Introduction to Business Flashcards
What does a business do, essentially?
organize input to produce output, which must be more valuable
What are the types of input?
land
labour
capital
entrepreneurship
Goods
physical products
Services
intangible products
Profit
total revenue - total costs
Revenue
price x quantity
Expenses
everything that the business has had to pay to acquire the input and get the revenue
Inventory/stock
what you have that you are able to sell
Strategy
method used by a business to achieve its goals
What is the primary sector?
extractive sector, extracts directly from nature
What is the secondary sector?
manufacturing, turning raw materials into something else
What is the tertiary sector?
provides services/intangible products
What is the quaternary sector?
research and development
What are opportunities of starting a business?
earn a living
financial reward prospect
control over life
work-life balance
innovative business idea
unfilled market niche
What are reasons for business failure?
underfunding
neglecting marketing/sales
lack of planning
finding right people
time management
scaling up too quickly
What is the difference between public and private businesses?
public - owned by government
private - owned by individuals/group of individuals
What are the main features of sole traderships?
owners solely own everything of the company
no legal separation between company and owner
legally ‘confused’
if you want to sue, you sue the person not the company
unlimited liability
What is a sole trader?
someone going into a productive activity without actually setting up a legal framework
What are advantages of sole tradership?
ease of formation
might benefit from tax exemption if business is small
retention of control
What are disadvantages of sole tradership?
unlimited liability
lack of permanence
limited financial resources
What is a partnership?
like a sole tradership but with various owners
may even have contract between partners but still no legal framework
each partner responds to 100% of debts with personal assets - solidarity
What is limited liability?
- owner of business can’t lose personal assets
- can only lose what was put into company
- even in bankruptcy, investors are safe
What is a public limited company?
in the stock market
in the private sector
anyone can trade - needs to match higher standards
What are advantages of partnership over a sole tradership?
easier to have a larger company + more money
more expertise
What is a private limited company?
privately traded, not in stock market
company chooses who participates
Shareholders
owners of an incorporation
What is an incorporation?
legal person of the company, separate from owners
IPO
initial public offering of shares
from private to public LTD companies
Directors
managers, may be shareholders
Liquidation
process of turning assets into cash
Dividends
profit divided among shareholders
Sleeping partners
shareholder that doesn’t want to be active in running the business
What are advantages of private limited companies?
- more investors
- shareholders invest for long term
- you know who shareholders are - control
- limited liability
- financial records are private
What are disadvantages of private limited companies?
- shared profits
- lengthier decision making
- shares can’t be traded publicly
- more expensive and time consuming
What are advantages of public limited companies?
- shared risks
- finances raised through stocks
- separate legal identity
- limited liability
What are disadvantages of public limited companies?
- shared profits between many shareholders
- expensive and time consuming to set up
- loss of control
- accounts are publicly available
What is a cooperative?
a business owned and operated equally by its members who share the profit equally
How are associates in cooperatives?
equal standing, votes with same weight, shared voice and ownership and profits
What are the goals of private sector companies?
usually profit
What are the goals of public sector companies?
social/government goals (which can also be profit)