ECONOMIC TERMS - C


CAPITAL (RESOURCES) - Goods made by people and used to produce other goods and services. Examples include buildings, equipment, and machinery. 
 
CHOICE- What someone must make when faced with two or more alternative uses of a resource (also called economic choice).
 
CIRCULAR FLOW -  A model of an economy showing the interactions between households and business firms as they exchange goods and services and resources in markets.
 

COLLATORAL SECURUTY  -  Anything of value that is acceptable to a lender to guarantee repayment of a loan.
 
COMMAND ECONOMY  - A mode of economic organization in which the key economic functions are principally determined by government directive.  Also called a "centrally planned economy."
  
COMPETITION - The effort of two or more parties acting independently to secure the business of a third party by offering the most favorable terms.
 
COMPLIMENTARY GOODS (COMPLIMENTS) -  are the pair of goods which are consumed together for the same purpose. (A good or service that is in joint demand with another )

CONSUMERS - People whose wants are satisfied by consuming a good or a service. 

CONSUMPTION – Using up of goods or services.   (In macroeconomics, the total spending, by individuals or a nation, on consumer goods during a given period)

CONSUMER SPENDING - The expenditure on purchase of consumer goods and services for final consumption

CORPORATION - A legal entity owned by stockholders whose liability is limited to the value of their stock.
 
COST OF PRODUCTION  -  All resources used in producing goods and services, for which owners receive payments.
 
CREDIT-   The use of someone else's funds in exchange for a promise to pay (usually with interest) at a later date. 

CRITERIA - Standards or measures of value that people use to evaluate what is most important.

CONGLOMERATE INTEGRATION -  A merger between two firms making different products (neither vertical or horizontal integration) – ( diversification )

CONSUMER’ SOVEREIGNTY  - Consumers’ ability to determine what is produced by means of their purchase.

COST BENEFIT ANALSYSIS -    A method of assessing investment projects which takes in to account social costs and benefits.

COST PUSH INFLATION  - The raise in the general price level resulting from increases in the cost of production.

CREDIT CREATION -         The process whereby banks increase the money supply by making loans.

CROSS ELASTICITY OF DEMAND  - A measure of responsiveness of demand for one product to changes in the price of another product.

CUSTOMS UNION -  A Group of countries practicing free trade and agree to impose a common external tariff on imports’ from other countries.

CYCLICAL UNEMPLOYMENT  -        The unemployment resulting from a lack of aggregate demand for the product  leading to recession in the country.   (Also termed as demand deficiency unemployment).

CORPORATE TAX  -  The tax levied on the profits of all companies after deducting allowances such as interests on loans and depreciation of capital. 

CAPITAL GAIN TAX   -  The tax levied on the increase in the value of certain assets between the time of their purchase and the time of their sale. [There are exemptions for personal private properties]

CURRENT YEAR -  the year for which inflation is calculated.

COLLUSION - It is a method in which oligopolists can turn itself into a monopoly is by colluding with other firm.
    
CAPITAL EMPLOYED -  Money invested in or tied up in productive assets in a firm that enable it to produce goods and services and generate revenues

CAPITAL INTENSIVE - A production process that employs a significant amount of capital equipment relative to labour.

CARTEL - A formal agreement between a group of powerful producers to control the market supply and price of their product. E.g OPEC (the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries)

CENTRAL BANK  - The main bank in an economy, responsible for managing the stability of its national currency and money supply, and for regulating its banking system.

CETERIS PARIBUS  - A term meaning ‘all other factors being unchanged’.

CLOSED SHOP - This exists when trade union membership is made a compulsory condition of a taking a job in a particular workplace or organization.

COLLATERAL SECURITY  -  Security taken by a lender against a loan, such as a valuable asset owned by the borrower that the lender could sell to recover the value of the loan if the borrower is unable to repay it.

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING -  The process of negotiating pay and working conditions between trade union representatives and employers.

COMMERCIAL BANK  - A type of bank with individual and business customers that has retail branches in many towns and cities.

COMMERCIAL LOAN  - A bank loan to a firm, usually with a fixed repayment term and interest rate.

COMMON STOCK  - Also known as ordinary shares or equity, common stock are shares issued by limited companies that allow their holders to vote on company directors and policy at annual general meetings.

COMPARATIVE ADVANTAGE – The ability of a country to specialize in production of goods, in which it has a lower opportunity cost than other countries.

COMPETITION POLICY - Government policies to prevent and reduce anti-competitive behaviour and the abuse of monopoly power.

CONSUMER COOPERATIVE - A business organization owned by its customers and run for their mutual benefit.

CONSUMER DURABLES - Goods that are consumed over a relatively long period of time such as a washing machine, computer and mobile phone.

CONSUMER PRICE INDEX (CPI) - A measure of inflation based on changes in the average price of a basket of goods and services purchased by a ‘typical’ household and which expresses these average prices as an index number series.