Section 1 - Business Activity and the Changing Environment Flashcards
This section examines the objectives of businesses, the changing environment and the criteria for judging success. The focus is on the importance of having clear business objectives and how the business environment provides opportunities for, and imposes constraints on, the pursuit of those objectives.
Business
An organisation which produces goods and services.
Consumer goods
Goods and services sold to ordinary people (consumers) rather than businesses.
Entrepreneurs
People who take risks and set up businesses.
Goods
Physical products like a mobile phone, packet of crisps or shoes.
Needs
Basic requirements for human survival.
Private sector
Business organisations owned by individuals or groups of individuals.
Public sector
Business organisations owned by central or local government.
Scarce resources
The amount of resources available is limited.
Services
Non-physical products like banking, car washing and waste disposal.
Stakeholder
An individual or group with an interest in the operation of a business.
Wants
People’s desires for goods and services.
Mission statement
A brief summary of a firm’s aims and objectives.
Objectives
The goals or targets set by a business.
Profit maximisation
Making as much profit as possible in a given time period.
Deed of partnership
A binding legal document which states the formal rights of partners.
Franchise
Where a business (the franchisor) allows another operator (the franchisee) to trade under their name.
Incorporated businesses
Where a business has a separate legal identity from that of its owners.
Limited liability
Where a business owner is only liable for the original amount of money invested in the business.
Limited liability partnership
A partnership where all partners have limited liability.
Limited partnership
A partnership where some partners contribute capital and enjoy a share of the profit but do not take part in the running of the business.
Partnership
A business owned by between 2-20 people.
Sole trader
A business owned by a single person.
Unincorporated business
Those businesses where there is no legal difference between the owner and the business.
Unlimited liability
Where the owner of the business is personally liable for all business debts.
Flotation
The process of a company ‘going public’.
Joint venture
Where two or more companies share the cost, responsibility and profits from a business venture.
Limited company
A business organisation which has a separate legal identity from that of its owners.
Stock market
A market for shares in plcs.
Globalisation
The growing integration of the world’s economies.