UNIT 1 - UNDERSTANDING BUSINESS ACTIVITY Flashcards
Need
Good or service essential for living.
Want
Good or service which people would like to have, but which is not essential for living (peoples wants are unlimited).
Economic Problem
Unlimited wants but limited resources to satisfy those wants (this creates scarcity).
Scarcity
The lack of sufficient products to fulfil the total wants of the population.
Factors of Production
Resources needed to produce goods and services.
4 Factors of Production
Capital, Enterprise, Land and Labour
Capital (Factors of Production)
Finance, machinery and equipment needed for manufacture of goods.
Enterprise
Skill and risk-taking ability of person who brings together resources to produce a good/service.
Land
Any natural resources used in production.
Labour
Mental and physical efforts of employees.
Opportunity Cost
Next best alternative is given up by choosing another item.
Specialisation
When people or a business focus on what they are best at.
Division of Labour
When production is split into tasks and each worker performs one of these tasks. It’s a form of specialisation.
Advantages of Specialisation
- Increase in productivity and efficiency because workers are trained in one specific task and specialise in this.
- Specialisation with division of labour will result in better quality output.
- Increase in efficiency will lead to economies of scale (higher productivity, lower cost of material so higher added value).
- Quicker and cheaper, because workers are more skilled and experienced so less resources needed in training.
Disadvantages of Specialisation
- Repetitive tasks will cause workers to become bored and burnt out, reducing motivation and job efficiency.
- If a worker is absent, production will be interrupted, causing a waste in time and resources, as well as less output and efficiency.
- Specialised workers require higher wages, and training current employees will increase costs.
Businesses
Combine scarce factors of production to produce goods and services to satisfy people’s wants and needs.
Business Activity
- Combine scarce factors.
- Produce goods or services.
- Employees people.
Added Value
Difference in selling price of product and material and bought-in costs.
Advantages of Added Value
- Maybe be able to make profit if other cost come to a total less than added value.
- Can be used to pay other expenses.
Disadvantages of Added Value
- Increasing selling price can lead to decrease in sales and perhaps profits.
What can you do to increase added value?
- Increase selling price by increasing quality of goods and services to convince customers/consumers (NOTE: other prices might increase).
- Decrease cost of materials but keep selling price the same (NOTE: quality of product will decrease).
Primary Sector
Industry extracts and uses earth’s natural resources to produce raw materials for other businesses.
Secondary Sector
Industry manufacture goods using raw materials provided by primary sector.
Tertiary Sector
Industry provides services to consumers and to other industry sectors.
Examples of Primary Sectors
- Farming
- Fishing
- Mining
- Oil refinery
Examples of Secondary Sectors
- Computer manufacture
- Construction
- Ship building
- Dress-maker
Examples of Tertiary Sectors
- Gyms
- Banking
- Hotels
- Restaurants
Developing Countries
Primary sectors are important, as more employees and output are produced than in secondary and in tertiary sectors.
Developed Countries
Output of tertiary sector is often higher than the two other sectors combined.
Reasons for relative importance of three sectors overtime.
- Sources of some primary products become depleted.
- Developed countries are losing competitiveness to newly industrialised countries.
- Due to rise in living standards, consumers spend more of their income on services such as travel and restaurants than on manufactured goods.
De-industrialisation
When there is a decline in the importance of the secondary sector.
Mixed Economy
Has both a public and a private sector.
Private Sector
Businesses NOT owned by the government decide what and how to produce. The main aim is to make profit.
Public Sector
Owned by the government. Government will decide what and how to produce. The main aim is to provide a service to customers.
Privatistation
Refers to selling a public sector business to a private sector.
Advantages of Privatistation
- Costs can be controlled because private sectors main objective is profit.
- More efficient use of capital.
- Competition between private sector will help improve product quality.
Disadvantages of Privatistation
- Increased unemployment as private sector may want to cut costs.
- Less likely to focus on social objective.
Capital
The money invested into the business by the owners.
Entrepreneur
A person who organises, operates and takes risks for a new business venture.
Characteristics of an Entrepreneur
- Hard-working
- Risk takers
- Creative
- Effective Communicators
- Optimistic
- Self-confident
- Innovative
- Independent
Advantages of being an Entrepreneur
- Independent, able to choose how to use time and money.
- Able to put own ideas into practice.
- May become successful and profitable if the business grows.
- Able to make use of personal interests and skills.
- Profits to themselves, no need to share them with anyone.
- Income is higher than a regular employee.
Disadvantages of being an Entrepreneur
- Entrepreneurs have to put their own money into the business.
- Many entrepreneurs businesses fail (risk).
- Lack of knowledge and experience in starting and operating a business.
- Lost income for not being an employee for another business (opportunity cost).
- They will have to invest their savings as well as find other sources of finance, which is time-consuming and expensive.
Business Plan
A document containing business objectives and essential detail of operation, finance and owners of the new business.
Contents of Business Plan
- Description of Product
- Product and Services
- The market
- Location and how product will reach the customers.
- Organisation structure and management.
- Financial Information.
- Business strategy.
Business plans assist entrepreneurs because
- It will help gain profit. Banks ask for a business plan before agreeing to a loan or a overdraft for the business.
- Forces entrepreneurs to plan carefully, which decreases the risk of business failing.
Governments encourage entrepreneurs to set up a business because start-ups
- Reduces unemployment.
- Increases competition.
- Increases output.
- Benefits society.
- Further growth of the economy.
Governments may give support to entrepreneurs by
- Business plans & ideas, organising training for entrepreneurs to give them advice and support sessions.
- Finance, may lend loans at low-interest rates or grants, as well as low-cost premises.
- Governments provides grants for training employees to make them more efficient and productive.
- Government allow entrepreneurs to use research facilities in universities.
Why is it beneficial to compare business size
- Investors can decide which firm they want to invest in.
- Governments, different tax rates for small and large firms.
- Competitors, to compare size and importance with other firms.
- Workers, to get an idea of how many employees needed.
- Banks, to see importance of loan compared to business size.
Capital Employed
The total value of capital used in the business.
Different ways to measure business size with their limitations
- Number of people employed in the business / Capital-Intensive business employ less workers but produce higher levels of output.
- The value of output in the business / Does not take into account value of goods sold and sale of goods.
- The value of sales / Different businesses sell different products (cheap and expensive)
- Total value of capital employed / Some businesses use labor-intensive methods, which require less capital more workers.
Benefits of expansion of a business
- Possibility of higher profits for the owner.
- More status and prestige for owners and managers.
- Lower Average Costs
- A large share of its market portion of total market sales it makes, is greater.
Ways business can grow
- Internal Growth
- External Growth
Internal Growth
Business expands its existing operations.
Advantages of Internal Growth
- Use retained profits (don’t need bank loan & interest cost).
- Build on existing strengths & culture
- Steady rate – less risk