Glossary Terms:

Monetary or non-monetary gain received because of an action taken or a decision made.

A trade name used to identify a product produced by a particular company, distinguishing it from similar products produced by competitors.

Any activity or organization that produces or exchanges goods or services for a profit.

Decision made or course of action taken when faced with a set of alternatives.

The movement of output and income from one sector of the economy to another; often illustrated as a circular flow diagram.

People who use goods and services to satisfy their personal needs and not for resale or in the production of other goods and services.

An amount that must be paid or spent to buy or obtain something. The effort, loss or sacrifice necessary to achieve or obtain something.

A conclusion reached after considering alternatives and their results.

Trading a good or service for another good or service, or for money.

Economic side-effects or third-party effects, in which some of the benefits or costs associated with the production or consumption of a product affect someone other than the direct producer or consumer of the product. Can be positive or negative.

Economic units that demand productive resources from households and supply goods and services to households and government agencies.

Something a person or organization plans to achieve in the future; an aim or desired result.

Tangible objects that satisfy economic wants.

Individuals and family units that buy goods and services (as consumers) and sell or rent productive resources (as resource owners).

Money paid regularly, at a particular rate, for the use of borrowed money.

A piece of work usually done on order at an agreed-upon rate. Also a paid position of regular employment.

The quantity and quality of human effort available to produce goods and services.

To grant someone the use of something, on condition that the object borrowed or its equivalent will be returned (often with interest, in the case of money).

An economy that relies on a system of interdependent market prices to allocate goods, services, and productive resources and to coordinate the diverse plans of consumers and producers, all of them pursuing their own self-interest.

Anything that is generally accepted as final payment for goods and services; serves as a medium of exchange, a store of value and a standard of value. Characteristics of money are portability, stability in value, uniformity, durability and acceptance.

People and firms that use resources to make goods and services.

A good or service that can be used to satisfy a want.

Goods, often supplied by the government, for which use by one person does not reduce the quantity of the good available for others to use, and for which consumption cannot be limited to those who pay for the good.

The basic kinds of resources used to produce goods and services: land or natural resources, human resources (including labor and entrepreneurship), and capital.

To keep money for future use; to divert money from current spending to a savings account or another form of investment.

Activities performed by people, firms or government agencies to satisfy economic wants.

Use money now to buy goods and services.

A good or service that may be used in place of another good or service; examples include tap water for bottled water (or vice versa) and movies for concerts (or vice versa).

Compulsory payments to governments by households and businesses.

The exchange of goods and services for money or other goods and services.

The number of people without jobs who are actively seeking work.

Effort applied to achieve a purpose or result, often for pay; skills and knowledge put to use to get something done; employment at a job or in a position; occupation, profession, business, trade, craft, etc.

People employed to do work, producing goods and services.