In the most general sense, resources (from the French. Resource- auxiliary tool) are cash, values, stocks, Opportunities, sources of funds, income. Usually, economic resources are highlighted - everything that is necessary for the production process.

It should be noted that along with the concept of "production resources" in the economic literature, the concept of "production factors" is often used as a synonym. Factor (from the Latin. Factor-doing, producing) - the reason, the driving force of any process, the phenomenon that defines it or its individual features.

In fact, they have one thing in common - that resources and factors are the same natural and social forces by which production is carried out. The difference between them lies in the fact that the resources include those natural and social forces that can be involved in production, and the factors already include resources actually involved in this process. Based on this, the concept of "resources" is broader than "factors of production."

Today, in Western economic theory, it is customary to divide production factors into three groups.

1. Land as a factor of production is a natural resource and includes all used in production process blessings granted by nature (land, water, minerals, etc.).

2. Capital - all that is capable of generating income, or resources created by people for the production of goods and services. This approach to this category synthesizes the views of Western economists on capital (for example, A. Smith interpreted capital as accumulated labor, D. Ricardo as capital goods, and J. Robinson considered money as capital). In Marxist political economy, capital was understood differently - first of all, as value, bringing surplus value ("self-increasing value").

3. Labor - the appropriate activity of people, requiring the application of mental and physical efforts, during which they transform objects of nature to satisfy their needs. Strictly speaking, the “labor” factor also includes entrepreneurial abilities. They are sometimes considered as a separate factor of production. The fact is that land, labor and capital alone cannot create anything until they are united in a certain proportion by the entrepreneur, the organizer of production. For this reason, the activities of entrepreneurs, their abilities (enterprise) are often considered as an independent factor in production.

In addition to these three core resources at the community level, factors such as a common culture that differs from society to society are often taken into account; a science that has a universal, universal character; social factors, first of all, the state of morality; legal culture.

An increasingly important role in the transition to the post-industrial stage of development of society is played by such a factor as information.

Information resources are resources in the form of scientific, scientific, technical, design, technological, statistical, management information and other types of spiritual and intellectual values \u200b\u200bnecessary for the creation (production) of economic goods.

In modern Russian economic literature, resources are usually divided into four groups:

1) natural resources - potentially suitable for use in the production of natural forces and substances of nature;

2) material resources - all created by man (i.e.

E. man-made) means of production, which themselves are the result of production;

3) labor (human) resources - a working-age population capable of working;

4) financial (otherwise investment, or monetary) resources - monetary funds that the company is able to allocate for the organization or development (expansion) of production.

The importance of certain types of resources changed with the transition from pre-industrial to industrial technology, and then from it to post-industrial technology. In the first stage, the priority belonged to natural and labor resources, at the second stage - material, in a post-industrial society - intellectual and information resources.

In the broadest sense, resources in the economy are stocks and real flows of all types of technological factors used in social production at the inputs of a given converter, which together provide the given result - the product obtained at its output. These include not only fixed and circulating production assets, labor and natural resources necessary for organizing the process, including technological information. The products of one unit can act as a resource for another link economic system in the chain of technological transformation.

When the concept of resources also includes their potential reserves in the system as a whole, they often talk about resource potential (for example, for certain types or groups of resources - production potential, scientific potential, etc.).

In a narrower interpretation, the concept of resources covers only the material (material and energy) flows of means of production and the labor flows at the inputs to the corresponding block converter that are subject to subsequent transformation.

Economic resources that can be used in society to meet needs are always limited, have quantitative and qualitative limits. The ability to circumvent particular restrictions fundamentally does not change anything. Limited resources is a fundamental problem of economic science: if resources were available in unlimited quantities, then all the goods needed to meet the needs of society would be produced in sufficient quantities.

In economic theory, absolute and relative limited resources are distinguished. Absolute limitation means that, in principle, resources cannot be increased. Relative limited means that certain resources can be increased, but to a lesser extent compared to increased needs.

Limited resources imply the need to determine (evaluate) production capabilities. Production capabilities - this is the largest volume of output that is achieved with the full use of society resources.

Since resources are limited, society is constantly forced to make choices, that is, decide which of the needs should be met and which should not.

Thus, the limited resources determines the alternative to their use, necessitates an alternative choice from among mutually exclusive possibilities (alternatives). From the set of acceptable options for the use of resources, the most optimal one is selected in terms of the goals of society.

An alternative choice between directions of resource use can be reflected in the form of a scale of production capabilities (tabular form) or in the form of a curve of production capabilities (graphical form).

To illustrate, you can use the following classic, albeit extremely primitive, example, cited by P. Samuelson. Suppose you need to produce two types of goods - guns and oil. All resources can be directed to the production of a single good or both good, but in a certain proportion (see table 1):

Table 1.

Alternative manufacturing options

Based on the presented data, it is possible to construct a graph of production capabilities, which is also called a transformation curve (Fig. 4). The economic meaning of transformations is that society must make technological choices in the economy, determine the necessary volume of production for each good, and ensure an appropriate distribution of resources.

Fig. 4 Production Capability Curve

A lot of points on the curve of production opportunities reflects those conditions in the economy (A, B, C, D, E, F), which ensure the full use of available resources and achieve the greatest output of goods (the boundary of production opportunities).

In case of incomplete use of the resources at the disposal of the company (in the presence of unemployment or incomplete loading of production capacities), the ratio between the production of goods is set by a point (for example, X), which is located closer to the origin (in comparison with the points on the transformation curve). With this option, it is possible to increase the output of these goods due to a more complete use of resources.

The production of goods in volumes beyond those given by the curve of production capabilities, at points located above the lines (for example, Y), is impossible, that is, it is impossible to go beyond its framework at this level of development of productive forces.

Based on the analysis of transformation curves, if they are built for different countries, we can judge their production potential. It should also be noted here that the transition from a lower to a higher curve of production capabilities, which becomes possible as a result of the use of new technologies and techniques, scientific discoveries and inventions, is not ruled out.

By the form of the graph, one can see the economic consequences (a kind of “price”) of the decision on the proportions of the production of goods. In this case, the price is not always expressed in money, but it always reflects the opportunity cost, or imputed costs (costs of rejected opportunities).

Under the alternative cost (imputed costs) understand the number of benefits of one type, which should be abandoned (give, “sacrifice”) to get a certain amount of goods of another type (more preferable).

An approximate concept of what resources are can be obtained from dictionaries and reference books. To describe this term in your own words, it is enough to outline the scope of the word. This term is currently used in geography, economics, and politics.

History

The word "resource" appeared in Russian in the mid-18th century. This is the time of active formation of Russian science. In Russia, the works of famous economists and natural philosophers are published and translated, new ideas, methods of farming and management are discussed. economic processes. Then, in articles on economics, the word "resource" first appears. The meaning of the word in the original sources is inventories, economic opportunities, various sources of profit. The homeland of the word is most likely France. Ressource - means to rise, rise again, to be reborn.

The modern concept of what resources are, divides this term into two components. IN modern science natural and economic resources are used. Natural resources - end-use reserves, they are primary and not renewable. Economic resources are renewable.

Natural resources

Various natural components that find their application in production processes are known in the scientific literature as natural resources. In essence, natural resources are of natural origin, but in the process of their use by humans, they become economic resources. There is a separation of natural resources in other respects. They are divided into exhaustible and inexhaustible, and exhaustible have in their composition two more categories - non-renewable and renewable. Non-renewable resources include all types of minerals. Renewable resources include biological, recreational, water and land resources. Based on this classification, we can determine what resources are in nature. These include:

• minerals (mineral resources);
• water;
• energy;
• land;
• biological;
• recreational;
• agroclimatic.

Resource provision

Modern science takes into account not only the availability of resources in the region, but also an indicator of the resource of security. This concept is the ratio between the explored reserves of natural resources of the region and the volume of their current use. In the case of minerals, resource supply is estimated in the amount of time during which these resources will be developed until the fields are completely depleted.

Economic resources

And what are resources in economic science? This term complements the concept of economic factors affecting the success of the economy as a whole. The leading economic factors, scientists include land, capital, labor, entrepreneurial ability. In the British and American School of Economics, the synonym for the word "resource" is the phrase "economic factor." The works of modern economists translated into Russian easily convince us of this.

Addition to the definition of what a resource lies in the basic principles of the economy. As you know, one of the fundamental laws of capitalism says that demand creates supply. Developing this idea, we can understand that need (demand) provokes an increase or decrease in the level of development of available resources (supply). Thanks to this, the fragile equality of unlimited needs and limited resources is respected.

In this definition, economists do not focus on what a resource is. It is understood that all varieties of this economic function take part in capitalist processes. In modern economic theories This term covers production results, as well as factors of growth and economic decline. This relationship becomes clear if we recall that finished products one industry becomes a resource for another. For example, oil, which is the final product for mining industrybecomes a resource in chemical industry, and later, as fuel, is actively used in the transport sector of the economy.

Human resource

Many economic studies consider the combination of various knowledge, skills and talents of people as a separate factor, which is called the "human resource". At the same time, human resources are considered as human resourcescapable of affecting the level of the economy of the region as a whole. Human resources are considered at three levels: the first is personal, the second is collective, and the third is public. Personnel policies and principles of human resource management are considered in the context of these three categories, taking into account the geographical and social characteristics of the region.

As you can see, the answer to the question of what a resource can be found in various fields of science. But the basic principles of this concept are unchanged. Any resource can be considered as a potential that can lead to wealth and individual person, and the whole nation as a whole.

Resource, 资源

The word appeared in Russian as an economic concept. Its wide significance is stocks, opportunities, cash, sources of income. In a narrow sense, resources are all that are used to produce goods and services.

Traditionally, the concept of "resource" is associated with the concept of natural resources. There is reason to question the fruitfulness of following this tradition. The arguments are as follows.

First, the etymology of the concept of a resource. The word is borrowed from the French "ressource", the Old French "resourdre" - rise again, rise again. Its root meaning (re - again, sourdre - arise, grow, ascend) - renewal. At the same time, many natural resources are non-renewable, the problem of their exhaustion has become the most acute global problem, and after Hotelling's work it became possible question the correctness of the combination of "natural resources". Therefore, while continuing to use it, we nevertheless must be aware that such use of the term does not allow us to highlight its essential characteristics.

Secondly, the concept of a resource is conjugate and corresponds to the concept of economic factors, which include labor, land, capital, entrepreneurial abilities. In English-language economic literature, the resource and the concept factor are synonymous in content. This is convinced by the appeal to dictionaries generally recognized in the world.

Another equally convincing evidence of this is the generally accepted definition of the subject of economic science. His constitutive ligament is "limited resources (in each this moment) and unlimited needs. "Of course, the resources in this definition are not reduced to natural resources, but include all four economic factors in the modern heterogeneous understanding of each of them. Note that this understanding became operational after well-known attempts to explain the Leontief paradox. These attempts led to multivariate vision of economic life and inevitably led to an expanded understanding of the term.Now they cover both factors and results of production, since products for one industry are resources for another.

Summarize the above. There is no universally accepted definition and classification of resources. Resources can be understood more broadly than four well-known factors of production: capital, natural resources, entrepreneurial abilities, labor. But all possible types of resources unite, in our opinion, general characteristics. The main ones are the possibility of use in production, limitedness in the short term, and finally, interdependence as interdependence.

Chinese interpretation of the word "Resources"

Resources in Chinese 资源 (ziyuan). This word, as in other languages, is most often associated with natural resources. But the meaning of "resources" in the broad sense, it also contains.

The first character 资 (zi) means "capital, funds, money." The essence of the character is disclosed in the corresponding word capital. In short, at the top is the “account”, at the bottom is the “shell”, that is, “money”.

The second character 源 (yuan) originally means "source, key, spring." Etymologically means water striking from a steep mountain. Its figurative meaning is "origin, origin, source." Similarly, in Russian, “source” means both a source of water, and in a figurative sense, the source of anything.

By combining these two characters we get a "source of funds." More than an obvious definition. That is, for the Chinese, any resources are the "beginning of wealth." A very utilitarian, but cost-effective attitude to resources, which is manifested through language.

Resources are sources, stocks, means and premises necessary for human life. In everyday life, this is energy, emotions and so on. A close concept.

Resource Types

Resources are

• refillable and no. Partially irreplaceable resources.
• external (money, time) and internal (health, energy - see Resource status)

Resource usage

Resources can be spent, but you can invest, you can earn them on your own and honestly, at the expense of others (see. Ways of human life).

This is the non-targeted use of resources, spending, destruction of resources. Close: The Muddler is the one who gives out the good cheaply.

A contribution is the use of resources aimed at achieving a specific result (as an option, at restoring this or another resource).

He takes care of his own, no stranger. Ready to make up for, but as much as necessary for him. Excess resources are spent on entertainment and pleasure.

Romantic. Usually there are no resources, because there is nothing to take them from. If suddenly resources fall into his hands - he spends thoughtlessly, often on a noble impulse of the soul, all at once. After such spending, the problem remains, but the resources do not.

He invests all resources: in himself and other talented people next to him. Each contribution should work, from each contribution there should be an effective result - this is the main criterion important for the Creator.