Understanding Business Flashcards
(126 cards)
What is a business?
A business exists to provide goods and services to satisfy consumers needs and wants.
Describe goods
Goods are tangible and can be physically used or consumed by a person. They are split into two categories:
Durable goods can be used repeatedly over a period of time e.g. cars, washing machines or computers.
Non-durable goods are used only once, usually soon after purchase e.g. food, drinks or newspaper.
Describe services
A service is intangible; the consumer cannot touch, smell, taste or see what they are buying e.g. hairdresser, teacher or banking.
Describe factors of products
To produce goods and service a business needs to use resources.
These resources are the inputs for the business activity
The goods and services produced are the outputs of the business activity.
The resources needs are known as the factors of production
Name the factors of production
Capital
Enterprise
Land
Labour
Describe capital
These are the man-made resources such as factories, machines, vehicles and other equipment. It also includes the initial financial investment in the business.
Describe enterprise
The entrepreneur is the person who brings together all the other resources i.e. capital, land and labour, and takes the risks of setting up the business. Without the entrepreneur there would be no business as they come up with the initial idea.
Describe land
This includes the natural resources the business uses such as oil, water and land itself e.g. the site of a factory or office.
Describe labour
This is the people who work in the business and includes all of their physical and mental effort. The number of people who work in a business will depend on the nature of their operations e.g. Police Scotland has thousands of employees
Describe wealth creation
Businesses create wealth in the economy as they provide people with the goods and services they demand. When goods are produced the business adds value at each stage e.g. using flour to make bread
Wealth creation has a significant positive impact on the economy.
What are the advantages of wealth creation?
Jobs are created which reduces unemployment
Employed people are trained and learn new skills
Higher employment leads to increased demand for goods and services
Tax is paid by employees to the Government which is then invested in services such as the NHS
What are the disadvantages of wealth creation?
Too much demand for goods and services can cause inflation which results in an increase in the price of goods and services
The volume of non-renewables decreases e.g. oil
Greenfield sites (areas once used for agriculture) are lost
Increased environmental impact e.g. noise and traffic pollution
Describe the cycle of business
Goods and services are in constant demand to satisfy consumers’ unlimited wants. To meet this demand businesses identify these wants, through market research, and produce the goods and services to ensure consumers are satisfied. This results in the cycle of business.
Describe sectors of industry
Organisations are split into these sectors depending on the types of product or service they provide.
All organisations can be split into four main sectors:
Primary
Secondary
Tertiary
Quaternary
Describe the primary sector
Business which exist in this sector are those that are concerned with extracting natural resources from land, sea and air, e.g.
Farming Coal mining Oil drilling Fishing Forestry
Describe the secondary sector
Business which exist in this sector are concerned with manufacturing and construction.
They take the raw materials from the primary sector and convent them into products to meet customers needs and wants, e.g.
Car manufacturer
House builder
Food production
Describe the tertiary sector
Business which exist in this sector are concerned with providing services rather than producing goods e.g.
Banking Retail Tourism Hairdressing Plumber Gym Transport
Describe the quaternary sector
Business which exist in this sector are concerned with providing knowledge based and information services e.g.
Information & Communication Technology (ICT)
Consultancy – offering advice to businesses
Research and Development
Market Research
Describe changing patterns of employment
Historically, employment in the UK was mainly through jobs in the primary and secondary sector.
However, in recent history the patterns of employment have changed and most people are employed in the tertiary, and increasingly the quaternary sector. In total these 2 sectors employs 76% of the workforce
Described the sectors of economy
Businesses operate in one of three sectors of economy:
Private Sector
Public Sector
Third Sector
Describe the private sector
Private sector organisations are owned and controlled by private individuals and investors. Their main objective is to make a profit
Describe the public sector
Public sector organisations are owned and controlled by the government. Their main objective is to provide essential services to the general public
Describe the third sector
Third (voluntary) sector organisations are set up to raise money for good causes or to provide facilities for their members. Their main aim is to support their chosen cause.
Name the businesses in the private sector
Sole Trader
Partnership
Private limited company (Ltd)
Public limited company (plc)
Multinational Company (MNC)
Franchise