth created between landowners, labour and capitalists; and were concerned to show how the interplay of separate decisions by workers and capitalists could be harmonized through the market system to generate economic wealth. Their belief in the power of market forces led them to support LAISSEZ-FAIRE, and they also supported the idea of FREE TRADE between nations. After about 1870, classical economic ideas receded as the emphasis shifted to what has become known as NEOCLASSICAL ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, embodying marginalist concepts.
Classical economists denied any possibility of UNEMPLOYMENT caused by deficient AGGREGATE DEMAND, arguing that market forces would operate to keep aggregate demand and POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT in balance (SAY’S LAW). Specifically, they argued that business recessions would cause interest rates to fall under the pressure of accumulating savings, so encouraging businesses to borrow and invest more, and would cause wage rates to fall under the pressure of rising unemployment, so encouraging businessmen to employ more workers. See LABOUR THEORY OF VALUE, KEYNES, PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMY.
clearing bank see COMMERCIAL BANK.
clearing house system a centralized mechanism for settling indebtedness between financial institutions involved in money transmission and dealers in commodities and financial securities. For example, in the case of UK commercial banking, when a customer of Bank A draws a cheque in favour of a customer of Bank B, and the second customer pays in the cheque to Bank B, then Bank A is indebted to Bank B for the amount of that cheque. There will be many thousands of similar transactions going on day by day, creating indebtedness between all banks. The London Clearing House brings together all these cheques, cross-cancels them and determines at the end of each day any net indebtedness between the banks. This net indebtedness is then settled by transferring balances held by the COMMERCIAL BANKS at the CENTRAL BANK (BANK OF ENGLAND).
A similar ‘clearing’ function is performed in the commodities and financial securities market by, for example, the International Commodities Clearing House and the London Financial Futures Exchange. See STOCK EXCHANGE, FUTURES MARKET, COMMODITY MARKET.
closed economy an economy that is not influenced by any form of INTERNATIONAL TRADE, that is, there are no EXPORTS or IMPORTS of any kind. By concentrating on a closed economy, it is possible to simplify the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL and focus upon income and expenditure within an economy.
In terms of the circular flow, AGGREGATE DEMAND in a closed economy is represented by:
By contrast, the OPEN ECONOMY allows for the influence of imports and exports and here aggregate demand is represented in the circular flow as:
closed shop a requirement that all employees in a given workplace or ORGANIZATION be members of a specified TRADE UNION. Closed shops are often imposed by powerful trade unions as a means of restricting the supply of labour and maintaining high wage rates for members. See SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS.
club principle a means of allocating the common overhead costs incurred in providing a good or service to each individual consumer. For example, residents may create a club to arrange for the resurfacing of a private road. See COLLECTIVE PRODUCTS, FREE-RIDER.
clusters geographically proximate groups of interconnected companies, suppliers, service producers and associated institutions, linked by commodities and complementarities. Michael Porter identified clusters as being vital for competitiveness insofar as they improve productivity and flexibility, aid innovation and contribute to new business formation. Porter noted that national economics tend to specialise in certain industrial clusters and that if these clusters are internationally competitive then their export performance will be good. See COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF COUNTRIES, EXTERNAL ECONOMIES OF SCALE.
Coase theorem see TRANSACTION COSTS.
Cobb-Douglas production function a particular physical relationship between OUTPUT of products and FACTOR INPUTS (LABOUR and CAPITAL) used to produce these outputs. This particular form of the PRODUCTION FUNCTION suggests that where there is effective competition in factor markets the ELASTICITY OF TECHNICAL SUBSTITUTION between labour and capital will be equal to one; that is, labour can be substituted for capital in any given proportions, and vice-versa, without affecting output.
The Cobb-Douglas production function suggests that the share of labour input and the share of capital input are relative constants in an economy, so that although labour and capital inputs may change in absolute terms, the relative share between the two inputs remains constant. See PRODUCTION POSSIBILITY BOUNDARY, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, PRODUCTION FUNCTION, CAPITAL-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY, ISOQUANT CURVE, ISOQUANT MAP.
cobweb theorem a theory designed to explain the path followed in moving toward an equilibrium situation when there are lags in the adjustment of either SUPPLY or DEMAND to changes in prices, COMPARATIVE STATIC EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS predicts the effect of demand or supply changes by comparing the original equilibrium price and quantity with the new equilibrium that results. The cobweb theorem focuses upon the dynamic process of adjustment in markets by tracing the path of adjustment of prices and output in moving from one equilibrium situation toward another (see DYNAMIC ANALYSIS).
Fig. 23 Cobweb theorem. See entry.
The cobweb theorem is generally used to describe oscillations in prices in agricultural markets where the delay between, for example, planting and harvesting means that supply reacts to prices with a time lag. The simplest case where current quantity demanded responds to current price while current quantity supplied depends upon price in the previous period is depicted in Fig. 23. In the figure, D
denotes quantity demanded in the current period, S
, denotes quantity supplied, while price is denoted by P
, and price in the previous period is denoted by P
. If demand were to fall rapidly, such that the demand curve shifted left from D
to D
, then comparative static analysis suggests that the market will eventually move from equilibrium point E (with price OP
and quantity OQ
) to equilibrium point E
(with price OP
and quantity OQ
). Dynamic analysis suggest that the path followed will be less direct than this.
Starting from the original equilibrium price OP
, which has prevailed in years t–1 and t, farmers will have planned to produce quantity OQ
. However, after the contraction in demand in year t, supply will exceed demand by QQ
, and in order to sell all the quantity OQ
coming on to the market, price has to fall to OP
. The lower price OP
, which prevails in year t, will discourage farmers from producing and they will reduce acreage devoted to this crop so that in the next year t + 1 a much smaller quantity OQ
is supplied.
In year t + 1, and at price OP
, demand now exceeds supply by the amount Q
Q
, and in order to ration the limited supply OQ
that is available, price will rise to OP
. This higher price in year t + 1 will encourage farmers to increase their acreage planted so that in the following year t + 2, a larger quantity OQ
will be supplied, which means that in year t + 2 supply exceeds demand and price will fall below OP
, which will discourage planting for the following year, and so on. The eventual result of this process of adjustment is that a new equilibrium is achieved at E
but only after a series of fluctuating prices in intermediate periods are experienced. See AGRICULTURAL POLICY.
coin the metallic CURRENCY that forms part of a country’s MONEY SUPPLY. Various metals have been used for coinage purposes. Formerly, gold and silver were commonly used but these have now been replaced in most countries by copper, brass and nickel. Coins in the main constitute the ‘low value’ part of the money supply. See MINT, LEGAL TENDER.
collateral security the ASSETS pledged by a BORROWER as security for a LOAN, for example, the title deeds of a house. In the event of the borrower defaulting on the loan, the LENDER can claim these assets in lieu of the sum owed. See DEBT, DEBTOR.
collective bargaining the negotiation of PAY, conditions of employment, etc., by representatives of the labour force (usually trade union officials) and management. Collective bargaining agreements are negotiated at a number of different levels, ranging from local union branches and a single factory to general unions and an entire industry.
Increasingly, plant- and company-level collective bargaining has dealt with PRODUCTIVITY as well as wages and conditions, with trade unions and the workforce offering to relax RESTRICTIVE LABOUR PRACTICES in return for improved wages and conditions. Such relaxations allow the firm to utilize labour more efficiently and flexibly, helping to improve the competitiveness of the firm.
Industry-wide bargaining can have inflationary consequences when trade unions use comparability arguments for wage increases with high percentage wage increases in industries that have experienced large productivity gains being extended on comparability grounds to other industries where the increases are not entirely justified on efficiency grounds. The selective use of comparability arguments for wage increases and pressures to maintain traditional WAGE DIFFERENTIALS can lead to COST-PUSH INFLATION. See TRADE UNION, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE.
collective products any goods or services that cannot be provided other than on a group basis because the quantity supplied to any one individual cannot be independently varied. Such products are non-excludable since it is difficult or impossible to exclude any individual from enjoying their benefits, for example, television airwave transmissions. Such products are also non-rival, insofar as one person’s consumption of the product does not affect the consumption opportunities of anyone else. It is virtually impossible to get consumers to reveal their preferences regarding collective goods because rational consumers will attempt to become FREE-RIDERS, each understating his demand in the hope of avoiding his share of the cost without affecting the quantity he obtains. Consequently, such products cannot be marketed in the conventional way and we cannot use market prices to value them. Many goods and services supplied by government are of a collective nature, for example, national defence and police protection, and here government decides on the amounts of such products to provide and compels individuals to pay for them through taxation. See MARKET FAILURE, CLUB PRINCIPLE, SOCIAL PRODUCTS.
collectivism see CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY.
collusion a form of INTERFIRM CONDUCT pattern in which firms arrive at an agreement or ‘understanding’ covering their market actions. Successful collusion requires the acceptance of a common objective for all firms (for example, JOINT-PROFIT MAXIMIZATION) and the suppression of behaviour inconsistent with the achievement of this goal (for example, price competition). Collusion may be either overt or tacit. Overt collusion usually takes the form of either an express agreement in writing or an express oral agreement arrived at through direct consultation between the firms concerned. Alternatively, collusion may take the form of an ‘unspoken understanding’ arrived at through firms’ repeated experiences with each other’s behaviour over time.
The purpose of collusion may be jointly to monopolize the supply of a product in order to extract MONOPOLY profits, or it may be a ‘defensive’ response to poor trading conditions, seeking to prevent prices from dropping to uneconomic levels. Because, however, of its generally adverse effects on market efficiency (cushioning inefficient, high-cost suppliers) and because it deprives buyers of the benefits of competition (particularly lower prices), collusion is either prohibited outright by COMPETITION POLICY or permitted to continue only in exceptional circumstances.
In the UK, under the COMPETITION ACT 1998, collusion in the form of an ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT is prohibited outright. Previously, under the RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES ACT, such agreements were allowed to continue, providing ‘net economic benefit’ could be established. See CARTEL, RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT, ANTICOMPETITIVE AGREEMENT, OLIGOPOLY, DUOPOLY, INFORMATION AGREEMENT, RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.
collusive duopoly see DUOPOLY.
command economy see CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY.
commercial bankorclearing bank a BANK that accepts deposits of money from customers and provides them with a payments transmission service (CHEQUES), together with saving and loan facilities.
Commercial banking in the UK is conducted on the basis of an interlocking ‘branch’ network system that caters for local and regional needs as well as allowing the major banks, such as Barclays and NatWest, to cover the national market. Increasingly, the leading banks have globalized their operations to provide traditional banking services to international companies as well as diversifying into a range of related financial services such as the provision of MORTGAGES, INSURANCE and UNIT TRUST investment and SHARE PURCHASE/SALE.
Bank deposits are of two types:
(a) sight deposits, or current account deposits, which are withdrawable on demand and which are used by depositors to finance day-to-day personal and business transactions as well as to pay regular commitments such as instalment credit repayments. Most banks now pay interest on outstanding current account balances;
(b) time deposits, or deposit accounts, which are usually withdrawable subject to some notice being given to the bank and which are held as a form of personal and corporate saving and to finance irregular, ‘one-off’ payments. Interest is payable on deposit accounts, normally at rates above those paid on current accounts, in order to encourage clients to deposit money for longer periods of time, thereby providing the bank with a more stable financial base.
Customers requiring to draw on their bank deposits may do so in a number of ways: direct cash withdrawals are still popular and have been augmented by the use of cheque/cash cards for greater convenience (i.e. cheque/cash cards can be used to draw cash from a dispensing machine outside normal business hours). However, the greater proportion of banking transactions is undertaken by cheque and CREDIT CARD payments and by such facilities as standing orders and direct debits. Payment by cheque is the commonest form of non-cash payment involving the drawer detailing the person or business to receive payment and authorizing his bank to make payment by signing the cheque, with the recipient then depositing the cheque with his own bank. Cheques are ‘cleared’ through an inter-bank CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM, with customers’ accounts being debited and credited as appropriate (see also BACS). Credit cards enable a client of the bank to make a number of individual purchases of goods and services on CREDIT over a particular period of time, which are then settled by a single debit to the person’s current account or, alternatively, paid off on a loan basis (see below).
Under a standing order arrangement, a depositor instructs his bank to pay from his account a regular fixed sum of money into the account of a person or firm he is indebted to, again involving the respective debiting and crediting of the two accounts concerned. In the case of a direct debit, the customer authorizes the person or firm to whom he is indebted to arrange with his bank for the required regular payment to be transferred from his account.
Commercial banks make loans to personal borrowers to finance the purchase of a variety of products, while they are a major source of WORKING CAPITAL finance for businesses covering the purchase of short-term assets such as materials and components and the financing of work-in-progress and the stockholding of final products. Loans may be for a specified amount and may be made available for fixed periods of time at agreed rates of interest, or may take the form of an overdraft facility, where the person or firm can borrow as much as is required up to a pre-arranged total amount and is charged interest on outstanding balances.
A commercial bank has the dual objective of being able to meet currency withdrawals on demand and of putting its funds to profitable use. This influences the pattern of its asset holdings; a proportion of its funds are held in a highly liquid form (the RESERVE ASSET RATIO), including TILL MONEY, BALANCES WITH THE BANK OF ENGLAND, CALL MONEY with the DISCOUNT MARKET, BILLS OF EXCHANGE and TREASURY BILLS. These liquid assets enable the bank to meet any immediate cash requirements that its customers might make, thereby preserving public confidence in the bank as a safe repository for deposits. The remainder of the bank’s funds are used to earn profits from portfolio investments in public sector securities and fixed-interest corporate securities, together with loans and overdrafts.
In recent times, the commercial banks have been markedly affected by changes introduced by the FINANCIAL SERVICES ACT 1986, which has allowed other financial institutions to set themselves up as ‘financial supermarkets’, offering customers a banking service and a wide range of personal financial products, including insurance, mortgages, personal pensions, unit trusts and individual savings accounts (ISAs), etc. This development has introduced a powerful new competitive impetus into the financial services industry, breaking down traditional ‘demarcation’ boundaries in respect of ‘who does what’, allowing banks to ‘cross-sell’ these services and products in competition with traditional providers such as the BUILDING SOCIETIES, INSURANCE COMPANIES, UNIT TRUSTS, etc.
This and other developments (in particular, the globalization of investment banking) have in turn caused a number of structural changes. Intra- and inter-takeovers-mergers have occurred (e.g. the Lloyds-TSB Banks’ tie-up and their takeover of the Cheltenham and Gloucester building society); foreign banks have increasingly moved into the UK through either takeover (e.g. Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp’s takeover of the Midland Bank and Deutsche Bank’s acquisition of the Morgan Grenfell investment house) or by setting up local offices; building societies such as the Abbey National, Woolwich and Halifax have converted themselves into banks. Direct banking services (via the telephone and the internet) have increasingly taken market share away from traditional branch networks. This has led to pressure on banks to cut costs by reducing the number of their branches. Another notable development has been the rapid rise in ATMs (AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINES, referred to popularly as ‘hole in the wall’ machines).
The commercial banks play a unique role in a country’s monetary system through their capacity to engage in multiple BANK DEPOSIT CREATION by providing credit through loans and overdrafts. Bank deposits constitute by far the largest single component of the broad MONEY SUPPLY (especially M4) and as such are a crucial target for the application of MONETARY POLICY in controlling the economy. See MONEY SUPPLY DEFINITIONS, BANK OF ENGLAND. See also EFTPOS.
commission 1 payments to AGENTS for performing services on behalf of a seller or buyer. Commissions are usually based on the value of the product being sold or bought. Examples of commissions include salespersons’ commissions, estate agents’ fees and insurance brokers’ commissions. 2 a body that acts as an ‘official’ regulatory or administrative authority with respect to a specified activity. For example, the COMPETITION COMMISSION hears cases of monopolies, mergers and anti-competitive practices referred to it by the Office of Fair Trading under UK competition policy. The European Commission is the main body responsible for the day-to-day administration of the affairs of the EUROPEAN UNION.
commodity 1 see GOODS. 2 raw materials rather than goods in general: for example, tea, coffee, iron ore, aluminium, etc.
commodity broker a dealer in raw materials. See COMMODITY MARKET.
commodity market a market for the buying and selling of agricultural produce and minerals such as coffee and tin. Commodity business is conducted through various international commodity exchanges, some of the more prominent ones being based in London, for example the London Metal Exchange and the London International Financial Futures Exchange.
Commodity markets provide an organizational framework for the establishment of market prices and ‘clearing’ deals between buyers and sellers (see CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM). Commodity dealers and brokers act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers wishing to conclude immediate spot transactions (see SPOT MARKET) or to buy or sell forward (see FUTURES MARKET).
commodity money products that can be used as a means of payment (see MONEY) but which are valuable in their own right, for example, cigarettes or alcoholic drinks. Commodity money is generally only used as a means of payment if confidence in money falls as a result of, say, rapid INFLATION.
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) the policy of the EUROPEAN UNION (EU) for assisting the farm sector. The main aims of the CAP are fair living standards for farmers and an improvement in agricultural efficiency (see AGRICULTURAL POLICY).
The CAP is administered by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, with major policy and operational decisions (e.g. the fixing of annual farm prices) residing in the hands of the Council of Ministers of the EU. The farm sector is assisted in four main ways:
(a) around 70–75% of EU farm produce benefits directly from the operation of a PRICE-SUPPORT system that maintains EU farm prices at levels in excess of world market prices. The prices of milk, cereals, butter, sugar, pork, beef, veal, certain fruits and vegetables and table wine are fixed annually and, once determined, are then maintained at this level by support-buying of output that is not bought in the market. MONETARY COMPENSATION AMOUNTS are used to convert the common price for each product into national currencies and to realign prices when the exchange rates of members’ currencies change;
(b) variable TARIFF rates are used to increase import prices to internal price-support levels in the cases of the products referred to above, thus ensuring that EU output is fully competitive. The 25% of EU farm produce that is not subject to direct price-support relies entirely on tariff protection to maintain high domestic prices;
(c) EXPORT SUBSIDIES are used to enable EU farmers to lower their export prices and thus compete successfully in world markets;
(d) grants are given to facilitate farm modernization and improvements as a means of improving agricultural efficiency.
The CAP is the largest single component of the EU’s total budget. In 2003 it accounted for 45% of total EU spending. Over 90% of the CAP’s budget in recent years has been spent on price-support and export subsidies.
Although the CAP can claim a number of successes, most notably the attainment of EU self-sufficiency in many food products, critics complain it has many drawbacks: consumers lose out because they are required to pay unnecessarily high prices for food products; resources are misallocated because inefficient, high-cost farmers are overprotected, and too little of the CAP’s resources are devoted to long-term structural reform and modernization of the sector; artificially high prices supported by intervention buying encourage gross overproduction and results in large surpluses (‘mountains’) of produce that are expensive to stockpile and difficult to sell off; subsidized exports from the EU can depress world farm prices, making life even more difficult for the less developed countries, many of which (specifically non-LOMÉ AGREEMENT countries) had already been hard hit by the trade diversionary effects of the EU (see TRADE DIVERSION).
However, the CAP has become less protectionist as a result of the ‘Uruguay Round’ of trade concessions (see WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION). The EU committed itself (over a six-year period starting in 1995) to reduce its import levies by 36%, reduce its domestic subsidies by 20%, and reduce its export subsidies by 36%. Further reductions are currently being negotiated as part of the ‘Doha Round’. See INCOME SUPPORT.
common currency see EURO.
common external tariff see CUSTOMS UNION, COMMON MARKET.
common law the body of law built up over many years as a result of previous court decisions interpreting legislation. These establish legal precedents that then need to be followed consistently in subsequent court cases. Compare STATUTE LAW.
common market a form of TRADE INTEGRATION between a number of countries in which members eliminate all trade barriers (TARIFFS, etc.) amongst themselves on goods and services and establish a uniform set of barriers against trade with the rest of the world, in particular, a common external tariff (see CUSTOMS UNION). In addition, a common market provides for the free movement of labour and capital across national boundaries. The aim of a common market is to secure the benefits of international SPECIALIZATION, thereby improving members’ real living standards.
The short- and medium-term impact of the formation of a common market is mainly felt through an increase in trade between member countries. TRADE CREATION is typically associated with a reallocation of resources within the market favouring least-cost supply locations and a reduction in prices resulting from the elimination of tariffs and lower production costs. (See GAINS FROM TRADE.)
In addition, a common market can be expected to promote longer-term (dynamic) changes conducive to economic efficiency through:
(a) COMPETITION. The removal of tariffs, etc., can be expected to widen the area of effective competition; high-cost producers are eliminated, while efficient and progressive suppliers are able to exploit new market opportunities;
(b) ECONOMIES OF SCALE. A larger ‘home’ market enables firms to take advantage of economies of large-scale production and distribution, thereby lowering supply costs and enhancing COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE;
(c) TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESSIVENESS. Wider market opportunities and exposure to greater competition can be expected to encourage firms to invest and innovate new techniques and products;
(d) INVESTMENT and ECONOMIC GROWTH. Finally, the virtuous circle of rising income per head, growing trade, increased productive efficiency and investment may be expected to combine to produce higher growth rates and real standards of living.
The EUROPEAN UNION is one example of a common market. See ANDEAN PACT.
communism a political and economic doctrine that advocates that the state should own all property and organize all the functions of PRODUCTION and EXCHANGE, including LABOUR. Karl MARX succinctly stated his idea of communism as ‘from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs’. Communism involves a CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY where strategic decisions concerning production and distribution are taken by government as opposed to being determined by the PRICE SYSTEM, as in a market-based PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMY. China still organizes its economy along communist lines, but in recent years Russia and other former Soviet Union countries and various East European countries have moved away from communism to more market-based economies.
community charge see LOCAL TAX.
company see FIRM.
company formation the process of forming a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY, which involves a number of steps:
(a) the drawing up of a MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION;
(b) the preparation of ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION;
(c) application to the COMPANY REGISTRAR for a CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION;
(d) the issue of SHARE CAPITAL;
(e) the commencement of trading.
company laws a body of legislation providing for the regulation of JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES. British company law encouraged the development of joint-stock companies by establishing the principle of LIMITED LIABILITY and providing for the protection of SHAREHOLDERS’ interests by controlling the formation and financing of companies. The major provisions of UK company law are the 1948, 1976 and 1989 Companies Acts. See ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION, MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION, FIRM.
company registrar the officer of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY who is responsible for maintaining an up-to-date SHARE REGISTER and for issuing new SHARE CERTIFICATES and cancelling old share certificates as shares are bought and sold on the STOCK EXCHANGE. Many companies, however, have chosen to subcontract these tasks to specialist institutions, often departments of commercial banks.
The role of the company registrar identified above should not be confused with that of the role of the government’s REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES, who is responsible for supervising all joint-stock companies.
comparability an approach to WAGE determination in which levels or increases in wages for a particular group of workers or for an industry are sought or offered through COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, which maintains a relationship to those for other occupations or industries. Comparability can lead to COST-PUSH INFLATION.
Fig. 24 Comparative advantage. The physical output of X and Y from a given factor input, and the opportunity cost of X in terms of Y. The opportunity cost of producing one more unit of X is 1Y in country A, and ⅔Y in country B. The opportunity cost of producing one more unit of Y is 1X in country A, and 1½X in country B.
comparative advantage the advantage possessed by a country engaged in INTERNATIONAL TRADE if it can produce a given good at a lower resource input cost than other countries. Also called comparative cost principle. This proposition is illustrated in Fig. 24 with respect to two countries (A and B) and two GOODS (X and Y).
The same given resource input in both countries enables them to produce either the quantity of Good X or the quantity of Good Y indicated in Fig. 24. It can be seen that Country B is absolutely more efficient than Country A since it can produce more of both goods. However, it is comparative advantage not ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGE that determines whether trade is beneficial or not. Comparative advantage arises because the marginal OPPORTUNITY COSTS of one good in terms of the other differ as between countries (see HECKSCHER-OHLIN FACTOR PROPORTIONS THEORY).
It can be seen that Country B has a comparative advantage in the production of Good X for it is able to produce it at a lower factor cost than Country A; the resource or opportunity cost of producing an additional unit of X is only ⅔ Y in Country B, whereas in Country A it is 1Y.
Country A has a comparative advantage in the production of Good Y for it is able to produce it at lower factor cost than Country B; the resource or opportunity cost of producing an additional unit of Y is only 1X, whereas in Country B it is 1½X.
Both countries, therefore, stand to increase their economic welfare if they specialize (see SPECIALIZATION) in the production of the good in which they have a comparative advantage (see GAINS FROM TRADE for an illustration of this important proposition). The extent to which each will benefit from trade will depend upon the real terms of trade at which they agree to exchange X andY.
A basic assumption of this presentation is that factor endowments, and hence comparative advantages, are ‘fixed’. Dynamically, however, comparative advantage may well change. It may do so in response to a number of influences, including:
(a) the initiation by a country’s government of structural programmes leading to resource redeployment. For example, a country that seemingly has a comparative advantage in the supply of primary products such as cotton and wheat may nevertheless abandon or de-emphasize it in favour of a drive towards industrialization and the establishment of comparative advantage in higher value-added manufactured goods;
(b) international capital movements and technology transfer, and relocation of production by MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES. For example, Malaysia developed a comparative advantage in the production of natural rubber only after UK entrepreneurs established and invested in rubber-tree plantations there. See COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE (OF COUNTRIES).
comparative cost principle see COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE.
comparative static equilibrium analysis a method of economic analysis that compares the differences between two or more equilibrium states that result from changes in EXOGENOUS VARIABLES. Consider, for example, the effect of a change in export demand on the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME as shown in Fig. 25. Assume that foreigners demand more of the country’s products. Exports rise and the aggregate demand schedule shifts upwards to a new level (AD
), resulting in the establishment of a new equilibrium level of national income Y
(at point H). The effect of the increase in exports can then be measured by comparing the original level of national income with that of the new level of national income. See DYNAMIC ANALYSIS, EQUILIBRIUM MARKET PRICE (CHANGES IN).
compensation principle see WELFARE ECONOMICS.
competition 1 a form of MARKET STRUCTURE in which the number of firms supplying the market is used to indicate the type of market it is, e.g. PERFECT COMPETITION (many small competitors), OLIGOPOLY (a few large competitors). 2 a process whereby firms strive against each other to secure customers for their products, i.e. the active rivalry of firms for customers, using price variations, PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION strategies, etc. From a wider public interest angle, the nature and strength of competition has an important effect on MARKET PERFORMANCE and hence is of particular relevance to the application of COMPETITION POLICY. See COMPETITION METHODS, MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, MONOPOLY.
Fig. 25 Comparative static equilibrium analysis. The initial level of national income is Y
(at point A) where the AGGREGATE DEMAND SCHEDULE (AD
) intersects the AGGREGATE SUPPLY SCHEDULE (AS).
Competition Act 1980 a UK Act that extended UK COMPETITION LAW by giving the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) wider powers to deal with restraints on competition such as EXCLUSIVE DEALING, TIE-IN SALES, etc. Previously, these practices could be dealt with only in the context of a full-scale and lengthy monopoly probe, whereas the Act now allows the OFT to deal with them on a separate one-off basis. See COMPETITION POLICY (UK).
Competition Act 1998 a UK Act that consolidated existing competition laws but also contained new prohibitions, powers of investigation and penalties for infringements of the Act. The Act is designed to bring UK competition law into line with European Union competition law as currently enshrined in Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty of Rome.
The Act covers two key areas of competition policy: anti-competitive agreements and market dominance.
(a) The Act prohibits outright agreements between firms (i.e. COLLUSION) and CONCERTED PRACTICES that prevent, restrict or distort competition within the UK (the Chapter 1 prohibition). This prohibition applies to both formal and informal agreements, whether oral or in writing, and covers agreements that contain provisions to jointly fix prices and terms and conditions of sale; to limit or control production, markets, technical development or investment; and to share markets or supply sources.
(b) The Act prohibits the ‘abuse’ of a ‘dominant position’ within the UK (the Chapter 2 prohibition). The Act specifies dominance as a situation where a supplier ‘can act independently of its competitors and customers’. As a general rule, a dominant position is defined as one where a supplier possesses a market share of 40% or above. Examples of ‘abuse’ of a dominant position specified in the Act include charging ‘excessive’ prices, imposing restrictive terms and conditions of sale to the prejudice of consumers and limiting production, markets and technical development to the prejudice of consumers.
The Act established a new regulatory authority, the COMPETITION COMMISSION, that took over the responsibilities previously undertaken by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and the Restrictive Practices Court. Under the Act, the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) has the power to refer dominant firm cases and cases of suspected illegal collusion to the Competition Commission for investigation and report.
The Act gives the OFT wide-ranging powers to uncover malpractices. For example, if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that firms are operating an illegal agreement, OFT officials can mount a ‘dawn raid’ – ‘entering business premises, using reasonable force where necessary, and search for incriminating documents’. The Act also introduces stiff new financial penalties. Firms found to have infringed either prohibitions may be liable to a financial penalty of up to 10% of their annual turnover in the UK (up to a maximum of three years). See COMPETITION POLICY, COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), ANTICOMPETITIVE AGREEMENT, RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT.
Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) a body established by the ENTERPRISE ACT 2002 to hear appeals in regard to ‘disputed’ merger cases. The OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING has the power to refer proposed mergers and takeovers to the COMPETITION COMMISSION for investigation if it believes that the merger/takeover would ‘substantially lessen competition’. If, in the OFT’s view, this is not the case, it can allow the merger/takeover to go ahead without reference. This is where the CAT comes in. An interested party (e.g. a competitor of the companies involved in the merger) may ‘appeal’ to the CAT that the OFT decision not to refer is ‘wrong’. The task of the CAT is to arbitrate and decide if there is indeed a case for reference and can ‘order’ a reference to the Competition Commission if it sees fit.
Competition Commission (CC) a regulatory body established by the COMPETITION ACT 1998 that was originally set up in 1948 as the Monopolies Commission (1948–65), then the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (1965–98) and that is responsible for the implementation of UK COMPETITION POLICY. The basic task of the Commission is to investigate and report on cases of MONOPOLY/MARKET DOMINANCE, MERGER/TAKEOVER and ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES referred to it by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) to determine whether or not they unduly remove or restrict competition, thus producing harmful economic effects (i.e. economic results that operate against the ‘public interest’). The Commission is also required by the OFT to investigate cases of ‘illegal’ collusion between suppliers, i.e. cases where the OFT has good reason to suspect that an ANTICOMPETITIVE AGREEMENT/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT prohibited by the Competition Act 1998 is continuing to be operated ‘in secret’. (This task was formerly undertaken by the RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.)
Under UK COMPETITION LAW, monopoly/market dominance is defined as a situation where at least 40% of a reference good or service is supplied by one firm or a number of suppliers who restrict competition between themselves (CONCERTED PRACTICE or COMPLEX MONOPOLY situation). Mergers and takeovers fall within the scope of the legislation where the market share of the combined business exceeds 25% of the reference good or service or where the value of assets being merged or taken over exceeds £70 million. Anti-competitive practices are those that distort, restrict or eliminate competition in a market.
Cases referred to the Competition Commission are evaluated nowadays primarily in terms of whether or not the actions of suppliers (MARKET CONDUCT) or changes in the structure of the market (MARKET STRUCTURE) are detrimental to the potency of competition in the market and hence prejudicial to the interests of consumers and other suppliers (the so-called ‘public interest’ criterion found in earlier legislation). In cases of monopoly/market dominance, the Commission scrutinizes the actions of dominant firms for evidence of the ‘abuse’ of market power and invariably condemns predatory pricing policies that result in excessive profits. Practices such as EXCLUSIVE DEALING, AGGREGATED REBATES, TIE-IN SALES and FULL-LINE FORCING, whose main effect is to restrict competition, have been invariably condemned by the Commission, especially when used by a dominant firm to erect BARRIERS TO ENTRY and to undermine the market positions of smaller rivals. A merger or takeover involving the leading firms who already possess large market shares is likely to be considered detrimental. (See MARKET CONCENTRATION.)
In all cases, the Commission has powers only of recommendation. It can recommend, for example, price cuts to remove monopoly profits, the discontinuance of offending practices and the prohibition of anti-competitive mergers, but it is up to the Office of Fair Trading to implement the recommendations, or not, as it sees fit.
competition law a body of legislation providing for the control of monopolies/market dominance, mergers and takeovers, anti-competitive agreements/restrictive trade agreements and anti-competitive practices. UK legislation aimed at controlling ‘abusive’ MARKET CONDUCT by monopolistic firms and firms acting in COLLUSION was first introduced in 1948 (The Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act), while powers to control undesirable changes in MARKET STRUCTURE were added in 1965 (The Monopolies and Mergers Act). Other notable legislation concerning the control of collusion were the Restrictive Trade Practice Acts of 1956, 1968 and 1976.
Current competition law in the UK is contained in a number of Acts:
FAIR TRADING ACT 1973
(applying to mergers and takeovers)
COMPETITION ACT 1980
(applying to anti-competitive practices)
COMPETITION ACT 1998
(applying to monopolies/market dominance and anti-competitive agreements/restrictive trade agreements)
RESALE PRICES ACTS 1964, 1976
(applying to resale price maintenance)
ENTERPRISE ACT 2002
(applying to mergers/takeovers and anti-competitive agreements)
These laws are currently administered by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING and the COMPETITION COMMISSION (formerly the MONOPOLIES AND MERGERS COMMISSION). See also RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.
In the EUROPEAN UNION, competition law is enshrined in Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty of Rome (1958) and the 1980 Merger Regulation. These laws are administered by the European Com-mission’s Competition Directorate. See COMPETITION POLICY, COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), COMPLEX MONOPOLY.
competition methods an element of MARKET CONDUCT that denotes the ways in which firms in a MARKET compete against each other. There are various ways in which firms can compete against each other:
(a) PRICE. Sellers may attempt to secure buyer support by putting their product on offer at a lower price than that of rivals. They must bear in mind, however, that rivals may simply lower their prices also, with the result that all firms finish up with lower profits;
(b) non-price competition, including:
(i) physical PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION. Sellers may attempt to differentiate technically similar products by altering their quality and design, and by improving their performance. All these efforts are intended to secure buyer allegiance by causing buyers to regard these products as in some way ‘better’ than competitive offerings.
(ii) product differentiation via selling techniques. Competition in selling efforts includes media ADVERTISING, general SALES PROMOTION (free trial offers, money-off coupons), personal sales promotion (representatives) and the creation of distribution outlets. These activities are directed at stimulating demand by emphasizing real and imaginary product attributes relative to competitors.
(iii) New BRAND competition. Given dynamic change (advances in technology, changes in consumer tastes), a firm’s existing products stand to become obsolete. A supplier is thus obliged to introduce new brands or to redesign existing ones to remain competitive;
(c) low-cost production as a means of competition. Although cost-effectiveness is not a direct means of competition, it is an essential way to strengthen the market position of a supplier. The ability to reduce costs opens up the possibility of (unmatched) price cuts or allows firms to devote greater financial resources to differentiation activity. See also MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, OLIGOPOLY, MARKETING MIX, PRODUCT-CHARACTERISTICS MODEL, PRODUCT LIFE-CYCLE.
competition policy a policy concerned with promoting the efficient use of economic resources and protecting the interests of consumers. The objective of competition policy is to secure an optimal MARKET PERFORMANCE: specifically, least-cost supply, ‘fair’ prices and profit levels, technological advance and product improvement. Competition policy covers a number of areas, including the monopolization of a market by a single supplier (MARKET DOMINANCE), the creation of monopoly positions by MERGERS and TAKEOVERS, COLLUSION between sellers and ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES.
Competition policy is implemented mainly through the control of MARKET STRUCTURE and MARKET CONDUCT but also, on occasions, through the direct control of market performance itself (by, for example, the stipulation of maximum levels of profit).
There are two basic approaches to the control of market structure and conduct: the nondiscretionary approach and the discretionary approach. The non-discretionary approach lays down ‘acceptable’ standards of structure and conduct and prohibits outright any transgression of these standards. Typi-cal ingredients of this latter approach include:
(a) the stipulation of maximum permitted market share limits (say, no more than 20% of the market) in order to limit the degree of SELLER CONCENTRATION and prevent the emergence of a monopoly supplier. Thus, for example, under this ruling any proposed merger or takeover that would take the combined group’s market share above the permitted limit would be automatically prohibited;
(b) the outright prohibition of all forms of ‘shared monopoly’ (ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENTS, CARTELS) involving price fixing, market sharing, etc;
(c) the outright prohibition of specific practices designed to reduce or eliminate competition, for example, EXCLUSIVE DEALING, REFUSAL TO SUPPLY, etc.
Thus, the nondiscretionary approach attempts to preserve conditions of WORKABLE COMPETITION by a direct attack on the possession and exercise of monopoly power as such.
By contrast, the discretionary approach takes a more pragmatic line, recognizing that often high levels of seller concentration and certain agreements between firms may serve to improve economic efficiency rather than impair it. It is the essence of the discretionary approach that each situation be judged on its own merits rather than be automatically condemned. Thus, under the discretionary approach, mergers, restrictive agreements and specific practices of the kind noted above are evaluated in terms of their possible benefits and detriments. If, on balance, they would appear to be detrimental, then, and only then, are they prohibited.
The USA by and large operates the nondiscretionary approach; the UK has a history of preferring the discretionary approach, while the European Union combines elements of both approaches. See COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), PUBLIC INTEREST, WILLIAMSON TRADE-OFF MODEL, OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING, COMPETITION COMMISSION, RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT, HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION, VERTICAL INTEGRATION, DIVERSIFICATION, CONCENTRATION MEASURES.
competition policy (EU) covers three main areas of application under European Union’s COMPETITION LAWS:
(a) CARTELS. Articles 85(1) and (2) of the Treaty of Rome prohibit cartel agreements and ‘CONCERTED PRACTICES’ (i.e. formal and informal collusion) between firms, involving price-fixing, limitations on production, technical developments and investment, and market sharing, whose effect is to restrict competition and trade within the European Union (EU). Certain other agreements (for example, those providing for joint technical research and specialization of production) may be exempted from the general prohibition contained in Articles 85(1) and (2), provided they do not restrict inter-state competition and trade;
(b) MONOPOLIES/MARKET DOMINANCE. Article 86 of the Treaty of Rome prohibits the abuse of a dominant position in the supply of a particular product if this serves to restrict competition and trade within the EU. What constitutes ‘abusive’ behaviour is similar to the criteria applied in the UK, namely, actions that are unfair or unreasonable towards customers (e.g. PRICE DISCRIMINATION between EU markets), retailers (e.g. REFUSAL TO SUPPLY) and other suppliers (e.g. selective price cuts to eliminate competitors). Firms found guilty by the European Commission of illegal cartelization and the abuse of a dominant position can be fined up to 10% of their annual sales turnover;
(c) MERGERS/TAKEOVERS. The Commission can investigate mergers involving companies with a combined world-wide turnover of over €5 billion (£3.7 bn) if the aggregate EU-wide turnover of the companies concerned is greater than €250 million. Again, the main aim is to prevent mergers likely adversely to affect competition and trade within the EU.
These thresholds still apply generally, but in 1998 they were reduced to €3.5 billion and €100 million, respectively, for mergers affecting the competitive situation in three (or more) EU countries in cases where the combined turnover of the companies exceed €25 million in each of the three countries.
Generally, where EU competition laws apply, they take precedence over the national competition laws of member countries. However, a subsidiarity provision can be invoked, which permits the competition authority of a member country to request permission from the EU Competition Directorate to investigate a particular dominant firm or merger case if it appears that the ‘European dimension’ is relatively minor compared to its purely local impact.
competition policy (UK) covers six main areas of application under UK COMPETITION LAWS:
(a) MONOPOLIES/MARKET DOMINANCE. The COMPETITION ACT 1998 prohibits actions that constitute the ‘abuse’ of a dominant position in a UK market. The OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) is responsible for the referral of selected goods and services monopolies (both private and public sectors) to the COMPETITION COMMISSION for investigation and report and the implementation (where it sees fit) of the Commission’s recommendations.
A dominant position is defined as a situation where one firm controls 40% or more of the ‘reference’ good or service. (Under previous legislation, market dominance was defined in terms of a 25% market share). Abuse consists of acts that are harmful to the interests of consumers and other suppliers, e.g. charging excessive prices to secure monopoly profits and imposing restrictive terms and conditions on the supply of goods (see EXCLUSIVE DEALING, TIE-IN SALES, etc). The term ‘abuse’ can be broadly equated with that of conduct contrary to the ‘public interest’ – the benchmark used in previous legislation.
Defining the ‘reference’ market to establish evidence of market dominance can be problematic since it raises the issue of how widely or narrowly the boundaries of ‘the market’ are to be delineated (see MARKET, MARKET CONCENTRATION). Thus, the drinks market could be divided as between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and further divided into sub-markets as between, for example, the various types of alcoholic drink – the beer/lager market, spirits market, wine market, etc. Establishing abuse can also be a ‘grey area’. For example, high prices and profits may be condoned because they reflect exceptional innovation; on the other hand, low profits may not be a sign of effective competition but reflect the fact that the firm is grossly inefficient;
(b) ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENTS/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENTS. The Competition Act 1998 prohibits outright agreements between firms (i.e. COLLUSION) and CONCERTED PRACTICES that prevent, restrict or distort competition within the UK. The Office of Fair Trading is responsible for monitoring ‘suspected’ cases of firms operating agreements illegally and can refer them for further investigation by the Competition Commission. The prohibition applies to both formal and informal agreements, whether oral or in writing, and covers agreements that involve joint price-fixing and common terms and conditions of sale, market-sharing and coordination of capacity adjustments, etc. (Under previous legislation it was possible to obtain exemption from prohibition if it could be demonstrated that an agreement conferred ‘net economic benefit’ – see RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES ACTS, RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.)
Although anti-competitive agreements are technically illegal, nonetheless there is much evidence that many such agreements have been driven ‘underground’ and are continuing to be operated in secret. This problem has been addressed by the authorities in encouraging ‘whistleblowers’ to come forward and supply them with information about illegal activities and also provisions in the Competition Act 1998 that allow officials to enter business premises without warning and to seize incriminating documentation. Under the ENTERPRISE ACT 2002, participation in illegal agreements has now been made a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment;
(c) MERGERS AND TAKEOVERS. Originally, under the FAIR TRADING ACT 1973, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), acting alongside the Secretary of State for Industry, could refer mergers and takeovers to the Competition Com-mission for investigation and report where (1) the combined firms already had or would have had a market share of 25% or over in a ‘reference’ good or service; (2) the value of assets being combined exceeded £70 million. Clause (1) effectively covered horizontal mergers and takeovers (see HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION) and clause (2) vertical and conglomerate mergers and takeovers (see VERTICAL INTEGRATION, DIVERSIFICATION/CONGLOMERATE INTEGRATION). Under the ENTERPRISE ACT 2002, the OFT was given sole responsibility for merger/takeover references but subject to an appeals procedure in disputed cases (see COMPETITION APPEALS TRIBUNAL).
Mergers and takeovers nowadays are mainly evaluated in terms of their likely competitive effects. Unlike in dealing with established monopolies, where past conduct can be scrutinised to establish harmful effects, mergers and takeovers are about the future, and predicting the likely future effects of a merger/takeover is problematic. Faced with this difficulty, the Commission tends to ‘play safe’ and recommend the blocking of most mergers/takeovers that reduce competition by significantly increasing the level of MARKET CONCENTRATION;
(d) RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE (RPM). Manufacturers’ stipulation of the resale prices of their products is generally prohibited in the UK, although under the RESALE PRICES ACTS it is possible for a manufacturer to obtain exemption by satisfying the Competition Commission that, on balance, RPM confers net economic benefit. The OFT is responsible for monitoring manufacturers’ policies towards retail prices and can take action against ‘suspected’ cases of manufacturers attempting (illegally) to enforce RPM. Manufacturers can, however, take action against retailers who use their products as LOSS LEADERS;
(e) ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES. Various trade practices, such as EXCLUSIVE DEALING, REFUSAL TO SUPPLY, FULL-LINE FORCING, etc., may be investigated both by the OFT itself and (if necessary) by the Competition Commission, and prohibited if they are found to be unduly restrictive of competition;
(f) CONSUMER PROTECTION. The OFT is also charged with protecting consumers’ interests generally, both by taking action against unscrupulous trade practices, such as false descriptions of goods and weights and measures, denial of proper rights of guarantee to cover defective goods, etc., and by encouraging groups of suppliers to draw up voluntary codes of ‘good’ practice.
Where a particular dominant firm or merger case falls within the competition rules of both the UK and the European Union (see COMPETITION POLICY (EU)), EU law takes precedence. However, a subsidiarity provision can be invoked that permits the OFT to request permission from the EU competition authorities to investigate a particular dominant firm or merger case if it appears that the ‘European dimension’ is relatively minor compared to its purely local impact.
Fig. 26 Competitive advantage (of countries). The Porter ‘diamond’.
competitive advantage (of countries) the resources and capabilities possessed by a country that underpin its competitiveness in international trade (see COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE). Countries per se do not trade – only persons and firms do. Persons and firms may possess their own unique resources and capabilities, which give them a competitive advantage over others. See COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE (OF FIRMS). This can be enhanced by firms being able to contribute, and tap in, to a country’s resources and capabilities. Michael Porter has developed the so-called ‘diamond’ framework, which encapsulates this potential, consisting of four elements: factor endowments, demand conditions, infrastructure and firm strategy/structure/rivalry. See Fig. 26.
A basic starting point is a country’s factor endowments, such as plentiful (i.e. cheap) labour or skilled labour, raw materials and capital stock, together with its underlying scientific and technological infrastructure. With regard to demand conditions, it is not so much the size of the home market (although it is accepted that a large home base may be necessary to underpin economies of scale in lowering supply costs and prices) as its nature that matters. Porter emphasizes the importance of the presence of sophisticated and demanding buyers in stimulating the innovation and introduction of new products capable of being ‘transferred’ into global markets. The category of ‘related and supporting industries’ provides an important bedrock for competitive success through a network of suppliers and commercial infrastructure (see CLUSTERS). The final quadrant, ‘firm strategy, structure and rivalry’, Porter suggests, may be the most important of all, especially the element of fierce local competition. While international rivalries tend to be ‘analytical and distant’, local rivalries become intensively personal but nonetheless beneficial in providing a ‘springboard’ for international success. All these factors, it is suggested, are interrelated, creating a ‘virtuous circle’ of resource generation and application, and sensitivity in meeting customer demands.
competitive advantage (of firms) the possession by a firm of various assets and attributes (low-cost plants, innovative brands, ownership of raw material supplies, etc.) that give it a competitive edge over rival suppliers. To succeed against competitors in winning customers on a viable (profitable) and sustainable (long-run) basis, a firm must, depending on the nature of the market, be cost-effective and/or able to offer products that customers regard as preferable to the products offered by rival suppliers. The former enables a firm to meet and beat competitors on price, while the latter reflects the firm’s ability to establish PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION advantage over competitors.
Cost advantages over competitors are of two major types:
(a) absolute cost advantages, that is, lower costs than competitors at all levels of output deriving from, for example, the use of superior production technology or from VERTICAL INTEGRATION of input supply and assembly operations;
(b) relative cost advantages, that is, cost advantages related to the scale of output accruing through the exploitation of ECONOMIES OF SCALE in production and marketing and through cumulative EXPERIENCE CURVE effects. Over time, investment in plant renewal, modernization and process innovation (either through in-house RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT or the early adoption of new technology developed elsewhere) is essential to maintain cost advantages.
Product differentiation advantages derive from:
(a) a variety of physical product properties and attributes (notably the ability to offer products that are regarded by customers as having unique qualities or as being functionally better than competitors’ products);
(b) the particular nuances and psychological images built into the firm’s product by associated advertising and sales promotion. Again, given the dynamic nature of markets, particularly product life cycle considerations, competitive advantage in this area needs to be sustained by an active programme of new product innovation and upgrading of existing lines. See COMPETITIVE STRATEGY, RESOURCE BASED THEORY OF THE FIRM, BARRIERS TO ENTRY, MOBILITY BARRIERS, VALUE-CREATED MODEL, VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS.
competitive strategy an aspect of BUSINESS STRATEGY that involves the firm developing policies to meet and beat its competitors in supplying a particular product. This requires the firm to undertake an internal appraisal of its resources and capabilities relative to competitors to identify its particular strengths and weaknesses. It also requires the firm to undertake an external appraisal of the nature and strength of the various ‘forces driving competition’ in its chosen markets (see Fig 27), namely:
(a) rivalry amongst existing firms;
(b) bargaining power of input suppliers;
(c) bargaining power of customers;
(d) threat of new entrants; and
(e) the threat of substitute products.
The key to a successful competitive strategy is then:
(a) to understand fully what product attributes are demanded by buyers (whether it be low prices or product sophistication) with a view to;
(b) establishing, operationally, a position of COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE that makes the firm less vulnerable to attack from established competitors and potential new entrants, and to erosion from the direction of buyers, suppliers and substitute products.
Fig. 27 Competitive strategy. (a) Forces driving competition in a market. (b) Three generic strategies. Source: Michael Porter.
There are three generic strategies for competitive success (Fig. 27 (b)): cost leadership, product differentiation and ‘focus’. Low costs, particularly in commodity-type markets, help the firm not only to survive price competition should it break out but, importantly, enable it to assume the role of market leader in establishing price levels that ensure high and stable levels of market profitability. The sources of cost-effectiveness are varied, including the exploitation of ECONOMIES OF SCALE, investment in best state-of-the-art technology and preferential access to raw materials or distribution channels. By adopting a PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION strategy, a firm seeks to be unique in its market in a way that is valued by its potential customers. Product differentiation possibilities vary from market to market but are associated with the potential for distinguishing products by their physical properties and attributes and the experience of satisfaction – real and psychological – imparted by the product to consumers. General cost leadership and differentiation strategies seek to establish a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rival suppliers across the whole market. By contrast, ‘focus’ strategies aim to build competitive advantages in narrower segments of a market but, again, either in terms of cost or, more usually, differentiation characteristics, with ‘niche’ suppliers primarily catering for speciality product demands. See MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET CONDUCT, MARKET PERFORMANCE, RESOURCE-BASED THEORY OF THE FIRM.
competitive tender an invitation for private sector firms to submit TENDERS (price bids) for contracts to supply goods or services to the public sector which the public sector has traditionally supplied for itself. Competitive tendering seeks to introduce competition in the provision of goods or services and thus reduce the costs to government departments, local authorities and health authorities. See DEREGULATION.
competitor a business rival of a firm supplying a good or service that offers buyers an identical or similar product. See COMPETITION, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, COMPETITIVE STRATEGY, PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
complementary products GOODS or SERVICES whose demands are interrelated (a joint demand) so that an increase in the price of one of the goods results in a fall in the demand for the other. For example, if the price of tennis rackets goes up, this results not only in a decrease in the demand for rackets but, because less tennis is now played, a fall also in the demand for tennis balls. See SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS, CROSS-ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
complete contract see CONTRACT.
complex monopoly a situation defined by UK COMPETITION POLICY as one in which two or more suppliers of a particular product restrict competition between themselves. ‘Complex monopoly’ in essence refers to an OLIGOPOLY situation where the firms concerned, although pursuing individual (i.e. non-collusive) policies, nonetheless behave in a uniform manner and produce a result that is non-competitive (i.e. similar to COLLUSION). The problem is that it is often difficult to distinguish between competitive and non-competitive situations. For example, if firms charge identical prices, is this reflective of competition (i.e. prices that are brought together because of competition) or a deliberate suppression of competition?
compound interest the INTEREST on a LOAN that is based not only on the original amount of the loan but the amount of the loan plus previous accumulated interest. This means that, over time, interest charges grow exponentially; for example, a £100 loan earning compound interest at 10% per annum would accumulate to £110 at the end of the first year and £121 at the end of the second year, etc., based on the formula: compound sum = principal (1 + interest rate)
that is, 121 = 100 (1 + 0.1)
.
Compare SIMPLE INTEREST.
computer an electronic/electromechanical device that accepts alphabetical and numerical data in a predetermined form, stores and processes this data according to instructions contained in a computer program, and presents the analysed data.
Computers have dramatically improved the productivity of data processing in commerce and business; for example, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing systems have improved the speed and cost with which new components or products can be assigned and subsequently scheduled for production; computer-aided distribution and stock control systems such as ELECTRONIC POINT OF SALE (EPOS) have helped to minimize stockholdings and have improved customer services; computers have rapidly taken over the manual tasks of keeping accounting records such as company sales and payroll. Computers have also played a prominent role in speeding up the response of commodity and financial markets to changing demand and supply conditions by processing and reporting transactions quickly.
In recent years computers have underpinned the rapid expansion of E-COMMERCE using the INTERNET. See STOCK EXCHANGE, AUTOMATION, MASS PRODUCTION.
concealed unemployment see DISGUISED UNEMPLOYMENT.
concentration measures
The measures of the size distribution of firms engaged in economic activities.
The broadest concentration measure is the aggregate concentration measure, which looks at the share of total activity in an economy accounted for by the larger firms, for example, the proportion of total industrial output accounted for by the largest 200 firms; or the share of total manufacturing output produced by the 100 largest companies. Various size criteria may be used for this measure, in particular, sales, output, numbers employed and capital employed, each of which can give slightly different results because of differences in capital intensity. Such measures serve to give an overall national view of concentration and how it is changing over time.
Although aggregate concentration measures are useful, they are generally too broad for purposes of economic analysis where interest focuses upon markets and performance in these markets. Consequently, economists have developed several measures of MARKET concentration that seek to measure SELLER or BUYER CONCENTRATION. The most common of these measures is the CONCENTRATION RATIO, which records the percentage of a market’s sales accounted for by a given number of the largest firms in that market. In the UK it has been usual to estimate the concentration ratio for the three or (more recently) five largest firms, whereas in the USA the four-firm concentration ratio tends to be employed.
Fig. 28 Concentration measures. (a) Cumulative concentration curves, showing the cumulative share of market size accounted for by various (cumulative) numbers of firms. (b) The Lorenz curve shows the cumulative share of market size on one axis accounted for by various (cumulative) percentages of the number of firms in the market.
The concentration ratio, however, records only seller concentration at one point along the cumulative concentration curve, as Fig. 28 (a) indicates. This makes it difficult to compare concentration curves for two different markets, like A and B in the figure, where their concentration curves intersect. For example, using a three-firm concentration ratio, market A is more concentrated while using a five-firm ratio shows market B to be more concentrated. An alternative concentration index, called the HERFINDAHL INDEX, gets around this problem by taking into account the number and market shares of all firms in the market. The Herfindahl index is calculated by summing the squared market shares of all firms. The index can vary between a value of zero (where there are a large number of equally sized firms) and one (where there is just one firm).
Concentration measures, like the concentration ratio and the Herfindahl index, are known as absolute concentration measures since they are concerned with the market shares of a given (absolute) number of firms. By contrast, relative concentration measures are concerned with inequalities in the share of total firms producing for the market. Such irregularities can be recorded in the form of a Lorenz curve as in Fig. 28 (b). The diagonal straight line shows what a distribution of complete equality in firm shares would look like, so the extent to which the Lorenz curve deviates from this line gives an indication of relative seller concentration. For example, the diagonal line shows how we might expect 50% of market sales to be accounted for by 50% of the total firms, whilst in fact 50% of market sales are accounted for by the largest 25% of total firms, as the Lorenz curve indicates. The Gini coefficient provides a summary measure of the extent to which the Lorenz curve for a particular market deviates from the linear diagonal. It indicates the extent of the bow-shaped area in the figure by dividing the shaded area below the Lorenz curve by the area above the line of equality. The value of the Gini coefficient ranges from zero (complete equality) to one (complete inequality).
In practice, most market concentration studies use concentration ratios calculated from data derived from the census of production.
Concentration measures are widely used in economic analysis and for purposes of applying COMPETITION POLICY to indicate the degree of competition or monopolization present in a market. They need to be treated with caution, however. On the one hand, they may overstate the extent of monopolization. First, the boundaries of the market may be defined too narrowly (for example, the ‘beer market’) when it might be more appropriate to adopt a wider interpretation of what constitutes the relevant market by including actual and potential substitutes (for example, the ‘alcoholic drink market’, which includes also spirits and wines). Thus, calculating a firm’s market share in terms of the beer market alone may make it seem more powerful than it actually is. Secondly, concentration ratios are usually compiled by reference to the output of domestic suppliers, thus ignoring the competition afforded by imports. Thirdly, market concentration is only one element of market structure. If BARRIERS TO ENTRY to the market are relatively low, or suppliers are confronted by powerful buyers, again the market may well be much more competitive than shown by the concentration ratio. On the other hand, concentration ratios may understate the degree of monopolization. First, the market may be defined too broadly when a narrower specification of the market’s boundaries may be more appropriate. This can be important in the context of suppliers who deliberately choose to ‘focus’ on a narrow segment of the market (see COMPETITIVE STRATEGY). Secondly, conduct elements as well as structure variables need to be considered. For example, while superficially a market with a low or moderate degree of seller concentration may appear to be competitive, in practice it may be highly monopolistic because the suppliers have set up a price-fixing CARTEL.
Thus, looked at ‘in the round’, concentration ratios are but one aspect in examining the dynamics of a market and whether or not it exhibits competitive or monopolistic tendencies.
concentration ratio a measure of the degree of SELLER CONCENTRATION in a MARKET. The concentration ratio shows the percentage of market sales accounted for by, for example, the largest four firms or largest eight firms. The concentration ratio is derived from the market concentration curve, which can be plotted on a graph, with the horizontal scale showing the number of firms cumulated from the largest size and the vertical scale showing the cumulative percentage of market sales accounted for by particular numbers of firms. See Fig. 29. See CONCENTRATION MEASURES, MARKET STRUCTURE.
Fig. 29 Concentration ratio. Market A is here highly concentrated, with the four largest firms accounting for 80% of market sales, while market B has a relatively low level of concentration.
concerted practica a situation defined by European Union and UK competition law as one where rival firms, without engaging in formal COLLUSION (see ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT), nonetheless informally coordinate their behaviour in respect of selling prices and discounts, and engage in market-sharing and joint capacity adjustments.
Under the EU’s Article 85 of the Treaty of Rome and the UK’s COMPETITION ACT 1998, concerted practices are prohibited outright. See COMPETITION POLICY (EU), COMPETITION POLICY (UK).
concert party a group of individuals or firms that acts ‘in concert’, pooling its various resources in order to effect the TAKEOVER of a company. See TAKEOVER BID, CITY CODE.
conciliation a procedure for settling disputes, most notably INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, in which a neutral third party meets with the disputants and endeavours to help them resolve their differences and reach agreement through continued negotiation. In the UK the ADVISORY CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION SERVICE acts in this capacity. See MEDIATION, ARBITRATION, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
condition of entry an element of MARKET STRUCTURE that refers to the ease or difficulty new suppliers face in entering a market. Market theory indicates that, at one extreme, entry may be entirely ‘free’, with, as in PERFECT COMPETITION, new suppliers being able to enter the market and compete immediately on equal terms with established firms; at the other extreme, in OLIGOPOLY and MONOPOLY markets, BARRIERS TO ENTRY operate, which severely limit the opportunity for new entry. The significance of barriers to entry in market theory is that they allow established firms to secure a long-term profit return in excess of the NORMAL PROFIT equilibrium attained under fully competitive (‘free’ entry) conditions. See MARKET ENTRY, POTENTIAL ENTRANT, LIMIT PRICING.
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) a UK organization that represents the collective interests of member companies in dealings with government and TRADE UNIONS.
congestion charge see ROAD CONGESTION.
conglomerate firm see FIRM.
consolidated fund the UK government’s account at the BANK OF ENGLAND into which it pays its TAXATION and other receipts, and which it uses to make payments.
consolsabbrev. of consolidated stock; government BONDS that have an indefinite life rather than a specific maturity date. People acquire consols in order to buy a future nominal annual income without any expectation of repayment of the issue, though they can be bought and sold on the STOCK EXCHANGE. Because they are never redeemed by the government, the market value of consols can vary greatly in order to bring their EFFECTIVE INTEREST RATE in line with their NOMINAL INTEREST RATE. For example, £100 of consols with a nominal rate of interest of 5% would yield a return of £5 per year. If current market interest rates were 10%, then the market price of the consols would need to fall to £50 so that a buyer would earn an effective return on them of £5/£50 = 10%.
consortium a temporary grouping of independent firms, organizations and governments brought together to pool their resources and skills in order to undertake a particular project such as a major construction programme or the building of an aircraft, or to combine their buying power in bulk-buying factor inputs.
conspicuous consumption the CONSUMPTION of goods and services not for the UTILITY derived from their use but for the utility derived from the ostentatious exhibition of such goods and services.
A person may buy and run a Rolls-Royce motor car not just as a vehicle for transportation but because it suggests to the outside world something about the owner. That person may wish to be seen as affluent or as a person of taste. This phenomenon (known as the VEBLEN EFFECT) can be viewed as an alternative to the more usual consumption theories where the quantity of a particular good varies inversely with its price (a downward-sloping DEMAND CURVE). A conspicuous consumption good may well have an UPWARD-SLOPING DEMAND CURVE so that the quantity demanded increases with its price.
constant returns 1 (in the SHORT RUN) constant returns to the VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT that occur when additional units of variable input added to a given quantity of FIXED FACTOR INPUT generate equal increments in output. With an unchanged price for variable factor inputs, constant returns will cause the short-run unit variable cost of output to stay the same over an output range. See RETURNS TO THE VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT.
2 (in the LONG RUN) constant returns that occur when successive increases in all factor inputs generate equal increments in output. In cost terms, this means the long-run unit cost of output remains constant so long as factor input prices stay the same. See MINIMUM EFFICIENT SCALE, ECONOMICS OF SCALE.
consumer the basic consuming/demanding unit of economic theory. In economic theory, a consuming unit can be either an individual purchaser of a good or service, a HOUSEHOLD (a group of individuals who make joint purchasing decisions) or a government. See BUYER.
consumer credit LOANS made available to buyers of products to assist them in financing purchases. Consumer credit facilities include HIRE PURCHASE, INSTALMENT CREDIT, BANK LOANS and CREDIT CARDS.
Consumer Credit Act 1974 a UK Act that provides for the licensing of persons and businesses engaged in the provision of consumer CREDIT (specifically, moneylenders, pawnbrokers and INSTALMENT CREDIT traders – but not banks, which are covered by separate legislation) and the regulation of DEBTOR-CREDITOR contracts. The Act contains important provisions protecting creditors from ‘extortionate’ rates of interest. The Act is administered by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING in conjunction with the DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY. See CONSUMER PROTECTION, APR.
consumer durables CONSUMER GOODS, such as houses, cars, televisions, that are ‘consumed’ over relatively long periods of time rather than immediately. See Fig. 158 (b) (PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE) for details of market penetration for a number of consumer durable products. Compare CONSUMER NONDURABLES.
consumer equilibrium the point at which the consumer maximizes his TOTAL UTILITY or satisfaction from the spending of a limited (fixed) income. The economic ‘problem’ of the consumer is that he has only a limited amount of income to spend and therefore cannot buy all the goods and services he would like to have. Faced with this constraint, demand theory assumes that the goal of the consumer is to select that combination of goods, in line with his preferences, that will maximize his total utility or satisfaction. Total utility is maximized when the MARGINAL UTILITY of a penny’s worth of good X is exactly equal to the marginal utility of a penny’s worth of all the other goods purchased; or, restated, when the prices of goods are different, the marginal utilities are proportional to their respective prices. For two goods, X and Y, total utility is maximized when:
Consumer equilibrium can also be depicted graphically using INDIFFERENCE CURVE analysis. See Fig. 30. See also REVEALED PREFERENCE THEORY, PRICE EFFECT, INCOME EFFECT, SUBSTITUTION EFFECT, ECONOMIC MAN, CONSUMER RATIONALITY, PARETO OPTIMALITY.
Fig. 30 Consumer equilibrium. The optimal combination of Good X and Good Y is at point E when the BUDGET LINE is tangential to indifference curve 1. At this point the slope of the budget line (the ratio of prices) is equal to the slope of the indifference curve (the ratio of marginal utilities), so the goods’ marginal utilities are proportional to their prices.
consumer goods any products, such as washing machines, beer, toys, that are purchased by consumers as opposed to businesses. Compare CAPITAL GOODS, PRODUCER GOODS.
consumerism an organized movement to protect the economic interests of CONSUMERS. The movement developed in response to the growing market power of large companies and the increasing technical complexity of products. It embraces bodies such as the Consumers’ Association in the UK, which is concerned with product testing and informing consumers through publications such as Which? Consumerism has been officially incorporated into British COMPETITION POLICY since the 1973 FAIR TRADING ACT. See CONSUMER PROTECTION.
consumer nondurables CONSUMER GOODS that yield up all their satisfaction or UTILITY at the time of consumption They include such items as beer, steak or cigarettes. Compare CONSUMER DURABLES.
consumer price index (CPI) a weighted average of the PRICES of a general ‘basket’ of goods and services bought by consumers. Each item in the index is weighted according to its relative importance in total consumers’ expenditure (see Fig. 31). Starting from a selected BASE YEAR (index value = 100), price changes are then reflected in changes in the index value over time. Thus, in the case of the UK’s CPI, the current base year is 1996 = 100; in February 2005 the index value stood at 112.2, indicating that consumer prices, on average, had risen 12% between the two dates.
Since December 2003 the CPI has been used by the UK government as a measure of the rate of INFLATION in the economy for the purposes of applying macroeconomic policy in general and monetary policy in particular (see MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE). Previously, the RETAIL PRICE INDEX (RPI) was used for this purpose, but the CPI measure was adopted to harmonize the way the UK measured its inflation rate with that of other countries in the EUROPEAN UNION.
consumer protection measures taken by the government and independent bodies such as the Consumers’ Association in the UK to protect consumers against unscrupulous trade practices such as false descriptions of goods, incorrect weights and measures, misleading prices and defective goods. See TRADE DESCRIPTIONS ACT 1968, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT 1963, CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974, PRICE MARKETING (BARGAIN OFFERS) ORDER 1979, OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING, COMPETITION POLICY, CONSUMERISM.
Fig. 31 Consumer price Index. Source: Office of National Statistics.
consumer rationalityoreconomic rationality the assumption, in demand theory, that CONSUMERS attempt to obtain the greatest possible satisfaction from the money resources they have available when making purchases. Because economic theory tends to sum household demands in constructing market DEMAND CURVES, it is not important if a few households do not conform to rational behaviour as long as the majority of consumers or households act rationally. See ECONOMIC MAN.
consumer sovereignty the power of CONSUMERS to determine what is produced since they are the ultimate purchasers of goods and services. In general terms, if consumers demand more of a good then more of it will be supplied. This implies that PRODUCERS are ‘passive agents’ in the PRICE SYSTEM, simply responding to what consumers want. In certain kinds of market, however, notably, OLIGOPOLY and MONOPOLY, producers are so powerful vis-à-vis consumers that it is they who effectively determine the range of choice open to the consumer. See REVISED SEQUENCE.
consumers’ surplus the extra satisfaction or UTILITY gained by consumers from paying an actual price for a good that is lower than that which they would have been prepared to pay. See Fig. 32 (a). The consumers’ surplus is maximized only in PERFECT COMPETITION, where price is determined by the free play of market demand and supply forces and all consumers pay the same price. Where market price is not determined by demand and supply forces in competitive market conditions but is instead determined administratively by a profit-maximizing MONOPOLIST, then the resulting restriction in market output and the increase in market price cause a loss of consumer surplus, indicated by the shaded area PP
XE in Fig. 32 (b). If a DISCRIMINATING MONOPOLIST were able to charge a separate price to each consumer that reflected the maximum amount that the consumer was prepared to pay, then the monopolist would be able to appropriate all the consumer surplus in the form of sales revenue.
Business strategists can use the concept of the consumers’ surplus to increase the firm’s profit (see VALUE-CREATED MODEL). To illustrate: you are a Manchester United football fan; tickets for a home game are currently priced at £50 but you would be willing to pay £75. Hence, you have ‘received’ as a consumer ‘perceived benefit’ or ‘surplus’ of £25 over and above the price actually charged. Manchester United, however, instead of charging a single price of £50 could segment its market by charging different prices for admission to different parts of the ground (see PRICE DISCRIMINATION, MARKET SEGMENTATION) in order to ‘capture’ more of the consumers’ surplus for itself. Thus, it could continue to charge the ‘basic’ price of £50 for admission to certain parts of the ground, £75 for seating in the main stand and £120 for an ‘executive box’ seat. Compare PRODUCERS’ SURPLUS. See DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY, DEADWEIGHT LOSS.
Fig. 32 Consumers’ surplus. (a) At the EQUILIBRIUM PRICE OP, utility from the marginal unit of the good is just equal to its price; all previous units yield an amount of utility that is greater than the amount paid by the consumer, insofar as consumers would have been prepared to pay more for these intramarginal units than the market price. The total consumer surplus is represented by the shaded area PEP
(b)The loss of consumers’ surplus because of monopoly.
consumption the satisfaction obtained by CONSUMERS from the use of goods and services. Certain CONSUMER DURABLE products, like washing machines, are consumed over a longish period of time, while other products, like cakes, are consumed immediately after purchase. The DEMAND CURVE for a particular product reflects consumers’ satisfactions from consuming it. See WANTS, DEMAND.
consumption expenditure the proportion of NATIONAL INCOME or DISPOSABLE INCOME spent by HOUSEHOLDS on final goods and services. Consumption expenditure is the largest component of AGGREGATE DEMAND and spending in the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME. It is one of the most stable components of aggregate demand, showing little fluctuation from period to period.
In 2003, consumption expenditure accounted for 52% of gross final expenditure (GFE) on domestically produced output (GFE minus imports = GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT). See Fig. 132 (b), NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS. See CONSUMPTION SCHEDULE, VEBLEN EFFECT.
consumption function a statement of the general relationship between the dependent variable, CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE, and the various independent variables that determine consumption, such as current DISPOSABLE INCOME and income from previous periods and WEALTH. See CONSUMPTION SCHEDULE, LIFE-CYCLE HYPOTHESIS, PERMANENT-INCOME HYPOTHESIS, WEALTH EFFECT.
consumption possibility line see BUDGET LINE.
consumption schedule a schedule depicting the relationship between CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE and the level of NATIONAL INCOME or DISPOSABLE INCOME, also called consumption function. At low levels of disposable income, households consume more than their current income (see DISSAVING), drawing on past savings, borrowing or selling assets in order to maintain consumption at some desired minimum level (AUTONOMOUS CONSUMPTION). At higher levels of disposable income, they consume a part of their current income and save the rest (see SAVING). See Fig. 33. See INDUCED CONSUMPTION.
Fig. 33 Consumption schedule. A simple consumption schedule that takes the linear form C = a + bY, where C is consumption and a is the minimum level of consumption expenditure at zero-disposable income (autonomous consumption). Thereafter consumption expenditure increases as income rises (induced consumption), and b is the proportion of each extra £ (pound) of disposable income that is spent. The 45-degree line OE shows what consumption expenditure would have been had it exactly matched disposable income. The difference between OE and the consumption schedule indicates the extent of dissavings or SAVINGS at various income levels. The slope of the consumption schedule is equal to the MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO CONSUME. See SAVINGS SCHEDULE, LIEE-CYCIE HYPOTHESIS, PERMANENT-INCOME HYPOTHESIS.
contestable market a MARKET where new entrants face costs similar to those of established firms and where, on leaving, firms are able to recoup their capital costs, less depreciation. Consequently, it is not possible for established firms to earn ABOVE NORMAL PROFIT as this will be eroded by the entry of new firms, or, alternatively, the mere threat of such new entry may be sufficient to ensure that established firms set prices that yield them only a NORMAL PROFIT return. Perfectly competitive markets (see PERFECT COMPETITION) are all contestable, but even some oligopolistic markets (see OLIGOPOLY) may be contestable if entry and exit are easily affected.
In recent times many markets have been opened up by a number of developments, including increasing international competition as trade barriers have been reduced, the introduction of FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS and E-COMMERCE trading on the INTERNET. See WORKABLE COMPETITION, CONDITION OF ENTRY, BARRIERS TO ENTRY, BARRIERS TO EXIT.
contingency theory the proposition that the best organization structure for a particular firm depends upon the specific circumstances that it faces and that there is no uniformly best organization structure for all firms in all circumstances. The appropriate organizational structure for a firm in particular circumstances seeks to balance ECONOMIES OF SCALE and ECONOMIES OF SCOPE in production and distribution; TRANSACTION COSTS; AGENCY COSTS; and information flows.
contract a legally enforceable agreement between two or more people or firms generally relating to a TRANSACTION for the purchase or sale of goods and services. Contracts may take a standardized form, with the same conditions of exchange being applied to every one of a large number of contracts, for example, airline ticket contracts. Alternatively, contracts may be lengthy and complicated because they are carefully tailored to a specific transaction such as the contract to build an office block for a client.
A complete contract stipulates each party’s responsibilities and rights for every contingency that could conceivably arise during the transaction. Such a complete contract would bind the parties to particular courses of action as the transaction unfolds, with neither party having any freedom to exploit weaknesses in the other’s position. It is difficult to develop complete contracts since parties to the contract must be able to specify every possible contingency and the required responses by the contracting parties, to stipulate what constitutes satisfactory performance, to measure performance, to make the contract enforceable and to have access to complete information about circumstances surrounding the contract.
In practice, most contracts are incomplete contracts in which the precise terms of the contract relating to product specifications, supply or delivery terms cannot be fully specified. In such situations, one or other parties to the agreement may be tempted to take advantage of the open-endedness or ambiguity of the contract at the expense of the other party. See ADVERSE SELECTION, MORAL HAZARD, ASYMMETRY OF INFORMATION, ASSET SPECIFICITY.
contract curve see EDGEWORTH BOX.
contractor a person or firm that enters into a CONTRACT enforceable in law with another person or firm to supply goods or services. For example, a house builder may employ contractors to undertake the plumbing work involved in the construction of houses rather than do this work itself. The plumbing contractor would provide, for the contract price, all piping, wire, tanks, etc., needed, plus the specialist workers to install them. In turn, the plumber may enter into an agreement with a subcontractor to install the time clocks and electrical controls for the central heating system.
contribution the difference between a product’s SALES REVENUE and its VARIABLE COSTS. If total contributions are just large enough to cover FIXED COSTS then the producer BREAKS EVEN; if contributions are less than fixed costs, the producer makes a LOSS; while if contributions exceed fixed costs then the producer makes a PROFIT. See LOSS MINIMIZATION, MARGINAL COST PRICING.
control loss see AGENCY COST.
conventional sequence see REVISED SEQUENCE.
convertibility the extent to which one foreign currency or INTERNATIONAL RESERVE ASSET can be exchanged for some other foreign currency or international reserve asset.
International trade and investment opportunities are maximized when the currencies used to finance them are fully convertible, i.e. free of FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROL restrictions.
convertible loans long-term LOANS to a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY that may be converted at the option of the lender into ORDINARY SHARES at a predetermined share price.
conveyance a document that transfers the legal ownership of land and buildings from one person/business to another person/business. See MORTGAGE.
cooperation 1 the process whereby FIRMS seek to coordinate their pricing and output policies rather than compete with one another in order to achieve JOINT-PROFIT MAXIMIZATION. See MUTUAL INTERDEPENDENCE, OLIGOPOLY.
2 the process whereby individuals coordinate their work in TEAMS.
cooperative a form of business FIRM that is owned and run by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit. Examples of cooperatives include:
(a) worker or producer cooperatives: businesses that are owned and managed by their employees, who share in the net profit of the business.
(b) wholesale cooperatives: businesses whose membership comprises a multitude of small independent retailers. The prime objective of such a group is to use its combined BULK-BUYING power to obtain discounts and concessions from manufacturers, similar to those achieved by larger SUPERMARKET chains.
(c) retail cooperatives: businesses that are run in the interest of customers, who hold membership rights entitling them to receive an annual dividend or refund in proportion to their spending at the cooperative’s shops. See WHOLESALER, RETAILER, DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
coordination the process whereby the specialized (see SPECIALIZATION) activities of different participants in an economy are synchronized. Coordination of TRANSACTIONS may take place through MARKETS or within ORGANIZATIONS. Within organizations, coordination is necessary to try to ensure that decisions within subunits of the organization are consistent with each other and with the objectives of the organization as a whole. See INTERNAL MARKETS.
copyright the ownership of the rights to a publication of a book, manual, newspaper, etc., giving legal entitlement and powers of redress against theft and unauthorized publication or copying. See INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 a UK Act that provides for the establishment and protection of the legal ownership rights of persons and businesses in respect of various classes of ‘intellectual property’, in particular COPYRIGHTS, DESIGN RIGHTS and PATENTS.
The Act is administered in part by the PATENTS OFFICE, with cases of unauthorized copying, patent infringements, etc., being handled by the courts.
core business the particular products supplied by a firm that constitute the heart of its business. These are generally products in which the firm has a competitive advantage. Over time the firm may begin to supply other products that may be associated with its core business but are more peripheral to the firm and its operations. See DIVERSIFICATION.
core competence a key resource, process or system possessed by a firm that allows it to gain a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rivals.
core product a basic product such as a motor car. See TOTAL PRODUCT.
cornervb. to buy or attempt to buy up all the supplies of a particular product on the MARKET, thereby creating a temporary MONOPOLY situation with the aim of exploiting the market.
corporate bond see BOND.
corporate control the ability to exercise control over a public JOINT-STOCK COMPANY. In countries where shares in a large company are freely traded, if the incumbent directors and senior managers fail to achieve good profit and dividend performance, the price of the company’s shares will fall, making it possible for managers of another company to buy a majority of shares in the underperforming company and to gain control of it. This market for corporate control can exercise a restraining effect upon incumbent managers of a firm who are aware that they can lose their jobs if their company underperforms to the extent of provoking a takeover bid by other managers who feel that they can run the company more profitably. See CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, TAKEOVER, PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL.
corporate governance
The duties and responsibilities of a company’s BOARD OF DIRECTORS in managing the company and their relationship with the SHAREHOLDERS of the company. With the DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL, salaried professional managers have acquired substantial powers in respect of the affairs of the company they are paid to run on behalf of their shareholders. However, directors have not always had the best interests of shareholders in mind when performing their managerial functions (see PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY), and this has led to attempts to make directors more accountable for their policies and actions.
A number of reports were published in the UK in the 1990s, prompted by the public’s concern at cases of gross mismanagement (for example, the collapse of the BCCI bank and Polly Peck and the misappropriation of employee’s pension monies at the Mirror Group) and ‘fat cat’ pay increases secured by executive directors. The Cadbury Committee Report (1992) recommended a ‘Code of Best Practice’ relating to the appointment and responsibilities of executive directors, the independence of nonexecutive directors and tighter internal financial controls and reporting procedures. The Greenbury Committee Report (1995) specifically addressed the issue of directors’ pay, recommending that executive directors’ pay packages should be determined by companies’ remuneration committees, consisting solely of nonexecutive directors, and that share awards under EXECUTIVE SHARE OPTION SCHEMES and LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLANS (LTIPS) should be linked to companies’ financial performance. The Hempel Committee Report (1998) covered many of the same issues raised by these two earlier reports, recommending (‘Principles of Good Governance’) checks on the power of any one individual executive director (by, for example, separating the roles of chairman and chief executive), a more independent and stronger voice for nonexecutives (including the appointment of a ‘senior’ nonexecutive to offer guidance to, and check ‘empire building’ tendencies on the part of, executive directors and in liaising with shareholder interests) and more accountability to shareholders at the AGM (including the approval of options and LTIP schemes).
In 1998 the ‘Code of Best Practice’ and ‘Principles of Good Governance’ were combined and formally incorporated into the listing rules of the London STOCK EXCHANGE.
In 1999 the Turnbull Committee Report on ‘Internal Control’ proposed guidelines for regular internal controls not only on financial procedures but also on business and operational matters with a greater emphasis on ‘risk’ management and evaluation to ensure that these are compatible with the company’s business objectives.
More recently, the Higgs Committee Report (2003) envisaged a more prominent role for nonexecutives, including the following recommendations: the chairman should be a nonexecutive; the senior independent nonexecutive director should be given additional responsibilities, particularly in regard to liaising between the board and the companies’ shareholders; nomination committees should consist entirely of nonexecutives; at least half the board’s directors should be nonexecutive; no full-time executive director should take on more than one additional non-executive position in another company.
For UK and other MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES operating in the USA the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) requires them to follow strict financial accounting procedures, audits and reporting to increase financial transparency and to prevent fraud. The Act was introduced following a number of financial scandals, notably those at Enron and World Com., and the failure of nonexecutives and major accountancy firms such as Arthur Anderson (now broken up) to detect malpractices. In the UK itself, financial reporting has been tightenend up following the recommendations of the Smith Committee Report (2003) on internal auditing practices.
While traditionally the issue of corporate governance has tended to focus on director-shareholder relationships, the stakeholder approach emphasizes that directors have wider responsibilities to other groups with an interest or ‘stake’ in the business: their employees, consumers, suppliers and the community at large. See FIRM OBJECTIVES, MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
corporate reengineering the process whereby the ORGANIZATION structure of a corporation is changed. This may involve a movement away from a functional organization to a multidivisional organization or the elimination or restructuring of certain product divisions within a multidivisional organization. Such reengineering often involves dramatic changes for managers and employees and can be linked with DOWNSIZING.
corporate sector that part of the ECONOMY concerned with the transactions of BUSINESSES. Businesses receive income from supplying goods and services and influence the workings of the economy through their use of, and payment for, factor inputs and INVESTMENT decisions. The corporate sector, together with the PERSONAL SECTOR and FINANCIAL SECTOR, constitute the PRIVATE SECTOR. The private sector, PUBLIC (GOVERNMENT) SECTOR and FOREIGN SECTOR make up the national economy. See CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
corporation 1 a private enterprise FIRM incorporated in the form of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY.
2 a publicly owned business such as a nationalized industry.
corporation tax a DIRECT TAX levied by the government on the PROFITS accruing to businesses. The rate of corporation tax charged is important to a firm insofar as it determines the amount of after-tax profit it has available to pay DIVIDENDS to shareholders or to reinvest in the business.
In the UK currently (as at 2005/06) the general corporation tax rate is 30% of taxable profits per annum, but there is also a smaller companies’ corporation tax. No tax is payable on taxable profits up to £10,000 per annum and 19% on taxable profits over £10,000 up to a maximum of £300,000 per annum. See TAXATION, FISCAL POLICY, RETAINED PROFIT.
correlation a statistical term that describes the degree of association between two variables. When two variables tend to change together, then they are said to be correlated, and the extent to which they are correlated is measured by means of the CORRELATION COEFFICIENT.
correlation coefficient a statistical term (usually denoted by r) that measures the strength of the association between two variables.
Where two variables are completely unrelated, then their correlation coeffcient will be zero; where two variables are perfectly related, then their correlation would be one. A high correlation coefficient between two variables merely indicates that the two generally vary together – it does not imply causality in the sense of changes in one variable causing changes in the other.
Where high values of one variable are associated with high values of the other (and vice-versa), then they are said to be positively correlated. Where high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other (and vice-versa), then they are said to be negatively correlated. Thus correlation coefficients can range from +1 for perfect positive association to –1 for perfect negative association, with zero representing the case where there is no association between the two.
The correlation coefficient also serves to measure the goodness of fit of a regression line (see REGRESSION ANALYSIS) which has been fitted to a set of sample observations by the technique of ordinary least squares. A large positive correlation coefficient will be found when the regression line slopes upward from left to right and fits closely with the observations; a large negative correlation coefficient will be found when the regression line slopes downward from left to right and closely matches the observations. Where the regression equation contains two (or more) independent variables, a multiple correlation coefficient can be used to measure how closely the three-dimensional plane, representing the multiple regression equation, fits the set of data points.
corset see SPECIAL DEPOSITS.
cost the payments (both EXPLICIT COSTS and IMPLICIT COSTS) incurred by a firm in producing its output. See TOTAL COST, AVERAGE COST, MARGINAL COST, PRODUCTION COST, SELLING COST.
cost-based pricing pricing methods that determine the PRICE of a product on the basis of its production, distribution and marketing costs. See AVERAGE-COST PRICING, FULL-COST PRICING, MARGINAL-COST PRICING.
cost-benefit analysis a technique for enumerating and evaluating the total SOCIAL COSTS and total social benefits associated with an economic project. Cost-benefit analysis is generally used by public agencies when evaluating large-scale public INVESTMENT projects, such as major new motorways or rail lines, in order to assess the welfare or net social benefits that will accrue to the nation from these projects. This generally involves the sponsoring bodies taking a broader and longer-term view of a project than would a commercial organization concentrating on project profitability alone.
The main principles of cost-benefit are encompassed within four key questions:
(a) which costs and which benefits are to be included. All costs and benefits should be enumerated and ranked according to their remoteness from the main purpose of the project so that more remote costs and benefits might be excluded. This requires careful definition of the project and estimation of project life, and consideration of EXTERNALITIES and SECONDARY BENEFITS;
(b) how these costs and benefits are to be valued. The values placed on costs and benefits should pay attention to likely changes in relative prices but not the general price level, since the general price level prevailing in the initial year should be taken as the base level. Although market prices are normally used to value costs and benefits, difficulties arise when investment projects are so large that they significantly affect prices, when monopoly elements distort relative prices, when taxes artificially inflate the resource costs of inputs, and when significant unemployment of labour or other resources means that labour or other resource prices overstate the social costs of using those inputs that are in excess supply. In such cases, SHADOW PRICES may be needed for costs and benefits. In addition, there are particular problems of establishing prices for INTANGIBLE PRODUCTS and COLLECTIVE PRODUCTS;
(c) the interest rate at which costs and benefits are to be discounted. This requires consideration of the extent to which social time preference will dictate a lower DISCOUNT RATE than private time preference because social time preference discounts the future less heavily and OPPORTUNITY COST considerations, which mitigate against using a lower discount rate for public projects for fear that mediocre public projects may displace good private sector projects if the former have an easier criterion to meet;
(d) the relevant constraints. This group includes legal, administrative and budgetary constraints, and constraints on the redistribution of income. Essentially, cost-benefit analysis concentrates on the economic efficiency benefits from a project and, providing the benefits exceed the costs, recommends acceptance of the project, regardless of who benefits and who bears the costs. However, where the decision-maker feels that the redistribution of income associated with a project is unacceptable, he may reject that project despite its net benefits.
There is always uncertainty surrounding the estimates of future costs and benefits associated with a public investment project, and cost-benefit analysis needs to allow for this uncertainty by testing the sensitivity of the net benefits to changes in such factors as project life and interest rates. See WELFARE ECONOMICS, COST EFFECTIVENESS, TIME PREFERENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT, VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT.
cost centre an organizational subunit of a firm that is given responsibility for minimizing COSTS but has no control over its product pricing and revenues. Cost centres facilitate management control by helping to ascertain a unit’s operating costs. See PROFIT CENTRE, INVESTMENT CENTRE.
cost drivers the factors that cause COSTS to vary within an organization and between organizations. Cost drivers can be related to the various value-creating activities within an organization. The main cost drivers are: firm size or scope (ECONOMIES OF SCALE or SCOPE); cumulative experience; (LEARNING CURVE); organization of transactions (VERTICAL INTEGRATION); and other factors such as location, raw material prices and process efficiency. The ability to ‘drive’ or ‘manage’ costs down (or to contain cost increases) is an important strategic consideration where cost leadership is the key basis of the firm’s COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rival suppliers. See VALUE-CREATED MODEL.
cost effectiveness the achievement of maximum provision of a good or service from given quantities of resource inputs. Cost effectiveness is often established as an objective when organizations have a given level of expenditure available to them and are seeking to provide the maximum amount of service in a situation where service outputs cannot be valued in money terms (e.g. the UK National Health Service). Where it is possible to estimate the money value of outputs as well as inputs, then COST-BENEFIT techniques can be applied. See VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT.
cost function a function that depicts the general relationship between the COST of FACTOR INPUTS and the cost of OUTPUT in a firm. In order to determine the cost of producing a particular output it is necessary to know not only the required quantities of the various inputs but also their prices. The cost function can be derived from the PRODUCTION FUNCTION by adding the information about factor prices. It would take the general form:
Qc = f(p1 I1, p2, I2, … , pn In)
where Qc is the cost of producing a particular output, Q, and p1 ,p2, etc., are the prices of the various factors used, while I1, I2, etc., are the quantities of factors 1, 2, etc., required. The factor prices p1, p2, etc., which a firm must pay in order to attract units of these factors will depend upon the interaction of the forces of demand and supply in factor markets. See EFFICIENCY, ISOCOST LINE, ISOQUANT CURVE.
cost leadership competitive strategy see COMPETITIVE STRATEGY.
cost minimization production of a given OUTPUT at minimum cost by combining FACTOR INPUTS with due regard to their relative prices. See COST FUNCTION, ISOQUANT CURVE.
cost of capital the payments made by a firm for the use of long-term capital employed in its business. The average cost of capital to a firm that uses several sources of long-term funds (e.g. LOANS, SHARE CAPITAL (equity)) to finance its investments will depend upon the individual cost of each separate source of capital (for example, INTEREST on loans) weighted in accordance with the proportions of each source used. See CAPITAL GEARING, DISCOUNT RATE.
cost of goods soldorcost of sales the relevant cost that is compared with sales revenue in order to determine GROSS PROFIT in the PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT. Where a trading company has STOCKS of finished goods, the cost of goods sold is not the same as purchases of finished goods. Rather, purchases of goods must be added to stocks at the start of the trading period to determine the goods available for sale, then the stocks left at the end of the trading period must be deducted from this to determine the cost of the goods that have been sold during the period. See STOCK EVALUATION.
cost of living the general level of prices of goods and services measured in terms of a PRICE INDEX. To protect people’s living standards from being eroded by price increases (INFLATION), wage contracts and old-age pensions, etc., sometimes contain cost-of-living adjustment provisions that automatically operate to increase wages, pensions, etc., in proportion to price increases. See INDEXATION.
cost-plus pricing a pricing method that sets the PRICE of a product by adding a profit mark-up to AVERAGE COST or unit total cost. This method is similar to that of FULL-COST PRICING insofar as the price of a product is determined by adding a percentage profit mark-up to the product’s unit total cost. Indeed, the terms are often used interchangeably. Cost-plus pricing, however, is used more specifically to refer to an agreed price between a purchaser and the seller, where the price is based on actual costs incurred plus a fixed percentage of actual cost or a fixed amount of profit per unit. Such pricing methods are often used for large capital projects or high technology contracts where the length of time of construction or changing technical specifications leads to a high degree of uncertainty about the final price.
Cost-plus pricing is frequently criticized for failing to give the supplier an incentive to keep costs down.
cost price a PRICE for a product that just covers its production and distribution COSTS with no PROFIT MARGIN added.
cost-push inflation a general increase in PRICES caused by increases in FACTOR INPUT costs. Factor input costs may rise because raw materials and energy costs increase as a result of world-wide shortages or the operation of CARTELS (oil, for example) and where a country’s EXCHANGE RATE falls (see DEPRECIATION 1), or because WAGE RATES in the economy increase at a faster rate than output per man (PRODUCTIVITY). In the latter case, institutional factors, such as the use of COMPARABILITY and WAGE DIFFERENTIAL arguments in COLLECTIVE BARGAINING and persistence of RESTRICTIVE LABOUR PRACTICES, can serve to push up wages and limit the scope for productivity improvements. Faced with increased input costs, producers try to ‘pass on’ increased costs by charging higher prices. In order to maintain profit margins, producers would need to pass on the full increased costs in the form of higher prices, but whether they are able to depends upon PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for their products. Important elements in cost-push inflation in the UK and elsewhere have been periodic ‘explosions’ in commodity prices (the increases in the price of oil in 1973, 1979 and 1989 being cases in point), but more particularly ‘excessive’ increases in wages/earnings. Wages/earnings account for around 77% of total factor incomes (see FUNCTIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME) and are a critical ingredient of AGGREGATE DEMAND in the economy. Any tendency for money wages/earnings to outstrip underlying PRODUCTIVITY growth (i.e. the ability of the economy to ‘pay for/absorb’ higher wages by corresponding increases in output) is potentially inflationary. In the past PRICES AND INCOMES POLICIES have been used to limit pay awards. At the present time, policy is mainly directed towards creating a low inflation economy (see MONETARY POLICY, MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE), thereby reducing the imperative for workers, through their TRADE UNIONS, to demand excessive wage/earnings increases to compensate themselves for falls in their real living standards.
The Monetary Policy Committee, in monitoring inflation, currently operates a ‘tolerance threshold’ for wage/earnings growth of no more than 4½% as being compatible with low inflation (this figure assumes productivity growth of around 2¾–3%). See INFLATION, INFLATIONARY SPIRAL, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
council tax see LOCAL TAX.
countercyclical policy see DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
countertrade the direct or indirect exchange of goods for other goods in INTERNATIONAL TRADE. Countertrade is generally resorted to when particular FOREIGN CURRENCIES are in short supply or when countries apply FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROLS. There are various forms of countertrade, including:
(a) BARTER: the direct exchange of product for product;
(b) compensation deal: where the seller from the exporting country receives part payment in his own currency and the remainder in goods supplied by the buyer;
(c) buyback: where the seller of plant and equipment from the exporting country agrees to accept some of the goods produced by that plant and equipment in the importing country as part payment;
(d) counterpurchase: where the seller from the exporting country receives part payment for the goods in his own currency and the remainder in the local currency of the buyer, the latter then being used to purchase other products in the buyer’s country. See EXPORTING.
countervailing duty a TAX levied on an imported product (see IMPORTS) that raises the price in the domestic market as a means of counteracting ‘unfair’ trading practices by other countries. Countervailing duties are frequently employed against imported products that are deliberately ‘dumped’ (see DUMPING) or subsidized by EXPORT INCENTIVES. See TARIFF, IMPORT DUTY, BEGGAR-MY-NEIGHBOUR POLICY.
countervailing power the ability of large buyers to offset the market power of huge suppliers as in BILATERAL OLIGOPOLY. Large buyers usually have the upper hand in a vertical market chain (for example, multiple retailers buying from food manufacturers) because, unless suppliers collude (see COLLUSION), a large buyer is able to play one supplier off against another and obtain favourable discounts on bulk purchases. Provided that competition is strong in final selling markets, countervailing power can play an important role in checking monopolistic abuse.
The economist J. K. GALBRAITH uses the phrase ‘countervailing power’ in a slightly different way to refer to the growth of trade unions and consumer groups in response to the growth of large firms.
coupon 1 a document that shows proof of legal ownership of a FINANCIAL SECURITY and entitlement to payments thereon; for example, a SHARE certificate or BEARER BOND certificate.
2 a means of promoting the sale of a product by offering buyers of the product coupons that can be redeemed for cash, gifts or other goods.
coupon interest rate the INTEREST RATE payable on the face value of a BOND. For example, a £100 bond with a 5% coupon rate of interest would generate a nominal return of £5 per year. See EFFECTIVE INTEREST RATE.
Cournot, Augustin (1801–77) a French economist who explored the problems of price in conditions of competition and monopoly in his book The Mathematical Principles of the Theory of Wealth (1838). Cournot concentrated attention on the exchange values of products rather than their utilities, and he used mathematics to explore the relationship between the sale price of products and their costs, developing the idea of a MONOPOLY price. Cournot is also known for his work on DUOPOLY, his analysis showing that two firms would react to one another’s output changes until they eventually reached a stable output position from which neither would wish to depart.
covenant a specific condition in a legal agreement or CONTRACT. For instance, a formal agreement between a COMMERCIAL BANK and a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY to which it is loaning money might contain a covenant stipulating a limit on dividend distributions from profits.
covered interest arbitrage the borrowing and investing of foreign currencies to take advantage of differences in INTEREST RATES between countries. For example, a company could borrow an amount of one currency (say, the UK pound (£)), convert this into another currency (say, the US dollar ($)) and invest the proceeds in the USA. Concurrently, the company would sell $s for £s in the FUTURES MARKET for delivery at a future specified date. The company would earn a profit on such a transaction if the rate of return on its investment in the USA were greater than the combined expenses of interest payments on the amount of £s borrowed and the costs of concluding the forward exchange contract. Covered interest ARBITRAGE takes advantage of (and in the process tends to eliminate) any temporary discrepancies between relative interest rates in two countries and the forward exchange rate of the two countries’ currencies. See INTERNATIONAL FISHER EFFECT.
covering a means of protecting the domestic currency value of the future proceeds of an international trade transaction, usually by buying or selling the proceeds of the transaction in the FUTURES MARKET for foreign currencies.
CPI see CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.
crawling-peg exchange-rate system a form of FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM in which the EXCHANGE RATES between currencies are fixed (pegged) at particular values (for example £1 = $2) but which are changed frequently (weekly or monthly) by small amounts to new fixed values to reflect underlying changes in the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKETS: for example, £1 = $1.90 cents, the repegging of the pound at a lower dollar value (DEVALUATION), or £1 = $2.10 cents, the repegging of the pound at a higher dollar value (REVALUATION).
creative destruction see SCHUMPETER.
credibility 1 the extent to which individuals and firms believe that the government will carry out the macro-economic policies that it promises to pursue. Credibility is important in influencing the EXPECTATIONS that individuals and firms have about future economic policies, and these expectations in turn affect their current behaviour. 2 the extent to which potential market entrants believe that incumbent firms will react to their entry, for example, by cutting their prices. The credibility of such threats by incumbent firms will determine whether potential entrants decide to enter a market. See BARRIERS TO ENTRY, LIMIT PRICING, POTENTIAL ENTRANT.
credit a financial facility that enables a person or business to borrow MONEY to purchase (i.e. take immediate possession of) products, raw materials and components, etc., and to pay for them over an extended time period. Credit facilities come in a variety of forms, including BANK LOANS and OVERDRAFTS, INSTALMENT CREDIT, CREDIT CARDS and TRADE CREDIT. Interest charges on credit may be fixed or variable according to the type of facilities offered or, in some cases, ‘interest-free’ as a means of stimulating business.
In many countries CREDIT CONTROLS are used as an instrument of MONETARY POLICY, with the authorities controlling both the availability and terms of credit transactions. See CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974, INTEREST RATE.
credit card a plastic card or token used to finance the purchase of products by gaining point-of-sale CREDIT. Credit cards are issued by commercial banks, hotel chains and larger retailers. See EFTPOS.
credit controls 1 the regulation of borrowing from the FINANCIAL SYSTEM as part of MONETARY POLICY. OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS are one general means of limiting the expansion of credit. A more selective form of control is consumer INSTALMENT CREDIT regulation (hire purchase). Under this arrangement, the purchase of certain goods is regulated by the authorities stipulating the minimum down-payment and the maximum period of repayment.
2 the control that a firm exercises over its TRADE DEBTORS in order to ensure that customers pay their DEBTS promptly and to minimize the risk of bad debts. The purpose of credit control is to minimize the funds that a firm has to tie up in debtors, so improving profitability and LIQUIDITY. See FACTORING, WORKING CAPITAL.
credit creation see BANK-DEPOSIT CREATION.
creditor a person or business that is owed money by an individual or firm for goods, services or raw materials that they have supplied but for which they have not yet been paid (trade creditors) or because they have made LOANS. Creditors are also termed ‘accounts payable’. See DEBTORS, CREDIT.
creditor nation a country that has invested more abroad than has been invested internally. A creditor nation receives more interest and dividends on its investments abroad than it has to pay out on investments made in the country, with a consequent surplus on its BALANCE OF PAYMENTS. Many DEVELOPED COUNTRIES are creditor countries. Compare DEBTOR COUNTRY.
credit squeeze any action taken by the monetary authorities to reduce the amount of CREDIT granted by COMMERCIAL BANKS, FINANCE HOUSES, etc. Such action forms part of the government’s MONETARY POLICY directed towards reducing AGGREGATE DEMAND by making less credit available and forcing up INTEREST RATES.
creeping inflation small increases in the general level of prices in an economy. See INFLATION, HYPERINFLATION.
Crest see SHARE PURCHASE/SALE.
cross-elasticity of demand a measure of the degree of responsiveness of the DEMAND for one good to a given change in the PRICE of some other good.
(i) cross-elasticity of demand =
Products may be regarded by consumers as substitutes for one another, in which case a rise in the price of good B (tea, for example) will tend to increase the quantity demanded of good A (coffee, for example). Here the cross-elasticity of demand will be positive since as the price of B goes up the quantity demanded of A rises as consumers now buy more A in preference to the more expensive B.
(ii) cross-elasticity of demand =
Alternatively, products may be regarded by consumers as complements that are jointly demanded, in which case a rise in the price of good B (tea, for example) will tend to decrease not only the quantity demanded of good B but also another good, C (sugar, for example). Here the cross-elasticity of demand will be negative since a rise in the price of B serves to reduce the quantity demanded of C.
The degree of substitutability between products is reflected in the magnitude of the cross-elasticity measure. If a small increase in the price of good B results in a large rise in the quantity demanded of good A (highly cross-elastic), then goods B and A are close substitutes. Likewise, the degree of complementarity of products is reflected in the magnitude of the cross-elasticity measure. If a small increase in the price of good B results in a large fall in the quantity demanded of good C (highly cross-elastic), then goods C and B are close complements.
Cross-elasticities provide a useful indication of the substitutability of products, so helping to indicate the boundaries between markets. A group of products with high cross-elasticities of demand constitutes a distinct market, whether or not they share common technical characteristics; for example, mechanical and electronic watches are regarded by consumers as close substitutes. See MARKET.
cross-sectional data information gathered for the same period of time that is split into certain groupings based upon characteristics such as age, income, etc. Compare TIME SERIES DATA.
cross-subsidization the practice by firms of offering internal subsidies to certain products or departments within the firm financed from the profits generated by other products or departments. Cross-subsidization is often used by diversified and vertically integrated firms as a means of financing new product development; DIVERSIFICATION into new areas; or to facilitate price cuts to match intense competition in certain of its markets. See VERTICAL INTEGRATION, PRICE-SQUEEZE.
Fig. 34 Crowding-out effect. (a) An increase in government expenditure raises real NATIONAL INCOME and output (see EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME), which in turn increases the demand for money from D
to D
, with which to purchase the greater volume of goods and services being produced. (b) This causes the equilibrium INTEREST RATE to rise (from r to r
), which then reduces – ‘crowds out’ – an amount of private INVESTMENT (ΔT). (c) An increase in government expenditure by itself would increase AGGREGATE DEMAND from AD to AD
, but, allowing for the fall in private investment, the net result is to increase aggregate demand to only AD
.
crowding-out effect an increase in GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE that has the effect of reducing the level of private sector spending. Financial crowding-out of the type described in the captions to Fig. 34 would occur only to the extent that the MONEY SUPPLY is fixed, so that additional loanable funds are not forthcoming to finance the government’s additional expenditure. If money supply is fixed, then increases in the PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT associated with additional government expenditure will tend to increase interest rates as the government borrows more, these higher interest rates serving to discourage private sector investment. On the other hand, if additional loanable funds were obtainable from, say, abroad, then additional government borrowing could be financed with little increase in interest rates or effect on private investment.
The term ‘crowding-out’ is also used in a broader sense to denote the effect of larger government expenditure in pre-empting national resources, leaving less for private consumption spending, private sector investment and for exports. Such real crowding-out would occur only to the extent that total national resources are fixed and fully employed so that expansion in public sector claims on resources contract the amount left for the private sector. Where unemployed resources can be brought into use, additional claims by both the public and private sectors can be met. See MONEY-SUPPLY/SPENDING LINKAGES, MARGINAL EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL/INVESTMENT.
cum dividendadj. (of a particular SHARE) including the right to receive the DIVIDEND that attaches to the share. If shares are purchased on the STOCK EXCHANGE cum. div., the purchaser would be entitled to the dividend accruing to that share when the dividend is next paid. Compare EX DIVIDEND.
currency the BANK NOTES and coins issued by the monetary authorities that form part of an economy’s MONEY SUPPLY. The term ‘currency’ is often used interchangeably with the term cash in economic analysis and monetary policy.
currency appreciation see APPRECIATION 1.
currency depreciation see DEPRECIATION 1.
currency matching see EXCHANGE RATE EXPOSURE.
currency swap see SWAP.
current account 1 a statement of a country’s trade in goods (visibles) and services (invisibles) with the rest of the world over a particular period of time. See BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
2 an individual’s or company’s account at a COMMERCIAL BANK or BUILDING SOCIETY into which the customer can deposit cash or cheques and make withdrawals on demand on a day-to-day basis. Current accounts (or sight deposits as they are often called) offer customers immediate liquidity with which to finance their transactions. Most banks and building societies pay INTEREST on current account balances that are in credit. See BANK DEPOSIT, DEPOSIT ACCOUNT.
current assets ASSETS, such as STOCKS, money owed by DEBTORS, and cash, that are held for short-term conversion within a firm as raw materials are bought, made up, sold as finished goods and eventually paid for. See FIXED ASSETS, WORKING CAPITAL.
current liabilities all obligations to pay out cash at some date in the near future, including amounts that a firm owes to trade CREDITORS and BANK LOANS/OVERDRAFTS. See WORKING CAPITAL.
current yield see YIELD.
Customs and Excise a government agency for the collection of INDIRECT TAXES levied in accordance with appropriate rates, rules and regulations. In the UK, Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise typically collects revenue from VALUE-ADDED TAX and EXCISE DUTY payable on alcoholic drink, tobacco and betting. The agency also enforces the laws regarding the import and export of certain goods, collects IMPORT DUTIES and seeks to prevent attempts to avoid paying import duties by smuggling. See also INLAND REVENUE.
customs duty a TAX levied on imported products (see IMPORTS). Unlike TARIFFS, customs duties are used primarily as a means of raising revenue for the government rather than as a means of protecting domestic producers from foreign competition. See TAXATION.
customs union a form of TRADE INTEGRATION between a number of countries in which members eliminate all trade barriers (TARIFFS, etc.) amongst themselves on goods and services, and establish a uniform set of barriers against trade with the rest of the world, in particular a common external tariff. The aim of a customs union is to secure the benefits of international SPECIALIZATION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE, thereby improving members’ real living standards. See GAINS FROM TRADE, TRADE CREATION, EUROPEAN UNION, MERCOSUR.
cyclical fluctuation the short-term movements, both upwards and downwards, in some economic variable around a long-term SECULAR TREND line. See Fig. 35. See DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
cyclically adjusted public-sector borrowing requirement see PUBLIC-SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
cyclical unemployment the demand-deficient UNEMPLOYMENT that occurs as a result of a fall in the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND and business activity during the RECESSION and DEPRESSION phases of the BUSINESS CYCLE.
cyclical variation see TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS.
Fig. 35 Cyclical fluctuation. The pronounced short-term swings in output growth rates over the course of the BUSINESS CYCLE, around a rising long-term trend growth line for the country’s GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT.
d (#ulink_7da1e1e3-8953-506c-8dd1-4db024d0ed8a)
dawn raid a situation in which a potential TAKEOVER bidder for a company buys a substantial shareholding in the target company at current market prices, often through intermediaries (to disguise the identity of the bidder). This shareholding can then be used as a platform for a full takeover bid for all the shares at a stated offer price. See TAKEOVER BID, CITY CODE.
deadweight loss the reduction in CONSUMERS’ SURPLUS and PRODUCERS’ SURPLUS that results when the output of a product is restricted to less than the optimum efficient level that would prevail under PERFECT COMPETITION. Fig. 36 shows the demand and supply curves for a product, and their interaction establishes the equilibrium market price OP. At this price, consumers’ surplus is shown as the diagonally shaded area ABP and producers’ surplus as the vertically shaded area APO. If output is restricted from OQ to OQ
, then the price paid by consumers would rise to OP
and consumers’ surplus would be reduced by the amount ACE, while the price received by producers would fall to OP
and producers’ surplus would be reduced by the amount ADE.
Deadweight loss is particularly likely to occur in markets dominated by MONOPOLY suppliers who restrict output in order to keep prices high.
dear money see TIGHT MONEY.
Fig. 36 Deadweight loss. See entry.
death rate the number of people in a POPULATION who die per thousand per year. In 2004, for example, the UK death rate was 10 people per 1,000 of the population. The difference between this rate and the BIRTH RATE is used to calculate the rate of growth of the population of a country over time. The death rate tends to decline as a country attains higher levels of economic development. See DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION.
debentures a means of financing companies through fixed-interest LOANS secured against company ASSETS.
In some cases the company may offer a specific asset, such as a particular machine, as security for the loan; in other cases lenders are offered security by means of a general claim against all company assets in the event of default. See LOAN CAPITAL.
debt an amount of money owed by a person, firm or government (the borrower) to a lender. Debts arise when individuals, etc., spend more than their current income or when they deliberately plan to borrow money to purchase specific goods, services or ASSETS (houses, financial securities, etc.). Debt contracts provide for the eventual repayment of the sum borrowed and include INTEREST charges for the duration of the loan. An individual’s debt can include MORTGAGES, INSTALMENT CREDIT, BANK LOANS and OVERDRAFTS; a firm’s debt can include fixed-interest DEBENTURES, LOANS, BILLS OF EXCHANGE and bank loans and overdrafts; a government’s debt can take the form of long-term BONDS and short-term TREASURY BILLS (see NATIONAL DEBT). See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT. See also INTERNATIONAL DEBT.
debt capital see LOAN CAPITAL.
debt financing the financing of firms’ and governments’ deficits by the issue of FINANCIAL SECURITIES such as short-dated company BILLS OF EXCHANGE and government TREASURY BILLS, and, in the case of government, longer-term BONDS. See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
debtor a person or business that owes money to individuals or firms for goods, services or raw materials that they have bought but for which they have not yet paid (trade debtors) or because they have borrowed money. Debtors are also termed ‘accounts receivable’. See CREDITORS, DEBT, CREDIT CONTROL, WORKING CAPITAL, BAD DEBT.
debtor nation a country that has had more invested in it than it has invested abroad. A debtor nation has to pay out more interest and dividends on investments made in the country than it receives, with a consequent deficit in its BALANCE OF PAYMENTS. Many DEVELOPING COUNTRIES are debtor nations. Compare CREDITOR COUNTRY.
debt servicing the cost of meeting INTEREST payments and regular contractual repayments of principal on a LOAN along with any administration charges borne by the BORROWER.
decentralization the diffusion of economic decision-making to many different decision-makers rather than concentrating such decision-making centrally. In an economy this is achieved by the adoption of the PRICE SYSTEM, which devolves decisions to individual consumers and suppliers. In a firm, decentralization involves delegating authority to make decisions ‘down the line’ to particular divisions and departments. See PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMY, M-FORM ORGANIZATION.
decision tree a graphical representation of the decision-making process in relation to a particular economic decision. The decision tree illustrates the possibilities open to the decision-maker in choosing between alternative strategies. It is possible to specify the financial consequence of each ‘branch’ of the decision tree and to gauge the PROBABILITY of particular events occurring that might affect the consequences of the decisions made. See RISK AND UNCERTAINTY.
decreasing returns to scale see DISECONOMIES OF SCALE.
decreasing returns to the variable-factor input see DIMINISHING RETURNS.
deferred compensation payment schemes that pay lower wages during the early years of employment in an organization and higher wages in subsequent years. With deferred compensation schemes, a worker’s remuneration increases with seniority and experience, which tend to improve the worker’s efficiency within the organization. Such compensation schemes tend to reduce labour turnover and reduce SHIRKING. See PAY.
deficiency payment see INCOME SUPPORT.
deficit see BUDGET DEFICIT, BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
deficit financing see BUDGET DEFICIT, PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
deflation a reduction in the level of NATIONAL INCOME and output usually accompanied by a fall in the general price level (DISINFLATION).
A deflation is often deliberately brought about by the authorities in order to reduce INFLATION and to improve the BALANCE OF PAYMENTS by reducing import demand. Instruments of deflationary policy include fiscal measures (e.g. tax increases) and monetary measures (e.g. high interest rates). See MONETARY POLICY, FISCAL POLICY.
deflationary gaporoutput gap the shortfall in total spending (AGGREGATE DEMAND) at the FULL EMPLOYMENT level of national income (POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT). Because of a deficiency in spending, some of the economy’s resources lie idle and ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT is below that of potential GNP. To counteract this deficiency in spending, the authorities can use FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY to expand aggregate demand. See Fig. 37. See also DEFLATION, REFLATION, INFLATIONARY GAP.
DEFRA see DEPARTMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS.
deindustrialization a sustained fall in the proportion of national output accounted for by the industrial and manufacturing sectors of the economy, a process that is often accompanied by a decline in the number of people employed in industry (compare INDUSTRIALIZATION).
There is a well-established trend in advanced economics for the industrial sector to grow more slowly than the service sector, as shown in Fig. 38. For the UK, the share of industry in GDP fell from 43% in 1960 to 29% in 2002, while the share of services increased from 54% to 70%. Over the same period, employment in industry in the UK fell from 11.8 million in 1960 to 3.7 million in 2003.
Fig. 37 Deflationary gap. (a) The AGGREGATE SUPPLY SCHEDULE is drawn as a 45-degree line because businesses will offer any particular level of output only if they expect total spending (aggregate demand) to be just sufficient to sell all of that output. However, once the economy reaches the full employment level of national income (OY
), then actual output cannot expand further and at this level of output the aggregate supply schedule becomes vertical. (b) Alternatively, aggregate supply can be depicted in terms of the various levels of real national income supplied at each price level. Again, once the economy reaches the full employment level of real national income, the aggregate supply schedule becomes vertical. In both (a) and (b), if aggregate demand is at a low level (AD
), then actual output (OY) will be determined by the intersection of AD
and the aggregate supply schedule at point A; this output (OY) is less than potential output (OY
), leaving an output gap. An output gap can be removed by the authorities by expanding aggregate demand to the full employment level of aggregate demand (AD
) where actual output (determined by the intersection of AD
and the aggregate supply schedule at point B) corresponds with potential GNP.
Changes in sector shares may simply reflect changes in the pattern of final demand for goods and services over time, and as such may be considered a ‘natural’ development associated with a maturing economy. On the other hand, deindustrialization that stems from supply-side deficiencies (high costs, an overvalued exchange rate, lack of investment and innovation) which put a country at a competitive disadvantage in international trade (see IMPORT PENETRATION) is a more serious matter. In this case, deindustrialization often brings with it a fall in national output, rising unemployment and balance of payments difficulties.
The extent of deindustrialization in the UK was even more marked in the early 1980s because of Britain’s artificially high exchange rate, bolstered by UK oil exports, which caused Britain to lose overseas markets. See STRUCTURE OF INDUSTRY, STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT.
Fig. 38 Deindustrialization. The distribution of gross national product shows how the industrial sector in advanced economics grows more slowly than the service sector. The figures for industry include those for manufacturing. Source: World Development Report, World Bank, 2004.
delivered pricing the charging of a PRICE for a product that includes the cost of transporting the product from the manufacturer to the customer. The delivered prices quoted by a manufacturer might accurately reflect the actual costs of transportation to different areas, or alternatively, discriminatory prices might be used to cross-subsidize areas in order to maximize sales across the country. See BASING POINT PRICE SYSTEM.
delivery note a document sent by a supplier to a customer at the time when products are supplied that itemizes the physical quantities of product supplied. Thereafter an INVOICE is usually sent to the customer showing the money value of products supplied. Compare STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT.
demandoreffective demand the WANT, need or desire for a product backed by the money to purchase it. In economic analysis, demand is always based on ‘willingness and ability to pay’ for a product, not merely want or need for the product. CONSUMERS’ total demand for a product is reflected in the DEMAND CURVE. Compare SUPPLY.
demand curve a line showing the relationship between the PRICE of a PRODUCT or FACTOR OF PRODUCTION and the quantity DEMANDED per time period, as in Fig. 39.
Most demand curves slope downwards because (a) as the price of the product falls, consumers will tend to substitute this (now relatively cheaper) product for others in their purchases; (b) as the price of the product falls, this serves to increase their real income, allowing them to buy more products (see PRICE EFFECT, INCOME EFFECT, SUBSTITUTION EFFECT). In a small minority of cases, however, products can have an UPWARD-SLOPING CURVE.
The slope of the demand curve reflects the degree of responsiveness of quantity demanded to changes in the product’s price. For example, if a large reduction in price results in only a small increase in quantity demanded (as would be the case where the demand curve has a steep slope) then demand is said to be price inelastic (see PRICE-ELASTICITY OF DEMAND).
The demand curve interacts with the SUPPLY CURVE to determine the EQUILIBRIUM MARKET PRICE. See DEMAND FUNCTION, DEMAND CURVE (SHIFT IN), DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY, MARGINAL REVENUE PRODUCT.
Fig. 39 Demand curve. Demand is the total quantity of a good or service that buyers are prepared to purchase at a given price. Demand is always taken to be effective demand, backed by the ability to pay, and not just based on want or need. The typical market demand curve slopes downwards from left to right, indicating that as price falls more is demanded (that is, a movement along the existing demand curve). Thus, if price falls from OP
to OP
, the quantity demanded will increase from OQ
to OQ
.
demand curve (shift in) a movement of the DEMAND CURVE from one position to another (either left or right) as a result of some economic change other than price. A given demand curve is always drawn on the CETERIS PARIBUS assumption that all the other factors affecting demand (income, tastes, etc.) are held constant. If any of these changes, however, then this will bring about a shift in the demand curve. For example, if income increases, the demand curve will shift to the right, so that more is now demanded at each price than formerly. See Fig. 40. See also DEMAND FUNCTION, INCOME-ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
Fig. 40 Demand curve (shift in). An increase in income shifts the demand curve D
D
to D
D
, increasing the quantity demanded from OQ
, to OQ
. The magnitude of this shift depends upon the INCOME ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for the product.
demand deposit see BANK DEPOSIT, COMMERCIAL BANK.
demand elasticity see ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
demand for a factor input see DERIVED DEMAND.
demand function a form of notation that links the DEPENDENT VARIABLE, quantity demanded (Qd), with various INDEPENDENT VARIABLES that determine quantity demanded such as product price (P), income (Y), prices of substitute products (Ps), advertising (A), etc.:
Qd = f(P, Y, Ps, A, etc)
Changes in any of these independent variables will affect quantity demanded, and if we wish to investigate the particular effect of any one of these variables upon quantity demanded, then we could (conceptually) hold the influence of the other independent variables constant (CETERIS PARIBUS), whilst we focus upon the particular effects of that independent variable. See DEMAND CURVE, DEMAND CURVE (SHIFT IN).
demand managementorstabilization policy
The control of the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND in an economy, using FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY to moderate or eliminate fluctuations in the level of economic activity associated with the BUSINESS CYCLE. The general objective of demand management is to ‘fine-tune’ aggregate demand so that it is neither deficient relative to POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT (thereby avoiding a loss of output and UNEMPLOYMENT) nor overfull (thereby avoiding INFLATION).
An unregulated economy will tend to go through periods of depression and boom as indicated by the continuous line in Fig. 41. Governments generally try to smooth out such fluctuations by stimulating aggregate demand when the economy is depressed and reducing aggregate demand when the economy is over-heating. Ideally, the government would wish to manage aggregate demand so that it grows exactly in line with the underlying growth of potential GNP, the dashed line in Fig. 41, exactly offsetting the amplitude of troughs and peaks of the business cycle.
Two main problems exist, however:
(a) the establishment of the correct timing of such an INJECTION or WITHDRAWAL;
(b) the establishment of the correct magnitude of an injection or withdrawal into the economy (to counter depressions and booms). With perfect timing and magnitude, the economy would follow the trend line of potential GNP.
A number of stages are involved in applying a stabilization policy as shown in the figure. For example, at time period zero the onset of a recession/depression would be reflected in a downturn in economic activity, although delays in the collection of economic statistics means that it is often time period 1 before data becomes available about unemployment rates, etc. Once sufficient data is to hand, the authorities are able to diagnose the nature of the problem (time period 2) and to plan appropriate intervention, such as tax cuts or increases in government expenditure (time period 3). At time period 4, the agreed measures are then implemented, although it may take some time before these measures have an effect on CONSUMPTION, INVESTMENT, IMPORTS, etc. (see MULTIPLIER). If the timing of these activities is incorrect, then the authorities may find that they have stimulated the economy at a time when it was already beginning to recover from recession/depression, so that their actions have served to exacerbate the original fluctuation (dotted line 1 in Fig. 41). The authorities could also exacerbate the fluctuation (dotted line 1) if they get the magnitudes wrong by injecting too much purchasing power into the economy, creating conditions of excess demand.
If the authorities can get the timing and magnitudes correct, then they should be able to counterbalance the effects of recession/depression and follow the path indicated as dotted line 2 in Fig. 41. Reducing the intensity of the recession in this way requires the authorities to FORECAST accurately the onset of recession some time demand management ahead, perhaps while the economy is still buoyant (time period 6). On the basis of these forecasts, the authorities can then plan their intervention to stimulate the economy (time period 7), activate these measures (time period 8), so that these measures begin to take effect and stimulate the economy as economic activity levels fall (time period 9).
Much government action is inaccurate in timing because of the institutional and behavioural complexities of the economy. Where the government has not been successful in adequately eradicating such peaks and troughs in the business cycle, it is frequently accused of having stop-go policies (see STOP-GO CYCLE), that is, of making injections into a recovering economy, which then ‘overheats’, and subsequently withdrawing too much at the wrong time, ‘braking’ too hard.
Demand management represents one facet of government macroeconomic policy, other important considerations being SUPPLY-SIDE policies, which affect the rate of growth of potential GNP, and EXCHANGE RATE policies, which affect the competitiveness of internationally traded goods and services. See DEFLATIONARY GAP, INFLATIONARY GAP, EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME, AUTOMATIC (BUILT-IN) STABILIZERS, INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL, PUBLIC FINANCE, BUDGET.
Fig. 41 Demand management. The management of aggregate demand in an economy.
demand-pull inflation a general increase in prices caused by a level of AGGREGATE DEMAND in excess of the supply potential of the economy. At full employment levels of output (POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT), excess demand bids up the price of a fixed real output (see INFLATIONARY GAP). According to MONETARISM, excess demand results from too rapid an increase in the MONEY SUPPLY. See INFLATION, QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY, COST-PUSH INFLATION.
demand schedule a table listing various prices of a product and the specific quantities demanded at each of these prices. The information provided by a demand schedule can be used to construct a DEMAND CURVE showing the price-quantity demanded relationship in graphical form.
demand theory see THEORY OF DEMAND.
demerger the break-up of a company, often originally formed through a MERGER, into two (or more) separate companies. This is most easily achieved when the original businesses comprising the merger have continued to be run as separate divisions of the enlarged group. In this case, for example, the A-B company could be split into separate quoted companies, A and B, with the company’s existing shareholders being given shares in both companies. Thus, unlike a DIVESTMENT (the sale of a division to outside interests) or a MANAGEMENT BUY-OUT (the sale of a division to its existing management), initially at least the companies continue to be owned by their existing shareholders.
A demerger may occur because the merged company has failed to perform up to expectations because of internal conflicts of management, or may result from a rethink of the company’s BUSINESS STRATEGY favouring a concentration on ‘core’ businesses.
Fig. 42 Demographic transition. The levelling-off of the rate of population growth during a country’s economic development.
demographic transition a POPULATION cycle that is associated with the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT of a country. In underdeveloped countries (i.e. subsistence agrarian economics), BIRTH RATES and DEATH RATES are both high, so there is very little change in the overall size of the population. With economic development (i.e. INDUSTRIALIZATION), INCOME PER HEAD begins to rise and there is a fall in the DEATH RATE (through better nutrition, sanitation, medical care, etc.), which brings about a period of rapid population growth. Provided ECONOMIC GROWTH is consistently greater than the increase in population, income per head continues to expand and eventually serves to reduce the BIRTH RATE (small families become the ‘norm’ in society as people seek to preserve their growing affluence). At this point, population growth slows down and may eventually level off. See Fig. 42.
Most advanced industrial countries have gone through a demographic transition of the kind described above and are today characterized by both low birth and death rates and slow-growing populations. See POPULATION TRAP, DEVELOPING COUNTRY.
denationalization see PRIVATIZATION.
demography the study of human POPULATIONS, including their total size, population changes over time as determined by changes in BIRTH RATES, DEATH RATES and MIGRATION; the age and sex distribution of populations and their geographical and occupational distributions. Statistical data on populations is compiled from CENSUSES of population and records of births, See DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION.
Department for Education and Skills (DfES) the UK government department responsible for administering the government’s general educational programmes, including schools, colleges and universities, and vocational training schemes. The Department for Education and Skills replaced part of the former Department for Education and Employment in 2001. The emphasis in education is one of providing young people with a basic general education through schools, followed by further education opportunities at colleges and universities, with a commitment thereafter to ‘lifetime learning’ so as to equip people with the necessary basic and vocational skills to be able to adapt to the changing needs of the workplace. This is augmented by more specialized vocational schemes to match up people’s educational capabilities with the practical requirements of specific work tasks through ‘on-the-job-training’ (see TRAINING) and the provision of courses designed to teach people new skills (e.g. computer programming courses). See LEARNING AND SKILLS COUNCIL.
Department for International Development (DFID) the UK government department responsible for administering the government’s policies of promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty in DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. The DFID itself provides ECONOMIC AID and works with various multilateral institutions such as the WORLD BANK and the United Nations to provide financial and technical aid to poor countries.
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) the UK body responsible for government policies on agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and the food chain; POLLUTION issues relating to waste and recycling; the enhancement and protection of the countryside, waterways and flood defence, hunting, and rural development issues. See ENVIRONMENT AGENCY.
Department for Transport the UK government department responsible for administering government policies relating to the roads, railways, aviation and shipping.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) the UK government department responsible for administering the government’s employment and social security programmes. The DWP was formed in 2001 from parts of the former Department of Social Security and Department for Education and Employment and the Employment Service.
The department assists UNEMPLOYED people of working age into employment, helps employers to fill VACANCIES and provides financial support to persons unable to help themselves through ‘back-to-work’ programmes.
The DWP also administers the SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS system, paying state pensions, sickness benefit, child support and the JOBSEEKERS ALLOWANCE.
In 2002 the former Benefits Agency and the Employment Service were replaced by the JOBCENTRE PLUS network (responsible for helping people to find jobs and paying benefits to people of working age) and the Pension Service (responsible for paying state pensions).
Regarding employment, a particular concern of the Department is to instil in people a culture of employment as being the norm but at the same time playing down the negative aspects of unemployment. This more positive approach is reflected in the work of the DWP’s agency Jobcentre Plus and its nationwide network of JOB CENTRES, the introduction of the jobseekers allowance as a replacement for unemployment benefit and the NEW DEAL programme aimed at reducing youth unemployment and long-term unemployment amongst older workers.
The DWP is also responsible for conducting the fact-finding LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, which provides data on conditions in the labour market, for overseeing the application of the UK’s EMPLOYMENT LAWS, and for implementing employee rights’ regulations issued by the European Union (see, for example, the WORKING TIME REGULATION).
Department of Health (DoH) the UK government department responsible for administering the National Health Service.
Department of Social Security see DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS.
department store a large RETAIL OUTLET. Department stores may be under single-shop ownership or run as a multiple CHAIN STORE business. Unlike most other retailers, who tend to specialize in relatively narrow ranges of products, the essential characteristic of a department store is the great variety of products it stocks: ‘everything under one roof’. See RETAILER, DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the UK government office that is primarily responsible for implementing and administering the government’s industrial and trade policies. A particular concern at the DTI is the promotion of greater efficiency through an INDUSTRIAL POLICY programme that includes support for new business start-ups, consultancy services for small firms, research and development, and technology transfer. In the past, the DTI has been required by governments to involve itself in the rationalization of declining industries and support for ‘failing’ firms, but at the present time the emphasis is very much on fostering greater ‘enterprise’ by business itself with a minimum of direct state intervention. See SMALL BUSINESS SERVICE, BUSINESS LINK.
The DTI is responsible for the operation of REGIONAL POLICY, vetting applications for regional selective assistance by firms investing in ASSISTED AREAS. The DTI works closely with the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING in matters affecting COMPETITION POLICY; the DTI regulates the formation of companies and their conduct, through the COMPANY REGISTRAR, and is responsible for issuing licences to deposit-taking institutions and authorizing dealers in stocks and shares, etc. (see FINANCIAL SERVICES ACT 1986). Finally, the DTI plays a prominent part in the running of the UK’s overseas trade and investment affairs, representing the country’s interests at international (WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION) and regional levels (EUROPEAN UNION). The DTI is important in the promotion of exports and foreign investment through the TRADE PARTNERS network and related back-up facilities and services including the EXPORT CREDIT GUARANTEE DEPARTMENT.
dependent variable a variable that is affected by some other variable in a model. For example, the demand for a product (the dependent variable) will be influenced by its price (the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE). It is conventional to place the dependent variable on the left-hand side of an EQUATION. See DEMAND FUNCTION, SUPPLY FUNCTION.
deposit accountortime accountorsavings account an individual’s or company’s account at a COMMERCIAL BANK into which the customer can deposit cash or cheques and from which he or she can draw out money subject to giving notice to the bank. Deposit accounts (unlike CURRENT ACCOUNTS, which are used to finance day-to-day transactions) are mainly held as a form of personal and corporate SAVING and used to finance irregular ‘one-off’ payments. INTEREST is payable on deposit accounts, normally at rates above those paid on current accounts, in order to encourage clients to deposit money for longer periods of time. Unlike with a current account, cheques cannot generally be drawn against deposit accounts. See BANK DEPOSIT.
Fig. 43 Depreciation. (a) A depreciation of the pound against the dollar. (b)The effect of depreciation on export and import prices.
depreciation
1 a fall in the value of a CURRENCY against other currencies under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, as shown in Fig. 43 (a). A depreciation of a currency’s value makes IMPORTS (in the local currency) more expensive and EXPORTS (in the local currency) cheaper, thereby reducing imports and increasing exports, and so assisting in the removal of a BALANCE OF PAYMENTS deficit. For example, as shown in Fig. 43 (b), if the pound-dollar exchange rate depreciates from £1.60 to £1.40, then this would allow British exporters to reduce their prices by a similar amount, thus increasing their price competitiveness in the American market (although they may choose not to reduce their prices by the full amount of the depreciation in order to boost profitability or devote more funds to sales promotion, etc.) By the same token, the depreciation serves to raise the sterling price of American products imported into Britain, thereby making them less price-competitive than British products in the home market.
In order for a currency depreciation to ‘work’, four basic conditions must be satisfied:
(a) how successful the depreciation is depends on the reactions of export and import volumes to the change in relative prices, i.e. the PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for exports and imports. If these volumes are low, i.e. demand is inelastic, trade volumes will not change much and the depreciation may in fact worsen the situation. On the other hand, if export and import demand is elastic then the change in trade volume will improve the payments position. Balance-of-payments equilibrium will be restored if the sum of export and import elasticities is greater than unity (the MARSHALL-LERNER CONDITION);
(b) on the supply side, resources must be available, and sufficiently mobile, to be switched from other sectors of the economy into industries producing exports and products that will substitute for imports. If the economy is fully employed already, domestic demand will have to be reduced and/or switched by deflationary policies to accommodate the required resource transference;
(c) over the longer term, ‘offsetting’ domestic price, rises must be contained. A depreciation increases the cost of essential imports of raw materials and foodstuffs, which can push up domestic manufacturing costs and the cost of living. This in turn can serve to increase domestic prices and money wages, thereby necessitating further depreciations to maintain price competitiveness;
(d) finally, a crucial requirement in underpinning the ‘success’ of the above factors and in maintaining long-run equilibrium is for there to be a real improvement in the country’s industrial efficiency and international competitiveness. (See ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM entry for further discussion.) See BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM, INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL, PRICE ELASTICITY OF SUPPLY. Compare APPRECIATION 1.
2 the fall in the value of an ASSET during the course of its working life. Also called amortization. The condition of plant and equipment used in production deteriorates over time, and these items will eventually have to be replaced. Accordingly, a firm is required to make financial provision for the depreciation of its assets.
Depreciation is an accounting means of dividing up the historic cost of a FIXED ASSET over a number of accounting periods that correspond with the asset’s estimated life. The depreciation charged against the revenue of successive time periods in the PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT serves to spread the original cost of a fixed asset, which yields benefits to the firm over several trading periods. In the period end BALANCE SHEET, such an asset would be included at its cost less depreciation deducted to date. This depreciation charge does not attempt to calculate the reducing market value of fixed assets, so that balance sheets do not show realization values.
Depreciation formulas base the depreciation charge on the HISTORIC COST of fixed assets. During a period of INFLATION, however, it is likely that the REPLACEMENT COST of an asset is likely to be higher than its original cost. Thus, prudent companies need to make provision for higher replacement costs of fixed assets. See INFLATION ACCOUNTING, CAPITAL CONSUMPTION, APPRECIATION 2.
depressed area an area of a country suffering from industrial decline, resulting in an UNEMPLOYMENT rate that is significantly higher, and a level of INCOME PER HEAD that is significantly lower, than the national average. This situation can be tackled by REGIONAL POLICIES aimed at encouraging new firms and industries to locate in the area by offering them financial and other assistance. See ASSISTED AREA.
depression a phase of the BUSINESS CYCLE characterized by a severe decline (slump) in the level of economic activity (ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT). Real output and INVESTMENT are at very low levels and there is a high rate of UNEMPLOYMENT. A depression is caused mainly by a fall in AGGREGATE DEMAND and can be reversed provided that the authorities evoke expansionary FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY. See DEFLATIONARY GAP, DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
deregulation the removal of controls over economic activity that have been imposed by the government or some other regulatory body (for example, an industry trade association). Deregulation may be initiated either because the controls are no longer seen as necessary (for example, the ending of PRICE CONTROLS to combat inflation) or because they are overly restrictive, preventing companies from taking advantage of business opportunities; for example, the ending of most FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROLS by the UK in 1979 was designed to liberalize overseas physical and portfolio investment.
Deregulation has assumed particular significance in the context of recent initiatives by the UK government to stimulate greater competition by, for example, allowing private companies to compete for business in areas (such as local bus and parcel services) hitherto confined to central government or local authority operators. See COMPETITIVE TENDERING.
Conversely, government initiatives can be seen to have promoted regulation insofar as, for example, the PRIVATIZATION of nationalized industries has in some cases led to greater regulation of their activities via the creation of regulatory agencies (such as Ofgas in the case of the gas industry and Oftel in the case of the telecommunications industry) to ensure that the interests of consumers are protected.
derivative a financial instrument such as an OPTION or SWAP the value of which is derived from some other financial asset (for example, a STOCK or SHARE) or indices (for example, a price index for a commodity such as cocoa). Derivatives are traded on the FUTURES MARKETS and are used by businesses and dealers to ‘hedge’ against future movements in share, commodity, etc., prices and by speculators seeking to secure windfall profits. See LONDON INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL FUTURES EXCHANGE (LIFFE), STOCK EXCHANGE.
derived demand the DEMAND for a particular FACTOR INPUT or PRODUCT that is dependent on there being a demand for some other product. For example, the demand for labour to produce motor cars is dependent on there being a demand for motor cars in the first place; the demand for tea cups is dependent on there being a demand for tea. See MARGINAL REVENUE PRODUCT, FACTOR MARKETS, COMPLEMENTARY PRODUCTS.
deseasonalized data see TIME SERIES ANALYSIS.
design rights the legal ownership by persons or businesses of original designs of the shape or configuration of industrial products. In the UK, the COPYRIGHT, DESIGNS AND PATENTS ACT 1988 gives protection to the creators of industrial designs against unauthorized copying for a period of ten years after the first marketing of the product.
Fig. 44 Devaluation. A devaluation of the pound against the dollar.
devaluation an administered reduction in the EXCHANGE RATE of a currency against other currencies under a FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM; for example, the lowering of the UK pound (£) against the US dollar ($) from one fixed or ‘pegged’ level to a lower level, say from £1 = $3 to £1 = $2, as shown in Fig. 44. Devaluations are resorted to by governments to assist in the removal of a BALANCE OF PAYMENTS DEFICIT. The effect of a devaluation is to make IMPORTS (in the local currency) more expensive, thereby reducing import demand, and EXPORTS (in the local currency) cheaper, thereby acting as a stimulus to export demand. Whether or not a devaluation ‘works’ in achieving balance of payments equilibrium, however, depends on a number of factors, including: the sensitivity of import and export demand to price changes, the availability of resources to expand export volumes and replace imports and, critically over the long term, the control of inflation to ensure that domestic price rises are kept in line with or below other countries’ inflation rates. (See DEPRECIATION 1 for further discussion of these matters.) Devaluations can affect the business climate in a number of ways but in particular provide firms with an opportunity to expand sales and boost profitability. A devaluation increases import prices, making imports less competitive against domestic products, encouraging domestic buyers to switch to locally produced substitutes. Likewise, a fall in export prices is likely to cause overseas customers to increase their demand for the country’s exported products in preference to locally produced items and the exports of other overseas producers. If the pound, as in our example above, is devalued by one-third, then this would allow British exporters to reduce their prices by a similar amount, thus increasing their price competitiveness in the American market. Alternatively, they may choose not to reduce their prices by the full amount of the devaluation in order to increase unit profit margins and provide additional funds for advertising and sales promotion, etc. Compare REVALUATION. See INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL.
developed country an economically advanced country the economy of which is characterized by large industrial and service sectors, high levels of gross national product and INCOME PER HEAD. See Fig. 51. See STRUCTURE OF INDUSTRY, DEVELOPING COUNTRY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
developing countryorless developed countryorunderdeveloped countryoremerging countryorThird World country a country characterized by low levels of GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT and INCOME PER HEAD. See Fig. 51. Such countries are typically dominated by a large PRIMARY SECTOR thatproduces a limited range of agricultural and mineral products and in which the majority of the POPULATION exists at or near subsistence levels, producing barely enough for their immediate needs, thus being unable to release the resources required to support a large urbanized industrial population. The term ‘developing’ indicates that, as seen by most such countries, the way to improve their economic fortunes is to diversify the industrial base of the economy by, in particular, establishing new manufacturing industries and by adopting the PRICE SYSTEM. To facilitate an increase in urban population necessary for INDUSTRIALIZATION, a nation may either IMPORT the necessary commodities from abroad with the FOREIGN EXCHANGE earned from the EXPORT of the (predominantly) primary goods, or it can attempt to improve its own agriculture. With appropriate ECONOMIC AID from industrialized countries and the ability and willingness on the part of a developing country, the transition into a NEWLY INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY could be made.
Certain problems do exist, however. For instance, increases in real income that are achieved need to be maintained, which means keeping population numbers in check. Illiteracy and social customs for large families tend to work against governmental efforts to increase the STANDARD OF LIVING of its citizens. Also, most of the foreign exchange earned by such countries is by exporting, mainly commodities (see INTERNATIONAL TRADE). See ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, STRUCTURE OF INDUSTRY, DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, POPULATION TRAP, INTERNATIONAL COMMODITY AGREEMENTS, UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL DEBT.
development area an area of the country formerly designated under UK REGIONAL POLICY (for example, the Northeast and South Wales) as qualifying for financial and other assistance in order to promote industrial regeneration. Development Areas reconfigured (in 2002) as ‘Tier 1 ASSISTED AREAS’ under a joint UK/EUROPEAN UNION regional policy programme. Development/Tier 1 areas are characterized by UNEMPLOYMENT rates that are significantly higher, and levels of INCOME PER HEAD that are significantly lower, than the national average. To remedy this situation, the usual practice is to encourage the establishment of new firms, the expansion of existing firms and the establishment of new industries by offering a variety of investment incentives: investment grants and allowances, tax write-offs, rent- and rate-free (or reduced) factories, etc.
In the UK, firms investing in the assisted areas are offered REGIONAL SELECTIVE ASSISTANCE, which is given on a discretionary basis to cover capital and training costs for projects that meet specified job-creation criteria.
development economics the branch of economics that seeks to explain the processes by which a DEVELOPING COUNTRY increases in productive capacity, both agricultural and industrial, in order to achieve sustained ECONOMIC GROWTH.
Much work in development economics has focused on the way in which such growth can be achieved, for instance, the question of whether agriculture ought to be developed in tandem with industry, or whether leading industries should be allowed to move forward independently, so encouraging all other sectors of society. Another controversial question is whether less developed countries are utilizing the most appropriate technology. Many economists argue for intermediate technology as most appropriate rather than very modern plants initially requiring Western technologists and managers to run them. Socio-cultural factors are also influential in attempting to achieve take-off into sustained economic growth. See ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INFANT INDUSTRY.
differentiated product see PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
differentiation competition strategy see COMPETITIVE STRATEGY.
diffusion the process whereby INNOVATIONS are accepted and used by firms and consumers through imitation, licensing agreements or sale of products and patents.
diminishing average returns see DIMINISHING RETURNS.
diminishing marginal rate of substitution see MARGINAL RATE OF SUBSTITUTION.
diminishing marginal returns see DIMINISHING RETURNS.
diminishing marginal utility a principle that states that as an individual consumes a greater quantity of a product in a particular time period, the extra satisfaction (UTILITY) derived from each additional unit will progressively fall as the individual becomes satiated with the product. See Fig. 45.
The principle of diminishing MARGINAL UTILITY can be used to explain why DEMAND CURVES for most products are downward sloping, since if individuals derive less satisfaction from successive units of the product they will only be prepared to pay a lower price for each unit.
Demand analysis can be conducted only in terms of diminishing marginal utility if CARDINAL UTILITY measurement is possible. In practice, it is not possible to measure utility precisely in this way, so demand curves are now generally constructed from INDIFFERENCE CURVES, which are based upon ORDINAL UTILITY. See CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM, REVEALED PREFERENCE.
diminishing returns the law in the SHORT-RUN theory of supply of diminishing marginal returns or variable factor proportions that states that as equal quantities of one VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT are added into the production function (the quantities of all other factor inputs remaining fixed), a point will be reached beyond which the resulting addition to output (that is, the MARGINAL PHYSICAL PRODUCT of the variable input) will begin to decrease, as shown in Fig. 46.
As the marginal physical product declines, this will eventually cause AVERAGE PHYSICAL PRODUCT to decline as well (diminishing average returns). The marginal physical product changes because additional units of the variable factor input do not add equally readily to units of the fixed factor input.
Fig. 45 Diminishing marginal utility. To a hungry man the utility of the first slice of bread consumed will be high (O
) but as his appetite becomes satiated, successive slices of bread yield smaller and smaller amounts of satisfaction; for example, the fifth slice of bread yields only O
of additional utility.
At a low level of output, marginal physical product rises with the addition of more variable inputs to the (underworked) fixed input, the extra variable inputs bringing about a more intensive use of the fixed input.
Fig. 46 Diminishing returns. The rise and fall of units of output as units of variable factor input are added to the production function.
Eventually, as output is increased, an optimal factor combination is attained at which the variable and fixed inputs are mixed in the most appropriate proportions to maximize marginal physical product. Thereafter, further additions of variable inputs to the (now overworked) fixed input leads to a less than proportionate increase in output so that marginal physical product declines. See RETURNS TO THE VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT.
direct cost the sum of the DIRECT MATERIALS COST and DIRECT LABOUR COST of a product. Direct cost tends to vary proportionately with the level of output. See VARIABLE COST.
direct debit see COMMERCIAL BANK.
direct investment any expenditure on physical ASSETS such as plant, machinery and stocks. See INVESTMENT.
directive (bank) an instrument of MONETARY POLICY involving the control of bank lending as a means of regulating the MONEY SUPPLY. If, for example, the monetary authorities wish to lower the money supply, they can ‘direct’ the banks to reduce the total amount of loan finance made available to personal and corporate borrowers. A reduction in bank lending can be expected to lead to a multiple contraction of bank deposits and, hence, a fall in the money supply. See BANK DEPOSIT CREATION.
direct labour 1 that part of the labour force in a firm that is directly concerned with the manufacture of a good or the provision of a service. Contrast INDIRECT LABOUR.
2 workers employed directly by local or central government to perform tasks rather than contracting out such tasks to private-sector companies. For example, a local authority might employ its own permanent construction workers to repair council houses rather than putting such repair work out to local firms. See VARIABLE COST, PRIVATIZATION.
direct marketing see DIRECT SELLING.
direct materials raw materials that are incorporated in a product. Compare INDIRECT MATERIALS. See VARIABLE COST.
direct selling/marketing a method of selling and buying goods and services that enables a supplier to sell direct to the final customer without the need for traditional ‘middlemen’ – wholesalers and retailers. Direct selling can be undertaken through catalogues (see MAIL ORDER) or by ‘clip-out’ coupons in newspapers, but increasingly it is being undertaken by telephone sales (e.g. telephone banking and insurance) and through e-commerce (INTERNET sales). Direct selling can provide firms with an effective means of tapping into a mass market; it can reduce BARRIERS TO ENTRY so that some small firms can offer their products alongside big-name companies; and by eliminating the ‘middleman’, selling costs and prices can be lowered, conferring COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. Apart from lower prices, another attraction for customers is the convenience of being able to ‘shop’ from home rather than having to visit a retail outlet.
direct tax a TAX levied by the government on the income and wealth received by individuals (households) and businesses in order to raise revenue and as an instrument of FISCAL POLICY. Examples of a direct tax are INCOME TAX, NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS, CORPORATION TAX and WEALTH TAX.
Direct taxes are incurred on income received, unlike indirect taxes, such as value-added taxes, that are incurred when income is spent. Direct taxes are progressive, insofar as the amount paid varies according to the income and wealth of the taxpayer. By contrast, INDIRECT TAX is regressive, insofar as the same amount is paid by each tax-paying consumer regardless of his or her income. See TAXATION, PROGRESSIVE TAXATION, REGRESSIVE TAXATION.
dirty float the manipulation by the monetary authorities of a country’s EXCHANGE RATE under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, primarily in order to gain a competitive advantage over trade partners. Thus, the authorities could intervene in the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET to stop the exchange rate from otherwise appreciating (see APPRECIATION 1) in the face of market forces or, alternatively, they could deliberately engineer a DEPRECIATION of the exchange rate. See BEGGAR-MY-NEIGHBOUR POLICY.
discount 1 a deduction from the published LIST PRICE of a good or service allowed by a supplier to a customer. The discount could be offered for prompt payment in cash (cash discount) or for bulk purchases (trade discount). Trade discounts may be given to enable suppliers to achieve large sales volumes, and thus ECONOMICS OF SCALE, or may be used as a competitive stratagem to secure customer loyalty, or may be given under duress to large, powerful buyers. See AGGREGATED REBATE, BULK BUYING.
2 the sale of new STOCKS and SHARES at a reduced price. In the UK, this involves the issue of a new share at a price below its nominal value. In other countries where shares have no nominal value it involves the sale of new shares below their current market price.
3 the purchase of a particular company’s issued stock or share at a price below the average market price of those of other companies operating in the same field. The price is lower because investors feel less optimistic about that company’s prospects.
4 a fall in the prices of all stocks and shares in anticipation of a downturn in the economy.
5 the purchase of a BILL OF EXCHANGE, TREASURY BILL or BOND for less than its nominal value. Bills and bonds are redeemable at a specific future date at their face value. The original purchaser will buy the bill or bond for less than its nominal or face value (at a discount). The discount between the price that he pays and the nominal value of the bill or bond represents interest received on the loan made against the security of the bill or bond. If the owner of the bill or bond then wishes to sell it prior to maturity (rediscount it), then he will have to accept less than its nominal value (although more than he paid for it). The difference between the original price that he paid and the price received will depend largely upon the length of time before maturity. For example, if a bond with a nominal value of £1,000 redeemable in one year’s time were bought for £900, then the £100 discount on redemption value represents an interest rate of £1,000/900 = 11.1% on the loan.
6 the extent to which a foreign currency’s market EXCHANGE RATE falls below its ‘official’ exchange rate under a FIXED EXCHANGE RATE SYSTEM.
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Dr. Christopher Pass
A comprehensive guide to Economics for students in all related fields.This fourth edition of the popular and bestselling Collins Dictionary of Economics has been thoroughly revised for the new millennium, and is a valuable reference book not just for students of economics, but for anyone studying economics as part of a business or social science course.
Collins dictonary of
Economics
fourth edition
Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes
& Leslie Davies
William Collins’ dream of knowledge for all began with the publication of his first book in 1819. A self-educated mill worker, he not only enriched millions of lives, but also founded a flourishing publishing house. Today, staying true to this spirit, Collins books are packed with inspiration, innovation, and practical expertise. They place you at the centre of a world of possibility and give you exactly what you need to explore it.
Collins. Do more.
Contents
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Preface (#ulink_d8ffa031-217e-5597-a14a-6b8ef0e35db4)
This dictionary contains material especially suitable for students reading ‘foundation’ economics courses at polytechnics and universities, and for students preparing for advanced school economics examinations. The dictionary will be useful also to ‘A’ and degree-level students reading economics as part of broader-based business studies, commerce or social science courses as well as to students pursuing professional qualifications in the accountancy and banking areas. Finally, it is expected that the dictionary will be of interest to general readers of the economic and financial press.
The dictionary provides a comprehensive coverage of mainstream economic terms, focusing in particular on theoretical concepts and principles and their practical applications. Key economic terms are given special prominence, including, where appropriate, diagrammatic illustrations. In addition, the dictionary includes various business and commercial terms that are relevant to an understanding of economic analysis and applications. It is, of course, difficult to draw a precise dividing line between economic and economics-related material and other subject matter. Accordingly, readers are recommended to consult other volumes in this series, in particular the Collins Dictionary of Business, should they fail to find a particular entry in this dictionary. In the interests of brevity, we have kept institutional minutiae and description, as well as historical preamble, to a minimum.
To cater for a wide-ranging readership with varying degrees of knowledge requirements, dictionary entries have been structured, where appropriate, so as to provide, firstly, a basic definition and explanation of a particular concept, then leading on through cross-references to related terms and more advanced refinements of the original concept.
Cross-references are denoted both in the text and at the end of entries by reproducing the keywords in small capital letters.
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We should to thank Edwin Moore and Clare Crawford for their excellent work in preparing the manuscript for publication. Particular thanks are due to Sylvia Ashdown, Chris Barkby and Sylvia Bentley for their patience and efficiency in typing the manuscript.
Christopher Pass, Bryan Lowes
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ability-to-pay principle of taxation the principle that TAXATION should be based on the financial standing of the individual. Thus, persons with high income are more readily placed to pay large amounts of tax than people on low incomes. In practice, the ability-to-pay approach has been adopted by most countries as the basis of their taxation systems (see PROGRESSIVE TAXATION). Unlike the BENEFITS-RECEIVED PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION, the ability-to-pay approach is compatible with most governments’ desire to redistribute income from high income earners to low income earners. See REDISTRIBUTION-OF-INCOME PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION, POVERTY.
above-normal profitorexcess profit a PROFIT greater than that which is just sufficient to ensure that a firm will continue to supply its existing product or service (see NORMAL PROFIT). Short-run (i.e. temporary) above-normal profits resulting from an imbalance of market supply and demand promote an efficient allocation of resources if they encourage new firms to enter the market and increase market supply. By contrast, long-run (i.e. persistent) above-normal profits (MONOPOLY or super-normal profits) distort the RESOURCE ALLOCATION process because they reflect the overpricing of a product by monopoly suppliers protected by BARRIERS TO ENTRY. See PERFECT COMPETITION.
above-the-line promotion the promotion of goods and services through media ADVERTISING in the press and on television and radio, as distinct from below-the-line promotion such as direct mailing and in-store exhibitions and displays. See SALES PROMOTION AND MERCHANDISING.
absenteeism unsanctioned absences from work by employees. The level of absenteeism in a particular firm often reflects working conditions and morale amongst workers in that firm and affects the firm’s PRODUCTIVITY. See SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS.
Fig. 1 Absolute advantage. The relationship between resource input and output.
absolute advantage an advantage possessed by a country engaged in INTERNATIONAL TRADE when, using a given resource input, it is able to produce more output than other countries possessing the same resource input. This is illustrated in Fig. 1 with respect to two countries (A and B) and two goods (X and Y). Country A’s resource input enables it to produce either 100X or 100Y; the same resource input in Country B enables it to produce either 180X or 120Y. It can be seen that Country B is absolutely more efficient than Country A since it can produce more of both goods. Superficially this suggests that there is no basis for trade between the two countries. It is COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE, however, not absolute advantage, that determines whether international trade is beneficial or not, because even if Country B is more efficient at producing both goods it may pay Country B to specialize (see SPECIALIZATION) in producing good X at which it has the greater advantage.
absolute concentration measure see CONCENTRATION MEASURES.
ACAS see ADVISORY, CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION SERVICE.
accelerator the relationship between the amount of net or INDUCED INVESTMENT (gross investment less REPLACEMENT INVESTMENT) and the rate of change of NATIONAL INCOME. A rapid rise in income and consumption spending will put pressure on existing capacity and encourage businesses to invest, not only to replace existing capital as it wears out but also to invest in new plant and equipment to meet the increase in demand.
By way of simple illustration, let us suppose a business meets the existing demand for its product, utilizing 10 machines, one of which is replaced each year. If demand increases by 20%, it must invest in two new machines to accommodate that demand in addition to the one replacement machine.
Investment is thus, in part, a function of changes in the level of income: I = f(ΔY). A rise in induced investment, in turn, serves to reinforce the MULTIPLIER effect in increasing national income.
Fig. 2 Accelerator. The graph shows how gross national product and the level of investment vary over time. See entry.
The combined effect of accelerator and multiplier forces working through an investment cycle has been offered as an explanation for changes in the level of economic activity associated with the BUSINESS CYCLE. Because the level of investment depends upon the rate of change of GNP, when GNP is rising rapidly then investment will be at a high level, as producers seek to add to their capacity (time t in Fig. 2). This high level of investment will add to AGGREGATE DEMAND and help to maintain a high level of GNP. However, as the rate of growth of GNP slows down from time t onward, businesses will no longer need to add as rapidly to capacity, and investment will decline towards replacement investment levels. This lower level of investment will reduce aggregate demand and contribute towards the eventual fall in GNP. Once GNP has persisted at a low level for some time, then machines will gradually wear out and businesses will need to replace some of these machines if they are to maintain sufficient production capacity to meet even the lower level of aggregate demand experienced. This increase in the level of investment at time t
will increase aggregate demand and stimulate the growth of GNP.
Like FIXED INVESTMENT, investment in stock is also to some extent a function of the rate of change of income so that INVENTORY INVESTMENT is subject to similar accelerator effects.
acceptance the process of guaranteeing a loan, which takes the form of a BILL OF EXCHANGE that will be repaid even if the original borrower is unable to pay. This is done by a commercial institution which signs, that it ‘accepts’, the bill drawn up by the borrower in return for a fee. See ACCEPTING HOUSE.
accepting house a MERCHANT BANK or similar organization that underwrites (guarantees to honour) a commercial BILL OF EXCHANGE in return for a fee. See DISCOUNT, REDISCOUNTING, DISCOUNT MARKET.
account period a designated trading period for the buying and selling of FINANCIAL SECURITIES on the STOCK EXCHANGE. On the UK stock market all trading takes place within a series of end-on fortnightly account periods. All purchases and sales agreed during a particular account period must be paid for or settled shortly after the end of the account period.
accounts the financial statements of an individual or organization prepared from a system of recorded financial transactions. Public limited JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES are required to publish their year-end financial statements, which must comprise at least a PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT and BALANCE SHEET, to enable SHAREHOLDERS to assess their company’s financial performance during the period under review.
acquisition see TAKEOVER.
activity-based costs see COST DRIVERS.
activity rateorparticipation rate the proportion of a country’s total POPULATION that makes up the country’s LABOUR FORCE. For example, the UK’s total population in 2004 was 59 million and its labour force numbered 29 million, giving an overall activity rate of 49%. Similar activity rate calculations can be done for subsets of the population such as men, women, ethnic groups, etc.
The activity rate is influenced by social customs and government policies affecting, for example, the school-leaving age and the proportion of young people remaining in further and higher education beyond that age; the ‘official’ retirement age and the proportion of older people retiring early or working beyond the retirement age. Opportunities for PART-TIME WORK and job-sharing can also influence, in particular female, participation rates. In addition, government TAXATION policies can also affect activity rates insofar as high marginal tax rates may serve to deter some people from offering themselves for employment (see POVERTY TRAP). See LABOUR MARKET, DISGUISED (CONCEALED) UNEMPLOYMENT.
actual gross national product (GNP) the level of real output currently being produced by an economy. Actual GNP may or may not be equal to a country’s POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT. The level of actual GNP is determined by the interaction of AGGREGATE DEMAND and potential GNP. If aggregate demand falls short of potential GNP at any point in time, then actual GNP will be equal to aggregate demand, leaving a DEFLATIONARY GAP (output gap) between actual and potential GNP. However, at high levels of aggregate demand (in excess of potential GNP), potential GNP sets a ceiling on actual output, and any excess of aggregate demand over potential GNP shows up as an INFLATIONARY GAP.
Over time, the rate of growth of actual GNP will depend upon the rate of growth of aggregate demand, on the one hand, and the growth of potential GNP, on the other.
actuary a statistician who calculates insurance risks and premiums. See RISK AND UNCERTAINTY, INSURANCE COMPANY.
adaptive expectations (of inflation) the idea that EXPECTATIONS of the future rate of INFLATION are based on the inflationary experience of the recent past. As a result, once under way, inflation feeds upon itself with, for example, trade unions demanding an increase in wages in the current pay round, which takes into account the expected future rate of inflation which, in turn, leads to further price rises. See EXPECTATIONS-ADJUSTED/AUGMENTED PHILLIPS CURVE, INFLATIONARY SPIRAL, RATIONAL EXPECTATIONS, HYPOTHESIS, ANTICIPATED INFLATION, TRANSMISSION MECHANISM.
‘adjustable peg’ exchange-rate system a form of FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM originally operated by the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, in which the EXCHANGE RATES between currencies are fixed (pegged) at particular values (for example, £1 = $3), but which can be changed to new fixed values should circumstances require it. For example, £1 = $2, the re-pegging of the pound at a lower value in terms of the dollar (DEVALUATION); or £1 = $4, the re-pegging of the pound at a higher value in terms of the dollar (REVALUATION).
adjustment mechanism a means of correcting balance of payments disequilibriums between countries. There are three main ways of removing payments deficits or surpluses:
(a) external price adjustments;
(b) internal price and income adjustments;
(c) trade and foreign-exchange restrictions. See BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM for further elaboration.
While conventional balance of payments theory emphasizes the role of monetary adjustments (e.g. EXCHANGE RATE devaluations/depreciations) in the removal of payments imbalances, a crucial requirement in this process is for there to be a real adjustment in terms of industrial efficiency and competitiveness. An example will reinforce this point. Let us assume that, because UK goods are more expensive, the UK imports more manufactured goods from Japan than it exports manufactures to Japan. Since each country has its own separate domestic currency, this deficit manifests itself as a monetary phenomenon – the UK runs a balance of payments deficit with Japan, and vice-versa. Superficially, this situation can be remedied by, for example, an external price adjustment: currency devaluation/depreciation of the pound and currency revaluation/appreciation of the yen.
But price differences in the domestic prices of manufactured goods themselves reflect differences between countries in terms of their real economic strengths and weaknesses, that is, causality can be presumed to run from the real aggregates to the monetary aggregates and not the other way round: a country has a strong, appreciating currency because it has an efficient and innovative real economy; a weak currency reflects a weak economy. Simply devaluing the currency does not mean that there will be an improvement in real efficiency and competitiveness overnight. Focusing attention on the monetary aggregates tends to mask this fundamental truth. Thus, if the UK and Japan were to establish an economic union in which, as provided for by the European Union’s Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) arrangements, their individual domestic currencies would be replaced by a single currency, then, in conventional balance of payments terms, the UK’s deficit would disappear.
Or does it? It does so in monetary terms but not in real terms, that is, the disequilibrium manifests itself not in terms of cross-border (external) foreign currency flows but as an internal problem of regional imbalance. The ‘leopard has changed its spots’ – a balance of payments problem has become a regional problem, with the UK region of the customs union experiencing lower industrial activity rates, lower levels of real income and higher rates of unemployment compared with the French region. To redress this imbalance in real terms requires an improvement in the competitiveness of the UK region’s existing industries and the establishment of new industries by inward investment. For example, within the UK itself the decline of iron and steel production in Wales has been partly offset by the establishment of consumer appliance and electronics industries by American and Japanese multinational companies. See EURO, REGIONAL POLICY.
adjustment speed the rate at which MARKETS adjust to changing economic circumstances. Adjustment speeds will tend to vary between different types of market. For example, in the case of the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET, the exchange rate of a currency will tend to adjust rapidly to EXCESS SUPPLY or EXCESS DEMAND for it. A similar rapid response tends to characterize COMMODITY MARKETS and MONEY MARKETS, with commodity prices and INTEREST RATES changing quickly as supply or demand conditions warrant. Product markets (see PRICE SYSTEM) tend to adjust more slowly because the prices of products are usually fixed administratively and are generally changed infrequently in response to major supply or demand changes. Finally, some commodity markets, in particular the LABOUR MARKET, tend to adjust more slowly still because wages tend to be fixed through longer-term collective bargaining arrangements. See WAGE STICKINESS.
administered price 1 a price for a PRODUCT that is set by an individual producer or group of producers. In PERFECT COMPETITION, characterized by many very small producers, the price charged is determined by the interaction of market demand and market supply, and the individual producer has no control over this price. By contrast, in an OLIGOPOLY and a MONOPOLY, large producers have considerable discretion over the prices they charge and can, for example, use some administrative formula like FULL-COST PRICING to determine the particular price charged. A number of producers may combine to administer the price of a product by operating a CARTEL or price-fixing agreement.
2 a price for a product, or CURRENCY, etc., that is set by the government or an international organization. For example, an individual government or INTERNATIONAL COMMODITY AGREEMENT may fix the prices of agricultural produce or commodities such as tin to support producers’ incomes; under an internationally managed FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, member countries establish fixed values for the exchange rates of their currencies. See PRICE SUPPORT, PRICE CONTROLS.
administrator see INSOLVENCY ACT 1986.
ad valorem tax a TAX that is levied as a percentage of the price of a unit of output. See SPECIFIC TAX, VALUE-ADDED TAX.
advances see LOANS.
adverse selection the tendency for people to enter into CONTRACTS in which they can use their private information to their own advantage and to the disadvantage of the less informed party to the contract. For example, an insurance company may charge health insurance premiums based upon the average risk of people falling ill, but people with poorer than average health will be keener to take out health insurance while people with better than average health will tend not to take out such health insurance, so that the insurance company loses money because the high risk part of the population is over-represented among its clients.
Adverse selection results directly from ASYMMETRY OF INFORMATION available to the parties to a contract or TRANSACTION. Where there is hidden information that is private and unobservable to other parties to a transaction, the presence of hidden information or even the suspicion of hidden information may be sufficient to hinder parties from entering into transactions.
advertisement a written or visual presentation in the MEDIA of a BRAND of a good or service that is used both to ‘inform’ prospective buyers of the product’s attributes and to ‘persuade’ them to purchase it in preference to competing brands. Advertisements are usually featured as part of an ‘advertising campaign’ involving a series of presentations of the brand in the media over a run of weeks, months or even years that is designed to reinforce the ‘image’ of the brand, thereby expanding sales of the product and establishing BRAND LOYALTY. See ADVERTISING.
advertising a means of stimulating demand for a product and establishing strong BRAND LOYALTY. Advertising is one of the main forms of PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION competition and is used both to inform prospective buyers of a brand’s particular attributes and to persuade them that the brand is superior to competitors’ offerings.
Fig. 3 Advertising. (a) The static market effects of advertising on demand (D). The profit maximizing (see PROFIT MAXIMIZATION) price-output combination (PQ) without advertising is shown by the intersection of the marginal revenue curve (MR) and the marginal cost curve (MC). By contrast, the addition of advertising costs serves to shift the marginal cost curve to MC
, so that the PQ combination (shown by the intersection of MR and MC
) now results in higher price (P
) and lower quantity supplied (Q
).
(b) The initial profit-maximizing price-output combination (PQ) without advertising is shown by the intersection of the marginal revenue curve (MR) and the marginal cost curve (MC). The effect of advertising is to expand total market demand from DD to D
D
with a new marginal revenue curve (MR
). This expansion of market demand enables the industry to achieve economies of scale in production, which more than offsets the additional advertising cost. Hence, the marginal cost curve in the expended market (MC
) is lower than the original marginal cost curve. The new profit maximizing price-output combination (determined by the intersection at MR
and MC
results in a lower price (P
) than before and a larger quantity supplied (Q
). See BARRIERS TO ENTRY, MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, OLIGOPOLY, DISTRIBUTIVE EFFICIENCY.
There are two contrasting views of advertising’s effect on MARKET PERFORMANCE. Traditional ‘static’ market theory, on the one hand, emphasizes the misallocative effects of advertising. Here advertising is depicted as being solely concerned with brand-switching between competitors within a static overall market demand and serves to increase total supply costs and the price paid by the consumer. This is depicted in Fig. 3 (a). (See PROFIT MAXIMIZATION).
The alternative view of advertising emphasizes its role as one of expanding market demand and ensuring that firms’ demand is maintained at levels that enable them to achieve economies of large-scale production (see ECONOMIES OF SCALE). Thus, advertising may be associated with a higher market output and lower prices than allowed for in the static model. This is illustrated in Fig. 3 (b).
advertising agency a business that specializes in providing marketing services for firms. Agencies usually devise, programme and manage specific advertising campaigns on behalf of clients. See ADVERTISEMENT, ADVERTISING.
Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) a body that regulates the UK ADVERTISING industry to ensure that ADVERTISEMENTS provide a fair, honest and unambiguous representation of the products they promote.
Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) a body established in the UK in 1975 to provide counselling services with regard to INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS and employment policy matters, in particular that of MEDIATION, CONCILIATION and ARBITRATION in cases of INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE.
after-sales service the provision of back-up facilities by a supplier or his agent to a customer after he has purchased the product. After-sales service includes the replacement of faulty products or parts and the repair and maintenance of the product on a regular basis. These services are often provided free of charge for a limited period of time through formal guarantees of product quality and performance, and thereafter, for a modest fee, as a means of securing continuing customer goodwill. After-sales service is thus an important part of competitive strategy. See PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
agency cost a form of failure in the contractual relationship between a PRINCIPAL (the owner of a firm or other assets) and an AGENT (the person contacted by the principal to manage the firm or other assets). This failure arises because the principal cannot fully monitor the activities of the agent. Thus there is a possibility that an agent may not act in the interests of his principal, unless the principal can design an appropriate reward structure for the agent that aligns the agent’s interests with those of the principal.
Agency relations can exist between firms, for example, licensing and franchising arrangements between the owner of a branded product (the principal) and licensees who wish to make and sell that product (agents). However, agency relations can also exist within firms, particularly in the relationship between the shareholders who own a public JOINT-STOCK COMPANY (the principals) and salaried professional managers who run the company (the agents). Agency costs can arise from slack effort by employees and the cost of monitoring and supervision designed to deter slack effort. See PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY, CONTRACT, TRANSACTION, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL, MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, TEAM PRODUCTION.
agent a person or company employed by another person or company (called the principal) for the purpose of arranging CONTRACTS between the principal and third parties. An agent thus acts as an intermediary in bringing together buyers and sellers of a good or service, receiving a flat or sliding-scale commission, brokerage or fee related to the nature and comprehensiveness of the work undertaken and/or value of the transaction involved. Agents and agencies are encountered in one way or another in most economic activities and play an important role in the smooth functioning of the market mechanism. See PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY for discussion of ownership and control issues as they affect the running of companies. See ESTATE AGENT, INSURANCE BROKER, STOCKBROKER, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL.
aggregate concentration see CONCENTRATION MEASURES.
aggregate demandoraggregate expenditure the total amount of expenditure (in nominal terms) on domestic goods and services. In the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL aggregate demand is made up of CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE (C), INVESTMENT EXPENDITURE (I), GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE (G) and net EXPORTS (exports less imports) (E):
aggregate demand = C + I + G + E
Some of the components of aggregate demand are relatively stable and change only slowly over time (e.g. consumption expenditure); others are much more volatile and change rapidly, causing fluctuations in the level of economic activity (e.g. investment expenditure).
In 2003, consumption expenditure accounted for 52%, investment expenditure accounted for 13%, government expenditure accounted for 15% and exports accounted for 20% of gross final expenditure (GFE) on domestically produced output. (GFE minus imports = GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT). See Fig. 133 (a) NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS.
Aggregate demand interacts with AGGREGATE SUPPLY to determine the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME. Governments seek to regulate the level of aggregate demand in order to maintain FULL EMPLOYMENT, avoid INFLATION, promote ECONOMIC GROWTH and secure BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM through the use of FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY. See AGGREGATE DEMAND SCHEDULE, ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCTS DEFLATIONARY GAP, INFLATIONARY GAP, BUSINESS CYCLE, STABILIZATION POLICY, POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT.
aggregate demand/aggregate supply approach to national income determination see EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME.
aggregate demand schedule a schedule depicting the total amount of spending on domestic goods and services at various levels of NATIONAL INCOME. It is constructed by adding together the CONSUMPTION, INVESTMENT, GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE and EXPORTS schedules, as indicated in Fig. 4 (a).
A given aggregate demand schedule is drawn up on the usual CETERIS PARIBUS conditions. It will shift upwards or downwards if some determining factor changes. See Fig. 4 (b).
Alternatively, the aggregate demand schedule can be expressed in terms of various levels of real national income demanded at each PRICE LEVEL as shown in Fig. 4 (c). This alternative schedule is also drawn on the assumption that other influences on spending plans are constant. It will shift rightwards or leftwards if some determining factors change. See Fig. 4 (d). This version of the aggregate demand schedule parallels at the macro level the demand schedule and DEMAND CURVE for an individual product, although in this case the schedule represents demand for all goods and services and deals with the general price level rather than with a particular price.
Fig. 4 Aggregate demand schedule. (a) The graph shows how AGGREGATE DEMAND varies with the level of NATIONAL INCOME. b) Shifts in the schedule because of determining factor changes. For example, if there is an increase in the PROPENSITY TO CONSUME, the consumption schedule will shift upwards, serving to shift the aggregate demand schedule upwards from AD to AD
; a reduction in government spending will shift the schedule downwards from AD to AD
. (c)The graph plots the quantity of real national income demanded against the price level. (d) Shifts in the schedule because of determining factor changes. For example, if there is an increase in the propensity to consume, the aggregate demand schedule will shift rightwards from AD to AD
; a reduction in government spending will shift the schedule leftwards from AD to AD
.
aggregated rebate a trade practice whereby DISCOUNTS on purchases are related not to customers’ individual orders but to their total purchases over a period of time. Aggregated rebate is used to foster buyer loyalty to the supplier, but it can produce anti-competitive effects because it encourages buyers to place the whole of their orders with one supplier, to the exclusion of competing suppliers. Under the Competition Act 1980, aggregated rebates can be investigated by the Office of Fair Trading and (if necessary) the COMPETITION COMMISSION and prohibited if found to unduly restrict competition.
aggregate expenditure see AGGREGATE DEMAND.
aggregate supply the total amount of domestic goods and services supplied by businesses and government, including both consumer products and capital goods. Aggregate supply interacts with AGGREGATE DEMAND to determine the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME (see AGGREGATE SUPPLY SCHEDULE).
In the short term, aggregate supply will tend to vary with the level of demand for goods and services, although the two need not correspond exactly. For example, businesses could supply more products than are demanded in the short term, the difference showing up as a build-up of unsold STOCKS (unintended INVENTORY INVESTMENT). On the other hand, businesses could supply fewer products than are demanded in the short term, the difference being met by running down stocks. However, discrepancies between aggregate supply and aggregate demand cannot be very large or persist for long, and generally businesses will offer to supply output only if they expect spending to be sufficient to sell all that output.
Over the long term, aggregate supply can increase as a result of increases in the LABOUR FORCE, increases in CAPITAL STOCK and improvements in labour PRODUCTIVITY. See ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, ECONOMIC GROWTH.
aggregate supply schedule a schedule depicting the total amount of domestic goods and services supplied by businesses and government at various levels of total expenditure. The AGGREGATE SUPPLY schedule is generally drawn as a 45° line because business will offer any particular level of national output only if they expect total spending (AGGREGATE DEMAND) to be just sufficient to sell all of that output. Thus, in Fig. 5 (a), £100 million of expenditure calls forth £100 million of aggregate supply, £200 million of expenditure calls forth £200 million of aggregate supply, and so on. This process cannot continue indefinitely, however, for once an economy’s resources are fully employed in supplying products then additional expenditure cannot be met from additional domestic resources because the potential output ceiling of the economy has been reached. Consequently, beyond the full-employment level of national product, Y
, the aggregate supply schedule becomes vertical. See POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT, ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT.
Alternatively, the aggregate supply schedule can be expressed in terms of various levels of real national income supplied at each PRICE LEVEL as shown in Fig. 5 (b). This version of the aggregate supply schedule parallels at the macro level the supply schedule and SUPPLY CURVE for an individual product, though in this case the schedule represents the supply of all goods and services and deals with the general price level rather than a particular product price. Fig. 5 (c) shows a shift of the aggregate supply curve to the right as a result of, for example, increases in the labour force or capital stock and technological advances.
Aggregate supply interacts with aggregate demand to determine the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME.
Fig. 5 Aggregate supply schedule. See entry.
AGM see ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
agricultural policy a policy concerned both with protecting the economic interests of the agricultural community by subsidizing farm prices and incomes, and with promoting greater efficiency by encouraging farm consolidation and mechanization.
Fig. 6 Agricultural policy. (a) The short-term shifts in supply (S) and their effects on price (P) and quantity (Q). (b) Long-term shifts caused by the influence of productivity improvement on supply.
The rationale for supporting agriculture partly reflects the ‘special case’ nature of the industry itself: agriculture, unlike manufacturing industry, is especially vulnerable to events outside its immediate control. Supply tends to fluctuate erratically from year to year, depending upon such vagaries as the weather and the incidence of pestilence and disease, S
, S
and S
in Fig. 6 (a), causing wide changes in farm prices and farm incomes. Over the long term, while the demand for many basic foodstuffs and animal produce has grown only slowly, from DD to D
D
in Fig. 6 (b), significant PRODUCTIVITY improvements associated with farm mechanization, chemical fertilizers and pesticides, etc., have tended to increase supply at a faster rate than demand, from SS to S
S
in Fig. 6 (b), causing farm prices and incomes to fall (see MARKET FAILURE).
Farming can thus be very much a hit-and-miss affair, and governments concerned with the impact of changes in food supplies and prices (on, for example, the level of farm incomes, the balance of payments and inflation rates) may well feel some imperative to regulate the situation. But there are also social and political factors at work; for example, the desire to preserve rural communities and the fact that, even in some advanced industrial countries (for example, the European Union), the agricultural sector often commands a political vote out of all proportion to its economic weight. See ENGEL’S LAW, COBWEB THEOREM, PRICE SUPPORT, INCOME SUPPORT, COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY, FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION.
aid see ECONOMIC AID.
allocative efficiency an aspect of MARKET PERFORMANCE that denotes the optimum allocation of scarce resources between end users in order to produce that combination of goods and services that best accords with the pattern of consumer demand. This is achieved when all market prices and profit levels are consistent with the real resource costs of supplying products. Specifically, consumer welfare is optimized when for each product the price is equal to the lowest real resource cost of supplying that product, including a NORMAL PROFIT reward to suppliers. Fig. 7 (a) depicts a normal profit equilibrium under conditions of PERFECT COMPETITION with price being determined by the intersection of the market supply and demand curves and with MARKET ENTRY/MARKET EXIT serving to ensure that price (P) is equal to minimum supply cost in the long run (AC).
Fig. 7 Allocative efficiency. (a) A normal profit equilibrium under conditions of perfect competition. (b) The profit maximizing price-output combination for a monopolist.
By contrast, where some markets are characterized by monopoly elements, then in these markets output will tend to be restricted so that fewer resources are devoted to producing these products than the pattern of consumer demand warrants. In these markets, prices and profit levels are not consistent with the real resource costs of supplying the products. Specifically, in MONOPOLY markets the consumer is exploited by having to pay a price for a product that exceeds the real resource cost of supplying it, this excess showing up as an ABOVE-NORMAL PROFIT for the monopolist.
Fig. 7 (b) depicts the profit maximizing price-output combination for a monopolist, determined by equating marginal cost and marginal revenue. This involves a smaller output and a higher price than would be the case under perfect competition, with BARRIERS TO ENTRY serving to ensure that the output restriction and excess prices persist over the long run. See PARETO OPTIMALITY, MARKET FAILURE.
Alternative Investment Market see UNLISTED-SECURITIES MARKET.
amalgamation see MERGER.
Amsterdam Treaty, 1997 a EUROPEAN UNION (EU) statute that extended various provisions of the MAASTRICHT TREATY in the areas of social policy (particularly discriminations against persons and the integration of the SOCIAL CHAPTER), internal procedures for the administration of EU institutions and the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy (including defence).
Andean Pact a regional alliance originally formed in 1969 with the general objective of establishing a COMMON MARKET. The current members of the Andean Pact are Peru, Chile, Ecuador, Columbia and Bolivia. By the mid 1980s, however, it had all but collapsed because of various economic and political instabilities. The Pact was relaunched in 1990 minus Chile but with a new member, Venezuela, renewing its commitment to the eventual introduction of a common market. See TRADE INTEGRATION.
annual general meeting (AGM) the yearly meeting of SHAREHOLDERS that JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES are required by law to convene, in order to allow shareholders to discuss their company’s ANNUAL REPORT AND ACCOUNTS, elect members of the BOARD OF DIRECTORS and agree the DIVIDEND payouts suggested by directors. In practice, annual general meetings are usually poorly attended by shareholders and only rarely do directors fail to be re-elected on the strength of PROXY votes cast in favour of the directors. See CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
annual report and accounts a yearly report by the directors of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY to the SHAREHOLDERS. It includes a copy of the company’s BALANCE SHEET and a summary PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT, along with other information that directors are required by law to disclose to shareholders. A copy of the annual report and accounts is sent to every shareholder prior to the company’s ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING.
annuity a series of equal payments at fixed intervals from an original lump sum INVESTMENT. Where an annuity has a fixed time span, it is termed an annuity certain, and the periodic receipts comprise both a phased repayment of principal (the original lump sum payment) and interest, such that at the end of the fixed term there is a zero balance on the account. An annuity in perpetuity does not have a fixed time span but continues indefinitely and receipts can therefore come only from interest earned. Annuities can be obtained from pension funds or life insurance schemes.
anticipated inflation the future INFLATION rate in a country that is generally expected by business people, trade union officials and consumers. People’s anticipations about the inflation rate will influence their price-setting, wage bargaining and spending/saving decisions. As part of its policy to reduce inflation, governments seek to influence anticipations by ‘talking down’ prospects of inflation, publishing norm percentages for prices and incomes, etc. Compare UNANTICIPATED INFLATION. See EXPECTATIONS, EXPECTATIONS-ADJUSTED/AUGMENTED PHILLIPS CURVE.
anti-competitive agreement a form of COLLUSION between suppliers aimed at restricting or removing competition between them. For the most part, such agreements concentrate on fixing common selling prices and discounts but may also contain provisions relating to market-sharing, production quotas and coordinated capacity adjustments. The main objection to such agreements is that they raise prices above competitive levels, impose unfair terms and conditions on buyers and serve to protect inefficient suppliers from the rigours of competition. In the UK, anti-competitive agreements are prohibited by the COMPETITION ACT 1998. See also RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.
anti-competitive practice a commercial practice operated by a firm that has the effect of restricting, distorting or eliminating competition (especially if operated by a dominant firm) to the detriment of other suppliers and consumers. Examples of restrictive practices include EXCLUSIVE DEALING, REFUSAL TO SUPPLY, FULL LINE FORCING, TIE-IN SALES, AGGREGATED REBATES, RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE and LOSS LEADING.
Under the COMPETITION ACT 1980, exclusive dealing, full line forcing, tie-in sales and aggregated rebates can be investigated by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING and (if necessary) the COMPETITION COMMISSION and prohibited if found to unduly restrict competition. The RESALE PRICES ACTS 1964, 1976 make the practice of resale price maintenance illegal unless it is, very exceptionally, exempted by the Office of Fair Trading. See also PRICE SQUEEZE.
anti-dumping duty see COUNTERVAILING DUTY.
antimonopoly policy see COMPETITION POLICY.
antitrust policy see COMPETITION POLICY.
APEC see ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION.
application money the amount payable per share on application for a new SHARE ISSUE.
applied economics the application of economic analysis to real world economic situations. Applied economics seeks to employ the predictions emanating from ECONOMIC THEORY in offering advice on the formulation of ECONOMIC POLICY. See ECONOMIC MODELS, HYPOTHESIS, HYPOTHESIS TESTING.
appreciation 1 an increase in the value of a CURRENCY against other currencies under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM. An appreciation of a currency’s value makes IMPORTS (in the local currency) cheaper and EXPORTS (in the local currency) more expensive, thereby encouraging additional imports and curbing exports, so assisting in the removal of a BALANCE OF PAYMENTS surplus and the excessive accumulation of INTERNATIONAL RESERVES.
How successful an appreciation is in removing a payments surplus depends on the reactions of export and import volumes to the change in relative prices; that is, the PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for exports and imports. If these values are low, i.e. demand is inelastic, trade volume will not change very much and the appreciation may in fact make the surplus larger. On the other hand, if export and import demand is elastic then the change in trade volumes will operate to remove the surplus, BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM will be restored if the sum of export and import elasticities is greater than unity (the MARSHALL-LERNER CONDITION). See REVALUATION for further points. Compare DEPRECIATION 1. See INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL. 2 an increase in the price of an ASSET and also called capital appreciation. Assets held for long periods, such as factory buildings, offices or houses, are most likely to appreciate in value because of the effects of INFLATION and increasing site values, though the value of short-term assets like STOCKS can also appreciate. Where assets appreciate, then their REPLACEMENT COST will exceed their HISTORIC COST, and such assets may need to be revalued periodically to keep their book values in line with their market values. See DEPRECIATION 2, INFLATION ACCOUNTING.
apprentice see TRAINING.
APR the ‘annualized percentage rate of INTEREST’ charged on a LOAN. The APR rate will depend on the total ‘charge for credit’ applied by the lender and will be influenced by such factors as the general level of INTEREST RATES, and the nature and duration of the loan.
Where lenders relate total interest charges on INSTALMENT CREDIT loans to the original amount borrowed, this can give a misleading impression of the interest rate being charged, for as borrowers make monthly or weekly repayments on the loan, they are reducing the amount borrowed, and interest charges should be related to the lower average amount owed. For example, if someone borrows £1,000 for one year with a total credit charge of £200, the ‘simple interest’ charge on the original loan is 20%. However, if the loan terms provide for monthly repayments of £100, then at the end of the first month the borrower would have repaid a proportion of the original £1,000 borrowed and by the end of the second month would have repaid a further proportion of the original loan, etc. In effect, therefore, the borrower does not borrow £1,000 for one whole year but much less than this over the year on average, as he or she repays part of the outstanding loan. If the total credit charge of £200 were related to this much smaller average amount borrowed to show the ‘annualized percentage rate’, then this credit charge would be nearer 40% than the 20% quoted.
To make clear to the borrower the actual charge for credit and the ‘true’ rate of interest, the CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974 requires lenders to publish both rates to potential borrowers.
a prioriadj. known to be true, independently of the subject under debate. Economists frequently develop their theoretical models by reasoning, deductively, from certain prior assumptions to general predictions.
For example, operating on the assumption that consumers behave rationally in seeking to maximize their utility from a limited income, economists’ reasoning leads them to the prediction that consumers will tend to buy more of those products whose relative price has fallen. See ECONOMIC MAN, CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM
arbitrage the buying or selling of PRODUCTS, FINANCIAL SECURITIES or FOREIGN CURRENCIES between two or more MARKETS in order to take profitable advantage of any differences in the prices quoted in these markets. By simultaneously buying in a low-price market and selling in the high-price market a dealer can make a profit from any disparity in prices between them, though in the process of buying and selling the dealer will add to DEMAND in the low-price market and add to SUPPLY in the high-price market, so narrowing or eliminating the price disparity. See SPOT MARKET, FUTURES MARKET, COVERED INTEREST ARBITRAGE.
arbitration a procedure for settling disputes, most notably INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, in which a neutral third party or arbitrator, after hearing presentations from all sides in dispute, issues an award binding upon each side. Arbitration is mostly used only as a last resort when normal negotiating proceedings have failed to bring about an agreed settlement. In the UK, the ADVISORY CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION SERVICE (ACAS) acts in this capacity. See MEDIATION, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS.
arc elasticity a rough measure of the responsiveness of DEMAND or SUPPLY to changes in PRICE, INCOME, etc. In the case of PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND, it is the ratio of the percentage change in quantity demanded (Q) to the percentage change in price (P) over a price range such as P
to P
in Fig. 8. Arc elasticity of demand is expressed notationally as:
where P
= original price, Q
= original quantity, P
= new price, Q
= new quantity. Because arc elasticity measures the elasticity of demand (e) over a price range or arc of the demand curve, it is only an approximation of demand elasticity at a particular price (POINT ELASTICITY). However, the arc elasticity formula gives a reasonable degree of accuracy in approximating point elasticity when price and/or quantity changes are small. See also ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
articles of association the legal constitution of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY that governs the internal relationship between the company and its members or SHAREHOLDERS. The articles govern the rights and duties of the membership and aspects of administration of the company. They will contain, for instance, the powers of the directors, the conduct of meetings, the dividend and voting rights assigned to separate classes of shareholders, and other miscellaneous rules and regulations. See MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION.
ASA see ADVERTISING STANDARDS AUTHORITY.
ASEAN see ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS.
Asian Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) a regional alliance formed in 1990 with the general objective of establishing a FREE TRADE AREA, specifically creating a free trade zone for industrialized country members by 2010 and for developing country members by 2020. There are currently 17 members of APEC: USA, Canada, Japan, China/Hong Kong, Mexico, Chile, Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. The USA, Canada and Mexico are also members of the NORTH AMERICAN FREE TRADE AGREEMENT (NAFTA), and Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand are also members of the ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS (ASEAN). See TRADE INTEGRATION.
ask price see BID PRICE.
Fig. 8 Arc elasticity. See entry.
asset an item or property owned by an individual or a business that has a money value. Assets are of three main types: (a) physical assets, such as plant and equipment, land, consumer durables (cars, washing machines, etc);
(b) financial assets, such as currency, bank deposits, stocks and shares;
(c) intangible assets, such as BRAND NAMES, KNOW-HOW and GOODWILL. See INVESTMENT, LIQUIDITY, BALANCE SHEET, LIABILITY.
asset-growth maximization a company objective in the THEORY OF THE FIRM that is used as an alternative to the traditional assumption of PROFIT MAXIMIZATION. Salaried managers of large JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES are assumed to seek to maximize the rate of growth of net assets as a means of increasing their salaries, power, etc., subject to maintaining a minimum share value, so as to avoid the company being taken over with the possible loss of jobs. In Fig. 9, the rate of growth of assets is shown on the horizontal axis, and the ratio of the market value of company shares to the book value of company net assets (the share-valuation ratio) on the vertical axis. The valuation curve rises at first, as increasing asset growth increases share value but beyond growth rate (G) excessive retention of profits to finance growth will reduce dividend payments to shareholders and depress share values. Managers will tend to choose the fastest growth rate (G*), which does not depress the share valuation below the level (V
) at which the company risks being taken over. See also MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, FIRM OBJECTIVES, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL, PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY.
asset specificity the extent to which a TRANSACTION or CONTRACT needs to be supported by transaction-specific assets. Where a contract involves the need to create transaction-specific assets, this creates a fundamental transformation in the nature of the relationship between the parties to the transaction. Before investing in specific assets, the investing partner is likely to have many alternative trading partners, which allows for bidding competition. However, after the investment creates transaction-specific assets these become SUNK COSTS with no alternative use and the parties to the transaction then have no alternative trading partners. The terms of the transaction are then determined by bilateral bargaining between the parties to the transaction.
Bargaining between the parties can lead to opportunistic behaviour where one party in a contractual relationship seeks to exploit the other’s vulnerability. For example, a seller might attempt to exploit a buyer who is dependent on the seller by claiming that the production costs have risen and pressing for an upward adjustment of the negotiated price. Such opportunistic behaviour seeks to exploit or ‘hold up’ one party to the transaction to benefit the other party
Fig. 9 Asset-growth maximization. The variation of share valuation ratio against the company growth rate.
For transactions with high asset specificity, the costs of MARKET transactions are high and such transactions are likely to be ‘internalized’ and conducted within organizations, for example a VERTICALLY INTEGRATED firm. See INTERNALIZATION.
asset-stripper a predator firm that takes control of another firm (see TAKEOVER) with a view to selling off that firm’s ASSETS, wholly or in part, for financial gain rather than continuing the firm as an ongoing business.
The classical recipe for asset-stripping arises when the realizable market value of the firm’s assets are much greater than what it would cost the predator to buy the firm; i.e. where there is a marked discrepancy between the asset-backing per share of the target firm and the price per share required to take the firm over. This discrepancy usually results from a combination of two factors:
(a) gross under-valuation of the firm’s assets in the BALANCE SHEET;
(b) mismanagement or bad luck, resulting in low profits or losses, both of which serve to depress the firm’s share price.
asset-value theory (of exchange rate determination) an explanation of the volatility of EXCHANGE-RATE movements under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM. Whereas the PURCHASING-POWER PARITY THEORY suggests that SPECULATION is consistent with the achievement of BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM, the asset-value theory emphasizes that, in all probability, it will not be. In this theory, the exchange rate is an asset price, the relative price at which the stock of money, bills and bonds and other financial assets of a country will be willingly held by foreign and domestic asset holders. An actual alteration in the exchange rate or a change in expectations about future rates can cause asset holders to alter their portfolios. The resultant change in demand for holdings of foreign currency relative to domestic currency assets can at times produce sharp fluctuations in exchange rates. In particular, uncertainty about future market rates and the unwillingness of banks and other large financial participants in the foreign-exchange markets to take substantial positions in certain currencies, especially SOFT CURRENCIES, may diminish funds for stabilizing speculation that would in turn diminish or avoid erratic exchange-rate movements.
If this should prove the case, then financial asset-switching is likely to reinforce and magnify exchange-rate movements initiated by current account transactions (i.e. changes in imports and exports), and in consequence may produce exchange rates that are inconsistent with effective overall balance-of-payments equilibrium in the longer run.
assisted area an area of a country designated as qualifying for financial and other assistance under a country’s REGIONAL POLICY in order to promote industrial regeneration. Assisted areas typically suffer from severe unemployment problems resulting from the decline of local firms and industries and are characterized by INCOME PER HEAD (GDP per capita) levels that are substantially below the national average.
In the UK, the main assisted areas are ‘Tier 1’ areas (formerly DEVELOPMENT AREAS) and ‘Tier 2’ areas (formerly INTERMEDIATE AREAS). These arrangements came into force in 2000 as part of a European Union (EU) programme aimed at establishing a comparable regional aid system across all the then 15 EU member states. Under EU policy, the main criteria for designating an assisted area is a GDP per capita that is below 75% of the EU average.
In the case of the UK, the areas proposed by the government, based on electoral voting ‘wards’, are still under review by the European Commission. Proposed Tier 1 areas are Cornwall and the Scilly Isles, Merseyside, South Yorkshire, West Wales and the Valleys, together with the whole of Northern Ireland. Proposed Tier 2 areas, totalling some 1550 smaller localities, are 79 from the east of England region; 133 from the East Midland region; 44 from the London region; 228 from the Northeast region; 144 from the Northwest region; 440 from Scotland; 129 from the Southeast region; 20 from the Southwest region; 51 from Wales; 197 from the West Midlands region and 91 from the Yorkshire and Humber region. Regarding Tier 2 submissions, the European Commission’s preferred policy is to support ‘clusters’ of adjacent localities, providing sufficient ‘critical mass’ for industrial development rather than isolated localities.
In addition, a ‘Tier 3’ of assisted areas has been designated that covers areas of ‘special need’ (for example, coalfields and rural development areas).
The application of the new Tier structures is subject to an overall population ceiling requirement; specifically, for any country the number of persons residing in the assisted areas should not exceed more than 28.7% of the total population of the country. See REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.
associated company a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY in which another company or group has a significant, but not controlling, shareholding (specifically 20% or more of the voting shares but not more than 50%). In such a situation the investing company can exert influence on the commercial and financial policy decisions of the associated company, though in principle the associated company remains independent under its own management, producing its own annual accounts, and is not a subsidiary of the HOLDING COMPANY.
Association of British Insurers see INSURANCE COMPANY.
Association of Futures Brokers and Dealers (AFBD) see SELF-REGULATORY ORGANIZATION.
Association of Investment Trust Companies see INVESTMENT TRUST COMPANY.
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) a regional alliance formed in 1967 with the general objective of creating a FREE TRADE AREA. The current member countries of ASEAN are Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand. However, only limited progress has been made to date towards the reduction of internal tariffs and quotas. See ASIAN PACIFIC ECONOMIC COOPERATION, TRADE INTEGRATION.
assumptions see ECONOMIC MODEL.
assurance see INSURANCE.
asymmetry of information a situation where the parties to a CONTRACT or TRANSACTION have information available but this information is unevenly distributed between the parties. This information could include the identity of alternative suppliers or customers or product quality or performance.
Asymmetry of information is likely to lead to ADVERSE SELECTION or to MORAL HAZARD in transactions. Asymmetric information also applies to the principal-agent relationship (see AGENCY COST) where the principal cannot observe the agent’s level of effort. See PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY.
ATM see AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINE.
atomistic competition see PERFECT COMPETITION.
attributes model see PRODUCT CHARACTERISTICS/ATTRIBUTES MODEL.
auction a means of selling goods and services to the highest bidder among a number of potential customers. Auctions can take several forms. One form is an open auction, increasing bid, competition in which the bids of all parties are observable and bidders drop out as the price increases until only the highest bidder remains. Another form is an open auction, decreasing price, auction in which the auctioneer starts off from a very high price that is then slowly decreased until one bidder agrees to buy at the last announced price. This form of auction is often called a ‘Dutch auction’. Yet another form is a sealed-bid, closed auction in which all bidders have to submit their bids in sealed envelopes at the same time. In open auctions, bidders can gain some information about the private valuations that other bidders place upon the goods to be sold, while in sealed-bid auctions the private valuations of bidders remain unobservable. The principles of auctions apply to situations where firms seek tenders to supply products.
audit the legal requirement for a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY to have its BALANCE SHEET and PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT (the financial statements) and underlying accounting system and records examined by a qualified auditor, so as to enable an opinion to be formed as to whether such financial statements show a true and fair view and that they comply with the relevant statutes. See also ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT, VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT.
Austrian school a group of late 19th-century economists at the University of Vienna who established and developed a particular line of theoretical reasoning. The tradition originated with Professor Carl Menger who argued against the classical theories of value, which emphasized PRODUCTION and SUPPLY. Instead, he initiated the ‘subjectivist revolution’, reasoning that the value of a good was not derived from its cost but from the pleasure, or UTILITY, that the CONSUMER can derive from it. This type of reasoning led to the MARGINAL UTILITY theory of value whereby successive increments of a commodity yield DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY.
Friedrich von Wieser developed the tradition further, being credited with introducing the economic concept of OPPORTUNITY COST. Eugen von Böhm-Bawerk helped to develop the theory of INTEREST and CAPITAL, arguing that the price paid for the use of capital is dependent upon consumers’ demand for present CONSUMPTION relative to future consumption. Ludwig von Mises and Friedrich von Hayek subsequently continued the tradition established by Carl Menger et al. See also CLASSICAL ECONOMICS.
authorizedorregisteredornominal share capital the maximum amount of SHARE CAPITAL that a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY can issue at any time. This amount is disclosed in the BALANCE SHEET and may be altered by SHAREHOLDERS at the company ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. See also ISSUED SHARE CAPITAL.
automatic (built-in) stabilizers elements in FISCAL POLICY that serve to automatically reduce the impact of fluctuations in economic activity. A fall in NATIONAL INCOME and output reduces government TAXATION receipts and increases its unemployment and social security payments. Lower taxation receipts and higher payments increase the government’s BUDGET DEFICIT and restore some of the lost income (see CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL). See FISCAL DRAG.
automatic teller machine (ATM) a cash point (‘hole in the wall’) facility in which a banker’s card can be used by a customer of a COMMERCIAL BANK or BUILDING SOCIETY to withdraw cash both inside and outside banking hours. The ‘Link’ network enables customers to use their cards in the ATMs of other banks as well as their own.
automatic vending a means of retailing products to consumers via vending machines. Automatic vending has been employed extensively in selling, for instance, food, beverages and cigarettes. The use of vending machines has also become prominent in the banking/building society sector as a means of dispensing cash.
automation the use of mechanical or electrical machines, such as robots, to undertake frequently repeated production processes to make them self-regulating, thus minimizing or eliminating the use of labour in these processes. Automation often involves high initial capital investment but, by reducing labour costs, cuts VARIABLE COST per unit. See FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM, PRODUCTIVITY, TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESSIVENESS, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, MASS PRODUCTION, COMPUTER.
autonomous consumption that part of total CONSUMPTION expenditure that does not vary with changes in NATIONAL INCOME or DISPOSABLE INCOME. In the short term, consumption expenditure consists of INDUCED CONSUMPTION (consumption expenditure that varies directly with income) and autonomous consumption. Autonomous consumption represents some minimum level of consumption expenditure that is necessary to sustain a basic standard of living and which consumers would therefore need to undertake even at zero income. See CONSUMPTION SCHEDULE.
autonomous investment that part of real INVESTMENT that is independent of the level of, and changes in, NATIONAL INCOME. Autonomous investment is mainly dependent on competitive factors such as plant modernization by businesses in order to cut costs or to take advantages of a new invention. See INDUCED INVESTMENT, INVESTMENT SCHEDULE.
Fig. 10 Average cost (long-run). (a) The characteristic U-shape of the long-run average cost curve. (b)The characteristic L-shaped curve that in practice normally results from expansion.
average cost (long-run) the unit cost (TOTAL COST divided by number of units produced) of producing outputs for plants of different sizes. The position of the SHORT-RUN average total cost (ATC) curve depends on its existing size of plant. In the long run, a firm can alter the size of its plant. Each plant size corresponds to a different U-shaped short-run ATC curve. As the firm expands its scale of operation, it moves from one curve to another. The path along which the firm expands – the LONG-RUN ATC curve – is thus the envelope curve of all the possible short-run ATC curves. See Fig. 10 (a).
It will be noted that the long-run ATC curve is typically assumed to be a shallow U-shape, with a least-cost point indicated by output level OX. To begin with, average cost falls (reflecting ECONOMIES OF SCALE); eventually, however, the firm may experience DISECONOMIES OF SCALE and average cost begins to rise.
Empirical studies of companies’ long-run average-cost curves, however, suggest that diseconomies of scale are rarely encountered within the typical output ranges over which companies operate, so that most companies’ average cost curves are L-shaped, as in Fig. 10 (b). In cases where diseconomies of scale are encountered, the MINIMUM EFFICIENT SCALE at which a company will operate corresponds to the minimum point of the long-run average cost curve (Fig. 10 (a)). Where diseconomies of scale are not encountered within the typical output range, minimum efficient scale corresponds with the output at which economies of scale are exhausted and constant returns to scale begin (Fig. 10 (b)). Compare AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN).
average cost (short-run) the unit cost (TOTAL COST divided by the number of units produced) of producing particular volumes of output in a plant of a given (fixed) size.
Average total cost (ATC) can be split up into average FIXED COST (AFC) and average VARIABLE COST (AVC). AFC declines continuously as output rises as a given total amount of fixed cost is ‘spread’ over a greater number of units. For example, with fixed costs of £1,000 per year and annual output of 1,000 units, fixed costs per unit would be £1, but if annual output rose to 2,000 units, the fixed cost per unit would fall to 50 pence – see AFC curve in Fig. 11 (a).
Over the whole potential output range within which a firm can produce, AVC falls at first (reflecting increasing RETURNS TO THE VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT output increases faster than costs), but then rises (reflecting DIMINISHING RETURNS to the variable inputs – costs increase faster than output), as shown by the AVC curve in Fig. 11 (a). Thus the conventional SHORT-RUN ATC curve is U-shaped.
Fig. 11 Average cost (short-run). (a) The characteristic curves of average total cost (ATC), average variable cost (AVC), and average fixed cost (AFC), over the whole output range. (b) The characteristic curves of ATC and AFC and constant line of AVC over the restricted output range.
Over the more restricted output range in which firms typically operate, however, constant returns to the variable input are more likely to be experienced, where, as more variable inputs are added to the fixed inputs employed in production, equal increments in output result. In such circumstances, AVC will remain constant over the whole output range, as in Fig. 11 (b), and as a consequence ATC will decline in parallel with AFC. Compare AVERAGE COST (LONG-RUN). See LOSS, LOSS MINIMIZATION.
average-cost pricing 1 a pricing method that sets the PRICE of a product by adding a percentage profit mark-up to AVERAGE COST or unit total cost. This method is identical in most respects to FULL-COST PRICING; indeed, the terms are often used interchangeably.
2 a pricing principle that argues for setting PRICES equal to the AVERAGE COST of production and distribution, so that prices cover both MARGINAL COSTS and FIXED OVERHEADS costs incurred through past investments. This involves the (sometimes arbitrary) apportionment of fixed (overhead) costs to individual units of output, though it does seek to recover in the price charged all the costs that would have been avoided by not producing the product. See MARGINAL-COST PRICING, TWO-PART TARIFF.
average fixed cost see AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN).
average physical product the average OUTPUT in the SHORT-RUN theory of supply produced by each extra unit of VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT (in conjunction with a given amount of FIXED FACTOR INPUT). This is calculated by dividing the total quantity of OUTPUT produced by the number of units of input used. In the SHORT RUN theory of supply, average physical product, together with AVERAGE REVENUE per unit of output, indicates to a firm how many factor inputs to employ in order to maximize profit. See MARGINAL PHYSICAL PRODUCT, DIMINISHING RETURNS, VARIABLE-FACTOR INPUT.
average propensity to consume (APC) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is spent on consumption:
Alternatively, consumption can be expressed as a proportion of DISPOSABLE INCOME. See CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE, PROPENSITY TO CONSUME, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO CONSUME.
average propensity to import (APM) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is spent on IMPORTS:
Alternatively, imports can be expressed as a proportion of DISPOSABLE INCOME. See also PROPENSITY TO IMPORT, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO IMPORT.
average propensity to save (APS) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is saved (see SAVING):
Alternatively, saving can be expressed as a proportion of DISPOSABLE INCOME. See also PROPENSITY TO SAVE, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO SAVE.
average propensity to tax (APT) the fraction of a given level of NATIONAL INCOME that is appropriated by the government in TAXATION:
See also PROPENSITY TO TAX, MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO TAX, AVERAGE RATE OF TAXATION.
average rate of taxation the total TAX paid by an individual divided by the total income upon which the tax was based. For example, if an individual earned £10,000 in one year upon which that individual had to pay tax of £2,500, the average rate of taxation would be 25%. See STANDARD RATE OF TAXATION, MARGINAL RATE OF TAXATION, PROPENSITY TO TAX, PROPORTIONAL TAXATION, REGRESSIVE TAXATION, PROGRESSIVE TAXATION.
average revenue the total revenue received (price X number of units sold) divided by the number of units. Price and average revenue are in fact equal: i.e. in Fig. 12, the price £10 = average revenue (£10 × 10 ÷ 10) = £10. It follows that the DEMAND CURVE is also the average revenue curve facing the firm.
average revenue product the total REVENUE obtained from using a given quantity of VARIABLE-FACTOR INPUT to produce and sell output, divided by the number of units of input. The average revenue product of a factor is given by the factor’s AVERAGE PHYSICAL PRODUCT multiplied by the AVERAGE REVENUE or PRICE of the product. The average revenue product, together with average cost, indicates to a firm how many factor inputs to employ in order to maximize profit in the SHORT RUN. See MARGINAL REVENUE PRODUCT.
Fig. 12 Average revenue. The demand curve or average revenue curve.
average total cost (ATC) see AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN), AVERAGE COST (LONG-RUN).
average variable cost (AVC) see AVERAGE COST (SHORT-RUN), AVERAGE COST (LONG-RUN).
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back door the informal mechanism whereby the BANK OF ENGLAND buys back previously issued TREASURY BILLS in the DISCOUNT MARKET at their ruling market price in order to release money to help the DISCOUNT HOUSES overcome temporary liquidity shortages. This is done as a means of increasing the liquid funds available not only to the discount houses themselves but also to the COMMERCIAL BANKS at prevailing interest rates to enable them to maintain their lending. Compare FRONT DOOR.
back-to-back loanorparallel loan an arrangement under which two companies in different countries borrow each other’s currency and agree to repay the loans at a specified future date. At the expiry date of the loans, each company receives the full amount of its loan in its domestic currency without risk of losses from exchange-rate changes. In this way back-to-back loans serve to minimize EXCHANGE-RATE EXPOSURE.
backward integration the joining together in one firm of two or more successive stages in a vertically related production/distribution process, with a later stage (for example, bread making) being combined with an earlier stage (for example, flour milling) Backward integration is undertaken to cut costs and secure supplies of inputs. See VERTICAL INTEGRATION, FORWARD INTEGRATION.
BACS (Bank Automated Credit System) a money transmission system whereby a payer instructs a COMMERCIAL BANK to debit a specified sum of money from his or her account and transfer it to a named payee’s bank account. This obviates the need for the payer to issue and post a cheque to the payee and for the payee then to bank it, thus saving on time and expense. Many employers now use BACS to pay their employees’ monthly salaries, and many companies use the system to transfer dividend payments to shareholders.
bad debt an accounting term for money owed that is unlikely to be paid because, for example, a customer has become insolvent (see INSOLVENCY). Such bad debts are written off against the PROFITS of the trading period as a business cost. See CREDIT CONTROL.
balanced budget a situation where GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE is equal to TAXATION and other receipts. In practice, most governments run unbalanced budgets as a means of regulating the level of economic activity.
Where the government spends more than it receives in taxation, then a BUDGET DEFICIT is incurred. Where the government spends less than it receives in taxation, then a BUDGET SURPLUS ensues. See BUDGET, FISCAL POLICY, PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
balanced budget multiplier a change in AGGREGATE DEMAND brought about by a change in GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE, which is exactly matched by a change in revenues received from TAXATION and other sources. The change in government expenditure has an immediate effect on aggregate demand and generates income of an equivalent size. By contrast, the change in taxation does not change aggregate demand by an equivalent amount because some of the increased/reduced DISPOSABLE INCOME will be offset by changes in SAVING. Consequently, an increase in government expenditure and taxation of equal amounts will have a net expansionary effect on aggregate demand and incomes, while a decrease in government expenditure and taxation of equal amounts will have a net contractionary effect. See BUDGET, FISCAL POLICY.
balance of payments
A statement of a country’s trade and financial transactions with the rest of the world over a particular time period, usually one year. Fig. 13 (a), shows a summary presentation of the UK balance of payments for 2003. The account is divided into two main parts:
(a) current account, and
(b) capital and financial account.
The current account shows the UK’s profit or loss in day-to-day dealings. It is made up under two headings. The ‘visible’ trade balance (BALANCE OF TRADE) indicates the difference between the value of merchandise EXPORTS and IMPORTS of goods (raw materials, foodstuffs, oil and fuels, semi-processed and finished manufactures). ‘Visibles’ are so called because they consist of tangible goods that can be seen directly and recorded by the country’s CUSTOMS AND EXCISE authorities as they move into or out of the country. The second group of transactions make up the ‘INVISIBLE’ TRADE BALANCE. These transactions include earnings from, and payments for, such services as banking, insurance, transport and tourism. It also includes interest, dividends and profits on investments and loans, and government receipts and payments relating to defence, upkeep of embassies, etc., and transfers to the European Union budget. (See Fig. 62 (a)).
‘Invisibles’ are so called because basically they represent transactions that cannot be seen directly and can be compiled only indirectly from company returns, government accounts, foreign currency purchases and sales data from banks. Traditionally, the UK has incurred deficits on ‘visibles’ largely because of the need to import basic foodstuffs, raw materials and (until the 1980s) oil. What are worrying to some economists, however, are the large deficits in manufactures, where seemingly the UK has been losing international competitiveness. (See DEINDUSTRIALIZATION.) The service sector has traditionally been in surplus thanks to the City of London’s banking and insurance business, which, together with proceeds from the UK’s position as a leading overseas investor, have been major foreign exchange earners. As can be seen in Fig. 13 (b), the UK has recently been in overall surplus on current account after previously chalking up large deficits.
Fig. 13 Balance of payments. (a) The UK Balance of Payments, 2003. (b) UK Balance of Payments, 1993–2003. Source: UK Balance of Payments, Office for National Statistics (Pink Book), 2004.
In addition to current account transactions, there are also currency flows into and out of the country related to capital items. The capital and financial account is made up of a number of elements including: receipts and payments related to FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT (monies spent by companies on setting up or acquiring overseas manufacturing plants, sales offices, etc.); receipts and payments related to PORTFOLIO INVESTMENT (monies spent by mainly financial institutions in purchasing overseas stocks and shares, government bonds, etc.); and receipts and payments related to interbank transfers (for example, foreign currency deposits with UK commercial banks taking advantage of higher UK interest rates compared to other financial centres). Recently the UK has been a net exporter of capital after a number of years of capital account surpluses – see Fig. 13 (b).
The current balance and the capital and financial account, together with the ‘balancing item’ (which includes errors and omissions in recording transactions and leads and lags in currency payments and receipts), result in the balance for official financing. This figure shows whether the country has incurred an overall surplus or deficit. If the balance of payments is in surplus, the country can add to its INTERNATIONAL RESERVES and, if necessary, repay borrowings; if it is in deficit, this has to be covered by running down its international reserves or by borrowing (for example, from the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND).
Maintaining BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM over a run of years is usually one of the four major objectives of a government’s MACROECONOMIC POLICY. A balance of payments surplus or deficit can be remedied in a number of ways, including external price adjustments, internal price and income adjustments, and trade and currency restrictions.
balance-of-payments disequilibrium see BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM.
balance-of-payments equilibrium a situation where, over a run of years, a country spends and invests abroad no more than other countries spend and invest in it. Thus, the country neither adds to its stock of INTERNATIONAL RESERVES, nor sees them reduced.
In an unregulated world it is highly unlikely that external balance will always prevail. Balance of payments deficits and surpluses will occur, but provided they are small, balance-of-payments disequilibrium can be readily accommodated. The main thing to avoid is a FUNDAMENTAL DISEQUILIBRIUM – a situation of chronic imbalance.
There are three main ways of restoring balance-of-payments equilibrium should an imbalance occur:
(a) external price adjustments. Alterations in the EXCHANGE RATE between currencies involving (depending upon the particular exchange-rate system in operation) the DEVALUATION/DEPRECIATION and REVALUATION/APPRECIATION of the currencies concerned to make exports cheaper/more expensive and imports dearer/less expensive in foreign currency terms. For example, with regard to exports, in Fig. 14 (a), if the pound-dollar exchange rate is devalued from $1.60 to $1.40 then this would allow British exporters to reduce their prices by a similar amount, thus increasing their price competitiveness in the American market.
(b) internal price and income adjustments. The use of deflationary and reflationary (see DEFLATION, REFLATION) monetary and fiscal policies to alter the prices of domestically produced goods and services vis-à-vis products supplied by other countries so as to make exports relatively cheaper/dearer and imports more expensive/cheaper in foreign currency terms. For example, again with regard to exports, if it were possible to reduce the domestic price of a British product, as shown in Fig. 14 (b), given an unchanged exchange rate, this would allow the dollar price of the product in the American market to be reduced, thereby improving its price competitiveness vis-à-vis similar American products. The same policies are used to alter the level of domestic income and spending, including expenditure on imports.
(c) trade and foreign exchange restrictions. The use of TARIFFS, QUOTAS, FOREIGN-EXCHANGE CONTROLS, etc., to affect the price and availability of goods and services, and of the currencies with which to purchase these products.
Under a FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, minor payments imbalances are corrected by appropriate domestic adjustments (b), but fundamental disequilibriums require, in addition, a devaluation or revaluation of the currency (a). It must be emphasized, however, that a number of favourable conditions must be present to ensure the success of devaluations and revaluations (see DEPRECIATION 1 for details).
Fig. 14 Balance-of-payments equilibrium. (b) Internal price adjustment.
In theory, a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM provides an ‘automatic’ mechanism for removing payments imbalances in their incipiency (that is, before they reach ‘fundamental’ proportions): a deficit results in an immediate exchange-rate depreciation, and a surplus results in an immediate appreciation of the exchange rate (see PURCHASING-POWER PARITY THEORY). Again, however, a number of favourable conditions must be present to ensure the success of depreciations and appreciations. See also ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM, J-CURVE, INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL, MARSHALL-LERNER CONDITION, TERMS OF TRADE.
balance of trade a statement of a country’s trade in GOODS (visibles) with the rest of the world over a particular period of time. The term ‘balance of trade’ specifically excludes trade in services (invisibles) and concentrates on the foreign currency earnings and payments associated with trade in finished manufactures, intermediate products and raw materials, which can be seen and recorded by a country’s customs authorities as they cross national boundaries. See BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
balance sheet an accounting statement of a firm’s ASSETS and LIABILITIES on the last day of a trading period. The balance sheet lists the assets that the firm owns and sets against these the balancing obligations or claims of those groups of people who provided the funds to acquire the assets. Assets take the form of FIXED ASSETS and CURRENT ASSETS, while obligations take the form of SHAREHOLDERS’ CAPITAL EMPLOYED, long-term loans and CURRENT LIABILITIES.
balances with the Bank of England deposits of money by the COMMERCIAL BANKS with the BANK OF ENGLAND. The Bank of England acts as the ‘bankers’ bank’ and commercial banks settle indebtedness between themselves by transferring ownership of these balances. Such balances are included as part of the commercial banks’ CASH RESERVES RATIO and RESERVE ASSET RATIO. In addition to the balances held for settling indebtedness, the banks may be required from time to time to make SPECIAL DEPOSITS with the Bank, which have the effect of reducing their reserve assets.
balancing item see BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
bank a deposit-taking institution that is licensed by the monetary authorities of a country (the BANK OF ENGLAND in the UK) to act as a repository for money deposited by persons, companies and institutions, and which undertakes to repay such deposits either immediately on demand (CURRENT ACCOUNT 2) or subject to due notice being given (DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS). Banks perform various services for their customers (money transmission, investment advice, etc.) and lend out money deposited with them in the form of loans and overdrafts or use their funds to purchase financial securities in order to operate at a profit. There are many types of banks, including COMMERCIAL BANKS, MERCHANT BANKS, SAVINGS BANKS and INVESTMENT BANKS. In recent years many BUILDING SOCIETIES have also established a limited range of banking facilities. See BANKING SYSTEM, CENTRAL BANK, FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
bank deposit a sum of money held on deposit with a COMMERCIAL BANK (or SAVINGS BANK). Bank deposits are of two main types: sight deposits (CURRENT ACCOUNTS), which are withdrawable on demand; time deposits (DEPOSIT ACCOUNTS), which are withdrawable subject usually to some notice being given. Sight deposits represent instant LIQUIDITY: they are used to finance day-to-day transactions and regular payments either in the form of a CURRENCY withdrawal or a CHEQUE transfer. Time deposits are usually held for longer periods of time to meet irregular payments and as a form of savings.
Bank deposits constitute an important component of the MONEY SUPPLY. See BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, MONETARY POLICY.
bank deposit creationorcredit creationormoney multiplier the ability of the COMMERCIAL BANK system to create new bank deposits and hence increase the MONEY SUPPLY. Commercial banks accept deposits of CURRENCY from the general public. Some of this money is retained by the banks to meet day-to-day withdrawals (see RESERVE-ASSET RATIO). The remainder of the money is used to make loans or is invested. When a bank on-lends, it creates additional deposits in favour of borrowers. The amount of new deposits the banking system as a whole can create depends on the magnitude of the reserve-asset ratio. In the example set out in Fig. 15, the banks are assumed to operate with a 50% reserve-asset ratio: Bank 1 receives initial deposits of £100 million from the general public. It keeps £50 million for liquidity purposes and on-lends £50 million. This £50 million, when spent, is redeposited with Bank 2; Bank 2 keeps £25 million as part of its reserve assets and on-lends £25 million; and so on. Thus, as a result of an initial deposit of £100 million, the banking system has been able to ‘create’ an additional £100 million of new deposits.
Fig. 15 Bank deposit creation. Deposit creation operated with a 50% reserve-asset ratio in a multibank system.
Since bank deposits constitute a large part of the MONEY SUPPLY, the ability of the banking system to ‘create’ credit makes it a prime target for the application of MONETARY POLICY as a means of regulating the level of spending in the economy.
Bank for International Settlements (BIS) an international bank, situated in Basle and established in 1930, that originally acted as a coordinating agency for the central banks of Germany, France, Italy, Belgium and the UK in settling BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS imbalances and for other intercentral bank dealings. Nowadays its membership comprises all western European central banks together with those of the USA, Canada and Japan. Although the INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND is the main institution responsible for the conduct of international monetary affairs, the BIS is still influential in providing a forum for discussion and surveillance of international banking practices.
banking system a network of COMMERCIAL BANKS and other more specialized BANKS (INVESTMENT BANKS, SAVINGS BANKS, MERCHANT BANKS) that accept deposits and savings from the general public, firms and other institutions, and provide money transmission and other financial services for customers, operate loan and credit facilities for borrowers, and invest in corporate and government securities. The banking system is part of a wider FINANCIAL SYSTEM and exerts a major influence on the functioning of the ‘money economy’ of a country. Bank deposits occupy a central position in the country’s MONEY SUPPLY and hence the banking system is closely regulated by the money authorities. See BANK OF ENGLAND, CENTRAL BANK, CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM.
bank loan the advance of a specified sum of money to an individual or business (the borrower) by a COMMERCIAL BANK, SAVINGS BANK, etc. (the lender). A bank loan is a form of CREDIT that is often extended for a specified period of time, usually on fixed-interest terms related to the base INTEREST RATE, with the principal being repaid either on a regular instalment basis or in full on the appointed redemption date. Alternatively, a bank loan may take the form of overdraft facilities under which customers can borrow as much money as they require up to a pre-arranged total limit and are charged interest on outstanding balances.
In the case of business borrowers, bank loans are used to finance WORKING CAPITAL requirements and are often renegotiated shortly before expiring to provide the borrower with a ‘revolving’ line of credit.
Depending on the nature of the loan and the degree of risk involved, bank loans may be unsecured or secured, the latter requiring the borrower to deposit with the bank COLLATERAL SECURITY (e.g. title deeds to a house) to cover against default on the loan.
bank note the paper CURRENCY issued by a CENTRAL BANK which forms part of a country’s MONEY SUPPLY. Bank notes in the main constitute the ‘high value’ part of the money supply. See MINT, LEGAL TENDER, FIDUCIARY ISSUE, BANK OF ENGLAND.
Bank of England the CENTRAL BANK of the UK, which acts as banker to the government and the BANKING SYSTEM and acts as the authority responsible for implementing MONETARY POLICY. The Bank of England handles the government’s financial accounts in conjunction with the TREASURY, taking in receipts from taxation and the sale of government assets, and making disbursements to the various government departments to fund their activities. The bank acts as the government’s broker in its borrowing and lending operations, issuing and dealing in government BONDS and TREASURY BILLS to underpin its year-to-year budgetary position and management of the country’s NATIONAL DEBT.
COMMERCIAL BANKS hold accounts with the Bank of England and, in its role as banker to the banking system, the Bank makes it possible for banks to settle their indebtedness with one another by adjusting their accounts as appropriate (see CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM).
The Bank of England and its satellite, the Royal Mint, are responsible for issuing the country’s basic stock of money – LEGAL TENDER, consisting of bank notes and coins (see MONEY SUPPLY). The Bank occupies a key role in the implementation of monetary policy through controls on the money supply, influencing the level of bank deposits and credit creation by the financial institutions, particularly commercial banks (see BANK DEPOSIT CREATION), while the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE has the responsibility for setting ‘official’ INTEREST RATES in the UK, which in turn determines all other short-term interest rates (BASE RATE, BILL DISCOUNTING INTEREST RATE, INTERBANK CLEARING INTEREST RATE).
The Bank is also responsible for managing the country’s EXCHANGE RATE and holding the country’s stock of INTERNATIONAL RESERVES to be used in the financing of balance-of-payments deficits. The Bank of England operates a ‘Foreign Exchange Equalization Account’ that it uses to intervene in the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET, buying and selling currencies to support the exchange rate at a particular level or to ensure that it falls (depreciates) or rises (appreciates) in an ‘orderly’ manner. See LENDER OF LAST RESORT.
bank rate the former ‘official’ INTEREST RATE that was administered by the government as part of MONETARY POLICY in controlling the economy. Bank rate operated as the BASE RATE for the banking system, influencing interest rates charged on bank loans, mortgages and instalment credit. Bank rate was replaced in 1972 by the ‘minimum lending rate’, which itself was abolished in 1984. The ‘official’ interest rate is now set by the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE of the BANK OF ENGLAND. See Fig. 125.
bankruptcy see INSOLVENCY.
bank statement a periodic record of an individual’s or business’s transactions with a BANK (or BUILDING SOCIETY) which itemizes, on the one hand, cash deposits and cheques paid in, and, on the other hand, cash withdrawals and cheques drawn and presented against the account.
bar chartorhistogram a chart that portrays data in pictorial form and shows the relative size of each category in a total by means of the relative height of its ‘bar’ or ‘block’.
bargaining see BARTER, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
barometric forecasts see FORECASTING.
barometric price leader see PRICE LEADER.
barriers to entry an element of MARKET STRUCTURE that refers to obstacles in the way of potential newcomers to a MARKET. These obstacles operate in a number of ways to discourage entry:
(a) lower cost advantages to established firms, arising from the possession of substantial market shares and the realization of ECONOMIES OF LARGE SCALE production and distribution;
(b) strong consumer preferences for the products of established firms, resulting from PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION activities;
(c) the control of essential raw materials, technology and market outlets by established firms, either through direct ownership or through PATENTS, FRANCHISES and EXCLUSIVE DEALING CONTRACTS;
(d) large capital outlays required by entrants to set up production and to cover losses during the initial entry phase.
The economic significance of barriers to entry lies in their capacity for blocking MARKET ENTRY, thereby allowing established firms to earn ABOVE NORMAL PROFIT and affecting the RESOURCE ALLOCATION function of markets.
One, or some combination, of the above factors may pose particular problems for a small-scale, GREENFIELD type of entrant. However, they may be of little consequence to a large conglomerate firm possessing ample financial resources that chooses to effect entry by MERGER with, or TAKEOVER of, an established producer. Moreover, the basic assumption of much entry theory – that established firms invariably possess advantages over potential entrants – must also be challenged. In a dynamic market situation, entrants may be in a position to introduce new technology ahead of existing firms or to develop innovative new products, thereby giving them COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGES over established firms.
For example, the introduction of FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS has enabled small entrant firms to secure similar cost advantages to their larger established rivals’ exploitation of economies of scale, while giving them greater adaptability to rapid changes in customers demands. Changes in distribution channels likewise have provided firms with entry opportunities. For example, E-COMMERCE on the INTERNET has enabled small firms to tap into markets at low cost and to sell their products at lower prices directly to customers than rivals using traditional wholesaler-retailer networks (see DIRECT SELLING/MARKETING). See also CONDITION OF ENTRY, LIMIT PRICING, POTENTIAL ENTRANT, OLIGOPOLY, MONOPOLY, MOBILITY BARRIERS.
barriers to exit elements of MARKET STRUCTURE that refer to obstacles in the way of a firm contemplating leaving a MARKET which serve to keep the firm in the market despite falling sales and profitability. Exit barriers include: whether the firm owns the assets it uses or leases them; whether assets are special-purpose or can be redeployed to other uses; whether assets are resaleable in second-hand markets; the extent of market excess capacity and the extent of shared production and distribution facilities. Barriers to exit determine the ease with which firms can leave declining markets and thus affect both the profitability of firms and the smooth functioning of markets.
Exit barriers can limit the incentives for a firm to leave a market even when the returns from producing are less than the potential earnings from the company’s assets in their next best alternative use. Exit barriers arise when a firm has contractual obligations that it must meet whether or not it ceases production: for example, long-term contracts to purchase raw materials and components; or large redundancy pay obligations; or the presence of specific assets (see ASSET SPECIFICITY). See PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE, PRICE SYSTEM, CONTESTABLE MARKET.
barriers to imitation see MOBILITY BARRIERS.
barter the EXCHANGE of one economic good or service for another. Barter as an exchange mechanism, however, suffers from a number of serious disadvantages:
(a) for barter to take place, there must be a ‘coincidence of wants’, that is, each party to the barter must be able to offer something that the other wants. For example, an apple-grower wishing to obtain oranges must not only find an orange-grower but must particularly find an orange-grower wishing to acquire apples. Finding appropriate exchange partners can involve lengthy search activity, which reduces the time available for actually producing goods;
(b) even if the parties meet up, they then have to agree on an appropriate ‘rate of exchange’, for example, how many apples are to be exchanged for one orange? Haggling over exchange terms is again time-consuming, and where agreement cannot be reached between the two parties each will then have to seek out new exchange partners.
Overall, barter is a very inefficient means of organizing transactions in an economy and has been largely superseded by the PRICE SYSTEM in modern economies, using money as a medium of exchange. See COUNTERTRADE, BLACK ECONOMY.
base rate the INTEREST RATE that is used by the COMMERCIAL BANKS to calculate rates of interest to be charged on bank loans and overdrafts to their customers. For example, a large company might be charged, say, an interest rate of base rate plus 2% on a loan, whereas a smaller borrower might be charged, say, base rate plus 4%. Formerly, base rates were linked directly to BANK RATE but are now fixed by reference to the ‘official’ rate of interest set by the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE of the Bank of England. See PRIME RATE.
base year the initial period from which a system of INDEXATION proceeds. For example, the present UK Consumer Price Index has as the base period 1996 = 100, with the average price of a typical basket of goods in 1996 being taken as the basis for the index. The 2004 index number was 111 for all items in the basket of goods. Convention dictates that the base period always commences from the number 100. See PRICE INDEX.
basing point price system a form of pricing products, such as cement, that are bulky and expensive to transport, which involves charging different prices to customers based in different locations. Customers located near to the supply source (or ‘base point’) are charged a lower delivery price compared to customers farther afield. See PRICE DISCRIMINATION, DELIVERED PRICE.
batch production the manufacture of a product in small quantities using labour-intensive methods of production (see LABOUR-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY). Batch production is typically employed in industries where the product supplied is nonstandardized, with consumers demanding a wide variety of product-choice. Batch production industries are usually characterized by low levels of SELLER CONCENTRATION, easy entry conditions and high unit costs of supply. See PRODUCTION, MASS PRODUCTION, CONDITION OF ENTRY, FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEM.
bear a person who expects future prices in a STOCK EXCHANGE or COMMODITY MARKET to fall and who seeks to make money by selling shares or commodities. Compare BULL. See SPOT MARKET, FUTURES MARKET, BEAR MARKET.
bearer bonds FINANCIAL SECURITIES that are not registered under the name of a particular holder but where possession serves as proof of ownership. Such securities are popular in the American financial system but fairly rare in Britain, where the names of holders of STOCKS and SHARES are recorded in a company’s share register.
bear market a situation where the prices of FINANCIAL SECURITIES (stocks, shares, etc.) or COMMODITIES (tin, wheat, etc.) are tending to fall as a result of persistent selling and only limited buying. See SPECULATOR. Compare BULL MARKET.
beggar-my-neighbour policy a course of action that is entered into by a country unilaterally in pursuit of its own self interest in INTERNATIONAL TRADE even though this might adversely affect the position of other countries. For example, country A might decide to impose TARIFFS or EXCHANGE CONTROLS on imports from other countries in order to protect certain domestic industries. The great danger with this type of policy, however, is that it can be self-defeating; that is, other countries may retaliate by imposing tariffs, etc., of their own on country A’s exports, with the result that everybody’s exports suffer. To avoid confrontation of this kind, various international organizations have been established to regulate the conduct of international trade and monetary dealings. See WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION, INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND, EXPORT INCENTIVES, IMPORT RESTRICTIONS, DIRTY FLOAT, DUMPING.
behavioural theory of the firm an alternative to the traditional, profit-maximizing THEORY OF THE FIRM, which stresses the nature of large companies as complex organizations beset by problems of goal conflict and communications. The behavioural theory examines the inherent conflict between the goals of individuals and subgroups within the organization and suggests that organizational objectives grow out of the interaction among these individuals and subgroups.
Cyert and March, who helped develop the behavioural theory, suggested five major goals that are relevant to companies’ sales, output and pricing strategies:
(a) production goal;
(b) inventory goal;
(c) sales goal;
(d) market-share goal;
(e) profit goal.
Each of these goals will be the primary concern of certain managers in the organization, and these managers will press their particular goals. The goals become the subject of ‘bargaining’ among managers, and such overall goals as do emerge will be compromises, often stated as satisfactory-level targets (see SATISFACTORY THEORY). This intergroup conflict, however, rarely threatens the organization’s survival because ORGANIZATIONAL SLACK provides a pool of emergency resources that permit managers to meet their goals when the economic environment becomes hostile.
In order to achieve rational decision-making, it would be necessary to eradicate inconsistencies between goals and resolve conflicts between objectives. Traditional economic theory suggests that rationality can be achieved, painting a picture of ‘ECONOMIC MAN’, able to specify his objectives and take actions consistent with their achievement. By contrast, the behavioural theory argues that goals are imperfectly rationalized so that new goals are not always consistent with existing policies; and that goals are stated in the form of aspiration-level targets rather than maximizing goals, targets being raised or lowered in the light of experience. Consequently, not all objectives will receive attention at the same time and objectives will change with experience.
The behavioural theory also focuses attention on internal communications problems in large organizations, pointing out that decision-making is distributed throughout the firm rather than concentrated at the apex of the organization pyramid. This happens because lower-level managers do not just execute the orders of those at the top; they exercise initiative:
(a) in detailed planning within broad limits set by a top management;
(b) in summarizing information to be passed upwards as a basis for decision-making by their superiors. These communications problems make it difficult for senior managers to impose their objectives upon the organization.
Although the behavioural theory of the firm is somewhat descriptive, lacking the determinism necessary to generate tes table predictions, it has offered many useful insights into the objectives of large companies. See also MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, PROFIT MAXIMIZATION, FIRM OBJECTIVES, PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY.
below-the-line promotion see ABOVE-THE-LINE PROMOTION.
benchmarking the process of measuring aspects of a firm’s performance and comparing this measured performance with that of other firms. Benchmarking can help a firm to discover where its performance is deficient and can suggest means of improving competitive performance.
benefit drivers elements of a firm’s operations that individually and collectively create ‘benefits’ for consumers who buy the firm’s product, e.g. quality, design, accessories, performance in use, guarantees and warranties. The ability to offer a product that is ‘perceived’ by customers to offer superior value to them is an important consideration where PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION is the key basis of the firm’s COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rival suppliers. See VALUE-CREATED MODEL.
Benefits Agency see DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS.
benefits-received principle of taxation the principle that those who benefit most from government-supplied goods and services should pay the TAXES that finance them. The problem with this proposition, apart from the obvious difficulties of quantifying the benefits received by individuals, particularly as regards the provision of items such as national defence, fire service, etc., is that it cannot be reconciled with the wider responsibilities accepted by government in providing social services and welfare benefits, i.e. it would make no sense at all to tax an unemployed man in order to finance his unemployment pay. See ABILITY-TO-PAY PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION, REDISTRIBUTION-OF-INCOME PRINCIPLE OF TAXATION.
Bertrand duopoly see DUOPOLY.
bid 1 an offer by one company to purchase all or the majority of the SHARES of another company as a means of effecting a TAKEOVER. The bid price offered by the predator for the voting shares in the victim company must generally exceed the current market price of those shares, the difference being a premium that the predator must pay for control of the company. On occasions, however, the market price of the shares may subsequently rise to exceed the initial bid price where investors either feel that the bid price undervalues the company or where investors anticipate, for example, the possibility of a second party making a higher bid. The offer price could be paid solely in cash, or in a mix of cash and shares in the acquirer’s own company, or solely in terms of the acquirer’s shares (called a paper bid). In order to finance a takeover bid, a predator company may raise loans. See TAKEOVER BID (leveraged bid). 2 an indication of willingness to purchase an item that is for sale at the prevailing selling price. This may occur at auction when many purchasers bid for items on sale, the final sale going to the purchaser offering the highest price unless a predetermined reserve price has been set that was not reached. See AUCTION.
bid price the price at which a dealer in a FINANCIAL SECURITY (such as a STOCK or SHARE), FOREIGN CURRENCY or COMMODITY (tin, wheat, etc.) is prepared to buy a security, currency or commodity. Such dealers usually cite two prices to potential customers, the smaller bid price and a higher ‘offer price’ or ‘ask price’ at which they are prepared to sell a security, etc. The difference between the bid and offer price (referred to as the ‘spread’) represents the dealer’s profit margin on the transaction. See MARKET MAKER.
big bang see STOCK EXCHANGE.
bilateral flows movements of money between sectors of the economy to match opposite flows of goods and services. For example, income in return for factor inputs supplied and consumption expenditure in payment for goods and services consumed. Bilateral flows make it possible to ignore flows of goods and services in the economy and to concentrate on money movements in the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
bilateral monopoly a market situation comprising one seller (like MONOPOLY) and one buyer (like MONOPSONY).
bilateral oligopoly a market situation with a significant degree of seller concentration (like OLIGOPOLY) and a significant degree of buyer concentration (like OLIGOPSONY). See COUNTERVAILING POWER.
bilateral trade the trade between two countries. Bilateral trade is a part of INTERNATIONAL TRADE, which is multilateral in scope. See MULTILATERAL TRADE, COUNTERTRADE.
bill 1 a financial instrument, such as a BILL OF EXCHANGE and TREASURY BILL, that is issued by a firm or government as a means of borrowing money.
2 the colloquial term used to describe an INVOICE (a request for payment for products or services received).
3 a draft of a particular piece of legislation that forms the basis of an Act of Parliament, such as the Fair Trading Act 1973.
bill-discounting interest rate the INTEREST RATE at which the BANK OF ENGLAND is prepared to lend money to the DISCOUNT HOUSES. This rate is fixed by reference to the ‘official’ rate of interest set by the MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE of the Bank of England.
bill of exchange a FINANCIAL SECURITY representing an amount of CREDIT extended by one business to another for a short period of time (usually three months). The lender draws up a bill of exchange for a specified sum of money payable at a given future date, and the borrower signifies his agreement to pay the amount indicated by signing (accepting) the bill. Most bills are ‘discounted’ (i.e. bought from the drawer) by the DISCOUNT MARKET for an amount less than the face value of the bill (the difference between the two constitutes the interest charged). Bills are frequently purchased by the COMMERCIAL BANKS to be held as part of their RESERVE ASSET RATIO. See DISCOUNT, ACCEPTING HOUSE, DISCOUNT HOUSE.
biodiversity the variety of plant and animal life in a particular area. Envi-ronmentalists have expressed concern about the extent to which ECONOMIC GROWTH, in particular modern methods of farming, forestry and manufacturing, has reduced biodiversity, with some plant and animal species becoming rare or extinct. See POLLUTION.
birth rate the number of people born into a POPULATION per thousand per year. In 2004, for example, the UK birth rate was 11 people per 1,000 of the population. The difference between this rate and the DEATH RATE is used to calculate the rate of growth of the population of a country over time. The birth rate tends to decline as a country attains higher levels of economic development. See DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION.
black economy NONMARKETED ECONOMIC ACTIVITY that is not recorded in the NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS, either because such activity does not pass through the market place or because it is illegal. Illegality is not the same as nonmarketed activity. Illegal economic activity may operate quite efficiently in the usual PRICE SYSTEM, which is determined by SUPPLY and DEMAND. Examples may be the purchase and sale of illegal drugs on the street, or alcohol in the US prohibition era of the 1920s, or foodstuffs in Britain during the Second World War when RATIONING was in force. Nonmarketed activity does not have a price determined by demand and supply. Certain nonmarketed activity may be undertaken for altruistic reasons, for example, the services of a housewife on behalf of her family and the work of charity volunteers. Other nonmarketed activity is done on a BARTER basis, for example, where a mechanic services the motor car of an electrician who in return installs new light fittings in the mechanic’s house. Money has not changed hands and the activity is not recorded. Most references to the black economy refer to the illegal situation of people working without declaring their income. See BLACK MARKET.
black knight see TAKEOVER BID.
black market an ‘unofficial’market that often arises when the government holds down the price of a product below its equilibrium rate and is then forced to operate a RATIONING system to allocate the available supply between buyers. Given that some buyers are prepared to pay a higher price, some dealers will be tempted to divert supplies away from the ‘official’ market by creating an under-the-counter secondary market. See BLACK ECONOMY.
board of directors the group responsible to the SHAREHOLDERS for running a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY. Often, boards of directors are made up of full-time salaried company executives (the executive directors) and part-time, nonexecutive directors. The board of directors meets periodically under the company chairman to decide on major policy matters within the company and the appointment of key managers. Directors are elected by rotation at the company ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING. See TWO-TIER BOARD, CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
bond a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued by businesses and by the government as a means of BORROWING long-term funds. Bonds are typically issued for periods of several years; they are repayable on maturity and bear a fixed NOMINAL (COUPON) INTEREST RATE. Once a bond has been issued at its nominal value, then the market price at which it is sold subsequently will vary in order to keep the EFFECTIVE INTEREST RATE on the bond in line with current prevailing interest rates. For example, a £100 bond with a nominal 5% interest rate paying £5 per year would have to be priced at £50 if current market interest rates were 10%, so that a buyer could earn an effective return of £5/50 = 10% on his investment.
In addition to their role as a means of borrowing money, government bonds are used by the monetary authorities as a means of regulating the MONEY SUPPLY. For example, if the authorities wish to reduce the money supply, they can issue bonds to the general public, thereby reducing the liquidity of the banking system as customers draw cheques to pay for these bonds. See also OPEN MARKET OPERATION, BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT, SPECULATIVE DEMAND FOR MONEY, CONSOLS.
bonus scheme a form of INCENTIVE PAY SCHEME wherein an individual’s or group’s WAGES are based on achievement of individual or group output targets. Bonus schemes often provide for a guaranteed basic wage for employees. See PAY.
bonus shares SHARES issued to existing SHAREHOLDERS in a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY without further payment on their part. See CAPITALIZATION ISSUE.
boom a phase of the BUSINESS CYCLE characterized by FULL EMPLOYMENT levels of output (ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT) and some upward pressure on the general PRICE LEVEL (see INFLATIONARY GAP). Boom conditions are dependent on there being a high level of AGGREGATE DEMAND, which may come about autonomously or be induced by expansionary FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY. See DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
borrower a person, firm or institution that obtains a LOAN from a LENDER in order to finance CONSUMPTION or INVESTMENT. Borrowers are frequently required to offer some COLLATERAL SECURITY to lenders, for example, property deeds, which lenders may retain in the event of borrowers failing to repay the loan. See DEBT, DEBTOR, FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
Boston matrix a matrix (developed by the Boston Consulting Group) for analysing product-development policy within a firm and the cash-flow implications of product development. Fig. 16 shows the matrix, which is used to identify products that are cash generators and products that are cash users. One axis of the matrix measures market growth rate: because the faster the growth rate for a product the greater will be the capital investment required and cash used. The other axis measures market share: because the larger the market share the greater will be the profit earned and cash generated. The market growth/share matrix encompasses four extreme product types:
(a) star products – those that have a high growth rate (so that they tend to use cash) and a high market share (so that they tend to generate cash). Star products are usually new products in the growth phase of the PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE.
(b) problem child products – those that have a high growth rate (and so tend to use cash) and a low market share (so that they tend to generate little cash). Problem products are frequently a cash drain but they have potential if their market share can be improved.
(c) cash cow products – those that have a low growth rate and a high market share (so that they tend to generate a lot of cash). Cash cows are usually mature products in the later phases of the product life cycle.
Fig. 16 Boston matrix. The matrix identifies cash generators and cash users.
(d) dog products – those that have a low growth rate and a low market share and tend to generate little cash. Dog products generally have little potential for future development.
It is important for any firm to have a balanced portfolio of mature ‘cash cow’ products, newer ‘stars’, etc., and to use the cash generated by cash cows to help the development of ‘problem children’ if its product development policy is to ensure the firm’s long-term survival. See PRODUCT PERFORMANCE, DIVERSIFICATION, PRODUCT-MARKET MATRIX.
bounded rationality limits on the capabilities of people to deal with complexity, process information and pursue rational aims. Bounded rationality prevents parties to a CONTRACT from contemplating or enumerating every contingency that might arise during a TRANSACTION, so preventing them from writing complete contracts.
boycott 1 the withholding of supplies of GOODS from a distributor by a producer or producers in order to force that distributor to resell those goods only on terms specified by the producer. In the past, boycotts were often used as a means of enforcing RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE.
2 the prohibition of certain imports or exports, or a complete ban on INTERNATIONAL TRADE with a particular country by other countries.
brand the name, term or symbol given to a product by a supplier in order to distinguish his offering from that of similar products supplied by competitors. Brand names are used as a focal point of PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION between suppliers.
In most countries, brand names and trade marks are required to be registered with a central authority so as to ensure that they are uniquely applied to a single, specific product. This makes it easier for consumers to identify the product when making a purchase and also protects suppliers against unscrupulous imitators. See INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS, BRAND TRANSFERENCE.
brand loyalty the continuing willingness of consumers to purchase and repurchase the brand of a particular supplier in preference to competitive products. Suppliers cultivate brand loyalty by PRODUCT-DIFFERENTIATION strategies aimed at emphasizing real and imaginary differences between competing brands. See ADVERTISING.
brand proliferation an increase in the number of brands of a particular product, each additional brand being very similar to those already available. Brand proliferation occurs mainly in oligopolistic markets (see OLIGOPOLY) where competitive rivalry is centred on PRODUCT-DIFFERENTIATION strategies, and is especially deployed as a means of MARKET SEGMENTATION. In the THEORY OF MARKETS, excessive brand proliferation is generally considered to be against consumers’ interests because it tends to result in higher prices by increasing total ADVERTISING and sales promotional expenses.
brand switching the decision by consumers to substitute an alternative BRAND for the one they currently consume. Brand switching may be induced by ADVERTISING designed to overcome BRAND LOYALTY to existing brands.
brand transference the use of an existing BRAND name for new or modified products. Brand transference or extension seeks to capitalize on consumers’ BRAND LOYALTY towards the firm’s established brands to gain rapid consumer acceptance of a new product.
brand value the money value of an established BRAND name. The valuation of a brand reflects the BRAND LOYALTY of consumers towards it, built up by cumulative ADVERTISING. See TAKEOVER.
Fig. 17 Break-even. A supplier’s typical short-run costs and revenues. Fixed costs do not vary with output and so are shown as the horizontal line FC. Total cost comprises both fixed costs and total variable costs and is shown by line TC. Total revenue rises as output and sales are expanded and is depicted by line TR. At low levels of output like Q
total costs exceed total revenues and the supplier makes a loss equal to AB. At high levels of output like Q
revenues exceed costs and the supplier makes a profit equal to DE. At output Q
total revenues exactly match total costs (at C) and the supplier breaks even.
break-even the short-run rate of output and sales at which a supplier generates just enough revenue to cover his fixed and variable costs, earning neither a PROFIT nor a LOSS. If the selling price of a product exceeds its unit VARIABLE COST, then each unit of product sold will earn a CONTRIBUTION towards FIXED COSTS and profits. Once sufficient units are being sold so that their total contributions cover the supplier’s fixed costs, then the company breaks even. If less than the break-even sales volume is achieved, then total contributions will not meet fixed costs and the supplier will make a loss. If the sales volume achieved exceeds the break-even volume, total contributions will cover the fixed costs and leave a surplus that constitutes profit. See Fig. 17.
Bretton Woods System see INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND.
bridging loan a form of short-term LOAN used by a borrower as a continuing source of funds to ‘bridge’ the period until the borrower obtains a medium- or long-term loan to replace it. Bridging loans are used in particular in the housing market to finance the purchase of a new house while arranging long-term MORTGAGE finance and awaiting the proceeds from the sale of any existing property.
broad money see MONEY SUPPLY.
brownfield location a derelict industrial site or housing estate that has been demolished and redeveloped to accommodate new industrial premises, often as part of a regional industrial regeneration programme. Compare GREENFIELD LOCATION. See REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT AGENCY.
budget (firm) a firm’s planned revenues and expenditures for a given future period. Annual or monthly sales, production, cost and capital expenditure budgets provide a means for the firm to plan its future activities, and by collecting actual data about sales, product cost, etc., to compare with budget the firm can control these activities more effectively.
budget (government) a financial statement of the government’s planned revenues and expenditures for the fiscal year. The main sources of current revenues, as shown in Fig. 18 (a), are TAXATION, principally income and expenditure taxes, and NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS. The main current outgoings of GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE are the provision of goods and services (principally wage payments to health, education, police and other public service employees), TRANSFER PAYMENTS (old-age pensions, interest payments on the NATIONAL DEBT, etc.) and social security benefits.
Fig. 18 Budget (government). (a) The UK budget for 2003/04. (b) UK budget deficits and surpluses, 1979–2004. Source: UK National Accounts, ONS (Blue Book), 2004.
The budget has two main uses: (a) it forms the basis of the government’s longer-term financial planning of its own economic and social commitments; (b) it is an instrument of FISCAL POLICY in regulating the level (and composition) of AGGREGATE DEMAND in the economy. A BUDGET SURPLUS (revenues greater than expenditures) reduces the level of aggregate demand. By contrast, a BUDGET DEFICIT (expenditure greater than revenues) increases aggregate demand. Fig. 18 (b) shows UK budget deficits (and surpluses) over the past two decades.
Recently (post 1997) the government has accepted that fiscal stability is an important element in the fight against INFLATION and UNEMPLOYMENT. To this end, fiscal ‘prudence’, specifically a current budget deficit within the European Union’s MAASTRICHT TREATY limits of no more than 3% of GDP (and an outstanding total debt limit of 60% of GDP), was endorsed as being a necessary adjunct to avoid excessive monetary creation of the kind that fuelled previous runaway inflation.
In fact, the government has gone further than this in adopting the so-called ‘golden rule’, which requires that the government should ‘aim for an overall budget surplus over the economic cycle’ (defined as 1998/99 to 2003/04, with some of the proceeds being used to pay off government debt to reduce outstanding debt eventually to 40% of GDP. Along the way it has introduced more rigorous standards for approving increases in public spending, in particular the ‘sustainable investment rule’, which stipulates that the government should borrow only to finance capital investment and not to pay for general spending. In addition, the government has announced it will ‘ring-fence’ increases in particular tax receipts to be used only for funding specific activities. For example, receipts from future increases in fuel taxes and tobacco taxes will be spent, respectively, only on road-building programmes and the National Health Service. See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT, PUBLIC SECTOR DEBT REPAYMENT, DEMAND MANAGEMENT, PUBLIC FINANCE.
budget (household) a household’s planned income and expenditure for a given time period. The household’s expenditure will depend upon its DISPOSABLE INCOME, and the THEORY OF CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR seeks to show how households, or consumers, allocate their income in spending on various goods and services. See CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM.
budget deficit the excess of GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE over government TAXATION and other receipts in any one fiscal year. See BUDGET (government). The operation of a budget deficit (deficit financing) is a tool of FISCAL POLICY to enable government to influence the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND and EMPLOYMENT in the economy. Such a policy was advocated by KEYNES in the 1930s to offset the DEPRESSION that occurred at that time. Opinion prior to this was that the government should operate a BALANCED BUDGET policy, allowing the economy to respond in its own way without government intervention. Keynes argued that government should intervene by deliberately imbalancing its budget in order to inject additional aggregate demand into a depressed economy and vice-versa.
Since the Second World War, most western governments have tended to operate a budget deficit to keep employment high and to promote long-term ECONOMIC GROWTH. This has been financed by increasing the PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT (PSBR) through the issue of TREASURY BILLS and long-term bonds. This is acceptable as long as the economy is growing and the interest payments on such borrowings do not become disproportionate to the overall level of government expenditure. Government borrowing in excess of the amount required to promote long-term growth and effect counter-cyclical policies will ultimately result in INFLATION. Consequently, both the timing and magnitude of the expenditure over and above receipts is of crucial importance. In more recent times recognition that low inflation is necessary to secure low UNEMPLOYMENT has led to an acceptance of the need for ‘fiscal stability’. This has found expression, for example, within the European Union’s MAASTRICHT TREATY limits of a current budget deficit of no more than 3% of GDP and a total outstanding government debt limit of no more than 60% of GDP.
BUDGET SURPLUS is the opposite of the above whereby there is an excess of government receipts over expenditure. See AUTOMATIC (BUILT-IN) STABILIZERS, KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS, BUSINESS CYCLE, DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
budget lineorconsumption possibility line a line showing the alternative combinations of goods that can be purchased by a consumer with a given income facing given prices. See Fig. 19. See also CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM, REVEALED PREFERENCE THEORY, PRICE EFFECT.
budget surplus a surplus of TAXATION receipts over GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE. Budget surpluses are used as an instrument of FISCAL POLICY to reduce the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND in the economy. See BUDGET (government), BUDGET DEFICIT, PUBLIC SECTOR DEBT REPAYMENT.
buffer stock a stock of a COMMODITY (copper, wheat, etc.) that is held by a trade body or government as a means of regulating the price of that commodity. An ‘official’ price for the commodity is established, and if the open-market price falls below this because there is excess supply at the fixed price, then the authorities will buy the surplus and add it to the buffer stock in order to force the price back up. By contrast, if the open-market price rises above the fixed price because there is an excess demand at the fixed price, then the authorities will sell some of their buffer stock in order to bring the price down. Through this mechanism the price of the commodity can be stabilized over time, avoiding erratic, short-term fluctuations in price.
Thus this mechanism attempts to avoid erratic short-term fluctuations in price. If the official price is set at too high a level, however, this will encourage over-supply in the long term and expensively accumulating stocks; while if the official price is set at too low a level, this will discourage supply in the long term and lead to shortages. See INTERNATIONAL COMMODITY AGREEMENT, PRICE SUPPORT, COMMON AGRICULTURE POLICY.
Fig. 19 Budget line. If a consumer has an income of £10 and the price of good X is 50 pence and the price of good Y is £1, he can buy 20 units of X or 10 units of Y, or some combination of both, for example 10 units of X and 5 units of Y. The slope of the budget line measures the relative prices of the two goods.
Building Societies Act 1986 a UK Act that gave BUILDING SOCIETIES new powers to augment their traditional business MORTGAGES by providing a range of other financial services for their customers. These include money transmission facilities (via cheque books), arranging insurance cover, obtaining traveller’s cheques and foreign currencies, managing unit trust pension schemes, buying and selling stocks and shares, and the provision of estate agency facilities. The Act has thus served to increase competition in the provision of financial services as between building societies, the COMMERCIAL BANKS and other financial institutions.
The Act also permits building societies to increase their capital resources and growth potential by incorporating themselves as JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES (as have the Abbey National and the Halifax), issuing shares and securing a stock exchange listing.
building society a financial institution that offers a variety of savings accounts to attract deposits, mainly from the general public, and which specializes in the provision of long-term MORTGAGE loans used to purchase property. In recent years, many of the larger UK building societies have moved into the estate agency business. Additionally, they have entered into arrangements with other financial institutions that have enabled them to provide their depositors with limited banking facilities (the use of cheque books and credit cards, for instance) and other financial services, a development that has been given added impetus by the BUILDING SOCIETIES ACT 1986.
Most notably, major building societies, such as the Abbey National and Halifax, have taken advantage of changes introduced by the BUILDING SOCIETIES ACT 1986 and the FINANCIAL SERVICES ACT 1986 and have converted themselves into public JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES, setting themselves up as ‘financial supermarkets’ offering customers a banking service and a wide range of personal financial products, including insurance, personal pensions, unit trusts, individual savings accounts (ISAs), etc. This development has introduced a powerful new competitive impetus into the financial services industry, breaking down traditional ‘demarcation’ boundaries in respect of ‘who does what’, allowing former building societies to ‘cross-sell’ these services and products in competition with traditional providers such as the COMMERCIAL BANKS, INSURANCE COMPANIES, UNIT TRUSTS, etc.
Building society deposits constitute an important source of liquidity in the economy and count as ‘broad money’ in the specification of the MONEY SUPPLY. See FINANCIAL SYSTEM.
built-in stabilizers see AUTOMATIC (BUILT-IN) STABILIZERS.
bulk-buying the purchase of raw materials, components and finished products in large quantities, thereby enabling a BUYER to take advantage of DISCOUNTS off suppliers’ LIST PRICES. A supplier may offer a price discount to encourage the placement of large orders as a means of obtaining extra sales in order to exploit fully the ECONOMICS OF SCALE in production and distribution. In many cases, however, the initiative lies with buyers, with powerful retailing and wholesaling groups exacting favourable price concessions from suppliers by playing one supplier off against another. See CHAIN STORE, OLIGOPSONY, MONOPSONY.
bull a person who expects future prices in a STOCK EXCHANGE or COMMODITY MARKET to rise and who seeks to make money by buying shares or commodities. Compare BEAR. See SPOT MARKET, FUTURES MARKET, BULL MARKET.
bullion precious metals, such as GOLD, silver, platinum, etc., that are traded commercially in the form of bars and coins for investment purposes and are used to produce jewellery and as industrial base metals. Some items of bullion, gold in particular, are held by CENTRAL BANKS and are used as INTERNATIONAL RESERVES to finance balance of payments imbalances.
bullion market a MARKET engaged in the buying and selling of precious metals such as GOLD and silver and gold and silver coins such as ‘Krugerrands’ and ‘Sovereigns’. The London Bullion Market is a leading centre for such transactions.
bull market a situation where the prices of FINANCIAL SECURITIES (stocks, shares, etc.) or COMMODITIES (tin, wheat, etc.) are tending to rise as a result of persistent buying and only limited selling. Compare BEAR MARKET. See SPECULATOR.
Bundesbank the CENTRAL BANK of Germany.
burden of debt INTEREST charges on DEBT that arise as a result of BORROWING by individuals, firms and governments. In the case of governments, interest charges on the NATIONAL DEBT are paid for out of TAXATION and other receipts. The term ‘burden’ would seem to imply that government borrowing is a ‘bad’ thing insofar as it passes on financial obligations from present (overspending) generations to future generations. The fundamental point to emphasize, however, is that the interest paid on the national debt is a TRANSFER PAYMENT and does not represent a net reduction in the capacity of the economy to provide goods and services, provided that most of this debt is owed to domestic citizens.
INFLATION has the effect of eroding the real burden of debts, which are denominated in NOMINAL VALUES. See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
burden of dependency the non-economically active POPULATION of a country in relation to the employed and self-employed LABOUR FORCE. Dependants include very young, very old and disabled members of the community, their unpaid carers and the unemployed who must rely on the efforts of the labour force to provide them with goods and services. Countries with a proportionately large dependent population need to levy high taxes upon the labour force to finance the provision of TRANSFER PAYMENTS such as pensions, child benefit and unemployment benefit.
burden of taxation see TAX BURDEN.
business a supplier of goods and services. The term can also denote a FIRM. In economic theory, businesses perform two roles. On the one hand, they enter the market place as producers of goods and services bought by HOUSEHOLDS; on the other hand, they buy factor inputs from households in order to produce those goods and services. The term ‘businesses’ is used primarily in macro (national income) analysis, while the term ‘firms’ is used in micro (supply and demand) analysis. See also CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
business cycleortrade cycle fluctuations in the level of economic activity (ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT), alternating between periods of depression and boom conditions.
The business cycle is characterized by four phases (see Fig. 20):
Fig. 20 Business cycle. Fluctuations in the level of economic activity.
(a) DEPRESSION, a period of rapidly falling AGGREGATE DEMAND accompanied by very low levels of output and heavy UNEMPLOYMENT, which eventually reaches the bottom of the trough;
(b) RECOVERY, an upturn in aggregate demand accompanied by rising output and a reduction in unemployment;
(c) BOOM, aggregate demand reaches and then exceeds sustainable output levels (POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT) as the peak of the cycle is reached. Full employment is reached and the emergence of excess demand causes the general price level to increase (see INFLATION);
(d) RECESSION, the boom comes to an end and is followed by recession. Aggregate demand falls, bringing with it, initially, modest falls in output and employment but then, as demand continues to contract, the onset of depression.
What causes the economy to fluctuate in this way? One prominent factor is the volatility of FIXED INVESTMENT and INVENTORY INVESTMENT expenditures (the investment cycle), which are themselves a function of businesses’ EXPECTATIONS about future demand. At the top of the cycle, income begins to level off and investment in new supply capacity finally ‘catches up’ with demand (see ACCELERATOR). This causes a reduction in INDUCED INVESTMENT and, via contracting MULTIPLIER effects, leads to a fall in national income, which reduces investment even further. At the bottom of the depression, investment may rise exogenously (because, for example, of the introduction of new technologies) or through the revival of REPLACEMENT INVESTMENT. In this case, the increase in investment spending will, via expansionary multiplier effects, lead to an increase in national income and a greater volume of induced investment. See also DEMAND MANAGEMENT, KONDRATIEF CYCLE, SECULAR STAGNATION.
Business Link a nationwide network of agencies that brings together the business support activities of many chambers of commerce, enterprise agencies, learning and skills councils and local authorities to provide a single local point of access for business information and advisory services to small and medium-sized businesses. The Business Link operates under the auspices of the SMALL BUSINESS SERVICE (SBS), an arm of the DEPARTMENT FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY (DTI). See INDUSTRIAL POLICY.
business strategy the formulation of long-term plans and policies by a firm which interlock its various production and marketing activities in order to achieve its business objectives. See FIRM OBJECTIVES, COMPETITIVE STRATEGY, HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION, VERTICAL INTEGRATION, DIVERSIFICATION.
buyer a purchaser of a GOOD or SERVICE. A broad distinction can be made between purchasers of items such as raw materials, components, plant and equipment that are used to produce other products (referred to as ‘industrial buyers’) and purchasers of products for personal consumption (referred to as ‘consumers’).
In general, industrial buyers (in the main purchasing/procurement officers) are involved in the purchase of ‘functional’ inputs to the production process, usually in large quantities and often involving the outlay of thousands of pounds. Their particular concern is to obtain input supplies that are of an appropriate quality and possess the technical attributes necessary to ensure that the production process goes ahead smoothly and efficiently. In selling to industrial buyers, personal contacts, the provision of technical advice and back-up services are important.
Buyers of consumer goods, by contrast, typically buy a much wider range of products, mainly in small quantities. Purchases are made to satisfy some ‘physical’ or ‘psychological’ need of the consumer. Thus, it is important for suppliers to understand the basis of these needs and to produce and promote BRANDS that satisfy identifiable consumer demands. In this context, ADVERTISING and SALES PROMOTION are important tools for shaping consumers’ perceptions of a brand and establishing BRAND LOYALTY. See PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
buyer concentration an element of MARKET STRUCTURE that refers to the number and size distribution of buyers in a market. In most markets, buyers are numerous, each purchasing only a tiny fraction of total supply. In some markets, however, most notably in INTERMEDIATE GOODS industries, a few large buyers purchase a significant proportion of total supply. Such situations are described as OLIGOPSONY, or, in the case of a single buyer, MONOPSONY.
Market theory predicts that MARKET PERFORMANCE will differ according to whether there are many buyers in the market, each accounting for only a minute fraction of total purchases, (PERFECT COMPETITION), or only a few buyers, each accounting for a substantial proportion of total purchases (oligopsony), or a single buyer (monopsony). See COUNTERVAILING POWER, MARKET CONCENTRATION, SELLER CONCENTRATION, BULK-BUYING.
buyer’s market a SHORT-RUN market situation in which there is EXCESS SUPPLY of goods or services at current prices, which forces prices down to the advantage of the buyer. Compare SELLER’S MARKET.
buy-in see MANAGEMENT BUY-IN.
buy-out see MANAGEMENT BUY-OUT.
by-product a product that is secondary to the main product emerging from a production process. For example, the refining of crude oil to produce petroleum generates a range of by-products like bitumen, naptha and creosote.
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Cadbury Committee Report see CORPORATE GOVERNANCE.
called-up capital the amount of ISSUED SHARED CAPITAL that shareholders have been called upon to subscribe to date where a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY issues SHARES with phased payment terms. Called-up capital is usually equal to PAID-UP CAPITAL except where some shareholders have failed to pay instalments due (CALLS IN ARREARS). See SHARE ISSUE.
call moneyormoney at call and short notice CURRENCY (notes and coins) loaned by the COMMERCIAL BANKS to DISCOUNT HOUSES. These can be overnight (24-hour) loans or one-week loans. Call money is included as part of the commercial banks’ RESERVE ASSET RATIO.
call option see OPTION.
calls in arrears the difference that arises between CALLED-UP CAPITAL and PAID-UP CAPITAL where a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY issues SHARES with phased payment terms and shareholders fail to pay an instalment. See SHARE ISSUE.
Cambridge equation see QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY.
CAP see COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY.
capacity 1 the maximum amount of output that a firm or industry is physically capable of producing given the fullest and most efficient use of its existing plant. In microeconomic theory, the concept of full capacity is specifically related to the cost structures of firms and industries. Industry output is maximized (i.e. full capacity is attained) when all firms produce at the minimum point on their long-run average total cost curves (see PERFECT COMPETITION). If firms fail to produce at this point, then the result is EXCESS CAPACITY.
2 in macroeconomics, capacity refers to POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT. The percentage relationship of actual output in the economy to capacity (i.e. potential national income) shows capacity utilization. See also MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION.
capital the contribution to productive activity made by INVESTMENT in physical capital (for example, factories, offices, machinery, tools) and in HUMAN CAPITAL (for example, general education, vocational training). Capital is one of the three main FACTORS OF PRODUCTION, the other two being LABOUR and NATURAL RESOURCES. Physical (and human) capital make a significant contribution towards ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL FORMATION, CAPITAL STOCK, CAPITAL WIDENING, CAPITAL DEEPENING, GROSS FIXED CAPITAL FORMATION, CAPITAL ACCUMULATION.
capital account 1 the section of the NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS that records INVESTMENT expenditure by government on infrastructure such as roads, hospitals and schools; and investment expenditure by the private sector on plant and machinery.
2 the section of the BALANCE OF PAYMENTS accounts that records movements of funds associated with the purchase or sale of long-term assets and borrowing or lending by the private sector.
capital accumulationorcapital formation 1 the process of adding to the net physical CAPITAL STOCK of an economy in an attempt to achieve greater total output. The accumulation of CAPITAL GOODS represents foregone CONSUMPTION, which necessitates a reward to capital in the form of INTEREST, greater PROFITS or social benefit derived. The rate of accumulation of an economy’s physical stock of capital is an important determinant of the rate of growth of an economy and is represented in various PRODUCTION FUNCTIONS and ECONOMIC GROWTH models. A branch of economics, called DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS, devotes much of its analysis to determining appropriate rates of capital accumulation, type of capital required and types of investment project to maximize ‘development’ in underdeveloped countries (see DEVELOPING COUNTRY). In developed countries, the INTEREST RATE influences SAVINGS and INVESTMENT (capital accumulation) decisions, to a greater or lesser degree, in the private sector (see KEYNESIAN ECONOMICS) and can therefore be indirectly influenced by government. Government itself invests in the economy’s INFRASTRUCTURE. This direct control over capital accumulation, and the indirect control over private investment, puts the onus of achieving the economy’s optimal growth path on to the government. The nature of capital accumulation (whether CAPITAL WIDENING or CAPITAL DEEPENING) is also of considerable importance. See also CAPITAL CONSUMPTION, INVENTION, INNOVATION, CAPITAL-OUTPUT RATIO. 2 the process of increasing the internally available CAPITAL of a particular firm by retaining earnings to add to RESERVES.
capital allowances ‘write-offs’ against CORPORATION TAX when a FIRM invests in new plant and equipment. In the UK currently (as at 2004/05) a 25% ‘writing-down allowance’ against tax is available for firms that invest in new plant and equipment. Additionally, in the case of small and medium-sized firms, a 40% ‘first-year allowance’ is available for investment in new plant and equipment and a 100% tax write-off for investment in computers and e-commerce.
Capital allowances are aimed at stimulating investment, thereby increasing the supply-side capabilities of the economy and the rate of ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL GOODS, DEPRECIATION 2.
capital appreciation see APPRECIATION 2.
capital asset pricing model a model that relates the expected return on an ASSET or INVESTMENT to its risk. Assets that show greater variability in their annual returns generally need to earn higher expected average returns to compensate investors for the variability of returns. See RISK AND UNCERTAINTY.
capital budgeting the planning and control of CAPITAL expenditure within a firm. Capital budgeting involves the search for suitable INVESTMENT opportunities; evaluating particular investment projects; raising LONG-TERM CAPITAL to finance investments; assessing the COST OF CAPITAL; applying suitable expenditure controls to ensure that investment outlays conform with the expenditures authorized; and ensuring that adequate cash is available when required for investments. See INVESTMENT APPRAISAL, DISCOUNTED CASH FLOW, PAYBACK PERIOD, MARGINAL EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL/INVESTMENT.
capital consumption the reduction in a country’s CAPITAL STOCK incurred in producing this year’s GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT (GNP). In order to maintain (or increase) next year’s GNP, a proportion of new INVESTMENT must be devoted to replacing worn-out and obsolete capital stock. Effectively, capital consumption represents the aggregate of firms’ DEPRECIATION charges for the year.
capital deepening an increase in the CAPITAL input in the economy (see ECONOMIC GROWTH) at a faster rate than the increase in the LABOUR input so that proportionally more capital to labour is used to produce national output. See CAPITAL WIDENING, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, PRODUCTIVITY.
capital employed see SHAREHOLDERS’ CAPITAL EMPLOYED, LONG-TERM CAPITAL EMPLOYED.
capital expenditure see INVESTMENT.
capital formation see CAPITAL ACCUMULATION.
capital gain the surplus realized when an ASSET (house, SHARE, etc.) is sold at a higher price than was originally paid for it. Because of INFLATION, however, it is important to distinguish between NOMINAL VALUES and REAL VALUES. Thus what appears to be a large nominal gain may, after allowing for the effects of inflation, turn out to be a very small real gain. Furthermore, in an ongoing business, provision has to be made for the REPLACEMENT COST of assets, which can be much higher than the HISTORIC COST of the assets being sold. See CAPITAL GAINS TAX, CAPITAL LOSS, REVALUATION PROVISION, APPRECIATION 2.
capital gains tax a TAX on the surplus obtained from the sale of an ASSET for more than was originally paid for it. In the UK, CAPITAL GAINS tax for business assets is based (as at 2005/06) on a sliding scale, falling from 40% on gains from assets held for under one year to 10% on gains realised after four years. For persons, capital gains on ‘chargeable’ assets (e.g. shares) up to £8,500 per year are exempt from tax; above this they are taxed at 40%.
capital gearingorleverage the proportion of fixed-interest LOAN CAPITAL to SHARE CAPITAL employed in financing a company. Where a company raises most of the funds that it requires by issuing shares and uses very few fixed-interest loans, it has a low capital gearing; where a company raises most of the funds that it needs from fixed-interest loans and few funds from SHAREHOLDERS, it is highly geared. Capital gearing is important to company shareholders because fixed-interest charges on loans have the effect of gearing up or down the eventual residual return to shareholders from trading profits. When the trading return on total funds invested exceeds the interest rate on loans, any residual surplus accrues to shareholders, enhancing their return. On the other hand, when the average return on total funds invested is less than interest rates, then interest still has to be paid, and this has the effect of reducing the residual return to shareholders. Thus, returns to shareholders vary more violently when highly geared.
The extent to which a company can employ fixed-interest capital as a source of long-term funds depends to a large extent upon the stability of its profits over time. For example, large retailing companies whose profits tend to vary little from year to year tend to be more highly geared than, say, mining companies whose profit record is more volatile.
capital goods the long-lasting durable goods, such as machine tools and furnaces, that are used as FACTOR INPUTS in the production of other products, as opposed to being sold directly to consumers. See CAPITAL, CONSUMER GOODS, PRODUCER GOODS.
capital inflow a movement of funds into the domestic economy from abroad, representing either the purchase of domestic FINANCIAL SECURITIES and physical ASSETS by foreigners, or the borrowing (see BORROWER) of foreign funds by domestic residents.
Capital inflows involve the receipt of money by one country, the host, from one or more foreign countries, the source countries. There are many reasons for the transfer of funds between nations:
(a) FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT by MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES in physical assets such as the establishment of local manufacturing plant;
(b) the purchase of financial securities in the host country which are considered to be attractive PORTFOLIO investments;
(c) host-government borrowing from other governments or international banks to alleviate short-term BALANCE OF PAYMENTS deficits;
(d) SPECULATION about the future EXCHANGE RATE of the host country currency and interest rates, expectation of an appreciation of the currency leading to a capital inflow as speculators hope to make a capital gain after the APPRECIATION of the currency.
By contrast, a CAPITAL OUTFLOW is the payment of money from one country to another for the sort of reasons already outlined. See also FOREIGN INVESTMENT, HOT MONEY.
capital-intensive firm/industry a firm or industry that produces its output of goods or services using proportionately large inputs of CAPITAL equipment and relatively small amounts of LABOUR. The proportions of capital and labour that a firm uses in production depend mainly on the relative prices of labour and capital inputs and their relative productivities. This in turn depends upon the degree of standardization of the product. Where standardized products are sold in large quantities, it is possible to employ large-scale capital-intensive production methods that facilitate ECONOMICS OF SCALE. Aluminium smelting, oil refining and steelworks are examples of capital-intensive industries. See MASS PRODUCTION, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO.
capitalism see PRIVATE-ENTERPRISE ECONOMY.
capitalization issueorscrip issue the issue by a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY of additional SHARES to existing SHAREHOLDERS without any further payment being required. Capitalization issues are usually made where a company has ploughed back profits over several years, so accumulating substantial RESERVES, or has revalued its fixed assets and accumulated capital reserves. If the company wishes to capitalize the reserves, it can do so by creating extra shares to match the reserves and issue them as BONUS SHARES to existing shareholders in proportion to their existing shareholdings. See also RETAINED PROFIT.
capital-labour ratio the proportion of CAPITAL to LABOUR inputs in an economy. If capital inputs in the economy increase over time at the same rate as the labour input, then the capital-labour ratio remains unchanged (see CAPITAL WIDENING). If capital inputs increase at a faster rate than the labour input, then CAPITAL DEEPENING takes place. The capital-labour ratio is one element in the process of ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY, LABOUR-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY, AUTOMATION.
capital loss the deficit realized when an ASSET (house, SHARE, etc.) is sold at a lower price than was originally paid for it. Compare CAPITAL GAIN.
capital market the market for long-term company LOAN CAPITAL and SHARE CAPITAL and government BONDS. The capital market together with the MONEY MARKET (which provides short-term funds) are the main sources of external finance to industry and government. The financial institutions involved in the capital market include the CENTRAL BANK, COMMERCIAL BANKS, the saving-investing institutions (INSURANCE COMPANIES, PENSION FUNDS, UNIT TRUSTS and INVESTMENT TRUST COMPANIES), ISSUING HOUSES and MERCHANT BANKS.
New share capital is most frequently raised through issuing houses or merchant banks, which arrange for the sale of shares on behalf of client companies. Shares can be issued in a variety of ways, including: directly to the general public by way of an ‘offer for sale’ (or an ‘introduction’) at a prearranged fixed price; an ‘offer for sale by TENDER’, where the issue price is determined by averaging out the bid prices offered by prospective purchasers of the share subject to a minimum price bid; a RIGHTS ISSUE of shares to existing shareholders at a fixed price; a placing of the shares at an arranged price with selected investors, often institutional investors. See STOCK EXCHANGE.
capital movements the flows of FOREIGN CURRENCY between countries representing both short-term and long-term INVESTMENT in physical ASSETS and FINANCIAL SECURITIES and BORROWINGS. See CAPITAL INFLOW, CAPITAL OUTFLOW, BALANCE OF PAYMENTS, FOREIGN INVESTMENTS.
capital outflow a movement of domestic funds abroad, representing either the purchase of foreign FINANCIAL SECURITIES and physical ASSETS by domestic residents or the BORROWING of domestic funds by foreigners. See CAPITAL INFLOW, BALANCE OF PAYMENTS, FOREIGN INVESTMENT, HOT MONEY.
capital-output ratio a measure of how much additional CAPITAL is required to produce each extra unit of OUTPUT, or, put the other way round, the amount of extra output produced by each unit of added capital. The capital-output ratio indicates how ‘efficient’ new INVESTMENT is in contributing to ECONOMIC GROWTH. Assuming, for example, a 4:1 capital-output ratio, each four units of extra investment enables national output to grow by one unit. If the capital-output ratio is 2:1, however, then each two units of extra investment expands national income by one unit. See CAPITAL ACCUMULATION, PRODUCTIVITY. See also SOLOW ECONOMIC-GROWTH MODEL.
capital stock the net accumulation of a physical stock of CAPITAL GOODS (buildings, plant, machinery, etc.) by a firm, industry or economy at any one point in time (see POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT).
The measurements most frequently used for the value of a country’s capital stock are from the NATIONAL INCOME and expenditure statistics. These statistics take private and public expenditure on capital goods and deduct CAPITAL CONSUMPTION (see DEPRECIATION 2) to arrive at net accumulation (which may be positive or negative). The more relevant value of capital stock, from the economist’s point of view, is the present value of the stream of income such stock can generate. More broadly, the size of a country’s capital stock has an important influence on its rate of ECONOMIC GROWTH. See CAPITAL ACCUMULATION, CAPITAL WIDENING, CAPITAL DEEPENING, DEPRECIATION METHODS, PRODUCTIVITY, CAPITAL-OUTPUT RATIO.
capital transfer tax see WEALTH TAX.
capital widening an increase in the CAPITAL input in the economy (see ECONOMIC GROWTH) at the same rate as the increase in the LABOUR input so that the proportion in which capital and labour are combined to produce national output remains unchanged. See CAPITAL DEEPENING, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, PRODUCTIVITY.
cardinal utility the (subjective) UTILITY or satisfaction that a consumer derives from consuming a product, measured on an absolute scale. This implies that the exact amount of utility derived from consuming a product can be measured, and early economists suggested that utility could be measured in discrete units referred to as UTILS. However, because it proved impossible to construct an accurate measure of cardinal utility, ORDINAL UTILITY measures replaced the idea of cardinal utility in the theory of CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM. See DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY.
cartel a form of COLLUSION between a group of suppliers aimed at suppressing competition between themselves, wholly or in part. Cartels can take a number of forms. For example, suppliers may set up a sole selling agency that buys up their individual output at an agreed price and arranges for the marketing of these products on a coordinated basis. Another variant is when suppliers operate an agreement (see RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT) that sets uniform selling prices for their products, thereby suppressing price competition but with suppliers then competing for market share through PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION strategies. A more comprehensive version of a cartel is the application not only of common selling prices and joint marketing but also restrictions on production, involving the assignment of specific output quotas to individual suppliers, and coordinated capacity adjustments, either removing over-capacity or extending capacity on a coordinated basis.
Cartels are usually established with the purpose of either exploiting the joint market power of suppliers to extract MONOPOLY profits or as a means of preventing cut-throat competition from forcing firms to operate at a loss, often resorted to in times of depressed demand (a so-called ‘crisis cartel’). In the former case, a central administration agency could determine the price and output of the industry, and the output quotas of each of the separate member firms, in such a way as to restrict total industry output and maximize the joint profits of the group. Price and output will thus tend to approximate those of a profit-maximizing monopolist. See Fig. 21.
A number of factors are crucial to the successful operation of a cartel, in particular the participation of all significant suppliers of the product and their full compliance with the policies of the cartel. Non-participation of some key suppliers and ‘cheating’ by cartel members, together with the ability of buyers to switch to substitute products, may well serve to undermine a cartel’s ability to control prices. In many countries, including the UK, the USA and the European Union, cartels concerned with price fixing, market sharing and restrictions on production and capacity are prohibited by law. See COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), ORGANIZATION OF PETROLEUM-EXPORTING COUNTRIES (OPEC).
Fig. 21 Cartel. D is the industry demand curve, showing the aggregate quality that the combined group may sell over a range of possible prices and MR is the industry marginal revenue curve. The industry marginal cost curve ΣMC is constructed from the marginal cost curves of the individual firms making up the cartel. For any given level of industry output, the cartel is required to calculate the allocation of the output among member firms on the basis of their individual marginal costs to obtain the lowest possible aggregate cost of producing their output. To maximize industry profit, the cartel will set price OP and produce output OQ. Quotas of Q
and Q
are given to firms A and B respectively where a horizontal line drawn from the intersection of MR and ΣMC (the line of aggregate marginal costs) intersects MC
and MC
. Profit contributed by each firm is computed by multiplying the number of units produced by the difference between industry price and the firm’s average cost at that level of output. The aggregate profit is then divided among the member firms in some agreed manner, not necessarily, it is to be noted, in the same proportion as actually contributed by each of the individual firms. Disputes over the sharing of aggregate profit frequently lead to the break-up of cartels.
cash see CURRENCY.
cash and carry a form of wholesaling that requires customers (predominantly RETAILERS) to pay cash for products bought and to collect these products themselves from a warehouse. See DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
cash card see COMMERCIAL BANK.
cash discount see DISCOUNT.
cash drain a constraint on the expansion of the MONEY SUPPLY through BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, caused by individuals retaining larger amounts of cash than usual. This means that not all of the increase in cash calculated by using the reciprocal of the RESERVE ASSET RATIO is passed on from the public back into the banking system. For example, a new deposit of £100 is made into the banking system. Assuming a 10% reserve asset ratio, the average fraction of money held in cash form is one-tenth and the reciprocal 10. Thus ultimately a £1,000 increase in money supply is theoretically possible. If the public’s demand for cash grows, however, then the increase in the money supply will not be 10 times the initial deposit, but something less.
cash flow the money coming into a business from sales and other receipts and going out of the business in the form of cash payments to suppliers, workers, etc.
cash limits a means of controlling public sector spending by setting maximum expenditure totals for government departments or nationalized industries, deliberately making no allowance for inflation. See GOVERNMENT (PUBLIC) EXPENDITURE.
cash ratio see CASH RESERVE RATIO.
cash reserve ratio the proportion of a COMMERCIAL BANK’S total assets that it keeps in the form of highly liquid assets to meet day-to-day currency withdrawals by its customers and other financial commitments. The cash reserve ratio comprises TILL MONEY (notes and coins held by the bank) and its operational BALANCES WITH THE BANK OF ENGLAND. The cash reserve ratio is a narrowly defined RESERVE ASSET RATIO that can be used by the monetary authorities to control the MONETARY BASE of the economy. See BANK DEPOSIT CREATION, MONETARY BASE CONTROL, MONETARY POLICY.
CAT see COMPETITION APPEALS TRIBUNAL.
caveat emptor a Latin phrase meaning ‘let the buyer beware’. Put simply, this means that the supplier has no legal obligation to inform buyers about any defects in his goods or services. The onus is on the buyer to determine for himself or herself that the good or service is satisfactory. Compare CAVEAT VENDOR.
caveat vendor a Latin phrase meaning ‘let the seller beware’. In brief, this means that the supplier may be legally obliged to inform buyers of any defects in his goods or services. Compare CAVEAT EMPTOR.
census a comprehensive official survey of households or businesses undertaken at regular intervals in order to obtain socioeconomic information. In the UK, a population census has been carried out every 10 years since 1891 to provide information on demographic trends. This data is useful to the government in the planning of housing, education and welfare services. A production census is carried out annually to provide details of industrial production, employment, investment, etc. A distribution census provides data about wholesaling and retailing. This information can be used by the government in formulating its economic and industrial policies.
central bank a country’s leading BANK, generally responsible for overseeing the BANKING SYSTEM, acting as a ‘clearing’ banker for the COMMERCIAL BANKS (see CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM) and for implementing MONETARY POLICY. In addition, many central banks are responsible for handling the government’s budgetary accounts and for managing the country’s external monetary affairs, in particular the EXCHANGE RATE.
Examples of central banks include the USA’s Federal Reserve Bank, Germany’s Deutsche Bundesbank, France’s Banque de France and the European Union’s EUROPEAN CENTRAL BANK. (For a more detailed discussion of a central bank’s activities see the BANK OF ENGLAND entry.)
centralization the concentration of economic decision-making centrally rather than diffusing such decision-making to many different decision-makers. In a country, this is achieved by the adoption of a CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY where the state undertakes to own, control and direct resources into particular uses. In a firm, centralization involves top managers retaining authority to make all major decisions and issuing detailed instructions to particular divisions and departments. See U-FORM ORGANIZATION.
centrally planned economyorcommand economyorcollectivism a method of organizing the economy to produce goods and services. Under this ECONOMIC SYSTEM, economic decision-making is centralized in the hands of the state with collective ownership of the means of production, (except labour). It is the state that decides what goods and services are to be produced in accordance with its centralized NATIONAL PLAN. Resources are allocated between producing units, and final outputs between customers by the use of physical quotas.
The main rationale underlying state ownership of industry is the view that the collective ownership of the means of production ‘by the people for the people’ is preferable to a situation in which the ownership of the means of production is in the hands of the ‘capitalist class’ who are able to exploit their élite position to the detriment of the populace at large. State control of industry enables the economy as a whole to be organized in accordance with some central plan, which by interlocking and synchronizing the input-output requirements of industry is able to secure an efficient allocation of productive resources. Critics of state-owned economic systems argue, however, that in practice they tend to be ‘captured and corrupted’ by powerful state officials, and that their top-heavy bureaucratic structures result in a highly inefficient organization of production and insensitivity to what customers actually want. See PRIVATE-ENTERPRISE ECONOMY, MIXED ECONOMY, NATIONALIZATION, COMMUNISM.
certificate a document signifying ownership of a FINANCIAL SECURITY (STOCK, SHARE, etc.). In the UK, such certificates are issued in the name of the person or company recorded in the company’s register of SHAREHOLDERS as the owner of these shares, new certificates being issued to buyers when shares are sold. In countries like the USA, where BEARER BONDS are used, stock certificates merely note the number of stocks or shares represented and do not include the name of the owners, the holder of the certificate being presumed to be the owner.
certificate of deposit a FINANCIAL SECURITY issued by BANKS, BUILDING SOCIETIES and other financial institutions as a means of borrowing money for periods ranging from one month to five years. Once issued, certificates of deposit may be bought and sold on the MONEY MARKET and are redeemable on their maturity for their face value plus accrued interest.
certificate of incorporation a certificate issued by the COMPANY REGISTRAR to a new JOINT-STOCK COMPANY whose MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION and ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION are acceptable to the Registrar. A company starts its legal existence from the date of its incorporation and thereafter is able to enter into contracts, etc., in its own name.
certificate of origin a document used to authenticate the country of origin of internationally traded goods. Most trading countries are prepared to accept certificates of origin issued by government departments of their trade partners or their appointees (CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE in the UK). However, complications as to their precise country of origin often arise in the case of goods that are assembled in one country using components that are in the main imported from others. See LOCAL CONTENT RULE, EXPORT.
ceteris paribus a Latin term meaning ‘other things being equal’ that is widely used in economic analysis as an expository technique. It allows us to isolate the relationship between two variables. For example, in demand analysis, the DEMAND CURVE shows the effect of a change in the price of a product on the quantity demanded on the assumption that all of the ‘other things’ (incomes, tastes, etc.) influencing the demand for that product remain unchanged.
chain store a multi-branch retail firm. All types of retailer, ranging from SPECIALIST SHOPS to DEPARTMENT STORES, can be organized to take advantage of the economics of HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION. Unlike single-shop concerns, chain stores are able to maximize their sales potential through geographical spread and maximize their competitive advantage by being able to secure BULK-BUYING price concessions from manufacturers and the supply of OWN LABEL BRANDS. See SUPERMARKET, DISCOUNT STORE, COOPERATIVE, DO-IT-YOURSELF STORE, RETAILER, DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
Chamberlin, Edward (1899–1967) an American economist who helped develop the theory of MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION in his book The Theory of Monopolistic Competition. Prior to Chamberlin’s work, economists classified markets into two groups:
(a) perfect competition, where firm’s products are perfect substitutes;
(b) monopoly, where a firm’s product has no substitutes.
Chamberlin argued that in real markets goods are often partial substitutes for other goods, so that even in markets with many sellers the individual firm’s DEMAND CURVE might be downward sloping. He then proceeded to analyse the firm’s price and output decisions under such conditions and derive the implications for market supply and price. See also ROBINSON.
chamber of commerce an organization that operates primarily to serve the needs of the business community in an industrial city or area. Chambers of commerce provide a forum for local businessmen and traders to discuss matters of mutual interest and provide a range of services to their members, especially small businesses, including, for example, in the UK, information on business opportunities locally and nationally and, in conjunction with the DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY, export advisory services, export market intelligence, etc. See also BUSINESS LINK.
Chancellor of the Exchequer the UK government official heading the TREASURY whose main responsibility is the formulation and implementation of the government’s economic policy.
Chancellors of the Exchequer since 1970:
A. Barber 1970–74 (Conservative);
D. Healey 1974–79 (Labour);
G. Howe 1979–83 (Conservative);
N. Lawson 1983–89 (Conservative);
J. Major 1989–90 (Conservative);
N. Lamont 1990–93 (Conservative);
K. Clarke 1993–97 (Conservative) and
G. Brown 1997–to date (Labour).
change in demand see DEMAND CURVE (SHIFT IN).
change in supply see SUPPLY CURVE (SHIFT IN).
channel see DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
cheap money a government policy whereby the CENTRAL BANK is authorized to purchase government BONDS on the open market to facilitate an increase in the MONEY SUPPLY (see MONETARY POLICY).
The increase in money supply serves to reduce INTEREST RATES, which encourages INVESTMENT because previously unprofitable investments now become profitable as a result of the reduced cost of borrowing (see MARGINAL EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL/INVESTMENT).
Cheap money policy, through MONEY SUPPLY/SPENDING LINKAGES, increases AGGREGATE DEMAND. Compare TIGHT MONEY. See LIQUIDITY TRAP.
cheque a means of transferring or withdrawing money from a BANK or BUILDING SOCIETY current account. In the former case, the drawer of a cheque creates a written instruction to his or her bank or building society to transfer funds to some other person’s or company’s bank or building society account (the ‘payee’). In the latter case, money may be withdrawn in cash by a person or company writing out a cheque payable to themselves. Cheques may be ‘open’, in which case they may be used to draw cash, or ‘crossed’ with two parallel lines, in which case they cannot be presented for cash but must be paid into the account of the payee. See COMMERCIAL BANK.
cheque card see COMMERCIAL BANK.
Chicago school a group of economists at Chicago University, most notable of whom is Milton FRIEDMAN, who have adopted and refined the QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY, arguing the need for governments to control the growth of the MONEY SUPPLY over the long term. Within the broad parameters set by stable money growth, the Chicago school stresses the importance of the market system as an allocative mechanism, leaving consumers free to make economic decisions with minimal government interference. See MONETARISM.
Chinese wall the segregation of the stockbroking, jobbing (see MARKET MAKER), fund management, etc., activities of a financial institution in order to protect the interest of its clients. For example, the same institution could be responsible for making a market in a particular financial security while at the same time offering investment advice to clients to purchase this security, with the danger that the advice given will not be impartial. See CITY CODE.
choice the necessity for CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMIES and PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMIES to have to choose which goods and services to produce and in what quantities, arising from the relative SCARCITY of economic resources (FACTORS OF PRODUCTION) available to produce those goods and services. See ECONOMICS, PREFERENCES.
c.l.f.abbrev. for cost-insurance-freight, i.e. charges that are incurred in transporting imports and exports of goods from one country to another. In BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS terms, c.i.f. charges are added to the basic prices of imports and exports of goods in order to compute the total foreign currency flows involved. See F.O.B.
circular flow of national income model a simplified exposition of money and physical or real flows through the economy that serves as the basis for macroeconomic analysis. In Fig. 22 (a) the solid lines show how, in monetary terms, HOUSEHOLDS purchase goods and services from BUSINESSES using income received from supplying factor inputs to businesses (CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE). In physical terms (shown by the broken lines), businesses produce goods and services using factor inputs supplied to them by households.
The basic model can be developed to incorporate a number of ‘INJECTIONS’ to, and ‘WITHDRAWALS’ from, the income flow. In Fig. 22 (b), not all the income received by households is spent – some is saved, SAVINGS is a ‘withdrawal’ from the income flow. INVESTMENT expenditure ‘injects’ funds into the income flow. Part of the income accruing to households is taxed by the government and serves to reduce disposable income available for consumption expenditure. TAXATION is a ‘withdrawal’ from the income flow. GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE on products and factor inputs ‘injects’ funds into the income flow. Households spend some of their income on imported goods and services. IMPORTS are a ‘withdrawal’ from the income flow. On the other hand, some output is sold to overseas customers. EXPORTS represent a demand for domestically produced goods and services and hence constitute an ‘injection’ into the income flow. See also AGGREGATE DEMAND, EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
Fig. 22 Circular flow of national income model. (a) The basic model of the relationship between money flows and physical flows. (b) A more complex model, incorporating injections to and withdrawals from the income flow.
City code a regulatory system operated voluntarily by interested parties to the UK STOCK EXCHANGE that lays down ‘rules of good conduct’ governing the tactics and procedures used in TAKEOVER BIDS and MERGERS. The general purpose of the code is to ensure that all SHAREHOLDERS (both the shareholders of the firm planning the takeover and those of the target firm) are treated equitably, and that the parties City (of London) involved in arranging a takeover bid do not abuse privileged ‘insider’ information, or misuse such tactics as CONCERT PARTIES, DAWN RAIDS and CHINESE WALLS.
The City code is administered by the City Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, which is responsible for formulating rules of practice and for investigating suspected cases of malpractice. See also INSIDER TRADING.
City (of London) the centre of the UK’s FINANCIAL SYSTEM, embracing the MONEY MARKETS (commercial banks, etc.), CAPITAL MARKET (STOCK EXCHANGE), FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET, COMMODITY MARKETS and INSURANCE MARKETS. The City of London is also a major international financial centre and earns Britain substantial amounts of foreign exchange on exports of financial services.
City Panel on Takeovers and Mergers see CITY CODE.
claimant count unemployment measure a UK measure of UNEMPLOYMENT that is based on the number of people claiming unemployment-related benefits (see JOBSEEKERS ALLOWANCE) at job centre offices. The unemployment rate is then expressed as a percentage of ‘workforce jobs’ (the number of persons recorded as being in full-time and part-time employment) plus claimant unemployment. In 2004 (third quarter) the unemployment rate was calculated at 2.7% using this measure. Compare INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION UNEMPLOYMENT MEASURE. See REGISTERED UNEMPLOYMENT.
classical economics a school of thought or a set of economic ideas based on the writings of SMITH, RICARDO, MILL, etc., which dominated economic thinking until about 1870, when the ‘marginalist revolution’ occurred.
The classical economists saw the essence of the economic problem as one of producing and distributing the economic wealth created between landowners, labour and capitalists; and were concerned to show how the interplay of separate decisions by workers and capitalists could be harmonized through the market system to generate economic wealth. Their belief in the power of market forces led them to support LAISSEZ-FAIRE, and they also supported the idea of FREE TRADE between nations. After about 1870, classical economic ideas receded as the emphasis shifted to what has become known as NEOCLASSICAL ECONOMIC ANALYSIS, embodying marginalist concepts.
Classical economists denied any possibility of UNEMPLOYMENT caused by deficient AGGREGATE DEMAND, arguing that market forces would operate to keep aggregate demand and POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT in balance (SAY’S LAW). Specifically, they argued that business recessions would cause interest rates to fall under the pressure of accumulating savings, so encouraging businesses to borrow and invest more, and would cause wage rates to fall under the pressure of rising unemployment, so encouraging businessmen to employ more workers. See LABOUR THEORY OF VALUE, KEYNES, PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMY.
clearing bank see COMMERCIAL BANK.
clearing house system a centralized mechanism for settling indebtedness between financial institutions involved in money transmission and dealers in commodities and financial securities. For example, in the case of UK commercial banking, when a customer of Bank A draws a cheque in favour of a customer of Bank B, and the second customer pays in the cheque to Bank B, then Bank A is indebted to Bank B for the amount of that cheque. There will be many thousands of similar transactions going on day by day, creating indebtedness between all banks. The London Clearing House brings together all these cheques, cross-cancels them and determines at the end of each day any net indebtedness between the banks. This net indebtedness is then settled by transferring balances held by the COMMERCIAL BANKS at the CENTRAL BANK (BANK OF ENGLAND).
A similar ‘clearing’ function is performed in the commodities and financial securities market by, for example, the International Commodities Clearing House and the London Financial Futures Exchange. See STOCK EXCHANGE, FUTURES MARKET, COMMODITY MARKET.
closed economy an economy that is not influenced by any form of INTERNATIONAL TRADE, that is, there are no EXPORTS or IMPORTS of any kind. By concentrating on a closed economy, it is possible to simplify the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL and focus upon income and expenditure within an economy.
In terms of the circular flow, AGGREGATE DEMAND in a closed economy is represented by:
By contrast, the OPEN ECONOMY allows for the influence of imports and exports and here aggregate demand is represented in the circular flow as:
closed shop a requirement that all employees in a given workplace or ORGANIZATION be members of a specified TRADE UNION. Closed shops are often imposed by powerful trade unions as a means of restricting the supply of labour and maintaining high wage rates for members. See SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS.
club principle a means of allocating the common overhead costs incurred in providing a good or service to each individual consumer. For example, residents may create a club to arrange for the resurfacing of a private road. See COLLECTIVE PRODUCTS, FREE-RIDER.
clusters geographically proximate groups of interconnected companies, suppliers, service producers and associated institutions, linked by commodities and complementarities. Michael Porter identified clusters as being vital for competitiveness insofar as they improve productivity and flexibility, aid innovation and contribute to new business formation. Porter noted that national economics tend to specialise in certain industrial clusters and that if these clusters are internationally competitive then their export performance will be good. See COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE OF COUNTRIES, EXTERNAL ECONOMIES OF SCALE.
Coase theorem see TRANSACTION COSTS.
Cobb-Douglas production function a particular physical relationship between OUTPUT of products and FACTOR INPUTS (LABOUR and CAPITAL) used to produce these outputs. This particular form of the PRODUCTION FUNCTION suggests that where there is effective competition in factor markets the ELASTICITY OF TECHNICAL SUBSTITUTION between labour and capital will be equal to one; that is, labour can be substituted for capital in any given proportions, and vice-versa, without affecting output.
The Cobb-Douglas production function suggests that the share of labour input and the share of capital input are relative constants in an economy, so that although labour and capital inputs may change in absolute terms, the relative share between the two inputs remains constant. See PRODUCTION POSSIBILITY BOUNDARY, CAPITAL-LABOUR RATIO, PRODUCTION FUNCTION, CAPITAL-INTENSIVE FIRM/INDUSTRY, ISOQUANT CURVE, ISOQUANT MAP.
cobweb theorem a theory designed to explain the path followed in moving toward an equilibrium situation when there are lags in the adjustment of either SUPPLY or DEMAND to changes in prices, COMPARATIVE STATIC EQUILIBRIUM ANALYSIS predicts the effect of demand or supply changes by comparing the original equilibrium price and quantity with the new equilibrium that results. The cobweb theorem focuses upon the dynamic process of adjustment in markets by tracing the path of adjustment of prices and output in moving from one equilibrium situation toward another (see DYNAMIC ANALYSIS).
Fig. 23 Cobweb theorem. See entry.
The cobweb theorem is generally used to describe oscillations in prices in agricultural markets where the delay between, for example, planting and harvesting means that supply reacts to prices with a time lag. The simplest case where current quantity demanded responds to current price while current quantity supplied depends upon price in the previous period is depicted in Fig. 23. In the figure, D
denotes quantity demanded in the current period, S
, denotes quantity supplied, while price is denoted by P
, and price in the previous period is denoted by P
. If demand were to fall rapidly, such that the demand curve shifted left from D
to D
, then comparative static analysis suggests that the market will eventually move from equilibrium point E (with price OP
and quantity OQ
) to equilibrium point E
(with price OP
and quantity OQ
). Dynamic analysis suggest that the path followed will be less direct than this.
Starting from the original equilibrium price OP
, which has prevailed in years t–1 and t, farmers will have planned to produce quantity OQ
. However, after the contraction in demand in year t, supply will exceed demand by QQ
, and in order to sell all the quantity OQ
coming on to the market, price has to fall to OP
. The lower price OP
, which prevails in year t, will discourage farmers from producing and they will reduce acreage devoted to this crop so that in the next year t + 1 a much smaller quantity OQ
is supplied.
In year t + 1, and at price OP
, demand now exceeds supply by the amount Q
Q
, and in order to ration the limited supply OQ
that is available, price will rise to OP
. This higher price in year t + 1 will encourage farmers to increase their acreage planted so that in the following year t + 2, a larger quantity OQ
will be supplied, which means that in year t + 2 supply exceeds demand and price will fall below OP
, which will discourage planting for the following year, and so on. The eventual result of this process of adjustment is that a new equilibrium is achieved at E
but only after a series of fluctuating prices in intermediate periods are experienced. See AGRICULTURAL POLICY.
coin the metallic CURRENCY that forms part of a country’s MONEY SUPPLY. Various metals have been used for coinage purposes. Formerly, gold and silver were commonly used but these have now been replaced in most countries by copper, brass and nickel. Coins in the main constitute the ‘low value’ part of the money supply. See MINT, LEGAL TENDER.
collateral security the ASSETS pledged by a BORROWER as security for a LOAN, for example, the title deeds of a house. In the event of the borrower defaulting on the loan, the LENDER can claim these assets in lieu of the sum owed. See DEBT, DEBTOR.
collective bargaining the negotiation of PAY, conditions of employment, etc., by representatives of the labour force (usually trade union officials) and management. Collective bargaining agreements are negotiated at a number of different levels, ranging from local union branches and a single factory to general unions and an entire industry.
Increasingly, plant- and company-level collective bargaining has dealt with PRODUCTIVITY as well as wages and conditions, with trade unions and the workforce offering to relax RESTRICTIVE LABOUR PRACTICES in return for improved wages and conditions. Such relaxations allow the firm to utilize labour more efficiently and flexibly, helping to improve the competitiveness of the firm.
Industry-wide bargaining can have inflationary consequences when trade unions use comparability arguments for wage increases with high percentage wage increases in industries that have experienced large productivity gains being extended on comparability grounds to other industries where the increases are not entirely justified on efficiency grounds. The selective use of comparability arguments for wage increases and pressures to maintain traditional WAGE DIFFERENTIALS can lead to COST-PUSH INFLATION. See TRADE UNION, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, INDUSTRIAL DISPUTE.
collective products any goods or services that cannot be provided other than on a group basis because the quantity supplied to any one individual cannot be independently varied. Such products are non-excludable since it is difficult or impossible to exclude any individual from enjoying their benefits, for example, television airwave transmissions. Such products are also non-rival, insofar as one person’s consumption of the product does not affect the consumption opportunities of anyone else. It is virtually impossible to get consumers to reveal their preferences regarding collective goods because rational consumers will attempt to become FREE-RIDERS, each understating his demand in the hope of avoiding his share of the cost without affecting the quantity he obtains. Consequently, such products cannot be marketed in the conventional way and we cannot use market prices to value them. Many goods and services supplied by government are of a collective nature, for example, national defence and police protection, and here government decides on the amounts of such products to provide and compels individuals to pay for them through taxation. See MARKET FAILURE, CLUB PRINCIPLE, SOCIAL PRODUCTS.
collectivism see CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY.
collusion a form of INTERFIRM CONDUCT pattern in which firms arrive at an agreement or ‘understanding’ covering their market actions. Successful collusion requires the acceptance of a common objective for all firms (for example, JOINT-PROFIT MAXIMIZATION) and the suppression of behaviour inconsistent with the achievement of this goal (for example, price competition). Collusion may be either overt or tacit. Overt collusion usually takes the form of either an express agreement in writing or an express oral agreement arrived at through direct consultation between the firms concerned. Alternatively, collusion may take the form of an ‘unspoken understanding’ arrived at through firms’ repeated experiences with each other’s behaviour over time.
The purpose of collusion may be jointly to monopolize the supply of a product in order to extract MONOPOLY profits, or it may be a ‘defensive’ response to poor trading conditions, seeking to prevent prices from dropping to uneconomic levels. Because, however, of its generally adverse effects on market efficiency (cushioning inefficient, high-cost suppliers) and because it deprives buyers of the benefits of competition (particularly lower prices), collusion is either prohibited outright by COMPETITION POLICY or permitted to continue only in exceptional circumstances.
In the UK, under the COMPETITION ACT 1998, collusion in the form of an ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT is prohibited outright. Previously, under the RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES ACT, such agreements were allowed to continue, providing ‘net economic benefit’ could be established. See CARTEL, RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT, ANTICOMPETITIVE AGREEMENT, OLIGOPOLY, DUOPOLY, INFORMATION AGREEMENT, RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.
collusive duopoly see DUOPOLY.
command economy see CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY.
commercial bankorclearing bank a BANK that accepts deposits of money from customers and provides them with a payments transmission service (CHEQUES), together with saving and loan facilities.
Commercial banking in the UK is conducted on the basis of an interlocking ‘branch’ network system that caters for local and regional needs as well as allowing the major banks, such as Barclays and NatWest, to cover the national market. Increasingly, the leading banks have globalized their operations to provide traditional banking services to international companies as well as diversifying into a range of related financial services such as the provision of MORTGAGES, INSURANCE and UNIT TRUST investment and SHARE PURCHASE/SALE.
Bank deposits are of two types:
(a) sight deposits, or current account deposits, which are withdrawable on demand and which are used by depositors to finance day-to-day personal and business transactions as well as to pay regular commitments such as instalment credit repayments. Most banks now pay interest on outstanding current account balances;
(b) time deposits, or deposit accounts, which are usually withdrawable subject to some notice being given to the bank and which are held as a form of personal and corporate saving and to finance irregular, ‘one-off’ payments. Interest is payable on deposit accounts, normally at rates above those paid on current accounts, in order to encourage clients to deposit money for longer periods of time, thereby providing the bank with a more stable financial base.
Customers requiring to draw on their bank deposits may do so in a number of ways: direct cash withdrawals are still popular and have been augmented by the use of cheque/cash cards for greater convenience (i.e. cheque/cash cards can be used to draw cash from a dispensing machine outside normal business hours). However, the greater proportion of banking transactions is undertaken by cheque and CREDIT CARD payments and by such facilities as standing orders and direct debits. Payment by cheque is the commonest form of non-cash payment involving the drawer detailing the person or business to receive payment and authorizing his bank to make payment by signing the cheque, with the recipient then depositing the cheque with his own bank. Cheques are ‘cleared’ through an inter-bank CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM, with customers’ accounts being debited and credited as appropriate (see also BACS). Credit cards enable a client of the bank to make a number of individual purchases of goods and services on CREDIT over a particular period of time, which are then settled by a single debit to the person’s current account or, alternatively, paid off on a loan basis (see below).
Under a standing order arrangement, a depositor instructs his bank to pay from his account a regular fixed sum of money into the account of a person or firm he is indebted to, again involving the respective debiting and crediting of the two accounts concerned. In the case of a direct debit, the customer authorizes the person or firm to whom he is indebted to arrange with his bank for the required regular payment to be transferred from his account.
Commercial banks make loans to personal borrowers to finance the purchase of a variety of products, while they are a major source of WORKING CAPITAL finance for businesses covering the purchase of short-term assets such as materials and components and the financing of work-in-progress and the stockholding of final products. Loans may be for a specified amount and may be made available for fixed periods of time at agreed rates of interest, or may take the form of an overdraft facility, where the person or firm can borrow as much as is required up to a pre-arranged total amount and is charged interest on outstanding balances.
A commercial bank has the dual objective of being able to meet currency withdrawals on demand and of putting its funds to profitable use. This influences the pattern of its asset holdings; a proportion of its funds are held in a highly liquid form (the RESERVE ASSET RATIO), including TILL MONEY, BALANCES WITH THE BANK OF ENGLAND, CALL MONEY with the DISCOUNT MARKET, BILLS OF EXCHANGE and TREASURY BILLS. These liquid assets enable the bank to meet any immediate cash requirements that its customers might make, thereby preserving public confidence in the bank as a safe repository for deposits. The remainder of the bank’s funds are used to earn profits from portfolio investments in public sector securities and fixed-interest corporate securities, together with loans and overdrafts.
In recent times, the commercial banks have been markedly affected by changes introduced by the FINANCIAL SERVICES ACT 1986, which has allowed other financial institutions to set themselves up as ‘financial supermarkets’, offering customers a banking service and a wide range of personal financial products, including insurance, mortgages, personal pensions, unit trusts and individual savings accounts (ISAs), etc. This development has introduced a powerful new competitive impetus into the financial services industry, breaking down traditional ‘demarcation’ boundaries in respect of ‘who does what’, allowing banks to ‘cross-sell’ these services and products in competition with traditional providers such as the BUILDING SOCIETIES, INSURANCE COMPANIES, UNIT TRUSTS, etc.
This and other developments (in particular, the globalization of investment banking) have in turn caused a number of structural changes. Intra- and inter-takeovers-mergers have occurred (e.g. the Lloyds-TSB Banks’ tie-up and their takeover of the Cheltenham and Gloucester building society); foreign banks have increasingly moved into the UK through either takeover (e.g. Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corp’s takeover of the Midland Bank and Deutsche Bank’s acquisition of the Morgan Grenfell investment house) or by setting up local offices; building societies such as the Abbey National, Woolwich and Halifax have converted themselves into banks. Direct banking services (via the telephone and the internet) have increasingly taken market share away from traditional branch networks. This has led to pressure on banks to cut costs by reducing the number of their branches. Another notable development has been the rapid rise in ATMs (AUTOMATIC TELLER MACHINES, referred to popularly as ‘hole in the wall’ machines).
The commercial banks play a unique role in a country’s monetary system through their capacity to engage in multiple BANK DEPOSIT CREATION by providing credit through loans and overdrafts. Bank deposits constitute by far the largest single component of the broad MONEY SUPPLY (especially M4) and as such are a crucial target for the application of MONETARY POLICY in controlling the economy. See MONEY SUPPLY DEFINITIONS, BANK OF ENGLAND. See also EFTPOS.
commission 1 payments to AGENTS for performing services on behalf of a seller or buyer. Commissions are usually based on the value of the product being sold or bought. Examples of commissions include salespersons’ commissions, estate agents’ fees and insurance brokers’ commissions. 2 a body that acts as an ‘official’ regulatory or administrative authority with respect to a specified activity. For example, the COMPETITION COMMISSION hears cases of monopolies, mergers and anti-competitive practices referred to it by the Office of Fair Trading under UK competition policy. The European Commission is the main body responsible for the day-to-day administration of the affairs of the EUROPEAN UNION.
commodity 1 see GOODS. 2 raw materials rather than goods in general: for example, tea, coffee, iron ore, aluminium, etc.
commodity broker a dealer in raw materials. See COMMODITY MARKET.
commodity market a market for the buying and selling of agricultural produce and minerals such as coffee and tin. Commodity business is conducted through various international commodity exchanges, some of the more prominent ones being based in London, for example the London Metal Exchange and the London International Financial Futures Exchange.
Commodity markets provide an organizational framework for the establishment of market prices and ‘clearing’ deals between buyers and sellers (see CLEARING HOUSE SYSTEM). Commodity dealers and brokers act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers wishing to conclude immediate spot transactions (see SPOT MARKET) or to buy or sell forward (see FUTURES MARKET).
commodity money products that can be used as a means of payment (see MONEY) but which are valuable in their own right, for example, cigarettes or alcoholic drinks. Commodity money is generally only used as a means of payment if confidence in money falls as a result of, say, rapid INFLATION.
Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) the policy of the EUROPEAN UNION (EU) for assisting the farm sector. The main aims of the CAP are fair living standards for farmers and an improvement in agricultural efficiency (see AGRICULTURAL POLICY).
The CAP is administered by the European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund, with major policy and operational decisions (e.g. the fixing of annual farm prices) residing in the hands of the Council of Ministers of the EU. The farm sector is assisted in four main ways:
(a) around 70–75% of EU farm produce benefits directly from the operation of a PRICE-SUPPORT system that maintains EU farm prices at levels in excess of world market prices. The prices of milk, cereals, butter, sugar, pork, beef, veal, certain fruits and vegetables and table wine are fixed annually and, once determined, are then maintained at this level by support-buying of output that is not bought in the market. MONETARY COMPENSATION AMOUNTS are used to convert the common price for each product into national currencies and to realign prices when the exchange rates of members’ currencies change;
(b) variable TARIFF rates are used to increase import prices to internal price-support levels in the cases of the products referred to above, thus ensuring that EU output is fully competitive. The 25% of EU farm produce that is not subject to direct price-support relies entirely on tariff protection to maintain high domestic prices;
(c) EXPORT SUBSIDIES are used to enable EU farmers to lower their export prices and thus compete successfully in world markets;
(d) grants are given to facilitate farm modernization and improvements as a means of improving agricultural efficiency.
The CAP is the largest single component of the EU’s total budget. In 2003 it accounted for 45% of total EU spending. Over 90% of the CAP’s budget in recent years has been spent on price-support and export subsidies.
Although the CAP can claim a number of successes, most notably the attainment of EU self-sufficiency in many food products, critics complain it has many drawbacks: consumers lose out because they are required to pay unnecessarily high prices for food products; resources are misallocated because inefficient, high-cost farmers are overprotected, and too little of the CAP’s resources are devoted to long-term structural reform and modernization of the sector; artificially high prices supported by intervention buying encourage gross overproduction and results in large surpluses (‘mountains’) of produce that are expensive to stockpile and difficult to sell off; subsidized exports from the EU can depress world farm prices, making life even more difficult for the less developed countries, many of which (specifically non-LOMÉ AGREEMENT countries) had already been hard hit by the trade diversionary effects of the EU (see TRADE DIVERSION).
However, the CAP has become less protectionist as a result of the ‘Uruguay Round’ of trade concessions (see WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION). The EU committed itself (over a six-year period starting in 1995) to reduce its import levies by 36%, reduce its domestic subsidies by 20%, and reduce its export subsidies by 36%. Further reductions are currently being negotiated as part of the ‘Doha Round’. See INCOME SUPPORT.
common currency see EURO.
common external tariff see CUSTOMS UNION, COMMON MARKET.
common law the body of law built up over many years as a result of previous court decisions interpreting legislation. These establish legal precedents that then need to be followed consistently in subsequent court cases. Compare STATUTE LAW.
common market a form of TRADE INTEGRATION between a number of countries in which members eliminate all trade barriers (TARIFFS, etc.) amongst themselves on goods and services and establish a uniform set of barriers against trade with the rest of the world, in particular, a common external tariff (see CUSTOMS UNION). In addition, a common market provides for the free movement of labour and capital across national boundaries. The aim of a common market is to secure the benefits of international SPECIALIZATION, thereby improving members’ real living standards.
The short- and medium-term impact of the formation of a common market is mainly felt through an increase in trade between member countries. TRADE CREATION is typically associated with a reallocation of resources within the market favouring least-cost supply locations and a reduction in prices resulting from the elimination of tariffs and lower production costs. (See GAINS FROM TRADE.)
In addition, a common market can be expected to promote longer-term (dynamic) changes conducive to economic efficiency through:
(a) COMPETITION. The removal of tariffs, etc., can be expected to widen the area of effective competition; high-cost producers are eliminated, while efficient and progressive suppliers are able to exploit new market opportunities;
(b) ECONOMIES OF SCALE. A larger ‘home’ market enables firms to take advantage of economies of large-scale production and distribution, thereby lowering supply costs and enhancing COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE;
(c) TECHNOLOGICAL PROGRESSIVENESS. Wider market opportunities and exposure to greater competition can be expected to encourage firms to invest and innovate new techniques and products;
(d) INVESTMENT and ECONOMIC GROWTH. Finally, the virtuous circle of rising income per head, growing trade, increased productive efficiency and investment may be expected to combine to produce higher growth rates and real standards of living.
The EUROPEAN UNION is one example of a common market. See ANDEAN PACT.
communism a political and economic doctrine that advocates that the state should own all property and organize all the functions of PRODUCTION and EXCHANGE, including LABOUR. Karl MARX succinctly stated his idea of communism as ‘from each according to his ability, to each according to his needs’. Communism involves a CENTRALLY PLANNED ECONOMY where strategic decisions concerning production and distribution are taken by government as opposed to being determined by the PRICE SYSTEM, as in a market-based PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMY. China still organizes its economy along communist lines, but in recent years Russia and other former Soviet Union countries and various East European countries have moved away from communism to more market-based economies.
community charge see LOCAL TAX.
company see FIRM.
company formation the process of forming a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY, which involves a number of steps:
(a) the drawing up of a MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION;
(b) the preparation of ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION;
(c) application to the COMPANY REGISTRAR for a CERTIFICATE OF INCORPORATION;
(d) the issue of SHARE CAPITAL;
(e) the commencement of trading.
company laws a body of legislation providing for the regulation of JOINT-STOCK COMPANIES. British company law encouraged the development of joint-stock companies by establishing the principle of LIMITED LIABILITY and providing for the protection of SHAREHOLDERS’ interests by controlling the formation and financing of companies. The major provisions of UK company law are the 1948, 1976 and 1989 Companies Acts. See ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION, MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION, FIRM.
company registrar the officer of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY who is responsible for maintaining an up-to-date SHARE REGISTER and for issuing new SHARE CERTIFICATES and cancelling old share certificates as shares are bought and sold on the STOCK EXCHANGE. Many companies, however, have chosen to subcontract these tasks to specialist institutions, often departments of commercial banks.
The role of the company registrar identified above should not be confused with that of the role of the government’s REGISTRAR OF COMPANIES, who is responsible for supervising all joint-stock companies.
comparability an approach to WAGE determination in which levels or increases in wages for a particular group of workers or for an industry are sought or offered through COLLECTIVE BARGAINING, which maintains a relationship to those for other occupations or industries. Comparability can lead to COST-PUSH INFLATION.
Fig. 24 Comparative advantage. The physical output of X and Y from a given factor input, and the opportunity cost of X in terms of Y. The opportunity cost of producing one more unit of X is 1Y in country A, and ⅔Y in country B. The opportunity cost of producing one more unit of Y is 1X in country A, and 1½X in country B.
comparative advantage the advantage possessed by a country engaged in INTERNATIONAL TRADE if it can produce a given good at a lower resource input cost than other countries. Also called comparative cost principle. This proposition is illustrated in Fig. 24 with respect to two countries (A and B) and two GOODS (X and Y).
The same given resource input in both countries enables them to produce either the quantity of Good X or the quantity of Good Y indicated in Fig. 24. It can be seen that Country B is absolutely more efficient than Country A since it can produce more of both goods. However, it is comparative advantage not ABSOLUTE ADVANTAGE that determines whether trade is beneficial or not. Comparative advantage arises because the marginal OPPORTUNITY COSTS of one good in terms of the other differ as between countries (see HECKSCHER-OHLIN FACTOR PROPORTIONS THEORY).
It can be seen that Country B has a comparative advantage in the production of Good X for it is able to produce it at a lower factor cost than Country A; the resource or opportunity cost of producing an additional unit of X is only ⅔ Y in Country B, whereas in Country A it is 1Y.
Country A has a comparative advantage in the production of Good Y for it is able to produce it at lower factor cost than Country B; the resource or opportunity cost of producing an additional unit of Y is only 1X, whereas in Country B it is 1½X.
Both countries, therefore, stand to increase their economic welfare if they specialize (see SPECIALIZATION) in the production of the good in which they have a comparative advantage (see GAINS FROM TRADE for an illustration of this important proposition). The extent to which each will benefit from trade will depend upon the real terms of trade at which they agree to exchange X andY.
A basic assumption of this presentation is that factor endowments, and hence comparative advantages, are ‘fixed’. Dynamically, however, comparative advantage may well change. It may do so in response to a number of influences, including:
(a) the initiation by a country’s government of structural programmes leading to resource redeployment. For example, a country that seemingly has a comparative advantage in the supply of primary products such as cotton and wheat may nevertheless abandon or de-emphasize it in favour of a drive towards industrialization and the establishment of comparative advantage in higher value-added manufactured goods;
(b) international capital movements and technology transfer, and relocation of production by MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES. For example, Malaysia developed a comparative advantage in the production of natural rubber only after UK entrepreneurs established and invested in rubber-tree plantations there. See COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE (OF COUNTRIES).
comparative cost principle see COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE.
comparative static equilibrium analysis a method of economic analysis that compares the differences between two or more equilibrium states that result from changes in EXOGENOUS VARIABLES. Consider, for example, the effect of a change in export demand on the EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME as shown in Fig. 25. Assume that foreigners demand more of the country’s products. Exports rise and the aggregate demand schedule shifts upwards to a new level (AD
), resulting in the establishment of a new equilibrium level of national income Y
(at point H). The effect of the increase in exports can then be measured by comparing the original level of national income with that of the new level of national income. See DYNAMIC ANALYSIS, EQUILIBRIUM MARKET PRICE (CHANGES IN).
compensation principle see WELFARE ECONOMICS.
competition 1 a form of MARKET STRUCTURE in which the number of firms supplying the market is used to indicate the type of market it is, e.g. PERFECT COMPETITION (many small competitors), OLIGOPOLY (a few large competitors). 2 a process whereby firms strive against each other to secure customers for their products, i.e. the active rivalry of firms for customers, using price variations, PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION strategies, etc. From a wider public interest angle, the nature and strength of competition has an important effect on MARKET PERFORMANCE and hence is of particular relevance to the application of COMPETITION POLICY. See COMPETITION METHODS, MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, MONOPOLY.
Fig. 25 Comparative static equilibrium analysis. The initial level of national income is Y
(at point A) where the AGGREGATE DEMAND SCHEDULE (AD
) intersects the AGGREGATE SUPPLY SCHEDULE (AS).
Competition Act 1980 a UK Act that extended UK COMPETITION LAW by giving the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) wider powers to deal with restraints on competition such as EXCLUSIVE DEALING, TIE-IN SALES, etc. Previously, these practices could be dealt with only in the context of a full-scale and lengthy monopoly probe, whereas the Act now allows the OFT to deal with them on a separate one-off basis. See COMPETITION POLICY (UK).
Competition Act 1998 a UK Act that consolidated existing competition laws but also contained new prohibitions, powers of investigation and penalties for infringements of the Act. The Act is designed to bring UK competition law into line with European Union competition law as currently enshrined in Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty of Rome.
The Act covers two key areas of competition policy: anti-competitive agreements and market dominance.
(a) The Act prohibits outright agreements between firms (i.e. COLLUSION) and CONCERTED PRACTICES that prevent, restrict or distort competition within the UK (the Chapter 1 prohibition). This prohibition applies to both formal and informal agreements, whether oral or in writing, and covers agreements that contain provisions to jointly fix prices and terms and conditions of sale; to limit or control production, markets, technical development or investment; and to share markets or supply sources.
(b) The Act prohibits the ‘abuse’ of a ‘dominant position’ within the UK (the Chapter 2 prohibition). The Act specifies dominance as a situation where a supplier ‘can act independently of its competitors and customers’. As a general rule, a dominant position is defined as one where a supplier possesses a market share of 40% or above. Examples of ‘abuse’ of a dominant position specified in the Act include charging ‘excessive’ prices, imposing restrictive terms and conditions of sale to the prejudice of consumers and limiting production, markets and technical development to the prejudice of consumers.
The Act established a new regulatory authority, the COMPETITION COMMISSION, that took over the responsibilities previously undertaken by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission and the Restrictive Practices Court. Under the Act, the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) has the power to refer dominant firm cases and cases of suspected illegal collusion to the Competition Commission for investigation and report.
The Act gives the OFT wide-ranging powers to uncover malpractices. For example, if there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that firms are operating an illegal agreement, OFT officials can mount a ‘dawn raid’ – ‘entering business premises, using reasonable force where necessary, and search for incriminating documents’. The Act also introduces stiff new financial penalties. Firms found to have infringed either prohibitions may be liable to a financial penalty of up to 10% of their annual turnover in the UK (up to a maximum of three years). See COMPETITION POLICY, COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), ANTICOMPETITIVE AGREEMENT, RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT.
Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT) a body established by the ENTERPRISE ACT 2002 to hear appeals in regard to ‘disputed’ merger cases. The OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING has the power to refer proposed mergers and takeovers to the COMPETITION COMMISSION for investigation if it believes that the merger/takeover would ‘substantially lessen competition’. If, in the OFT’s view, this is not the case, it can allow the merger/takeover to go ahead without reference. This is where the CAT comes in. An interested party (e.g. a competitor of the companies involved in the merger) may ‘appeal’ to the CAT that the OFT decision not to refer is ‘wrong’. The task of the CAT is to arbitrate and decide if there is indeed a case for reference and can ‘order’ a reference to the Competition Commission if it sees fit.
Competition Commission (CC) a regulatory body established by the COMPETITION ACT 1998 that was originally set up in 1948 as the Monopolies Commission (1948–65), then the Monopolies and Mergers Commission (1965–98) and that is responsible for the implementation of UK COMPETITION POLICY. The basic task of the Commission is to investigate and report on cases of MONOPOLY/MARKET DOMINANCE, MERGER/TAKEOVER and ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES referred to it by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) to determine whether or not they unduly remove or restrict competition, thus producing harmful economic effects (i.e. economic results that operate against the ‘public interest’). The Commission is also required by the OFT to investigate cases of ‘illegal’ collusion between suppliers, i.e. cases where the OFT has good reason to suspect that an ANTICOMPETITIVE AGREEMENT/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENT prohibited by the Competition Act 1998 is continuing to be operated ‘in secret’. (This task was formerly undertaken by the RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.)
Under UK COMPETITION LAW, monopoly/market dominance is defined as a situation where at least 40% of a reference good or service is supplied by one firm or a number of suppliers who restrict competition between themselves (CONCERTED PRACTICE or COMPLEX MONOPOLY situation). Mergers and takeovers fall within the scope of the legislation where the market share of the combined business exceeds 25% of the reference good or service or where the value of assets being merged or taken over exceeds £70 million. Anti-competitive practices are those that distort, restrict or eliminate competition in a market.
Cases referred to the Competition Commission are evaluated nowadays primarily in terms of whether or not the actions of suppliers (MARKET CONDUCT) or changes in the structure of the market (MARKET STRUCTURE) are detrimental to the potency of competition in the market and hence prejudicial to the interests of consumers and other suppliers (the so-called ‘public interest’ criterion found in earlier legislation). In cases of monopoly/market dominance, the Commission scrutinizes the actions of dominant firms for evidence of the ‘abuse’ of market power and invariably condemns predatory pricing policies that result in excessive profits. Practices such as EXCLUSIVE DEALING, AGGREGATED REBATES, TIE-IN SALES and FULL-LINE FORCING, whose main effect is to restrict competition, have been invariably condemned by the Commission, especially when used by a dominant firm to erect BARRIERS TO ENTRY and to undermine the market positions of smaller rivals. A merger or takeover involving the leading firms who already possess large market shares is likely to be considered detrimental. (See MARKET CONCENTRATION.)
In all cases, the Commission has powers only of recommendation. It can recommend, for example, price cuts to remove monopoly profits, the discontinuance of offending practices and the prohibition of anti-competitive mergers, but it is up to the Office of Fair Trading to implement the recommendations, or not, as it sees fit.
competition law a body of legislation providing for the control of monopolies/market dominance, mergers and takeovers, anti-competitive agreements/restrictive trade agreements and anti-competitive practices. UK legislation aimed at controlling ‘abusive’ MARKET CONDUCT by monopolistic firms and firms acting in COLLUSION was first introduced in 1948 (The Monopolies and Restrictive Practices (Inquiry and Control) Act), while powers to control undesirable changes in MARKET STRUCTURE were added in 1965 (The Monopolies and Mergers Act). Other notable legislation concerning the control of collusion were the Restrictive Trade Practice Acts of 1956, 1968 and 1976.
Current competition law in the UK is contained in a number of Acts:
FAIR TRADING ACT 1973
(applying to mergers and takeovers)
COMPETITION ACT 1980
(applying to anti-competitive practices)
COMPETITION ACT 1998
(applying to monopolies/market dominance and anti-competitive agreements/restrictive trade agreements)
RESALE PRICES ACTS 1964, 1976
(applying to resale price maintenance)
ENTERPRISE ACT 2002
(applying to mergers/takeovers and anti-competitive agreements)
These laws are currently administered by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING and the COMPETITION COMMISSION (formerly the MONOPOLIES AND MERGERS COMMISSION). See also RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.
In the EUROPEAN UNION, competition law is enshrined in Articles 85 and 86 of the Treaty of Rome (1958) and the 1980 Merger Regulation. These laws are administered by the European Com-mission’s Competition Directorate. See COMPETITION POLICY, COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), COMPLEX MONOPOLY.
competition methods an element of MARKET CONDUCT that denotes the ways in which firms in a MARKET compete against each other. There are various ways in which firms can compete against each other:
(a) PRICE. Sellers may attempt to secure buyer support by putting their product on offer at a lower price than that of rivals. They must bear in mind, however, that rivals may simply lower their prices also, with the result that all firms finish up with lower profits;
(b) non-price competition, including:
(i) physical PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION. Sellers may attempt to differentiate technically similar products by altering their quality and design, and by improving their performance. All these efforts are intended to secure buyer allegiance by causing buyers to regard these products as in some way ‘better’ than competitive offerings.
(ii) product differentiation via selling techniques. Competition in selling efforts includes media ADVERTISING, general SALES PROMOTION (free trial offers, money-off coupons), personal sales promotion (representatives) and the creation of distribution outlets. These activities are directed at stimulating demand by emphasizing real and imaginary product attributes relative to competitors.
(iii) New BRAND competition. Given dynamic change (advances in technology, changes in consumer tastes), a firm’s existing products stand to become obsolete. A supplier is thus obliged to introduce new brands or to redesign existing ones to remain competitive;
(c) low-cost production as a means of competition. Although cost-effectiveness is not a direct means of competition, it is an essential way to strengthen the market position of a supplier. The ability to reduce costs opens up the possibility of (unmatched) price cuts or allows firms to devote greater financial resources to differentiation activity. See also MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION, OLIGOPOLY, MARKETING MIX, PRODUCT-CHARACTERISTICS MODEL, PRODUCT LIFE-CYCLE.
competition policy a policy concerned with promoting the efficient use of economic resources and protecting the interests of consumers. The objective of competition policy is to secure an optimal MARKET PERFORMANCE: specifically, least-cost supply, ‘fair’ prices and profit levels, technological advance and product improvement. Competition policy covers a number of areas, including the monopolization of a market by a single supplier (MARKET DOMINANCE), the creation of monopoly positions by MERGERS and TAKEOVERS, COLLUSION between sellers and ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES.
Competition policy is implemented mainly through the control of MARKET STRUCTURE and MARKET CONDUCT but also, on occasions, through the direct control of market performance itself (by, for example, the stipulation of maximum levels of profit).
There are two basic approaches to the control of market structure and conduct: the nondiscretionary approach and the discretionary approach. The non-discretionary approach lays down ‘acceptable’ standards of structure and conduct and prohibits outright any transgression of these standards. Typi-cal ingredients of this latter approach include:
(a) the stipulation of maximum permitted market share limits (say, no more than 20% of the market) in order to limit the degree of SELLER CONCENTRATION and prevent the emergence of a monopoly supplier. Thus, for example, under this ruling any proposed merger or takeover that would take the combined group’s market share above the permitted limit would be automatically prohibited;
(b) the outright prohibition of all forms of ‘shared monopoly’ (ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENTS, CARTELS) involving price fixing, market sharing, etc;
(c) the outright prohibition of specific practices designed to reduce or eliminate competition, for example, EXCLUSIVE DEALING, REFUSAL TO SUPPLY, etc.
Thus, the nondiscretionary approach attempts to preserve conditions of WORKABLE COMPETITION by a direct attack on the possession and exercise of monopoly power as such.
By contrast, the discretionary approach takes a more pragmatic line, recognizing that often high levels of seller concentration and certain agreements between firms may serve to improve economic efficiency rather than impair it. It is the essence of the discretionary approach that each situation be judged on its own merits rather than be automatically condemned. Thus, under the discretionary approach, mergers, restrictive agreements and specific practices of the kind noted above are evaluated in terms of their possible benefits and detriments. If, on balance, they would appear to be detrimental, then, and only then, are they prohibited.
The USA by and large operates the nondiscretionary approach; the UK has a history of preferring the discretionary approach, while the European Union combines elements of both approaches. See COMPETITION POLICY (UK), COMPETITION POLICY (EU), PUBLIC INTEREST, WILLIAMSON TRADE-OFF MODEL, OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING, COMPETITION COMMISSION, RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT, HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION, VERTICAL INTEGRATION, DIVERSIFICATION, CONCENTRATION MEASURES.
competition policy (EU) covers three main areas of application under European Union’s COMPETITION LAWS:
(a) CARTELS. Articles 85(1) and (2) of the Treaty of Rome prohibit cartel agreements and ‘CONCERTED PRACTICES’ (i.e. formal and informal collusion) between firms, involving price-fixing, limitations on production, technical developments and investment, and market sharing, whose effect is to restrict competition and trade within the European Union (EU). Certain other agreements (for example, those providing for joint technical research and specialization of production) may be exempted from the general prohibition contained in Articles 85(1) and (2), provided they do not restrict inter-state competition and trade;
(b) MONOPOLIES/MARKET DOMINANCE. Article 86 of the Treaty of Rome prohibits the abuse of a dominant position in the supply of a particular product if this serves to restrict competition and trade within the EU. What constitutes ‘abusive’ behaviour is similar to the criteria applied in the UK, namely, actions that are unfair or unreasonable towards customers (e.g. PRICE DISCRIMINATION between EU markets), retailers (e.g. REFUSAL TO SUPPLY) and other suppliers (e.g. selective price cuts to eliminate competitors). Firms found guilty by the European Commission of illegal cartelization and the abuse of a dominant position can be fined up to 10% of their annual sales turnover;
(c) MERGERS/TAKEOVERS. The Commission can investigate mergers involving companies with a combined world-wide turnover of over €5 billion (£3.7 bn) if the aggregate EU-wide turnover of the companies concerned is greater than €250 million. Again, the main aim is to prevent mergers likely adversely to affect competition and trade within the EU.
These thresholds still apply generally, but in 1998 they were reduced to €3.5 billion and €100 million, respectively, for mergers affecting the competitive situation in three (or more) EU countries in cases where the combined turnover of the companies exceed €25 million in each of the three countries.
Generally, where EU competition laws apply, they take precedence over the national competition laws of member countries. However, a subsidiarity provision can be invoked, which permits the competition authority of a member country to request permission from the EU Competition Directorate to investigate a particular dominant firm or merger case if it appears that the ‘European dimension’ is relatively minor compared to its purely local impact.
competition policy (UK) covers six main areas of application under UK COMPETITION LAWS:
(a) MONOPOLIES/MARKET DOMINANCE. The COMPETITION ACT 1998 prohibits actions that constitute the ‘abuse’ of a dominant position in a UK market. The OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING (OFT) is responsible for the referral of selected goods and services monopolies (both private and public sectors) to the COMPETITION COMMISSION for investigation and report and the implementation (where it sees fit) of the Commission’s recommendations.
A dominant position is defined as a situation where one firm controls 40% or more of the ‘reference’ good or service. (Under previous legislation, market dominance was defined in terms of a 25% market share). Abuse consists of acts that are harmful to the interests of consumers and other suppliers, e.g. charging excessive prices to secure monopoly profits and imposing restrictive terms and conditions on the supply of goods (see EXCLUSIVE DEALING, TIE-IN SALES, etc). The term ‘abuse’ can be broadly equated with that of conduct contrary to the ‘public interest’ – the benchmark used in previous legislation.
Defining the ‘reference’ market to establish evidence of market dominance can be problematic since it raises the issue of how widely or narrowly the boundaries of ‘the market’ are to be delineated (see MARKET, MARKET CONCENTRATION). Thus, the drinks market could be divided as between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks, and further divided into sub-markets as between, for example, the various types of alcoholic drink – the beer/lager market, spirits market, wine market, etc. Establishing abuse can also be a ‘grey area’. For example, high prices and profits may be condoned because they reflect exceptional innovation; on the other hand, low profits may not be a sign of effective competition but reflect the fact that the firm is grossly inefficient;
(b) ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENTS/RESTRICTIVE TRADE AGREEMENTS. The Competition Act 1998 prohibits outright agreements between firms (i.e. COLLUSION) and CONCERTED PRACTICES that prevent, restrict or distort competition within the UK. The Office of Fair Trading is responsible for monitoring ‘suspected’ cases of firms operating agreements illegally and can refer them for further investigation by the Competition Commission. The prohibition applies to both formal and informal agreements, whether oral or in writing, and covers agreements that involve joint price-fixing and common terms and conditions of sale, market-sharing and coordination of capacity adjustments, etc. (Under previous legislation it was possible to obtain exemption from prohibition if it could be demonstrated that an agreement conferred ‘net economic benefit’ – see RESTRICTIVE TRADE PRACTICES ACTS, RESTRICTIVE PRACTICES COURT.)
Although anti-competitive agreements are technically illegal, nonetheless there is much evidence that many such agreements have been driven ‘underground’ and are continuing to be operated in secret. This problem has been addressed by the authorities in encouraging ‘whistleblowers’ to come forward and supply them with information about illegal activities and also provisions in the Competition Act 1998 that allow officials to enter business premises without warning and to seize incriminating documentation. Under the ENTERPRISE ACT 2002, participation in illegal agreements has now been made a criminal offence, punishable by imprisonment;
(c) MERGERS AND TAKEOVERS. Originally, under the FAIR TRADING ACT 1973, the Office of Fair Trading (OFT), acting alongside the Secretary of State for Industry, could refer mergers and takeovers to the Competition Com-mission for investigation and report where (1) the combined firms already had or would have had a market share of 25% or over in a ‘reference’ good or service; (2) the value of assets being combined exceeded £70 million. Clause (1) effectively covered horizontal mergers and takeovers (see HORIZONTAL INTEGRATION) and clause (2) vertical and conglomerate mergers and takeovers (see VERTICAL INTEGRATION, DIVERSIFICATION/CONGLOMERATE INTEGRATION). Under the ENTERPRISE ACT 2002, the OFT was given sole responsibility for merger/takeover references but subject to an appeals procedure in disputed cases (see COMPETITION APPEALS TRIBUNAL).
Mergers and takeovers nowadays are mainly evaluated in terms of their likely competitive effects. Unlike in dealing with established monopolies, where past conduct can be scrutinised to establish harmful effects, mergers and takeovers are about the future, and predicting the likely future effects of a merger/takeover is problematic. Faced with this difficulty, the Commission tends to ‘play safe’ and recommend the blocking of most mergers/takeovers that reduce competition by significantly increasing the level of MARKET CONCENTRATION;
(d) RESALE PRICE MAINTENANCE (RPM). Manufacturers’ stipulation of the resale prices of their products is generally prohibited in the UK, although under the RESALE PRICES ACTS it is possible for a manufacturer to obtain exemption by satisfying the Competition Commission that, on balance, RPM confers net economic benefit. The OFT is responsible for monitoring manufacturers’ policies towards retail prices and can take action against ‘suspected’ cases of manufacturers attempting (illegally) to enforce RPM. Manufacturers can, however, take action against retailers who use their products as LOSS LEADERS;
(e) ANTI-COMPETITIVE PRACTICES. Various trade practices, such as EXCLUSIVE DEALING, REFUSAL TO SUPPLY, FULL-LINE FORCING, etc., may be investigated both by the OFT itself and (if necessary) by the Competition Commission, and prohibited if they are found to be unduly restrictive of competition;
(f) CONSUMER PROTECTION. The OFT is also charged with protecting consumers’ interests generally, both by taking action against unscrupulous trade practices, such as false descriptions of goods and weights and measures, denial of proper rights of guarantee to cover defective goods, etc., and by encouraging groups of suppliers to draw up voluntary codes of ‘good’ practice.
Where a particular dominant firm or merger case falls within the competition rules of both the UK and the European Union (see COMPETITION POLICY (EU)), EU law takes precedence. However, a subsidiarity provision can be invoked that permits the OFT to request permission from the EU competition authorities to investigate a particular dominant firm or merger case if it appears that the ‘European dimension’ is relatively minor compared to its purely local impact.
Fig. 26 Competitive advantage (of countries). The Porter ‘diamond’.
competitive advantage (of countries) the resources and capabilities possessed by a country that underpin its competitiveness in international trade (see COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE). Countries per se do not trade – only persons and firms do. Persons and firms may possess their own unique resources and capabilities, which give them a competitive advantage over others. See COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE (OF FIRMS). This can be enhanced by firms being able to contribute, and tap in, to a country’s resources and capabilities. Michael Porter has developed the so-called ‘diamond’ framework, which encapsulates this potential, consisting of four elements: factor endowments, demand conditions, infrastructure and firm strategy/structure/rivalry. See Fig. 26.
A basic starting point is a country’s factor endowments, such as plentiful (i.e. cheap) labour or skilled labour, raw materials and capital stock, together with its underlying scientific and technological infrastructure. With regard to demand conditions, it is not so much the size of the home market (although it is accepted that a large home base may be necessary to underpin economies of scale in lowering supply costs and prices) as its nature that matters. Porter emphasizes the importance of the presence of sophisticated and demanding buyers in stimulating the innovation and introduction of new products capable of being ‘transferred’ into global markets. The category of ‘related and supporting industries’ provides an important bedrock for competitive success through a network of suppliers and commercial infrastructure (see CLUSTERS). The final quadrant, ‘firm strategy, structure and rivalry’, Porter suggests, may be the most important of all, especially the element of fierce local competition. While international rivalries tend to be ‘analytical and distant’, local rivalries become intensively personal but nonetheless beneficial in providing a ‘springboard’ for international success. All these factors, it is suggested, are interrelated, creating a ‘virtuous circle’ of resource generation and application, and sensitivity in meeting customer demands.
competitive advantage (of firms) the possession by a firm of various assets and attributes (low-cost plants, innovative brands, ownership of raw material supplies, etc.) that give it a competitive edge over rival suppliers. To succeed against competitors in winning customers on a viable (profitable) and sustainable (long-run) basis, a firm must, depending on the nature of the market, be cost-effective and/or able to offer products that customers regard as preferable to the products offered by rival suppliers. The former enables a firm to meet and beat competitors on price, while the latter reflects the firm’s ability to establish PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION advantage over competitors.
Cost advantages over competitors are of two major types:
(a) absolute cost advantages, that is, lower costs than competitors at all levels of output deriving from, for example, the use of superior production technology or from VERTICAL INTEGRATION of input supply and assembly operations;
(b) relative cost advantages, that is, cost advantages related to the scale of output accruing through the exploitation of ECONOMIES OF SCALE in production and marketing and through cumulative EXPERIENCE CURVE effects. Over time, investment in plant renewal, modernization and process innovation (either through in-house RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT or the early adoption of new technology developed elsewhere) is essential to maintain cost advantages.
Product differentiation advantages derive from:
(a) a variety of physical product properties and attributes (notably the ability to offer products that are regarded by customers as having unique qualities or as being functionally better than competitors’ products);
(b) the particular nuances and psychological images built into the firm’s product by associated advertising and sales promotion. Again, given the dynamic nature of markets, particularly product life cycle considerations, competitive advantage in this area needs to be sustained by an active programme of new product innovation and upgrading of existing lines. See COMPETITIVE STRATEGY, RESOURCE BASED THEORY OF THE FIRM, BARRIERS TO ENTRY, MOBILITY BARRIERS, VALUE-CREATED MODEL, VALUE CHAIN ANALYSIS.
competitive strategy an aspect of BUSINESS STRATEGY that involves the firm developing policies to meet and beat its competitors in supplying a particular product. This requires the firm to undertake an internal appraisal of its resources and capabilities relative to competitors to identify its particular strengths and weaknesses. It also requires the firm to undertake an external appraisal of the nature and strength of the various ‘forces driving competition’ in its chosen markets (see Fig 27), namely:
(a) rivalry amongst existing firms;
(b) bargaining power of input suppliers;
(c) bargaining power of customers;
(d) threat of new entrants; and
(e) the threat of substitute products.
The key to a successful competitive strategy is then:
(a) to understand fully what product attributes are demanded by buyers (whether it be low prices or product sophistication) with a view to;
(b) establishing, operationally, a position of COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE that makes the firm less vulnerable to attack from established competitors and potential new entrants, and to erosion from the direction of buyers, suppliers and substitute products.
Fig. 27 Competitive strategy. (a) Forces driving competition in a market. (b) Three generic strategies. Source: Michael Porter.
There are three generic strategies for competitive success (Fig. 27 (b)): cost leadership, product differentiation and ‘focus’. Low costs, particularly in commodity-type markets, help the firm not only to survive price competition should it break out but, importantly, enable it to assume the role of market leader in establishing price levels that ensure high and stable levels of market profitability. The sources of cost-effectiveness are varied, including the exploitation of ECONOMIES OF SCALE, investment in best state-of-the-art technology and preferential access to raw materials or distribution channels. By adopting a PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION strategy, a firm seeks to be unique in its market in a way that is valued by its potential customers. Product differentiation possibilities vary from market to market but are associated with the potential for distinguishing products by their physical properties and attributes and the experience of satisfaction – real and psychological – imparted by the product to consumers. General cost leadership and differentiation strategies seek to establish a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rival suppliers across the whole market. By contrast, ‘focus’ strategies aim to build competitive advantages in narrower segments of a market but, again, either in terms of cost or, more usually, differentiation characteristics, with ‘niche’ suppliers primarily catering for speciality product demands. See MARKET STRUCTURE, MARKET CONDUCT, MARKET PERFORMANCE, RESOURCE-BASED THEORY OF THE FIRM.
competitive tender an invitation for private sector firms to submit TENDERS (price bids) for contracts to supply goods or services to the public sector which the public sector has traditionally supplied for itself. Competitive tendering seeks to introduce competition in the provision of goods or services and thus reduce the costs to government departments, local authorities and health authorities. See DEREGULATION.
competitor a business rival of a firm supplying a good or service that offers buyers an identical or similar product. See COMPETITION, COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE, COMPETITIVE STRATEGY, PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
complementary products GOODS or SERVICES whose demands are interrelated (a joint demand) so that an increase in the price of one of the goods results in a fall in the demand for the other. For example, if the price of tennis rackets goes up, this results not only in a decrease in the demand for rackets but, because less tennis is now played, a fall also in the demand for tennis balls. See SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS, CROSS-ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
complete contract see CONTRACT.
complex monopoly a situation defined by UK COMPETITION POLICY as one in which two or more suppliers of a particular product restrict competition between themselves. ‘Complex monopoly’ in essence refers to an OLIGOPOLY situation where the firms concerned, although pursuing individual (i.e. non-collusive) policies, nonetheless behave in a uniform manner and produce a result that is non-competitive (i.e. similar to COLLUSION). The problem is that it is often difficult to distinguish between competitive and non-competitive situations. For example, if firms charge identical prices, is this reflective of competition (i.e. prices that are brought together because of competition) or a deliberate suppression of competition?
compound interest the INTEREST on a LOAN that is based not only on the original amount of the loan but the amount of the loan plus previous accumulated interest. This means that, over time, interest charges grow exponentially; for example, a £100 loan earning compound interest at 10% per annum would accumulate to £110 at the end of the first year and £121 at the end of the second year, etc., based on the formula: compound sum = principal (1 + interest rate)
that is, 121 = 100 (1 + 0.1)
.
Compare SIMPLE INTEREST.
computer an electronic/electromechanical device that accepts alphabetical and numerical data in a predetermined form, stores and processes this data according to instructions contained in a computer program, and presents the analysed data.
Computers have dramatically improved the productivity of data processing in commerce and business; for example, computer-aided design and computer-aided manufacturing systems have improved the speed and cost with which new components or products can be assigned and subsequently scheduled for production; computer-aided distribution and stock control systems such as ELECTRONIC POINT OF SALE (EPOS) have helped to minimize stockholdings and have improved customer services; computers have rapidly taken over the manual tasks of keeping accounting records such as company sales and payroll. Computers have also played a prominent role in speeding up the response of commodity and financial markets to changing demand and supply conditions by processing and reporting transactions quickly.
In recent years computers have underpinned the rapid expansion of E-COMMERCE using the INTERNET. See STOCK EXCHANGE, AUTOMATION, MASS PRODUCTION.
concealed unemployment see DISGUISED UNEMPLOYMENT.
concentration measures
The measures of the size distribution of firms engaged in economic activities.
The broadest concentration measure is the aggregate concentration measure, which looks at the share of total activity in an economy accounted for by the larger firms, for example, the proportion of total industrial output accounted for by the largest 200 firms; or the share of total manufacturing output produced by the 100 largest companies. Various size criteria may be used for this measure, in particular, sales, output, numbers employed and capital employed, each of which can give slightly different results because of differences in capital intensity. Such measures serve to give an overall national view of concentration and how it is changing over time.
Although aggregate concentration measures are useful, they are generally too broad for purposes of economic analysis where interest focuses upon markets and performance in these markets. Consequently, economists have developed several measures of MARKET concentration that seek to measure SELLER or BUYER CONCENTRATION. The most common of these measures is the CONCENTRATION RATIO, which records the percentage of a market’s sales accounted for by a given number of the largest firms in that market. In the UK it has been usual to estimate the concentration ratio for the three or (more recently) five largest firms, whereas in the USA the four-firm concentration ratio tends to be employed.
Fig. 28 Concentration measures. (a) Cumulative concentration curves, showing the cumulative share of market size accounted for by various (cumulative) numbers of firms. (b) The Lorenz curve shows the cumulative share of market size on one axis accounted for by various (cumulative) percentages of the number of firms in the market.
The concentration ratio, however, records only seller concentration at one point along the cumulative concentration curve, as Fig. 28 (a) indicates. This makes it difficult to compare concentration curves for two different markets, like A and B in the figure, where their concentration curves intersect. For example, using a three-firm concentration ratio, market A is more concentrated while using a five-firm ratio shows market B to be more concentrated. An alternative concentration index, called the HERFINDAHL INDEX, gets around this problem by taking into account the number and market shares of all firms in the market. The Herfindahl index is calculated by summing the squared market shares of all firms. The index can vary between a value of zero (where there are a large number of equally sized firms) and one (where there is just one firm).
Concentration measures, like the concentration ratio and the Herfindahl index, are known as absolute concentration measures since they are concerned with the market shares of a given (absolute) number of firms. By contrast, relative concentration measures are concerned with inequalities in the share of total firms producing for the market. Such irregularities can be recorded in the form of a Lorenz curve as in Fig. 28 (b). The diagonal straight line shows what a distribution of complete equality in firm shares would look like, so the extent to which the Lorenz curve deviates from this line gives an indication of relative seller concentration. For example, the diagonal line shows how we might expect 50% of market sales to be accounted for by 50% of the total firms, whilst in fact 50% of market sales are accounted for by the largest 25% of total firms, as the Lorenz curve indicates. The Gini coefficient provides a summary measure of the extent to which the Lorenz curve for a particular market deviates from the linear diagonal. It indicates the extent of the bow-shaped area in the figure by dividing the shaded area below the Lorenz curve by the area above the line of equality. The value of the Gini coefficient ranges from zero (complete equality) to one (complete inequality).
In practice, most market concentration studies use concentration ratios calculated from data derived from the census of production.
Concentration measures are widely used in economic analysis and for purposes of applying COMPETITION POLICY to indicate the degree of competition or monopolization present in a market. They need to be treated with caution, however. On the one hand, they may overstate the extent of monopolization. First, the boundaries of the market may be defined too narrowly (for example, the ‘beer market’) when it might be more appropriate to adopt a wider interpretation of what constitutes the relevant market by including actual and potential substitutes (for example, the ‘alcoholic drink market’, which includes also spirits and wines). Thus, calculating a firm’s market share in terms of the beer market alone may make it seem more powerful than it actually is. Secondly, concentration ratios are usually compiled by reference to the output of domestic suppliers, thus ignoring the competition afforded by imports. Thirdly, market concentration is only one element of market structure. If BARRIERS TO ENTRY to the market are relatively low, or suppliers are confronted by powerful buyers, again the market may well be much more competitive than shown by the concentration ratio. On the other hand, concentration ratios may understate the degree of monopolization. First, the market may be defined too broadly when a narrower specification of the market’s boundaries may be more appropriate. This can be important in the context of suppliers who deliberately choose to ‘focus’ on a narrow segment of the market (see COMPETITIVE STRATEGY). Secondly, conduct elements as well as structure variables need to be considered. For example, while superficially a market with a low or moderate degree of seller concentration may appear to be competitive, in practice it may be highly monopolistic because the suppliers have set up a price-fixing CARTEL.
Thus, looked at ‘in the round’, concentration ratios are but one aspect in examining the dynamics of a market and whether or not it exhibits competitive or monopolistic tendencies.
concentration ratio a measure of the degree of SELLER CONCENTRATION in a MARKET. The concentration ratio shows the percentage of market sales accounted for by, for example, the largest four firms or largest eight firms. The concentration ratio is derived from the market concentration curve, which can be plotted on a graph, with the horizontal scale showing the number of firms cumulated from the largest size and the vertical scale showing the cumulative percentage of market sales accounted for by particular numbers of firms. See Fig. 29. See CONCENTRATION MEASURES, MARKET STRUCTURE.
Fig. 29 Concentration ratio. Market A is here highly concentrated, with the four largest firms accounting for 80% of market sales, while market B has a relatively low level of concentration.
concerted practica a situation defined by European Union and UK competition law as one where rival firms, without engaging in formal COLLUSION (see ANTI-COMPETITIVE AGREEMENT), nonetheless informally coordinate their behaviour in respect of selling prices and discounts, and engage in market-sharing and joint capacity adjustments.
Under the EU’s Article 85 of the Treaty of Rome and the UK’s COMPETITION ACT 1998, concerted practices are prohibited outright. See COMPETITION POLICY (EU), COMPETITION POLICY (UK).
concert party a group of individuals or firms that acts ‘in concert’, pooling its various resources in order to effect the TAKEOVER of a company. See TAKEOVER BID, CITY CODE.
conciliation a procedure for settling disputes, most notably INDUSTRIAL DISPUTES, in which a neutral third party meets with the disputants and endeavours to help them resolve their differences and reach agreement through continued negotiation. In the UK the ADVISORY CONCILIATION AND ARBITRATION SERVICE acts in this capacity. See MEDIATION, ARBITRATION, INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
condition of entry an element of MARKET STRUCTURE that refers to the ease or difficulty new suppliers face in entering a market. Market theory indicates that, at one extreme, entry may be entirely ‘free’, with, as in PERFECT COMPETITION, new suppliers being able to enter the market and compete immediately on equal terms with established firms; at the other extreme, in OLIGOPOLY and MONOPOLY markets, BARRIERS TO ENTRY operate, which severely limit the opportunity for new entry. The significance of barriers to entry in market theory is that they allow established firms to secure a long-term profit return in excess of the NORMAL PROFIT equilibrium attained under fully competitive (‘free’ entry) conditions. See MARKET ENTRY, POTENTIAL ENTRANT, LIMIT PRICING.
Confederation of British Industry (CBI) a UK organization that represents the collective interests of member companies in dealings with government and TRADE UNIONS.
congestion charge see ROAD CONGESTION.
conglomerate firm see FIRM.
consolidated fund the UK government’s account at the BANK OF ENGLAND into which it pays its TAXATION and other receipts, and which it uses to make payments.
consolsabbrev. of consolidated stock; government BONDS that have an indefinite life rather than a specific maturity date. People acquire consols in order to buy a future nominal annual income without any expectation of repayment of the issue, though they can be bought and sold on the STOCK EXCHANGE. Because they are never redeemed by the government, the market value of consols can vary greatly in order to bring their EFFECTIVE INTEREST RATE in line with their NOMINAL INTEREST RATE. For example, £100 of consols with a nominal rate of interest of 5% would yield a return of £5 per year. If current market interest rates were 10%, then the market price of the consols would need to fall to £50 so that a buyer would earn an effective return on them of £5/£50 = 10%.
consortium a temporary grouping of independent firms, organizations and governments brought together to pool their resources and skills in order to undertake a particular project such as a major construction programme or the building of an aircraft, or to combine their buying power in bulk-buying factor inputs.
conspicuous consumption the CONSUMPTION of goods and services not for the UTILITY derived from their use but for the utility derived from the ostentatious exhibition of such goods and services.
A person may buy and run a Rolls-Royce motor car not just as a vehicle for transportation but because it suggests to the outside world something about the owner. That person may wish to be seen as affluent or as a person of taste. This phenomenon (known as the VEBLEN EFFECT) can be viewed as an alternative to the more usual consumption theories where the quantity of a particular good varies inversely with its price (a downward-sloping DEMAND CURVE). A conspicuous consumption good may well have an UPWARD-SLOPING DEMAND CURVE so that the quantity demanded increases with its price.
constant returns 1 (in the SHORT RUN) constant returns to the VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT that occur when additional units of variable input added to a given quantity of FIXED FACTOR INPUT generate equal increments in output. With an unchanged price for variable factor inputs, constant returns will cause the short-run unit variable cost of output to stay the same over an output range. See RETURNS TO THE VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT.
2 (in the LONG RUN) constant returns that occur when successive increases in all factor inputs generate equal increments in output. In cost terms, this means the long-run unit cost of output remains constant so long as factor input prices stay the same. See MINIMUM EFFICIENT SCALE, ECONOMICS OF SCALE.
consumer the basic consuming/demanding unit of economic theory. In economic theory, a consuming unit can be either an individual purchaser of a good or service, a HOUSEHOLD (a group of individuals who make joint purchasing decisions) or a government. See BUYER.
consumer credit LOANS made available to buyers of products to assist them in financing purchases. Consumer credit facilities include HIRE PURCHASE, INSTALMENT CREDIT, BANK LOANS and CREDIT CARDS.
Consumer Credit Act 1974 a UK Act that provides for the licensing of persons and businesses engaged in the provision of consumer CREDIT (specifically, moneylenders, pawnbrokers and INSTALMENT CREDIT traders – but not banks, which are covered by separate legislation) and the regulation of DEBTOR-CREDITOR contracts. The Act contains important provisions protecting creditors from ‘extortionate’ rates of interest. The Act is administered by the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING in conjunction with the DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY. See CONSUMER PROTECTION, APR.
consumer durables CONSUMER GOODS, such as houses, cars, televisions, that are ‘consumed’ over relatively long periods of time rather than immediately. See Fig. 158 (b) (PRODUCT LIFE CYCLE) for details of market penetration for a number of consumer durable products. Compare CONSUMER NONDURABLES.
consumer equilibrium the point at which the consumer maximizes his TOTAL UTILITY or satisfaction from the spending of a limited (fixed) income. The economic ‘problem’ of the consumer is that he has only a limited amount of income to spend and therefore cannot buy all the goods and services he would like to have. Faced with this constraint, demand theory assumes that the goal of the consumer is to select that combination of goods, in line with his preferences, that will maximize his total utility or satisfaction. Total utility is maximized when the MARGINAL UTILITY of a penny’s worth of good X is exactly equal to the marginal utility of a penny’s worth of all the other goods purchased; or, restated, when the prices of goods are different, the marginal utilities are proportional to their respective prices. For two goods, X and Y, total utility is maximized when:
Consumer equilibrium can also be depicted graphically using INDIFFERENCE CURVE analysis. See Fig. 30. See also REVEALED PREFERENCE THEORY, PRICE EFFECT, INCOME EFFECT, SUBSTITUTION EFFECT, ECONOMIC MAN, CONSUMER RATIONALITY, PARETO OPTIMALITY.
Fig. 30 Consumer equilibrium. The optimal combination of Good X and Good Y is at point E when the BUDGET LINE is tangential to indifference curve 1. At this point the slope of the budget line (the ratio of prices) is equal to the slope of the indifference curve (the ratio of marginal utilities), so the goods’ marginal utilities are proportional to their prices.
consumer goods any products, such as washing machines, beer, toys, that are purchased by consumers as opposed to businesses. Compare CAPITAL GOODS, PRODUCER GOODS.
consumerism an organized movement to protect the economic interests of CONSUMERS. The movement developed in response to the growing market power of large companies and the increasing technical complexity of products. It embraces bodies such as the Consumers’ Association in the UK, which is concerned with product testing and informing consumers through publications such as Which? Consumerism has been officially incorporated into British COMPETITION POLICY since the 1973 FAIR TRADING ACT. See CONSUMER PROTECTION.
consumer nondurables CONSUMER GOODS that yield up all their satisfaction or UTILITY at the time of consumption They include such items as beer, steak or cigarettes. Compare CONSUMER DURABLES.
consumer price index (CPI) a weighted average of the PRICES of a general ‘basket’ of goods and services bought by consumers. Each item in the index is weighted according to its relative importance in total consumers’ expenditure (see Fig. 31). Starting from a selected BASE YEAR (index value = 100), price changes are then reflected in changes in the index value over time. Thus, in the case of the UK’s CPI, the current base year is 1996 = 100; in February 2005 the index value stood at 112.2, indicating that consumer prices, on average, had risen 12% between the two dates.
Since December 2003 the CPI has been used by the UK government as a measure of the rate of INFLATION in the economy for the purposes of applying macroeconomic policy in general and monetary policy in particular (see MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE). Previously, the RETAIL PRICE INDEX (RPI) was used for this purpose, but the CPI measure was adopted to harmonize the way the UK measured its inflation rate with that of other countries in the EUROPEAN UNION.
consumer protection measures taken by the government and independent bodies such as the Consumers’ Association in the UK to protect consumers against unscrupulous trade practices such as false descriptions of goods, incorrect weights and measures, misleading prices and defective goods. See TRADE DESCRIPTIONS ACT 1968, WEIGHTS AND MEASURES ACT 1963, CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974, PRICE MARKETING (BARGAIN OFFERS) ORDER 1979, OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING, COMPETITION POLICY, CONSUMERISM.
Fig. 31 Consumer price Index. Source: Office of National Statistics.
consumer rationalityoreconomic rationality the assumption, in demand theory, that CONSUMERS attempt to obtain the greatest possible satisfaction from the money resources they have available when making purchases. Because economic theory tends to sum household demands in constructing market DEMAND CURVES, it is not important if a few households do not conform to rational behaviour as long as the majority of consumers or households act rationally. See ECONOMIC MAN.
consumer sovereignty the power of CONSUMERS to determine what is produced since they are the ultimate purchasers of goods and services. In general terms, if consumers demand more of a good then more of it will be supplied. This implies that PRODUCERS are ‘passive agents’ in the PRICE SYSTEM, simply responding to what consumers want. In certain kinds of market, however, notably, OLIGOPOLY and MONOPOLY, producers are so powerful vis-à-vis consumers that it is they who effectively determine the range of choice open to the consumer. See REVISED SEQUENCE.
consumers’ surplus the extra satisfaction or UTILITY gained by consumers from paying an actual price for a good that is lower than that which they would have been prepared to pay. See Fig. 32 (a). The consumers’ surplus is maximized only in PERFECT COMPETITION, where price is determined by the free play of market demand and supply forces and all consumers pay the same price. Where market price is not determined by demand and supply forces in competitive market conditions but is instead determined administratively by a profit-maximizing MONOPOLIST, then the resulting restriction in market output and the increase in market price cause a loss of consumer surplus, indicated by the shaded area PP
XE in Fig. 32 (b). If a DISCRIMINATING MONOPOLIST were able to charge a separate price to each consumer that reflected the maximum amount that the consumer was prepared to pay, then the monopolist would be able to appropriate all the consumer surplus in the form of sales revenue.
Business strategists can use the concept of the consumers’ surplus to increase the firm’s profit (see VALUE-CREATED MODEL). To illustrate: you are a Manchester United football fan; tickets for a home game are currently priced at £50 but you would be willing to pay £75. Hence, you have ‘received’ as a consumer ‘perceived benefit’ or ‘surplus’ of £25 over and above the price actually charged. Manchester United, however, instead of charging a single price of £50 could segment its market by charging different prices for admission to different parts of the ground (see PRICE DISCRIMINATION, MARKET SEGMENTATION) in order to ‘capture’ more of the consumers’ surplus for itself. Thus, it could continue to charge the ‘basic’ price of £50 for admission to certain parts of the ground, £75 for seating in the main stand and £120 for an ‘executive box’ seat. Compare PRODUCERS’ SURPLUS. See DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY, DEADWEIGHT LOSS.
Fig. 32 Consumers’ surplus. (a) At the EQUILIBRIUM PRICE OP, utility from the marginal unit of the good is just equal to its price; all previous units yield an amount of utility that is greater than the amount paid by the consumer, insofar as consumers would have been prepared to pay more for these intramarginal units than the market price. The total consumer surplus is represented by the shaded area PEP
(b)The loss of consumers’ surplus because of monopoly.
consumption the satisfaction obtained by CONSUMERS from the use of goods and services. Certain CONSUMER DURABLE products, like washing machines, are consumed over a longish period of time, while other products, like cakes, are consumed immediately after purchase. The DEMAND CURVE for a particular product reflects consumers’ satisfactions from consuming it. See WANTS, DEMAND.
consumption expenditure the proportion of NATIONAL INCOME or DISPOSABLE INCOME spent by HOUSEHOLDS on final goods and services. Consumption expenditure is the largest component of AGGREGATE DEMAND and spending in the CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME. It is one of the most stable components of aggregate demand, showing little fluctuation from period to period.
In 2003, consumption expenditure accounted for 52% of gross final expenditure (GFE) on domestically produced output (GFE minus imports = GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT). See Fig. 132 (b), NATIONAL INCOME ACCOUNTS. See CONSUMPTION SCHEDULE, VEBLEN EFFECT.
consumption function a statement of the general relationship between the dependent variable, CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE, and the various independent variables that determine consumption, such as current DISPOSABLE INCOME and income from previous periods and WEALTH. See CONSUMPTION SCHEDULE, LIFE-CYCLE HYPOTHESIS, PERMANENT-INCOME HYPOTHESIS, WEALTH EFFECT.
consumption possibility line see BUDGET LINE.
consumption schedule a schedule depicting the relationship between CONSUMPTION EXPENDITURE and the level of NATIONAL INCOME or DISPOSABLE INCOME, also called consumption function. At low levels of disposable income, households consume more than their current income (see DISSAVING), drawing on past savings, borrowing or selling assets in order to maintain consumption at some desired minimum level (AUTONOMOUS CONSUMPTION). At higher levels of disposable income, they consume a part of their current income and save the rest (see SAVING). See Fig. 33. See INDUCED CONSUMPTION.
Fig. 33 Consumption schedule. A simple consumption schedule that takes the linear form C = a + bY, where C is consumption and a is the minimum level of consumption expenditure at zero-disposable income (autonomous consumption). Thereafter consumption expenditure increases as income rises (induced consumption), and b is the proportion of each extra £ (pound) of disposable income that is spent. The 45-degree line OE shows what consumption expenditure would have been had it exactly matched disposable income. The difference between OE and the consumption schedule indicates the extent of dissavings or SAVINGS at various income levels. The slope of the consumption schedule is equal to the MARGINAL PROPENSITY TO CONSUME. See SAVINGS SCHEDULE, LIEE-CYCIE HYPOTHESIS, PERMANENT-INCOME HYPOTHESIS.
contestable market a MARKET where new entrants face costs similar to those of established firms and where, on leaving, firms are able to recoup their capital costs, less depreciation. Consequently, it is not possible for established firms to earn ABOVE NORMAL PROFIT as this will be eroded by the entry of new firms, or, alternatively, the mere threat of such new entry may be sufficient to ensure that established firms set prices that yield them only a NORMAL PROFIT return. Perfectly competitive markets (see PERFECT COMPETITION) are all contestable, but even some oligopolistic markets (see OLIGOPOLY) may be contestable if entry and exit are easily affected.
In recent times many markets have been opened up by a number of developments, including increasing international competition as trade barriers have been reduced, the introduction of FLEXIBLE MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS and E-COMMERCE trading on the INTERNET. See WORKABLE COMPETITION, CONDITION OF ENTRY, BARRIERS TO ENTRY, BARRIERS TO EXIT.
contingency theory the proposition that the best organization structure for a particular firm depends upon the specific circumstances that it faces and that there is no uniformly best organization structure for all firms in all circumstances. The appropriate organizational structure for a firm in particular circumstances seeks to balance ECONOMIES OF SCALE and ECONOMIES OF SCOPE in production and distribution; TRANSACTION COSTS; AGENCY COSTS; and information flows.
contract a legally enforceable agreement between two or more people or firms generally relating to a TRANSACTION for the purchase or sale of goods and services. Contracts may take a standardized form, with the same conditions of exchange being applied to every one of a large number of contracts, for example, airline ticket contracts. Alternatively, contracts may be lengthy and complicated because they are carefully tailored to a specific transaction such as the contract to build an office block for a client.
A complete contract stipulates each party’s responsibilities and rights for every contingency that could conceivably arise during the transaction. Such a complete contract would bind the parties to particular courses of action as the transaction unfolds, with neither party having any freedom to exploit weaknesses in the other’s position. It is difficult to develop complete contracts since parties to the contract must be able to specify every possible contingency and the required responses by the contracting parties, to stipulate what constitutes satisfactory performance, to measure performance, to make the contract enforceable and to have access to complete information about circumstances surrounding the contract.
In practice, most contracts are incomplete contracts in which the precise terms of the contract relating to product specifications, supply or delivery terms cannot be fully specified. In such situations, one or other parties to the agreement may be tempted to take advantage of the open-endedness or ambiguity of the contract at the expense of the other party. See ADVERSE SELECTION, MORAL HAZARD, ASYMMETRY OF INFORMATION, ASSET SPECIFICITY.
contract curve see EDGEWORTH BOX.
contractor a person or firm that enters into a CONTRACT enforceable in law with another person or firm to supply goods or services. For example, a house builder may employ contractors to undertake the plumbing work involved in the construction of houses rather than do this work itself. The plumbing contractor would provide, for the contract price, all piping, wire, tanks, etc., needed, plus the specialist workers to install them. In turn, the plumber may enter into an agreement with a subcontractor to install the time clocks and electrical controls for the central heating system.
contribution the difference between a product’s SALES REVENUE and its VARIABLE COSTS. If total contributions are just large enough to cover FIXED COSTS then the producer BREAKS EVEN; if contributions are less than fixed costs, the producer makes a LOSS; while if contributions exceed fixed costs then the producer makes a PROFIT. See LOSS MINIMIZATION, MARGINAL COST PRICING.
control loss see AGENCY COST.
conventional sequence see REVISED SEQUENCE.
convertibility the extent to which one foreign currency or INTERNATIONAL RESERVE ASSET can be exchanged for some other foreign currency or international reserve asset.
International trade and investment opportunities are maximized when the currencies used to finance them are fully convertible, i.e. free of FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROL restrictions.
convertible loans long-term LOANS to a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY that may be converted at the option of the lender into ORDINARY SHARES at a predetermined share price.
conveyance a document that transfers the legal ownership of land and buildings from one person/business to another person/business. See MORTGAGE.
cooperation 1 the process whereby FIRMS seek to coordinate their pricing and output policies rather than compete with one another in order to achieve JOINT-PROFIT MAXIMIZATION. See MUTUAL INTERDEPENDENCE, OLIGOPOLY.
2 the process whereby individuals coordinate their work in TEAMS.
cooperative a form of business FIRM that is owned and run by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit. Examples of cooperatives include:
(a) worker or producer cooperatives: businesses that are owned and managed by their employees, who share in the net profit of the business.
(b) wholesale cooperatives: businesses whose membership comprises a multitude of small independent retailers. The prime objective of such a group is to use its combined BULK-BUYING power to obtain discounts and concessions from manufacturers, similar to those achieved by larger SUPERMARKET chains.
(c) retail cooperatives: businesses that are run in the interest of customers, who hold membership rights entitling them to receive an annual dividend or refund in proportion to their spending at the cooperative’s shops. See WHOLESALER, RETAILER, DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
coordination the process whereby the specialized (see SPECIALIZATION) activities of different participants in an economy are synchronized. Coordination of TRANSACTIONS may take place through MARKETS or within ORGANIZATIONS. Within organizations, coordination is necessary to try to ensure that decisions within subunits of the organization are consistent with each other and with the objectives of the organization as a whole. See INTERNAL MARKETS.
copyright the ownership of the rights to a publication of a book, manual, newspaper, etc., giving legal entitlement and powers of redress against theft and unauthorized publication or copying. See INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT.
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 a UK Act that provides for the establishment and protection of the legal ownership rights of persons and businesses in respect of various classes of ‘intellectual property’, in particular COPYRIGHTS, DESIGN RIGHTS and PATENTS.
The Act is administered in part by the PATENTS OFFICE, with cases of unauthorized copying, patent infringements, etc., being handled by the courts.
core business the particular products supplied by a firm that constitute the heart of its business. These are generally products in which the firm has a competitive advantage. Over time the firm may begin to supply other products that may be associated with its core business but are more peripheral to the firm and its operations. See DIVERSIFICATION.
core competence a key resource, process or system possessed by a firm that allows it to gain a COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rivals.
core product a basic product such as a motor car. See TOTAL PRODUCT.
cornervb. to buy or attempt to buy up all the supplies of a particular product on the MARKET, thereby creating a temporary MONOPOLY situation with the aim of exploiting the market.
corporate bond see BOND.
corporate control the ability to exercise control over a public JOINT-STOCK COMPANY. In countries where shares in a large company are freely traded, if the incumbent directors and senior managers fail to achieve good profit and dividend performance, the price of the company’s shares will fall, making it possible for managers of another company to buy a majority of shares in the underperforming company and to gain control of it. This market for corporate control can exercise a restraining effect upon incumbent managers of a firm who are aware that they can lose their jobs if their company underperforms to the extent of provoking a takeover bid by other managers who feel that they can run the company more profitably. See CORPORATE GOVERNANCE, TAKEOVER, PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY, DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL.
corporate governance
The duties and responsibilities of a company’s BOARD OF DIRECTORS in managing the company and their relationship with the SHAREHOLDERS of the company. With the DIVORCE OF OWNERSHIP FROM CONTROL, salaried professional managers have acquired substantial powers in respect of the affairs of the company they are paid to run on behalf of their shareholders. However, directors have not always had the best interests of shareholders in mind when performing their managerial functions (see PRINCIPAL-AGENT THEORY), and this has led to attempts to make directors more accountable for their policies and actions.
A number of reports were published in the UK in the 1990s, prompted by the public’s concern at cases of gross mismanagement (for example, the collapse of the BCCI bank and Polly Peck and the misappropriation of employee’s pension monies at the Mirror Group) and ‘fat cat’ pay increases secured by executive directors. The Cadbury Committee Report (1992) recommended a ‘Code of Best Practice’ relating to the appointment and responsibilities of executive directors, the independence of nonexecutive directors and tighter internal financial controls and reporting procedures. The Greenbury Committee Report (1995) specifically addressed the issue of directors’ pay, recommending that executive directors’ pay packages should be determined by companies’ remuneration committees, consisting solely of nonexecutive directors, and that share awards under EXECUTIVE SHARE OPTION SCHEMES and LONG-TERM INCENTIVE PLANS (LTIPS) should be linked to companies’ financial performance. The Hempel Committee Report (1998) covered many of the same issues raised by these two earlier reports, recommending (‘Principles of Good Governance’) checks on the power of any one individual executive director (by, for example, separating the roles of chairman and chief executive), a more independent and stronger voice for nonexecutives (including the appointment of a ‘senior’ nonexecutive to offer guidance to, and check ‘empire building’ tendencies on the part of, executive directors and in liaising with shareholder interests) and more accountability to shareholders at the AGM (including the approval of options and LTIP schemes).
In 1998 the ‘Code of Best Practice’ and ‘Principles of Good Governance’ were combined and formally incorporated into the listing rules of the London STOCK EXCHANGE.
In 1999 the Turnbull Committee Report on ‘Internal Control’ proposed guidelines for regular internal controls not only on financial procedures but also on business and operational matters with a greater emphasis on ‘risk’ management and evaluation to ensure that these are compatible with the company’s business objectives.
More recently, the Higgs Committee Report (2003) envisaged a more prominent role for nonexecutives, including the following recommendations: the chairman should be a nonexecutive; the senior independent nonexecutive director should be given additional responsibilities, particularly in regard to liaising between the board and the companies’ shareholders; nomination committees should consist entirely of nonexecutives; at least half the board’s directors should be nonexecutive; no full-time executive director should take on more than one additional non-executive position in another company.
For UK and other MULTINATIONAL COMPANIES operating in the USA the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (2002) requires them to follow strict financial accounting procedures, audits and reporting to increase financial transparency and to prevent fraud. The Act was introduced following a number of financial scandals, notably those at Enron and World Com., and the failure of nonexecutives and major accountancy firms such as Arthur Anderson (now broken up) to detect malpractices. In the UK itself, financial reporting has been tightenend up following the recommendations of the Smith Committee Report (2003) on internal auditing practices.
While traditionally the issue of corporate governance has tended to focus on director-shareholder relationships, the stakeholder approach emphasizes that directors have wider responsibilities to other groups with an interest or ‘stake’ in the business: their employees, consumers, suppliers and the community at large. See FIRM OBJECTIVES, MANAGERIAL THEORIES OF THE FIRM, SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
corporate reengineering the process whereby the ORGANIZATION structure of a corporation is changed. This may involve a movement away from a functional organization to a multidivisional organization or the elimination or restructuring of certain product divisions within a multidivisional organization. Such reengineering often involves dramatic changes for managers and employees and can be linked with DOWNSIZING.
corporate sector that part of the ECONOMY concerned with the transactions of BUSINESSES. Businesses receive income from supplying goods and services and influence the workings of the economy through their use of, and payment for, factor inputs and INVESTMENT decisions. The corporate sector, together with the PERSONAL SECTOR and FINANCIAL SECTOR, constitute the PRIVATE SECTOR. The private sector, PUBLIC (GOVERNMENT) SECTOR and FOREIGN SECTOR make up the national economy. See CIRCULAR FLOW OF NATIONAL INCOME MODEL.
corporation 1 a private enterprise FIRM incorporated in the form of a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY.
2 a publicly owned business such as a nationalized industry.
corporation tax a DIRECT TAX levied by the government on the PROFITS accruing to businesses. The rate of corporation tax charged is important to a firm insofar as it determines the amount of after-tax profit it has available to pay DIVIDENDS to shareholders or to reinvest in the business.
In the UK currently (as at 2005/06) the general corporation tax rate is 30% of taxable profits per annum, but there is also a smaller companies’ corporation tax. No tax is payable on taxable profits up to £10,000 per annum and 19% on taxable profits over £10,000 up to a maximum of £300,000 per annum. See TAXATION, FISCAL POLICY, RETAINED PROFIT.
correlation a statistical term that describes the degree of association between two variables. When two variables tend to change together, then they are said to be correlated, and the extent to which they are correlated is measured by means of the CORRELATION COEFFICIENT.
correlation coefficient a statistical term (usually denoted by r) that measures the strength of the association between two variables.
Where two variables are completely unrelated, then their correlation coeffcient will be zero; where two variables are perfectly related, then their correlation would be one. A high correlation coefficient between two variables merely indicates that the two generally vary together – it does not imply causality in the sense of changes in one variable causing changes in the other.
Where high values of one variable are associated with high values of the other (and vice-versa), then they are said to be positively correlated. Where high values of one variable are associated with low values of the other (and vice-versa), then they are said to be negatively correlated. Thus correlation coefficients can range from +1 for perfect positive association to –1 for perfect negative association, with zero representing the case where there is no association between the two.
The correlation coefficient also serves to measure the goodness of fit of a regression line (see REGRESSION ANALYSIS) which has been fitted to a set of sample observations by the technique of ordinary least squares. A large positive correlation coefficient will be found when the regression line slopes upward from left to right and fits closely with the observations; a large negative correlation coefficient will be found when the regression line slopes downward from left to right and closely matches the observations. Where the regression equation contains two (or more) independent variables, a multiple correlation coefficient can be used to measure how closely the three-dimensional plane, representing the multiple regression equation, fits the set of data points.
corset see SPECIAL DEPOSITS.
cost the payments (both EXPLICIT COSTS and IMPLICIT COSTS) incurred by a firm in producing its output. See TOTAL COST, AVERAGE COST, MARGINAL COST, PRODUCTION COST, SELLING COST.
cost-based pricing pricing methods that determine the PRICE of a product on the basis of its production, distribution and marketing costs. See AVERAGE-COST PRICING, FULL-COST PRICING, MARGINAL-COST PRICING.
cost-benefit analysis a technique for enumerating and evaluating the total SOCIAL COSTS and total social benefits associated with an economic project. Cost-benefit analysis is generally used by public agencies when evaluating large-scale public INVESTMENT projects, such as major new motorways or rail lines, in order to assess the welfare or net social benefits that will accrue to the nation from these projects. This generally involves the sponsoring bodies taking a broader and longer-term view of a project than would a commercial organization concentrating on project profitability alone.
The main principles of cost-benefit are encompassed within four key questions:
(a) which costs and which benefits are to be included. All costs and benefits should be enumerated and ranked according to their remoteness from the main purpose of the project so that more remote costs and benefits might be excluded. This requires careful definition of the project and estimation of project life, and consideration of EXTERNALITIES and SECONDARY BENEFITS;
(b) how these costs and benefits are to be valued. The values placed on costs and benefits should pay attention to likely changes in relative prices but not the general price level, since the general price level prevailing in the initial year should be taken as the base level. Although market prices are normally used to value costs and benefits, difficulties arise when investment projects are so large that they significantly affect prices, when monopoly elements distort relative prices, when taxes artificially inflate the resource costs of inputs, and when significant unemployment of labour or other resources means that labour or other resource prices overstate the social costs of using those inputs that are in excess supply. In such cases, SHADOW PRICES may be needed for costs and benefits. In addition, there are particular problems of establishing prices for INTANGIBLE PRODUCTS and COLLECTIVE PRODUCTS;
(c) the interest rate at which costs and benefits are to be discounted. This requires consideration of the extent to which social time preference will dictate a lower DISCOUNT RATE than private time preference because social time preference discounts the future less heavily and OPPORTUNITY COST considerations, which mitigate against using a lower discount rate for public projects for fear that mediocre public projects may displace good private sector projects if the former have an easier criterion to meet;
(d) the relevant constraints. This group includes legal, administrative and budgetary constraints, and constraints on the redistribution of income. Essentially, cost-benefit analysis concentrates on the economic efficiency benefits from a project and, providing the benefits exceed the costs, recommends acceptance of the project, regardless of who benefits and who bears the costs. However, where the decision-maker feels that the redistribution of income associated with a project is unacceptable, he may reject that project despite its net benefits.
There is always uncertainty surrounding the estimates of future costs and benefits associated with a public investment project, and cost-benefit analysis needs to allow for this uncertainty by testing the sensitivity of the net benefits to changes in such factors as project life and interest rates. See WELFARE ECONOMICS, COST EFFECTIVENESS, TIME PREFERENCE, ENVIRONMENTAL AUDIT, VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT, ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT.
cost centre an organizational subunit of a firm that is given responsibility for minimizing COSTS but has no control over its product pricing and revenues. Cost centres facilitate management control by helping to ascertain a unit’s operating costs. See PROFIT CENTRE, INVESTMENT CENTRE.
cost drivers the factors that cause COSTS to vary within an organization and between organizations. Cost drivers can be related to the various value-creating activities within an organization. The main cost drivers are: firm size or scope (ECONOMIES OF SCALE or SCOPE); cumulative experience; (LEARNING CURVE); organization of transactions (VERTICAL INTEGRATION); and other factors such as location, raw material prices and process efficiency. The ability to ‘drive’ or ‘manage’ costs down (or to contain cost increases) is an important strategic consideration where cost leadership is the key basis of the firm’s COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE over rival suppliers. See VALUE-CREATED MODEL.
cost effectiveness the achievement of maximum provision of a good or service from given quantities of resource inputs. Cost effectiveness is often established as an objective when organizations have a given level of expenditure available to them and are seeking to provide the maximum amount of service in a situation where service outputs cannot be valued in money terms (e.g. the UK National Health Service). Where it is possible to estimate the money value of outputs as well as inputs, then COST-BENEFIT techniques can be applied. See VALUE FOR MONEY AUDIT.
cost function a function that depicts the general relationship between the COST of FACTOR INPUTS and the cost of OUTPUT in a firm. In order to determine the cost of producing a particular output it is necessary to know not only the required quantities of the various inputs but also their prices. The cost function can be derived from the PRODUCTION FUNCTION by adding the information about factor prices. It would take the general form:
Qc = f(p1 I1, p2, I2, … , pn In)
where Qc is the cost of producing a particular output, Q, and p1 ,p2, etc., are the prices of the various factors used, while I1, I2, etc., are the quantities of factors 1, 2, etc., required. The factor prices p1, p2, etc., which a firm must pay in order to attract units of these factors will depend upon the interaction of the forces of demand and supply in factor markets. See EFFICIENCY, ISOCOST LINE, ISOQUANT CURVE.
cost leadership competitive strategy see COMPETITIVE STRATEGY.
cost minimization production of a given OUTPUT at minimum cost by combining FACTOR INPUTS with due regard to their relative prices. See COST FUNCTION, ISOQUANT CURVE.
cost of capital the payments made by a firm for the use of long-term capital employed in its business. The average cost of capital to a firm that uses several sources of long-term funds (e.g. LOANS, SHARE CAPITAL (equity)) to finance its investments will depend upon the individual cost of each separate source of capital (for example, INTEREST on loans) weighted in accordance with the proportions of each source used. See CAPITAL GEARING, DISCOUNT RATE.
cost of goods soldorcost of sales the relevant cost that is compared with sales revenue in order to determine GROSS PROFIT in the PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT. Where a trading company has STOCKS of finished goods, the cost of goods sold is not the same as purchases of finished goods. Rather, purchases of goods must be added to stocks at the start of the trading period to determine the goods available for sale, then the stocks left at the end of the trading period must be deducted from this to determine the cost of the goods that have been sold during the period. See STOCK EVALUATION.
cost of living the general level of prices of goods and services measured in terms of a PRICE INDEX. To protect people’s living standards from being eroded by price increases (INFLATION), wage contracts and old-age pensions, etc., sometimes contain cost-of-living adjustment provisions that automatically operate to increase wages, pensions, etc., in proportion to price increases. See INDEXATION.
cost-plus pricing a pricing method that sets the PRICE of a product by adding a profit mark-up to AVERAGE COST or unit total cost. This method is similar to that of FULL-COST PRICING insofar as the price of a product is determined by adding a percentage profit mark-up to the product’s unit total cost. Indeed, the terms are often used interchangeably. Cost-plus pricing, however, is used more specifically to refer to an agreed price between a purchaser and the seller, where the price is based on actual costs incurred plus a fixed percentage of actual cost or a fixed amount of profit per unit. Such pricing methods are often used for large capital projects or high technology contracts where the length of time of construction or changing technical specifications leads to a high degree of uncertainty about the final price.
Cost-plus pricing is frequently criticized for failing to give the supplier an incentive to keep costs down.
cost price a PRICE for a product that just covers its production and distribution COSTS with no PROFIT MARGIN added.
cost-push inflation a general increase in PRICES caused by increases in FACTOR INPUT costs. Factor input costs may rise because raw materials and energy costs increase as a result of world-wide shortages or the operation of CARTELS (oil, for example) and where a country’s EXCHANGE RATE falls (see DEPRECIATION 1), or because WAGE RATES in the economy increase at a faster rate than output per man (PRODUCTIVITY). In the latter case, institutional factors, such as the use of COMPARABILITY and WAGE DIFFERENTIAL arguments in COLLECTIVE BARGAINING and persistence of RESTRICTIVE LABOUR PRACTICES, can serve to push up wages and limit the scope for productivity improvements. Faced with increased input costs, producers try to ‘pass on’ increased costs by charging higher prices. In order to maintain profit margins, producers would need to pass on the full increased costs in the form of higher prices, but whether they are able to depends upon PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for their products. Important elements in cost-push inflation in the UK and elsewhere have been periodic ‘explosions’ in commodity prices (the increases in the price of oil in 1973, 1979 and 1989 being cases in point), but more particularly ‘excessive’ increases in wages/earnings. Wages/earnings account for around 77% of total factor incomes (see FUNCTIONAL DISTRIBUTION OF INCOME) and are a critical ingredient of AGGREGATE DEMAND in the economy. Any tendency for money wages/earnings to outstrip underlying PRODUCTIVITY growth (i.e. the ability of the economy to ‘pay for/absorb’ higher wages by corresponding increases in output) is potentially inflationary. In the past PRICES AND INCOMES POLICIES have been used to limit pay awards. At the present time, policy is mainly directed towards creating a low inflation economy (see MONETARY POLICY, MONETARY POLICY COMMITTEE), thereby reducing the imperative for workers, through their TRADE UNIONS, to demand excessive wage/earnings increases to compensate themselves for falls in their real living standards.
The Monetary Policy Committee, in monitoring inflation, currently operates a ‘tolerance threshold’ for wage/earnings growth of no more than 4½% as being compatible with low inflation (this figure assumes productivity growth of around 2¾–3%). See INFLATION, INFLATIONARY SPIRAL, COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.
council tax see LOCAL TAX.
countercyclical policy see DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
countertrade the direct or indirect exchange of goods for other goods in INTERNATIONAL TRADE. Countertrade is generally resorted to when particular FOREIGN CURRENCIES are in short supply or when countries apply FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROLS. There are various forms of countertrade, including:
(a) BARTER: the direct exchange of product for product;
(b) compensation deal: where the seller from the exporting country receives part payment in his own currency and the remainder in goods supplied by the buyer;
(c) buyback: where the seller of plant and equipment from the exporting country agrees to accept some of the goods produced by that plant and equipment in the importing country as part payment;
(d) counterpurchase: where the seller from the exporting country receives part payment for the goods in his own currency and the remainder in the local currency of the buyer, the latter then being used to purchase other products in the buyer’s country. See EXPORTING.
countervailing duty a TAX levied on an imported product (see IMPORTS) that raises the price in the domestic market as a means of counteracting ‘unfair’ trading practices by other countries. Countervailing duties are frequently employed against imported products that are deliberately ‘dumped’ (see DUMPING) or subsidized by EXPORT INCENTIVES. See TARIFF, IMPORT DUTY, BEGGAR-MY-NEIGHBOUR POLICY.
countervailing power the ability of large buyers to offset the market power of huge suppliers as in BILATERAL OLIGOPOLY. Large buyers usually have the upper hand in a vertical market chain (for example, multiple retailers buying from food manufacturers) because, unless suppliers collude (see COLLUSION), a large buyer is able to play one supplier off against another and obtain favourable discounts on bulk purchases. Provided that competition is strong in final selling markets, countervailing power can play an important role in checking monopolistic abuse.
The economist J. K. GALBRAITH uses the phrase ‘countervailing power’ in a slightly different way to refer to the growth of trade unions and consumer groups in response to the growth of large firms.
coupon 1 a document that shows proof of legal ownership of a FINANCIAL SECURITY and entitlement to payments thereon; for example, a SHARE certificate or BEARER BOND certificate.
2 a means of promoting the sale of a product by offering buyers of the product coupons that can be redeemed for cash, gifts or other goods.
coupon interest rate the INTEREST RATE payable on the face value of a BOND. For example, a £100 bond with a 5% coupon rate of interest would generate a nominal return of £5 per year. See EFFECTIVE INTEREST RATE.
Cournot, Augustin (1801–77) a French economist who explored the problems of price in conditions of competition and monopoly in his book The Mathematical Principles of the Theory of Wealth (1838). Cournot concentrated attention on the exchange values of products rather than their utilities, and he used mathematics to explore the relationship between the sale price of products and their costs, developing the idea of a MONOPOLY price. Cournot is also known for his work on DUOPOLY, his analysis showing that two firms would react to one another’s output changes until they eventually reached a stable output position from which neither would wish to depart.
covenant a specific condition in a legal agreement or CONTRACT. For instance, a formal agreement between a COMMERCIAL BANK and a JOINT-STOCK COMPANY to which it is loaning money might contain a covenant stipulating a limit on dividend distributions from profits.
covered interest arbitrage the borrowing and investing of foreign currencies to take advantage of differences in INTEREST RATES between countries. For example, a company could borrow an amount of one currency (say, the UK pound (£)), convert this into another currency (say, the US dollar ($)) and invest the proceeds in the USA. Concurrently, the company would sell $s for £s in the FUTURES MARKET for delivery at a future specified date. The company would earn a profit on such a transaction if the rate of return on its investment in the USA were greater than the combined expenses of interest payments on the amount of £s borrowed and the costs of concluding the forward exchange contract. Covered interest ARBITRAGE takes advantage of (and in the process tends to eliminate) any temporary discrepancies between relative interest rates in two countries and the forward exchange rate of the two countries’ currencies. See INTERNATIONAL FISHER EFFECT.
covering a means of protecting the domestic currency value of the future proceeds of an international trade transaction, usually by buying or selling the proceeds of the transaction in the FUTURES MARKET for foreign currencies.
CPI see CONSUMER PRICE INDEX.
crawling-peg exchange-rate system a form of FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM in which the EXCHANGE RATES between currencies are fixed (pegged) at particular values (for example £1 = $2) but which are changed frequently (weekly or monthly) by small amounts to new fixed values to reflect underlying changes in the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKETS: for example, £1 = $1.90 cents, the repegging of the pound at a lower dollar value (DEVALUATION), or £1 = $2.10 cents, the repegging of the pound at a higher dollar value (REVALUATION).
creative destruction see SCHUMPETER.
credibility 1 the extent to which individuals and firms believe that the government will carry out the macro-economic policies that it promises to pursue. Credibility is important in influencing the EXPECTATIONS that individuals and firms have about future economic policies, and these expectations in turn affect their current behaviour. 2 the extent to which potential market entrants believe that incumbent firms will react to their entry, for example, by cutting their prices. The credibility of such threats by incumbent firms will determine whether potential entrants decide to enter a market. See BARRIERS TO ENTRY, LIMIT PRICING, POTENTIAL ENTRANT.
credit a financial facility that enables a person or business to borrow MONEY to purchase (i.e. take immediate possession of) products, raw materials and components, etc., and to pay for them over an extended time period. Credit facilities come in a variety of forms, including BANK LOANS and OVERDRAFTS, INSTALMENT CREDIT, CREDIT CARDS and TRADE CREDIT. Interest charges on credit may be fixed or variable according to the type of facilities offered or, in some cases, ‘interest-free’ as a means of stimulating business.
In many countries CREDIT CONTROLS are used as an instrument of MONETARY POLICY, with the authorities controlling both the availability and terms of credit transactions. See CONSUMER CREDIT ACT 1974, INTEREST RATE.
credit card a plastic card or token used to finance the purchase of products by gaining point-of-sale CREDIT. Credit cards are issued by commercial banks, hotel chains and larger retailers. See EFTPOS.
credit controls 1 the regulation of borrowing from the FINANCIAL SYSTEM as part of MONETARY POLICY. OPEN MARKET OPERATIONS are one general means of limiting the expansion of credit. A more selective form of control is consumer INSTALMENT CREDIT regulation (hire purchase). Under this arrangement, the purchase of certain goods is regulated by the authorities stipulating the minimum down-payment and the maximum period of repayment.
2 the control that a firm exercises over its TRADE DEBTORS in order to ensure that customers pay their DEBTS promptly and to minimize the risk of bad debts. The purpose of credit control is to minimize the funds that a firm has to tie up in debtors, so improving profitability and LIQUIDITY. See FACTORING, WORKING CAPITAL.
credit creation see BANK-DEPOSIT CREATION.
creditor a person or business that is owed money by an individual or firm for goods, services or raw materials that they have supplied but for which they have not yet been paid (trade creditors) or because they have made LOANS. Creditors are also termed ‘accounts payable’. See DEBTORS, CREDIT.
creditor nation a country that has invested more abroad than has been invested internally. A creditor nation receives more interest and dividends on its investments abroad than it has to pay out on investments made in the country, with a consequent surplus on its BALANCE OF PAYMENTS. Many DEVELOPED COUNTRIES are creditor countries. Compare DEBTOR COUNTRY.
credit squeeze any action taken by the monetary authorities to reduce the amount of CREDIT granted by COMMERCIAL BANKS, FINANCE HOUSES, etc. Such action forms part of the government’s MONETARY POLICY directed towards reducing AGGREGATE DEMAND by making less credit available and forcing up INTEREST RATES.
creeping inflation small increases in the general level of prices in an economy. See INFLATION, HYPERINFLATION.
Crest see SHARE PURCHASE/SALE.
cross-elasticity of demand a measure of the degree of responsiveness of the DEMAND for one good to a given change in the PRICE of some other good.
(i) cross-elasticity of demand =
Products may be regarded by consumers as substitutes for one another, in which case a rise in the price of good B (tea, for example) will tend to increase the quantity demanded of good A (coffee, for example). Here the cross-elasticity of demand will be positive since as the price of B goes up the quantity demanded of A rises as consumers now buy more A in preference to the more expensive B.
(ii) cross-elasticity of demand =
Alternatively, products may be regarded by consumers as complements that are jointly demanded, in which case a rise in the price of good B (tea, for example) will tend to decrease not only the quantity demanded of good B but also another good, C (sugar, for example). Here the cross-elasticity of demand will be negative since a rise in the price of B serves to reduce the quantity demanded of C.
The degree of substitutability between products is reflected in the magnitude of the cross-elasticity measure. If a small increase in the price of good B results in a large rise in the quantity demanded of good A (highly cross-elastic), then goods B and A are close substitutes. Likewise, the degree of complementarity of products is reflected in the magnitude of the cross-elasticity measure. If a small increase in the price of good B results in a large fall in the quantity demanded of good C (highly cross-elastic), then goods C and B are close complements.
Cross-elasticities provide a useful indication of the substitutability of products, so helping to indicate the boundaries between markets. A group of products with high cross-elasticities of demand constitutes a distinct market, whether or not they share common technical characteristics; for example, mechanical and electronic watches are regarded by consumers as close substitutes. See MARKET.
cross-sectional data information gathered for the same period of time that is split into certain groupings based upon characteristics such as age, income, etc. Compare TIME SERIES DATA.
cross-subsidization the practice by firms of offering internal subsidies to certain products or departments within the firm financed from the profits generated by other products or departments. Cross-subsidization is often used by diversified and vertically integrated firms as a means of financing new product development; DIVERSIFICATION into new areas; or to facilitate price cuts to match intense competition in certain of its markets. See VERTICAL INTEGRATION, PRICE-SQUEEZE.
Fig. 34 Crowding-out effect. (a) An increase in government expenditure raises real NATIONAL INCOME and output (see EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME), which in turn increases the demand for money from D
to D
, with which to purchase the greater volume of goods and services being produced. (b) This causes the equilibrium INTEREST RATE to rise (from r to r
), which then reduces – ‘crowds out’ – an amount of private INVESTMENT (ΔT). (c) An increase in government expenditure by itself would increase AGGREGATE DEMAND from AD to AD
, but, allowing for the fall in private investment, the net result is to increase aggregate demand to only AD
.
crowding-out effect an increase in GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE that has the effect of reducing the level of private sector spending. Financial crowding-out of the type described in the captions to Fig. 34 would occur only to the extent that the MONEY SUPPLY is fixed, so that additional loanable funds are not forthcoming to finance the government’s additional expenditure. If money supply is fixed, then increases in the PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT associated with additional government expenditure will tend to increase interest rates as the government borrows more, these higher interest rates serving to discourage private sector investment. On the other hand, if additional loanable funds were obtainable from, say, abroad, then additional government borrowing could be financed with little increase in interest rates or effect on private investment.
The term ‘crowding-out’ is also used in a broader sense to denote the effect of larger government expenditure in pre-empting national resources, leaving less for private consumption spending, private sector investment and for exports. Such real crowding-out would occur only to the extent that total national resources are fixed and fully employed so that expansion in public sector claims on resources contract the amount left for the private sector. Where unemployed resources can be brought into use, additional claims by both the public and private sectors can be met. See MONEY-SUPPLY/SPENDING LINKAGES, MARGINAL EFFICIENCY OF CAPITAL/INVESTMENT.
cum dividendadj. (of a particular SHARE) including the right to receive the DIVIDEND that attaches to the share. If shares are purchased on the STOCK EXCHANGE cum. div., the purchaser would be entitled to the dividend accruing to that share when the dividend is next paid. Compare EX DIVIDEND.
currency the BANK NOTES and coins issued by the monetary authorities that form part of an economy’s MONEY SUPPLY. The term ‘currency’ is often used interchangeably with the term cash in economic analysis and monetary policy.
currency appreciation see APPRECIATION 1.
currency depreciation see DEPRECIATION 1.
currency matching see EXCHANGE RATE EXPOSURE.
currency swap see SWAP.
current account 1 a statement of a country’s trade in goods (visibles) and services (invisibles) with the rest of the world over a particular period of time. See BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
2 an individual’s or company’s account at a COMMERCIAL BANK or BUILDING SOCIETY into which the customer can deposit cash or cheques and make withdrawals on demand on a day-to-day basis. Current accounts (or sight deposits as they are often called) offer customers immediate liquidity with which to finance their transactions. Most banks and building societies pay INTEREST on current account balances that are in credit. See BANK DEPOSIT, DEPOSIT ACCOUNT.
current assets ASSETS, such as STOCKS, money owed by DEBTORS, and cash, that are held for short-term conversion within a firm as raw materials are bought, made up, sold as finished goods and eventually paid for. See FIXED ASSETS, WORKING CAPITAL.
current liabilities all obligations to pay out cash at some date in the near future, including amounts that a firm owes to trade CREDITORS and BANK LOANS/OVERDRAFTS. See WORKING CAPITAL.
current yield see YIELD.
Customs and Excise a government agency for the collection of INDIRECT TAXES levied in accordance with appropriate rates, rules and regulations. In the UK, Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise typically collects revenue from VALUE-ADDED TAX and EXCISE DUTY payable on alcoholic drink, tobacco and betting. The agency also enforces the laws regarding the import and export of certain goods, collects IMPORT DUTIES and seeks to prevent attempts to avoid paying import duties by smuggling. See also INLAND REVENUE.
customs duty a TAX levied on imported products (see IMPORTS). Unlike TARIFFS, customs duties are used primarily as a means of raising revenue for the government rather than as a means of protecting domestic producers from foreign competition. See TAXATION.
customs union a form of TRADE INTEGRATION between a number of countries in which members eliminate all trade barriers (TARIFFS, etc.) amongst themselves on goods and services, and establish a uniform set of barriers against trade with the rest of the world, in particular a common external tariff. The aim of a customs union is to secure the benefits of international SPECIALIZATION AND INTERNATIONAL TRADE, thereby improving members’ real living standards. See GAINS FROM TRADE, TRADE CREATION, EUROPEAN UNION, MERCOSUR.
cyclical fluctuation the short-term movements, both upwards and downwards, in some economic variable around a long-term SECULAR TREND line. See Fig. 35. See DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
cyclically adjusted public-sector borrowing requirement see PUBLIC-SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
cyclical unemployment the demand-deficient UNEMPLOYMENT that occurs as a result of a fall in the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND and business activity during the RECESSION and DEPRESSION phases of the BUSINESS CYCLE.
cyclical variation see TIME-SERIES ANALYSIS.
Fig. 35 Cyclical fluctuation. The pronounced short-term swings in output growth rates over the course of the BUSINESS CYCLE, around a rising long-term trend growth line for the country’s GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT.
d (#ulink_7da1e1e3-8953-506c-8dd1-4db024d0ed8a)
dawn raid a situation in which a potential TAKEOVER bidder for a company buys a substantial shareholding in the target company at current market prices, often through intermediaries (to disguise the identity of the bidder). This shareholding can then be used as a platform for a full takeover bid for all the shares at a stated offer price. See TAKEOVER BID, CITY CODE.
deadweight loss the reduction in CONSUMERS’ SURPLUS and PRODUCERS’ SURPLUS that results when the output of a product is restricted to less than the optimum efficient level that would prevail under PERFECT COMPETITION. Fig. 36 shows the demand and supply curves for a product, and their interaction establishes the equilibrium market price OP. At this price, consumers’ surplus is shown as the diagonally shaded area ABP and producers’ surplus as the vertically shaded area APO. If output is restricted from OQ to OQ
, then the price paid by consumers would rise to OP
and consumers’ surplus would be reduced by the amount ACE, while the price received by producers would fall to OP
and producers’ surplus would be reduced by the amount ADE.
Deadweight loss is particularly likely to occur in markets dominated by MONOPOLY suppliers who restrict output in order to keep prices high.
dear money see TIGHT MONEY.
Fig. 36 Deadweight loss. See entry.
death rate the number of people in a POPULATION who die per thousand per year. In 2004, for example, the UK death rate was 10 people per 1,000 of the population. The difference between this rate and the BIRTH RATE is used to calculate the rate of growth of the population of a country over time. The death rate tends to decline as a country attains higher levels of economic development. See DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION.
debentures a means of financing companies through fixed-interest LOANS secured against company ASSETS.
In some cases the company may offer a specific asset, such as a particular machine, as security for the loan; in other cases lenders are offered security by means of a general claim against all company assets in the event of default. See LOAN CAPITAL.
debt an amount of money owed by a person, firm or government (the borrower) to a lender. Debts arise when individuals, etc., spend more than their current income or when they deliberately plan to borrow money to purchase specific goods, services or ASSETS (houses, financial securities, etc.). Debt contracts provide for the eventual repayment of the sum borrowed and include INTEREST charges for the duration of the loan. An individual’s debt can include MORTGAGES, INSTALMENT CREDIT, BANK LOANS and OVERDRAFTS; a firm’s debt can include fixed-interest DEBENTURES, LOANS, BILLS OF EXCHANGE and bank loans and overdrafts; a government’s debt can take the form of long-term BONDS and short-term TREASURY BILLS (see NATIONAL DEBT). See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT. See also INTERNATIONAL DEBT.
debt capital see LOAN CAPITAL.
debt financing the financing of firms’ and governments’ deficits by the issue of FINANCIAL SECURITIES such as short-dated company BILLS OF EXCHANGE and government TREASURY BILLS, and, in the case of government, longer-term BONDS. See PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
debtor a person or business that owes money to individuals or firms for goods, services or raw materials that they have bought but for which they have not yet paid (trade debtors) or because they have borrowed money. Debtors are also termed ‘accounts receivable’. See CREDITORS, DEBT, CREDIT CONTROL, WORKING CAPITAL, BAD DEBT.
debtor nation a country that has had more invested in it than it has invested abroad. A debtor nation has to pay out more interest and dividends on investments made in the country than it receives, with a consequent deficit in its BALANCE OF PAYMENTS. Many DEVELOPING COUNTRIES are debtor nations. Compare CREDITOR COUNTRY.
debt servicing the cost of meeting INTEREST payments and regular contractual repayments of principal on a LOAN along with any administration charges borne by the BORROWER.
decentralization the diffusion of economic decision-making to many different decision-makers rather than concentrating such decision-making centrally. In an economy this is achieved by the adoption of the PRICE SYSTEM, which devolves decisions to individual consumers and suppliers. In a firm, decentralization involves delegating authority to make decisions ‘down the line’ to particular divisions and departments. See PRIVATE ENTERPRISE ECONOMY, M-FORM ORGANIZATION.
decision tree a graphical representation of the decision-making process in relation to a particular economic decision. The decision tree illustrates the possibilities open to the decision-maker in choosing between alternative strategies. It is possible to specify the financial consequence of each ‘branch’ of the decision tree and to gauge the PROBABILITY of particular events occurring that might affect the consequences of the decisions made. See RISK AND UNCERTAINTY.
decreasing returns to scale see DISECONOMIES OF SCALE.
decreasing returns to the variable-factor input see DIMINISHING RETURNS.
deferred compensation payment schemes that pay lower wages during the early years of employment in an organization and higher wages in subsequent years. With deferred compensation schemes, a worker’s remuneration increases with seniority and experience, which tend to improve the worker’s efficiency within the organization. Such compensation schemes tend to reduce labour turnover and reduce SHIRKING. See PAY.
deficiency payment see INCOME SUPPORT.
deficit see BUDGET DEFICIT, BALANCE OF PAYMENTS.
deficit financing see BUDGET DEFICIT, PUBLIC SECTOR BORROWING REQUIREMENT.
deflation a reduction in the level of NATIONAL INCOME and output usually accompanied by a fall in the general price level (DISINFLATION).
A deflation is often deliberately brought about by the authorities in order to reduce INFLATION and to improve the BALANCE OF PAYMENTS by reducing import demand. Instruments of deflationary policy include fiscal measures (e.g. tax increases) and monetary measures (e.g. high interest rates). See MONETARY POLICY, FISCAL POLICY.
deflationary gaporoutput gap the shortfall in total spending (AGGREGATE DEMAND) at the FULL EMPLOYMENT level of national income (POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT). Because of a deficiency in spending, some of the economy’s resources lie idle and ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT is below that of potential GNP. To counteract this deficiency in spending, the authorities can use FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY to expand aggregate demand. See Fig. 37. See also DEFLATION, REFLATION, INFLATIONARY GAP.
DEFRA see DEPARTMENT FOR THE ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS.
deindustrialization a sustained fall in the proportion of national output accounted for by the industrial and manufacturing sectors of the economy, a process that is often accompanied by a decline in the number of people employed in industry (compare INDUSTRIALIZATION).
There is a well-established trend in advanced economics for the industrial sector to grow more slowly than the service sector, as shown in Fig. 38. For the UK, the share of industry in GDP fell from 43% in 1960 to 29% in 2002, while the share of services increased from 54% to 70%. Over the same period, employment in industry in the UK fell from 11.8 million in 1960 to 3.7 million in 2003.
Fig. 37 Deflationary gap. (a) The AGGREGATE SUPPLY SCHEDULE is drawn as a 45-degree line because businesses will offer any particular level of output only if they expect total spending (aggregate demand) to be just sufficient to sell all of that output. However, once the economy reaches the full employment level of national income (OY
), then actual output cannot expand further and at this level of output the aggregate supply schedule becomes vertical. (b) Alternatively, aggregate supply can be depicted in terms of the various levels of real national income supplied at each price level. Again, once the economy reaches the full employment level of real national income, the aggregate supply schedule becomes vertical. In both (a) and (b), if aggregate demand is at a low level (AD
), then actual output (OY) will be determined by the intersection of AD
and the aggregate supply schedule at point A; this output (OY) is less than potential output (OY
), leaving an output gap. An output gap can be removed by the authorities by expanding aggregate demand to the full employment level of aggregate demand (AD
) where actual output (determined by the intersection of AD
and the aggregate supply schedule at point B) corresponds with potential GNP.
Changes in sector shares may simply reflect changes in the pattern of final demand for goods and services over time, and as such may be considered a ‘natural’ development associated with a maturing economy. On the other hand, deindustrialization that stems from supply-side deficiencies (high costs, an overvalued exchange rate, lack of investment and innovation) which put a country at a competitive disadvantage in international trade (see IMPORT PENETRATION) is a more serious matter. In this case, deindustrialization often brings with it a fall in national output, rising unemployment and balance of payments difficulties.
The extent of deindustrialization in the UK was even more marked in the early 1980s because of Britain’s artificially high exchange rate, bolstered by UK oil exports, which caused Britain to lose overseas markets. See STRUCTURE OF INDUSTRY, STRUCTURAL UNEMPLOYMENT.
Fig. 38 Deindustrialization. The distribution of gross national product shows how the industrial sector in advanced economics grows more slowly than the service sector. The figures for industry include those for manufacturing. Source: World Development Report, World Bank, 2004.
delivered pricing the charging of a PRICE for a product that includes the cost of transporting the product from the manufacturer to the customer. The delivered prices quoted by a manufacturer might accurately reflect the actual costs of transportation to different areas, or alternatively, discriminatory prices might be used to cross-subsidize areas in order to maximize sales across the country. See BASING POINT PRICE SYSTEM.
delivery note a document sent by a supplier to a customer at the time when products are supplied that itemizes the physical quantities of product supplied. Thereafter an INVOICE is usually sent to the customer showing the money value of products supplied. Compare STATEMENT OF ACCOUNT.
demandoreffective demand the WANT, need or desire for a product backed by the money to purchase it. In economic analysis, demand is always based on ‘willingness and ability to pay’ for a product, not merely want or need for the product. CONSUMERS’ total demand for a product is reflected in the DEMAND CURVE. Compare SUPPLY.
demand curve a line showing the relationship between the PRICE of a PRODUCT or FACTOR OF PRODUCTION and the quantity DEMANDED per time period, as in Fig. 39.
Most demand curves slope downwards because (a) as the price of the product falls, consumers will tend to substitute this (now relatively cheaper) product for others in their purchases; (b) as the price of the product falls, this serves to increase their real income, allowing them to buy more products (see PRICE EFFECT, INCOME EFFECT, SUBSTITUTION EFFECT). In a small minority of cases, however, products can have an UPWARD-SLOPING CURVE.
The slope of the demand curve reflects the degree of responsiveness of quantity demanded to changes in the product’s price. For example, if a large reduction in price results in only a small increase in quantity demanded (as would be the case where the demand curve has a steep slope) then demand is said to be price inelastic (see PRICE-ELASTICITY OF DEMAND).
The demand curve interacts with the SUPPLY CURVE to determine the EQUILIBRIUM MARKET PRICE. See DEMAND FUNCTION, DEMAND CURVE (SHIFT IN), DIMINISHING MARGINAL UTILITY, MARGINAL REVENUE PRODUCT.
Fig. 39 Demand curve. Demand is the total quantity of a good or service that buyers are prepared to purchase at a given price. Demand is always taken to be effective demand, backed by the ability to pay, and not just based on want or need. The typical market demand curve slopes downwards from left to right, indicating that as price falls more is demanded (that is, a movement along the existing demand curve). Thus, if price falls from OP
to OP
, the quantity demanded will increase from OQ
to OQ
.
demand curve (shift in) a movement of the DEMAND CURVE from one position to another (either left or right) as a result of some economic change other than price. A given demand curve is always drawn on the CETERIS PARIBUS assumption that all the other factors affecting demand (income, tastes, etc.) are held constant. If any of these changes, however, then this will bring about a shift in the demand curve. For example, if income increases, the demand curve will shift to the right, so that more is now demanded at each price than formerly. See Fig. 40. See also DEMAND FUNCTION, INCOME-ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
Fig. 40 Demand curve (shift in). An increase in income shifts the demand curve D
D
to D
D
, increasing the quantity demanded from OQ
, to OQ
. The magnitude of this shift depends upon the INCOME ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for the product.
demand deposit see BANK DEPOSIT, COMMERCIAL BANK.
demand elasticity see ELASTICITY OF DEMAND.
demand for a factor input see DERIVED DEMAND.
demand function a form of notation that links the DEPENDENT VARIABLE, quantity demanded (Qd), with various INDEPENDENT VARIABLES that determine quantity demanded such as product price (P), income (Y), prices of substitute products (Ps), advertising (A), etc.:
Qd = f(P, Y, Ps, A, etc)
Changes in any of these independent variables will affect quantity demanded, and if we wish to investigate the particular effect of any one of these variables upon quantity demanded, then we could (conceptually) hold the influence of the other independent variables constant (CETERIS PARIBUS), whilst we focus upon the particular effects of that independent variable. See DEMAND CURVE, DEMAND CURVE (SHIFT IN).
demand managementorstabilization policy
The control of the level of AGGREGATE DEMAND in an economy, using FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY to moderate or eliminate fluctuations in the level of economic activity associated with the BUSINESS CYCLE. The general objective of demand management is to ‘fine-tune’ aggregate demand so that it is neither deficient relative to POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT (thereby avoiding a loss of output and UNEMPLOYMENT) nor overfull (thereby avoiding INFLATION).
An unregulated economy will tend to go through periods of depression and boom as indicated by the continuous line in Fig. 41. Governments generally try to smooth out such fluctuations by stimulating aggregate demand when the economy is depressed and reducing aggregate demand when the economy is over-heating. Ideally, the government would wish to manage aggregate demand so that it grows exactly in line with the underlying growth of potential GNP, the dashed line in Fig. 41, exactly offsetting the amplitude of troughs and peaks of the business cycle.
Two main problems exist, however:
(a) the establishment of the correct timing of such an INJECTION or WITHDRAWAL;
(b) the establishment of the correct magnitude of an injection or withdrawal into the economy (to counter depressions and booms). With perfect timing and magnitude, the economy would follow the trend line of potential GNP.
A number of stages are involved in applying a stabilization policy as shown in the figure. For example, at time period zero the onset of a recession/depression would be reflected in a downturn in economic activity, although delays in the collection of economic statistics means that it is often time period 1 before data becomes available about unemployment rates, etc. Once sufficient data is to hand, the authorities are able to diagnose the nature of the problem (time period 2) and to plan appropriate intervention, such as tax cuts or increases in government expenditure (time period 3). At time period 4, the agreed measures are then implemented, although it may take some time before these measures have an effect on CONSUMPTION, INVESTMENT, IMPORTS, etc. (see MULTIPLIER). If the timing of these activities is incorrect, then the authorities may find that they have stimulated the economy at a time when it was already beginning to recover from recession/depression, so that their actions have served to exacerbate the original fluctuation (dotted line 1 in Fig. 41). The authorities could also exacerbate the fluctuation (dotted line 1) if they get the magnitudes wrong by injecting too much purchasing power into the economy, creating conditions of excess demand.
If the authorities can get the timing and magnitudes correct, then they should be able to counterbalance the effects of recession/depression and follow the path indicated as dotted line 2 in Fig. 41. Reducing the intensity of the recession in this way requires the authorities to FORECAST accurately the onset of recession some time demand management ahead, perhaps while the economy is still buoyant (time period 6). On the basis of these forecasts, the authorities can then plan their intervention to stimulate the economy (time period 7), activate these measures (time period 8), so that these measures begin to take effect and stimulate the economy as economic activity levels fall (time period 9).
Much government action is inaccurate in timing because of the institutional and behavioural complexities of the economy. Where the government has not been successful in adequately eradicating such peaks and troughs in the business cycle, it is frequently accused of having stop-go policies (see STOP-GO CYCLE), that is, of making injections into a recovering economy, which then ‘overheats’, and subsequently withdrawing too much at the wrong time, ‘braking’ too hard.
Demand management represents one facet of government macroeconomic policy, other important considerations being SUPPLY-SIDE policies, which affect the rate of growth of potential GNP, and EXCHANGE RATE policies, which affect the competitiveness of internationally traded goods and services. See DEFLATIONARY GAP, INFLATIONARY GAP, EQUILIBRIUM LEVEL OF NATIONAL INCOME, AUTOMATIC (BUILT-IN) STABILIZERS, INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL, PUBLIC FINANCE, BUDGET.
Fig. 41 Demand management. The management of aggregate demand in an economy.
demand-pull inflation a general increase in prices caused by a level of AGGREGATE DEMAND in excess of the supply potential of the economy. At full employment levels of output (POTENTIAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT), excess demand bids up the price of a fixed real output (see INFLATIONARY GAP). According to MONETARISM, excess demand results from too rapid an increase in the MONEY SUPPLY. See INFLATION, QUANTITY THEORY OF MONEY, COST-PUSH INFLATION.
demand schedule a table listing various prices of a product and the specific quantities demanded at each of these prices. The information provided by a demand schedule can be used to construct a DEMAND CURVE showing the price-quantity demanded relationship in graphical form.
demand theory see THEORY OF DEMAND.
demerger the break-up of a company, often originally formed through a MERGER, into two (or more) separate companies. This is most easily achieved when the original businesses comprising the merger have continued to be run as separate divisions of the enlarged group. In this case, for example, the A-B company could be split into separate quoted companies, A and B, with the company’s existing shareholders being given shares in both companies. Thus, unlike a DIVESTMENT (the sale of a division to outside interests) or a MANAGEMENT BUY-OUT (the sale of a division to its existing management), initially at least the companies continue to be owned by their existing shareholders.
A demerger may occur because the merged company has failed to perform up to expectations because of internal conflicts of management, or may result from a rethink of the company’s BUSINESS STRATEGY favouring a concentration on ‘core’ businesses.
Fig. 42 Demographic transition. The levelling-off of the rate of population growth during a country’s economic development.
demographic transition a POPULATION cycle that is associated with the ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT of a country. In underdeveloped countries (i.e. subsistence agrarian economics), BIRTH RATES and DEATH RATES are both high, so there is very little change in the overall size of the population. With economic development (i.e. INDUSTRIALIZATION), INCOME PER HEAD begins to rise and there is a fall in the DEATH RATE (through better nutrition, sanitation, medical care, etc.), which brings about a period of rapid population growth. Provided ECONOMIC GROWTH is consistently greater than the increase in population, income per head continues to expand and eventually serves to reduce the BIRTH RATE (small families become the ‘norm’ in society as people seek to preserve their growing affluence). At this point, population growth slows down and may eventually level off. See Fig. 42.
Most advanced industrial countries have gone through a demographic transition of the kind described above and are today characterized by both low birth and death rates and slow-growing populations. See POPULATION TRAP, DEVELOPING COUNTRY.
denationalization see PRIVATIZATION.
demography the study of human POPULATIONS, including their total size, population changes over time as determined by changes in BIRTH RATES, DEATH RATES and MIGRATION; the age and sex distribution of populations and their geographical and occupational distributions. Statistical data on populations is compiled from CENSUSES of population and records of births, See DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION.
Department for Education and Skills (DfES) the UK government department responsible for administering the government’s general educational programmes, including schools, colleges and universities, and vocational training schemes. The Department for Education and Skills replaced part of the former Department for Education and Employment in 2001. The emphasis in education is one of providing young people with a basic general education through schools, followed by further education opportunities at colleges and universities, with a commitment thereafter to ‘lifetime learning’ so as to equip people with the necessary basic and vocational skills to be able to adapt to the changing needs of the workplace. This is augmented by more specialized vocational schemes to match up people’s educational capabilities with the practical requirements of specific work tasks through ‘on-the-job-training’ (see TRAINING) and the provision of courses designed to teach people new skills (e.g. computer programming courses). See LEARNING AND SKILLS COUNCIL.
Department for International Development (DFID) the UK government department responsible for administering the government’s policies of promoting sustainable development and reducing poverty in DEVELOPING COUNTRIES. The DFID itself provides ECONOMIC AID and works with various multilateral institutions such as the WORLD BANK and the United Nations to provide financial and technical aid to poor countries.
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) the UK body responsible for government policies on agriculture, horticulture, fisheries and the food chain; POLLUTION issues relating to waste and recycling; the enhancement and protection of the countryside, waterways and flood defence, hunting, and rural development issues. See ENVIRONMENT AGENCY.
Department for Transport the UK government department responsible for administering government policies relating to the roads, railways, aviation and shipping.
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) the UK government department responsible for administering the government’s employment and social security programmes. The DWP was formed in 2001 from parts of the former Department of Social Security and Department for Education and Employment and the Employment Service.
The department assists UNEMPLOYED people of working age into employment, helps employers to fill VACANCIES and provides financial support to persons unable to help themselves through ‘back-to-work’ programmes.
The DWP also administers the SOCIAL SECURITY BENEFITS system, paying state pensions, sickness benefit, child support and the JOBSEEKERS ALLOWANCE.
In 2002 the former Benefits Agency and the Employment Service were replaced by the JOBCENTRE PLUS network (responsible for helping people to find jobs and paying benefits to people of working age) and the Pension Service (responsible for paying state pensions).
Regarding employment, a particular concern of the Department is to instil in people a culture of employment as being the norm but at the same time playing down the negative aspects of unemployment. This more positive approach is reflected in the work of the DWP’s agency Jobcentre Plus and its nationwide network of JOB CENTRES, the introduction of the jobseekers allowance as a replacement for unemployment benefit and the NEW DEAL programme aimed at reducing youth unemployment and long-term unemployment amongst older workers.
The DWP is also responsible for conducting the fact-finding LABOUR FORCE SURVEY, which provides data on conditions in the labour market, for overseeing the application of the UK’s EMPLOYMENT LAWS, and for implementing employee rights’ regulations issued by the European Union (see, for example, the WORKING TIME REGULATION).
Department of Health (DoH) the UK government department responsible for administering the National Health Service.
Department of Social Security see DEPARTMENT FOR WORK AND PENSIONS.
department store a large RETAIL OUTLET. Department stores may be under single-shop ownership or run as a multiple CHAIN STORE business. Unlike most other retailers, who tend to specialize in relatively narrow ranges of products, the essential characteristic of a department store is the great variety of products it stocks: ‘everything under one roof’. See RETAILER, DISTRIBUTION CHANNEL.
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) the UK government office that is primarily responsible for implementing and administering the government’s industrial and trade policies. A particular concern at the DTI is the promotion of greater efficiency through an INDUSTRIAL POLICY programme that includes support for new business start-ups, consultancy services for small firms, research and development, and technology transfer. In the past, the DTI has been required by governments to involve itself in the rationalization of declining industries and support for ‘failing’ firms, but at the present time the emphasis is very much on fostering greater ‘enterprise’ by business itself with a minimum of direct state intervention. See SMALL BUSINESS SERVICE, BUSINESS LINK.
The DTI is responsible for the operation of REGIONAL POLICY, vetting applications for regional selective assistance by firms investing in ASSISTED AREAS. The DTI works closely with the OFFICE OF FAIR TRADING in matters affecting COMPETITION POLICY; the DTI regulates the formation of companies and their conduct, through the COMPANY REGISTRAR, and is responsible for issuing licences to deposit-taking institutions and authorizing dealers in stocks and shares, etc. (see FINANCIAL SERVICES ACT 1986). Finally, the DTI plays a prominent part in the running of the UK’s overseas trade and investment affairs, representing the country’s interests at international (WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION) and regional levels (EUROPEAN UNION). The DTI is important in the promotion of exports and foreign investment through the TRADE PARTNERS network and related back-up facilities and services including the EXPORT CREDIT GUARANTEE DEPARTMENT.
dependent variable a variable that is affected by some other variable in a model. For example, the demand for a product (the dependent variable) will be influenced by its price (the INDEPENDENT VARIABLE). It is conventional to place the dependent variable on the left-hand side of an EQUATION. See DEMAND FUNCTION, SUPPLY FUNCTION.
deposit accountortime accountorsavings account an individual’s or company’s account at a COMMERCIAL BANK into which the customer can deposit cash or cheques and from which he or she can draw out money subject to giving notice to the bank. Deposit accounts (unlike CURRENT ACCOUNTS, which are used to finance day-to-day transactions) are mainly held as a form of personal and corporate SAVING and used to finance irregular ‘one-off’ payments. INTEREST is payable on deposit accounts, normally at rates above those paid on current accounts, in order to encourage clients to deposit money for longer periods of time. Unlike with a current account, cheques cannot generally be drawn against deposit accounts. See BANK DEPOSIT.
Fig. 43 Depreciation. (a) A depreciation of the pound against the dollar. (b)The effect of depreciation on export and import prices.
depreciation
1 a fall in the value of a CURRENCY against other currencies under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, as shown in Fig. 43 (a). A depreciation of a currency’s value makes IMPORTS (in the local currency) more expensive and EXPORTS (in the local currency) cheaper, thereby reducing imports and increasing exports, and so assisting in the removal of a BALANCE OF PAYMENTS deficit. For example, as shown in Fig. 43 (b), if the pound-dollar exchange rate depreciates from £1.60 to £1.40, then this would allow British exporters to reduce their prices by a similar amount, thus increasing their price competitiveness in the American market (although they may choose not to reduce their prices by the full amount of the depreciation in order to boost profitability or devote more funds to sales promotion, etc.) By the same token, the depreciation serves to raise the sterling price of American products imported into Britain, thereby making them less price-competitive than British products in the home market.
In order for a currency depreciation to ‘work’, four basic conditions must be satisfied:
(a) how successful the depreciation is depends on the reactions of export and import volumes to the change in relative prices, i.e. the PRICE ELASTICITY OF DEMAND for exports and imports. If these volumes are low, i.e. demand is inelastic, trade volumes will not change much and the depreciation may in fact worsen the situation. On the other hand, if export and import demand is elastic then the change in trade volume will improve the payments position. Balance-of-payments equilibrium will be restored if the sum of export and import elasticities is greater than unity (the MARSHALL-LERNER CONDITION);
(b) on the supply side, resources must be available, and sufficiently mobile, to be switched from other sectors of the economy into industries producing exports and products that will substitute for imports. If the economy is fully employed already, domestic demand will have to be reduced and/or switched by deflationary policies to accommodate the required resource transference;
(c) over the longer term, ‘offsetting’ domestic price, rises must be contained. A depreciation increases the cost of essential imports of raw materials and foodstuffs, which can push up domestic manufacturing costs and the cost of living. This in turn can serve to increase domestic prices and money wages, thereby necessitating further depreciations to maintain price competitiveness;
(d) finally, a crucial requirement in underpinning the ‘success’ of the above factors and in maintaining long-run equilibrium is for there to be a real improvement in the country’s industrial efficiency and international competitiveness. (See ADJUSTMENT MECHANISM entry for further discussion.) See BALANCE-OF-PAYMENTS EQUILIBRIUM, INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL, PRICE ELASTICITY OF SUPPLY. Compare APPRECIATION 1.
2 the fall in the value of an ASSET during the course of its working life. Also called amortization. The condition of plant and equipment used in production deteriorates over time, and these items will eventually have to be replaced. Accordingly, a firm is required to make financial provision for the depreciation of its assets.
Depreciation is an accounting means of dividing up the historic cost of a FIXED ASSET over a number of accounting periods that correspond with the asset’s estimated life. The depreciation charged against the revenue of successive time periods in the PROFIT-AND-LOSS ACCOUNT serves to spread the original cost of a fixed asset, which yields benefits to the firm over several trading periods. In the period end BALANCE SHEET, such an asset would be included at its cost less depreciation deducted to date. This depreciation charge does not attempt to calculate the reducing market value of fixed assets, so that balance sheets do not show realization values.
Depreciation formulas base the depreciation charge on the HISTORIC COST of fixed assets. During a period of INFLATION, however, it is likely that the REPLACEMENT COST of an asset is likely to be higher than its original cost. Thus, prudent companies need to make provision for higher replacement costs of fixed assets. See INFLATION ACCOUNTING, CAPITAL CONSUMPTION, APPRECIATION 2.
depressed area an area of a country suffering from industrial decline, resulting in an UNEMPLOYMENT rate that is significantly higher, and a level of INCOME PER HEAD that is significantly lower, than the national average. This situation can be tackled by REGIONAL POLICIES aimed at encouraging new firms and industries to locate in the area by offering them financial and other assistance. See ASSISTED AREA.
depression a phase of the BUSINESS CYCLE characterized by a severe decline (slump) in the level of economic activity (ACTUAL GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT). Real output and INVESTMENT are at very low levels and there is a high rate of UNEMPLOYMENT. A depression is caused mainly by a fall in AGGREGATE DEMAND and can be reversed provided that the authorities evoke expansionary FISCAL POLICY and MONETARY POLICY. See DEFLATIONARY GAP, DEMAND MANAGEMENT.
deregulation the removal of controls over economic activity that have been imposed by the government or some other regulatory body (for example, an industry trade association). Deregulation may be initiated either because the controls are no longer seen as necessary (for example, the ending of PRICE CONTROLS to combat inflation) or because they are overly restrictive, preventing companies from taking advantage of business opportunities; for example, the ending of most FOREIGN EXCHANGE CONTROLS by the UK in 1979 was designed to liberalize overseas physical and portfolio investment.
Deregulation has assumed particular significance in the context of recent initiatives by the UK government to stimulate greater competition by, for example, allowing private companies to compete for business in areas (such as local bus and parcel services) hitherto confined to central government or local authority operators. See COMPETITIVE TENDERING.
Conversely, government initiatives can be seen to have promoted regulation insofar as, for example, the PRIVATIZATION of nationalized industries has in some cases led to greater regulation of their activities via the creation of regulatory agencies (such as Ofgas in the case of the gas industry and Oftel in the case of the telecommunications industry) to ensure that the interests of consumers are protected.
derivative a financial instrument such as an OPTION or SWAP the value of which is derived from some other financial asset (for example, a STOCK or SHARE) or indices (for example, a price index for a commodity such as cocoa). Derivatives are traded on the FUTURES MARKETS and are used by businesses and dealers to ‘hedge’ against future movements in share, commodity, etc., prices and by speculators seeking to secure windfall profits. See LONDON INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL FUTURES EXCHANGE (LIFFE), STOCK EXCHANGE.
derived demand the DEMAND for a particular FACTOR INPUT or PRODUCT that is dependent on there being a demand for some other product. For example, the demand for labour to produce motor cars is dependent on there being a demand for motor cars in the first place; the demand for tea cups is dependent on there being a demand for tea. See MARGINAL REVENUE PRODUCT, FACTOR MARKETS, COMPLEMENTARY PRODUCTS.
deseasonalized data see TIME SERIES ANALYSIS.
design rights the legal ownership by persons or businesses of original designs of the shape or configuration of industrial products. In the UK, the COPYRIGHT, DESIGNS AND PATENTS ACT 1988 gives protection to the creators of industrial designs against unauthorized copying for a period of ten years after the first marketing of the product.
Fig. 44 Devaluation. A devaluation of the pound against the dollar.
devaluation an administered reduction in the EXCHANGE RATE of a currency against other currencies under a FIXED EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM; for example, the lowering of the UK pound (£) against the US dollar ($) from one fixed or ‘pegged’ level to a lower level, say from £1 = $3 to £1 = $2, as shown in Fig. 44. Devaluations are resorted to by governments to assist in the removal of a BALANCE OF PAYMENTS DEFICIT. The effect of a devaluation is to make IMPORTS (in the local currency) more expensive, thereby reducing import demand, and EXPORTS (in the local currency) cheaper, thereby acting as a stimulus to export demand. Whether or not a devaluation ‘works’ in achieving balance of payments equilibrium, however, depends on a number of factors, including: the sensitivity of import and export demand to price changes, the availability of resources to expand export volumes and replace imports and, critically over the long term, the control of inflation to ensure that domestic price rises are kept in line with or below other countries’ inflation rates. (See DEPRECIATION 1 for further discussion of these matters.) Devaluations can affect the business climate in a number of ways but in particular provide firms with an opportunity to expand sales and boost profitability. A devaluation increases import prices, making imports less competitive against domestic products, encouraging domestic buyers to switch to locally produced substitutes. Likewise, a fall in export prices is likely to cause overseas customers to increase their demand for the country’s exported products in preference to locally produced items and the exports of other overseas producers. If the pound, as in our example above, is devalued by one-third, then this would allow British exporters to reduce their prices by a similar amount, thus increasing their price competitiveness in the American market. Alternatively, they may choose not to reduce their prices by the full amount of the devaluation in order to increase unit profit margins and provide additional funds for advertising and sales promotion, etc. Compare REVALUATION. See INTERNAL-EXTERNAL BALANCE MODEL.
developed country an economically advanced country the economy of which is characterized by large industrial and service sectors, high levels of gross national product and INCOME PER HEAD. See Fig. 51. See STRUCTURE OF INDUSTRY, DEVELOPING COUNTRY, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
developing countryorless developed countryorunderdeveloped countryoremerging countryorThird World country a country characterized by low levels of GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT and INCOME PER HEAD. See Fig. 51. Such countries are typically dominated by a large PRIMARY SECTOR thatproduces a limited range of agricultural and mineral products and in which the majority of the POPULATION exists at or near subsistence levels, producing barely enough for their immediate needs, thus being unable to release the resources required to support a large urbanized industrial population. The term ‘developing’ indicates that, as seen by most such countries, the way to improve their economic fortunes is to diversify the industrial base of the economy by, in particular, establishing new manufacturing industries and by adopting the PRICE SYSTEM. To facilitate an increase in urban population necessary for INDUSTRIALIZATION, a nation may either IMPORT the necessary commodities from abroad with the FOREIGN EXCHANGE earned from the EXPORT of the (predominantly) primary goods, or it can attempt to improve its own agriculture. With appropriate ECONOMIC AID from industrialized countries and the ability and willingness on the part of a developing country, the transition into a NEWLY INDUSTRIALIZED COUNTRY could be made.
Certain problems do exist, however. For instance, increases in real income that are achieved need to be maintained, which means keeping population numbers in check. Illiteracy and social customs for large families tend to work against governmental efforts to increase the STANDARD OF LIVING of its citizens. Also, most of the foreign exchange earned by such countries is by exporting, mainly commodities (see INTERNATIONAL TRADE). See ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, STRUCTURE OF INDUSTRY, DEMOGRAPHIC TRANSITION, POPULATION TRAP, INTERNATIONAL COMMODITY AGREEMENTS, UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON TRADE AND DEVELOPMENT, INTERNATIONAL DEBT.
development area an area of the country formerly designated under UK REGIONAL POLICY (for example, the Northeast and South Wales) as qualifying for financial and other assistance in order to promote industrial regeneration. Development Areas reconfigured (in 2002) as ‘Tier 1 ASSISTED AREAS’ under a joint UK/EUROPEAN UNION regional policy programme. Development/Tier 1 areas are characterized by UNEMPLOYMENT rates that are significantly higher, and levels of INCOME PER HEAD that are significantly lower, than the national average. To remedy this situation, the usual practice is to encourage the establishment of new firms, the expansion of existing firms and the establishment of new industries by offering a variety of investment incentives: investment grants and allowances, tax write-offs, rent- and rate-free (or reduced) factories, etc.
In the UK, firms investing in the assisted areas are offered REGIONAL SELECTIVE ASSISTANCE, which is given on a discretionary basis to cover capital and training costs for projects that meet specified job-creation criteria.
development economics the branch of economics that seeks to explain the processes by which a DEVELOPING COUNTRY increases in productive capacity, both agricultural and industrial, in order to achieve sustained ECONOMIC GROWTH.
Much work in development economics has focused on the way in which such growth can be achieved, for instance, the question of whether agriculture ought to be developed in tandem with industry, or whether leading industries should be allowed to move forward independently, so encouraging all other sectors of society. Another controversial question is whether less developed countries are utilizing the most appropriate technology. Many economists argue for intermediate technology as most appropriate rather than very modern plants initially requiring Western technologists and managers to run them. Socio-cultural factors are also influential in attempting to achieve take-off into sustained economic growth. See ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, INFANT INDUSTRY.
differentiated product see PRODUCT DIFFERENTIATION.
differentiation competition strategy see COMPETITIVE STRATEGY.
diffusion the process whereby INNOVATIONS are accepted and used by firms and consumers through imitation, licensing agreements or sale of products and patents.
diminishing average returns see DIMINISHING RETURNS.
diminishing marginal rate of substitution see MARGINAL RATE OF SUBSTITUTION.
diminishing marginal returns see DIMINISHING RETURNS.
diminishing marginal utility a principle that states that as an individual consumes a greater quantity of a product in a particular time period, the extra satisfaction (UTILITY) derived from each additional unit will progressively fall as the individual becomes satiated with the product. See Fig. 45.
The principle of diminishing MARGINAL UTILITY can be used to explain why DEMAND CURVES for most products are downward sloping, since if individuals derive less satisfaction from successive units of the product they will only be prepared to pay a lower price for each unit.
Demand analysis can be conducted only in terms of diminishing marginal utility if CARDINAL UTILITY measurement is possible. In practice, it is not possible to measure utility precisely in this way, so demand curves are now generally constructed from INDIFFERENCE CURVES, which are based upon ORDINAL UTILITY. See CONSUMER EQUILIBRIUM, REVEALED PREFERENCE.
diminishing returns the law in the SHORT-RUN theory of supply of diminishing marginal returns or variable factor proportions that states that as equal quantities of one VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT are added into the production function (the quantities of all other factor inputs remaining fixed), a point will be reached beyond which the resulting addition to output (that is, the MARGINAL PHYSICAL PRODUCT of the variable input) will begin to decrease, as shown in Fig. 46.
As the marginal physical product declines, this will eventually cause AVERAGE PHYSICAL PRODUCT to decline as well (diminishing average returns). The marginal physical product changes because additional units of the variable factor input do not add equally readily to units of the fixed factor input.
Fig. 45 Diminishing marginal utility. To a hungry man the utility of the first slice of bread consumed will be high (O
) but as his appetite becomes satiated, successive slices of bread yield smaller and smaller amounts of satisfaction; for example, the fifth slice of bread yields only O
of additional utility.
At a low level of output, marginal physical product rises with the addition of more variable inputs to the (underworked) fixed input, the extra variable inputs bringing about a more intensive use of the fixed input.
Fig. 46 Diminishing returns. The rise and fall of units of output as units of variable factor input are added to the production function.
Eventually, as output is increased, an optimal factor combination is attained at which the variable and fixed inputs are mixed in the most appropriate proportions to maximize marginal physical product. Thereafter, further additions of variable inputs to the (now overworked) fixed input leads to a less than proportionate increase in output so that marginal physical product declines. See RETURNS TO THE VARIABLE FACTOR INPUT.
direct cost the sum of the DIRECT MATERIALS COST and DIRECT LABOUR COST of a product. Direct cost tends to vary proportionately with the level of output. See VARIABLE COST.
direct debit see COMMERCIAL BANK.
direct investment any expenditure on physical ASSETS such as plant, machinery and stocks. See INVESTMENT.
directive (bank) an instrument of MONETARY POLICY involving the control of bank lending as a means of regulating the MONEY SUPPLY. If, for example, the monetary authorities wish to lower the money supply, they can ‘direct’ the banks to reduce the total amount of loan finance made available to personal and corporate borrowers. A reduction in bank lending can be expected to lead to a multiple contraction of bank deposits and, hence, a fall in the money supply. See BANK DEPOSIT CREATION.
direct labour 1 that part of the labour force in a firm that is directly concerned with the manufacture of a good or the provision of a service. Contrast INDIRECT LABOUR.
2 workers employed directly by local or central government to perform tasks rather than contracting out such tasks to private-sector companies. For example, a local authority might employ its own permanent construction workers to repair council houses rather than putting such repair work out to local firms. See VARIABLE COST, PRIVATIZATION.
direct marketing see DIRECT SELLING.
direct materials raw materials that are incorporated in a product. Compare INDIRECT MATERIALS. See VARIABLE COST.
direct selling/marketing a method of selling and buying goods and services that enables a supplier to sell direct to the final customer without the need for traditional ‘middlemen’ – wholesalers and retailers. Direct selling can be undertaken through catalogues (see MAIL ORDER) or by ‘clip-out’ coupons in newspapers, but increasingly it is being undertaken by telephone sales (e.g. telephone banking and insurance) and through e-commerce (INTERNET sales). Direct selling can provide firms with an effective means of tapping into a mass market; it can reduce BARRIERS TO ENTRY so that some small firms can offer their products alongside big-name companies; and by eliminating the ‘middleman’, selling costs and prices can be lowered, conferring COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE. Apart from lower prices, another attraction for customers is the convenience of being able to ‘shop’ from home rather than having to visit a retail outlet.
direct tax a TAX levied by the government on the income and wealth received by individuals (households) and businesses in order to raise revenue and as an instrument of FISCAL POLICY. Examples of a direct tax are INCOME TAX, NATIONAL INSURANCE CONTRIBUTIONS, CORPORATION TAX and WEALTH TAX.
Direct taxes are incurred on income received, unlike indirect taxes, such as value-added taxes, that are incurred when income is spent. Direct taxes are progressive, insofar as the amount paid varies according to the income and wealth of the taxpayer. By contrast, INDIRECT TAX is regressive, insofar as the same amount is paid by each tax-paying consumer regardless of his or her income. See TAXATION, PROGRESSIVE TAXATION, REGRESSIVE TAXATION.
dirty float the manipulation by the monetary authorities of a country’s EXCHANGE RATE under a FLOATING EXCHANGE-RATE SYSTEM, primarily in order to gain a competitive advantage over trade partners. Thus, the authorities could intervene in the FOREIGN EXCHANGE MARKET to stop the exchange rate from otherwise appreciating (see APPRECIATION 1) in the face of market forces or, alternatively, they could deliberately engineer a DEPRECIATION of the exchange rate. See BEGGAR-MY-NEIGHBOUR POLICY.
discount 1 a deduction from the published LIST PRICE of a good or service allowed by a supplier to a customer. The discount could be offered for prompt payment in cash (cash discount) or for bulk purchases (trade discount). Trade discounts may be given to enable suppliers to achieve large sales volumes, and thus ECONOMICS OF SCALE, or may be used as a competitive stratagem to secure customer loyalty, or may be given under duress to large, powerful buyers. See AGGREGATED REBATE, BULK BUYING.
2 the sale of new STOCKS and SHARES at a reduced price. In the UK, this involves the issue of a new share at a price below its nominal value. In other countries where shares have no nominal value it involves the sale of new shares below their current market price.
3 the purchase of a particular company’s issued stock or share at a price below the average market price of those of other companies operating in the same field. The price is lower because investors feel less optimistic about that company’s prospects.
4 a fall in the prices of all stocks and shares in anticipation of a downturn in the economy.
5 the purchase of a BILL OF EXCHANGE, TREASURY BILL or BOND for less than its nominal value. Bills and bonds are redeemable at a specific future date at their face value. The original purchaser will buy the bill or bond for less than its nominal or face value (at a discount). The discount between the price that he pays and the nominal value of the bill or bond represents interest received on the loan made against the security of the bill or bond. If the owner of the bill or bond then wishes to sell it prior to maturity (rediscount it), then he will have to accept less than its nominal value (although more than he paid for it). The difference between the original price that he paid and the price received will depend largely upon the length of time before maturity. For example, if a bond with a nominal value of £1,000 redeemable in one year’s time were bought for £900, then the £100 discount on redemption value represents an interest rate of £1,000/900 = 11.1% on the loan.
6 the extent to which a foreign currency’s market EXCHANGE RATE falls below its ‘official’ exchange rate under a FIXED EXCHANGE RATE SYSTEM.
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Dr. Pass
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О книге: A comprehensive guide to Economics for students in all related fields.This fourth edition of the popular and bestselling Collins Dictionary of Economics has been thoroughly revised for the new millennium, and is a valuable reference book not just for students of economics, but for anyone studying economics as part of a business or social science course.