Business Location Decisions Flashcards
What are the 11 factors of business location decisions?
Labour regulations Crime Climate Environment Transport Infrastructure Potential markets (customers) Raw materials Labour markets Government and local regulations and taxes Competition
Name 3 important labour regulations acts?
- The Labour Relations Act
- The Basic Conditions of Employment Act
- The Employment Equity Act
How will the labour regulations affect a business location?
- cost of employing and training workers is cheaper in some countries than others
-owner needs to think about trade union activities in specific areas
–if a trade union in a specific place is known for protesting and taking industrial actions in support of a political issue that the owner cannot control
It will discourage a business from starting there
How does the environment impact determine a business location?
- if the business is likely to cause pollution or environmental damage the authorities can prevent it all together
- can insist that a detailed environmental impact assessment be done before a decision is taken
- businesses with low environmental impact must think about access to the building, parking and possible risk to pedestrians.
What are 3 common environmental problems caused by businesses?
Air or water pollution
Noise pollution
Toxic waste
Where should businesses that cause air or water pollution locate?
- Factories
- away from residential and agricultural areas
- to minimize the effect on people, livestock and crops in the area
Where should a business that causes noise pollution be located?
Saw mills , panel beaters, night clubs
- not in a residential area
What are the implications of toxic waste?
- factory must follow the dumping regulations
- must process the waste products so they are non toxic
- add to the financial cost of production
- choose to locate it closer to controlled dump sites
- locate it in a country where the regulations are less strict
When thinking of transport what are the 4 things that you should keep in mind?
- Transport of goods from suppliers
- Transport of goods to retail outlets or direct to consumers
- Transport for customers to and from the business if it is a service business
- Transport for the staff to and from work
What types of transport are there?
Rail, road, air ,water, pipeline transport
The mode you choose depends on your type of goods or services.
How does transport affect your business location decision?
- must be reliable and cost effective (fuel, toll road fees, vehicle maintenance)
- business must be close to other suppliers and customers
- large volumes if products should be transported by ship, rail or air
- cost of storage must be taken into account
- transport for employees
- type of business I.e fresh fruit business close to transport source
Why must the owner consider the employees when they are thinking about transport?
- reliable, safe and affordable
- if it’s not employees will struggle to get to work
- there could be high levels of absenteeism
- low productivity levels
- if the business has lots of staff they should locate closer to the workers homes or an affordable source of transport ( bus , train etc)
What is infrastructure?
All the basic facilities that a business needs in order to operate.
Physical infrastructure- ‘ roads , access to running water, electricity, cellular networks, wifi, railway lines , equipment, harbors, airports etc
I.e business that receives goods by train will locate close to the train station
How does infrastructure influence your location?
You have to look at the infrastructure you need in order to place your business. I.e business that need lots of electricity and water should locate close to these sources
- where they are readily available, affordable and reliable
- infrastructure can also be financial and telecommunications services for a business (banking, insurance, internet providers)
What is a business’s potential market?
The customers : The demand for its products or services