Why Do Prices Change? 4 Forces: Supply, Demand, Global Trends, and Uncertainty
• Why do prices change? 4 forces: supply, demand, global trends, and uncertainty
BUSINESS, PROFIT, AND THE EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT
Business and Profit
• Businesses: organizations that provide goods or services that are then sold to earn profits
• Profit: the difference between a businesss revenues and its expenses
â—‹ What encourages people to open and expand their businesses
â—‹ The rewards owners get for risking their money and time
â—‹ The right to pursue profits distinguishes a business from organizations such as universities, hospitals, and govt agencies
• Consumer choice and demand
â—‹ Consumers have a freedom of choice
â—‹ Businesses must take into account what customers want/need in order to pursue profits
• Opportunity and enterprise
â—‹ If enterprising business ppl can spot a promising opportunity and then develop a good plan for capitalizing on it, they can succeed
â—‹ Ex. Although large retailers such as Circuit City and Linens-N-Things closed their doors in 2009, other firms profited from these closings by handling the inventory liquidation of those failed retailers
â—‹ In general, business opportunity involves goods or services that consumers need or want – esp. if no one else is supplying them or if existing businesses are doing so inefficiently or incompletely
• The benefits of businesses
â—‹ Produce most of the goods and services we consume
â—‹ Employ most working people
â—‹ Create most innovations and provide a vast range of opportunities for new businesses, which serve as their suppliers
â—‹ A healthy business climate contributes to the quality of life and standard of living of people in a society
â—‹ Business profits enhance the personal incomes of millions of owners and stockholders
â—‹ Business taxes help to support govts at all levels
â—‹ Some businesses harm the earths environment
The External Environments of Business
• External environment: consists of everything outside an organizations boundaries that might affect it
â—‹ External environment