1.1.1

Why Businesses Exist

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Why do Businesses Exist?

Businesses provide goods and services for the market.

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Supplier of goods and services

  • Businesses supply goods and services to consumers and businesses.
  • Goods are tangible products which can be physically held.
  • Services are intangible products.
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Impact on the country and its residents

  • Businesses provide employment which allows individuals to earn an income and purchase goods and services.
    • E.g. In 2019, Tesco employed around 300,000 staff.
  • Businesses create new goods and services which can enhance the lives of consumers.
    • E.g. pharmaceutical businesses like Pfizer have developed new medicines that cure illnesses and improve people’s quality of life.
  • Businesses can allow a country to improve and develop the country's reputation.
    • E.g. many financial service businesses in the UK provide their products to many countries around the world and this improves the UK’s reputation.
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The transformation process

  • Businesses convert inputs (for example, raw materials) into outputs (finished goods) to satisfy the needs, and wants of other consumers and businesses.
  • This is called the transformation process and businesses will add value to their goods and services throughout this process.
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B2C

  • Some businesses sell their goods and services directly to consumers and these businesses are known as business to consumer (or B2C) organisations.
    • For example, Spotify provides music streaming services and sells these to consumers. Spotify is, therefore, an example of a business to consumer organisation.
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B2B

  • Other businesses sell their goods and services to other businesses and these are known as business to business (or B2B) organisations.
    • For example, Hootsuite sells social media management services to other businesses such as Virgin. Hootsuite is, therefore, an example of a business to business organisation.
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Sectors

  • Businesses can also be categorised according to the type of product they supply:
    • Primary sector businesses extract or grow raw materials including fishing, mining, and forestry.
    • Secondary businesses manufacture goods using raw materials such as clothing and mobile phones.
    • Tertiary businesses provide services such as hotels and cinemas.

Jump to other topics

1What is Business?

2Managers, Leadership & Decision Making

3Decision Making to Improve Marketing Performance

4Decision Making to Improve Operational Performance

5Decision Making to Improve Financial Performance

6Improving Human Resource Performance

7Analysing the Strategic Position of a Business

8Choosing Strategic Direction

9How to Pursue Strategies

10Managing Strategic Change

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