1.1.3

Why are Businesses Set Up?

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Why are Businesses Set Up?

We have seen that businesses exist to serve customers’ wants or needs and do so through supplying goods or services. Businesses are set up for a variety of reasons. They are not always set up to provide or increase someone’s income. A few key reasons include:

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People want the good or service

  • An entrepreneur starts to sell a good or service that they think people will want to buy.
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Distribute goods

  • Businesses may be set up to distribute goods – they buy products from manufacturers and then sell these goods to other businesses or to customers.
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Benefit society

  • Businesses may be set up to benefit other people or to benefit society as a whole. These businesses are often not-for-profit organisations.
  • E.g. a business that is set up to provide malaria nets to people who can’t afford them in Africa.
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Adding value

  • Businesses are set up to add value to goods or services.
  • Added value is the difference between the selling price and the cost of inputs.
  • Value can be increased by: improving quality, branding, convenience, or offering better customer service.
  • Example: Toms shoes adds value by combining the product with a social purpose
    • For every pair sold, a pair is donated to someone in need.

Jump to other topics

1Understanding Business Activity

1.1Business Activity

1.2Classification of Businesses

1.3Enterprise, Business Growth & Size

1.4Types of Business Organisation

1.5Business Objectives & Stakeholder Objectives

2People in Business

3Marketing

3.1Marketing & the Market

3.2Market Research

3.3Marketing Mix

3.4Legal Controls

4Operations Management

5Financial Information & Decisions

6External Influences on Business Activity

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