Understanding Business Flashcards
(148 cards)
Sectors of industry
Primary sector- exploiting natural resources. E.g farming, mining and oil drilling
Secondary sector- manufacturing and construction by taking natural resources and turning them into goods. E.g house building, car production
Tertiary sector- providing services. E.g retail, banks, hotels
Quaternary sector- providing information and knowledge based services. E.g ICT, consultancy and research and development
Sectors of the economy
Private sector- profit making businesses. E.g ford, Samsung, Apple
Public sector- government owned organisations. E.g nhs, police, education
Third sector- provides goods or services to benefit others. E.g charities, voluntary organisations, social enterprise, democratic enterprises
The private sector
Private limited companies
Public limited companies
Franchise
Multinationals
The public sector
Central government
Local government
Third sector
Charities
Voluntary organisation
Social enterprise
Democratic enterprise
advantages of private limited company
- owners/shareholders have limited liability
- ownership is not lost outside the business
- business usually retains a close an friendly feel with a high level of customer service
- expertise and business acumen are gained from an experienced board of directors
disadvantages of private limited company
- profits have to be split with many shareholders by issuing dividends
- a complicated legal process is require to set up the business
- a limited source of capital is available as shares are not sold publicly
- financial statements have to be shared with companies house meaning profits are not kept private
Private limited companies
Shares are not available to the general public and are sold privately to investors. These owners become shareholders and the company has limited liability
Public limited companies
Owned by shareholders who have limited liability however they can share their shares publicly through the stock market. This type of company aims to dominate the market and increase market share
Advantages of public limited companies
- shareholders have limited liability
- large amounts of finance can be raised through the public sale of shares
- it is easy to borrow finance due to a public limited companies size and reputation so less risk for banks
- can easily dominate the market
Disadvantages of public limited companies
- dividends are shared with many shareholders
- Control of the business can be lost as anyone can buy shares on the stock market
- annual accounts have to be published
- setting up a public limited companies is complicated and costly
Franchise
A business model that allows businesses to pay a sum of money to own a branch of a well known existing business. Franchiser’s main aim is to grow and increase market share
Advantages for the franchiser
- low risk form of growth as the franchisee invests the majority of the capital
- receives a percentage of al franchisee’s profits each year (known as royalties)
Disadvantages of the franchiser
- the reputation of the whole franchise can be tarnished by one poor franchisee
- only a share of profits is received rather than all profits as it would be if they owned each branch
Advantages for the franchisee
- the franchise is a well-known business with an existing customer base
- industry knowledge and training is provided by the franchiser
- the franchisee benefits from national advertisements carried out by the franchiser
Disadvantages for the franchisee
- there is very little autonomy over decisions as the franchiser decides on products,store layout, uniforms etc
- royalties have to be paid each year
- there are high initial start-up fees
Multinationals
A business that has operations in more than one country. This could be world wide retail outlets or just retail outlets in one country and a production facility in another.
Advantages of multinationals
- wages and raw material costs are lower in host countries
- business can avoid legislation in the home country
- grants can be issued by governments to locate in their country
- business can avoid quotas and tariffs issued by their own governments
Disadvantages of multinationals
- language Barriers can slow down communication
- cultural differences can affect production
- exchange rates can affect purchasing and paying expenses in different countries
- time differences can hinder communication between head office and branches around the world
Central government
Provides national services to the citizens that it would be very difficult to rely on the private sector to provide. These are paid for through taxation. Also includes nationalised companies which are private sector businesses that have been bought in part or in full by the government such as Royal bank of Scotland
Local government
Government split up into local authorities. They provide essential services to the public such as schools and street lighting free of charge. Finance comes from taxation collected by central government. Some organisations such as a leisure centre charge for services to fund running costs. All local governments organisations aim to provide a quality service
Charities
Set up with the sole purpose of raising money to benefit others. Financed through donations, sponsorships and fundraising events. They might also have a trading arm through a retail outlet that trades to raise money. Any profits made are given instead of kept by the owner. There are no individual owners of a charity but is set up as a trust which is controlled by a board of trustees.
Advantages of a charity
- Charities are exempt from paying some taxes such as vat and corporation tax
- there are low wage costs due to volunteers working for free
- private companies are more willing to donate to and sponsor charities than ever before as it is good PR
Disadvantages of a charity
- It can be difficult to compete with large marketing budgets of organisations within the private sector
- Charities rely on volunteers who may leave for paid work