Factors Of Production
Starbucks is a worldwide brand that is known for creating a community coffee house feel with ethically sourced coffee. Let’s look at the Factors of Production for Starbucks. The coffee chain needs land for the coffee shops, capital to purchase the coffee and the machinery to produce specialty coffee drinks, the labor of the baristas who have the knowledge of how to make the specialty drinks, and finally the entrepreneur Howard Schultz. Howard Schultz provided the last factor of production by being the first person to capitalize on a market for coffee houses and connecting among the other four factors of production.
In your original post, answer the following:
Now it’s your turn. You own a donut shop right next door to Starbucks. Answer the following questions about your donut shop and the factors of production:
Explain (like the Starbucks example) how your donut shop would use the Factors of Production.
Which of the following factors of production will be most important to your business? Explain why you chose this factor.
Land
Labor
Capital
Entrepreneurship
Knowledge
Technology is part of the ‘Knowledge’ factor of production. Technology helps to increase the efficiency of the factors of production. How would you use technology in your donut shop?
Sample Answer
Just like Starbucks, my donut shop will rely on all four fundamental factors of production, albeit in slightly different ways:
Land: I’ll need physical space for the shop itself, including the baking area, counter, customer seating, and storage. The location is crucial, ideally with high foot traffic and visibility, but affordable enough to maintain profitability.
Capital: This covers the financial resources needed to run the shop. It includes upfront costs like renting the space, purchasing equipment (ovens, mixers, display cases), and initial inventory. Additionally, it covers ongoing expenses like employee wages, food and beverage supplies, utilities, and maintenance.
Labor: My skilled donut makers and servers are the backbone of the operati