Which of the following is an example of a material resource?

Resources in Home Economics and management are classified into two broad categories: material (tangible) resources and human (intangible) resources. Material resources are physical, concrete items that can be seen, touched, counted, or measured. Human resources are the skills, knowledge, attitudes, energy, and relationships that people bring to a task.

Office equipment - such as computers, printers, desks, and filing cabinets - is a material resource because it is a tangible, physical asset that can be purchased, inventoried, and used directly in carrying out work.

The other options are all human or intangible resources:

• Employee skills are a human resource - they represent knowledge and abilities that reside in people, not in physical objects
• Business partnerships are a relational or social resource - they represent connections and agreements between organisations, not physical items
• Company culture is an intangible resource - it comprises shared values, norms, and practices that cannot be physically measured or stored

Exam tip: To classify a resource, ask whether it can be physically touched or counted. If yes, it is material. If it exists as a quality, skill, or relationship, it is a human or intangible resource.