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The nature of business






Курс (1 семестр)

TEXT 1

THE NATURE OF BUSINESS

What image comes to your mind when you hear the word business? Some people think of their jobs, others think of the supermarkets where they do their shopping, and still others think of the millions of firms that make up the world’s economy. So, what is business? This term may be used in different meanings. When we say “ a business ” or “ businesses ” we mean a company or companies which produce and sell goods or services. On the other hand, when we say “ business ” we mean some economic businesses (companies or firms) are engaged in. In this aspect business is the activity of producing, distributing, and selling goods and services for a profit.

First, production is the transformation of resources into goods and services that people want or need. Historically, individuals, firms, and countries become rich if they possess more of the following four factors of production than their competitors:

* Natural resources – things that are useful in their natural state, such as land, forests, minerals, and water

* Human resources – anyone (from company presidents to grocery clerks) who works to produce goods and services

* Capital – resources (such as money, technology, tools, information, and physical facilities like buildings) that a business needs to produce goods and services

* Entrepreneurs – people who are willing to take risks to create and operate businesses.

At the core of production is the conversion process, the sequence of events that convert resources into products. Input (the basic materials or skills) is transformed (by the application of labor, equipment, and capital) into output – the desired or finished product.

 

input transformation → output

 

This formula applies to both tangible goods and intangible services. The conversion process may make major changes in raw materials or simply combine already finished parts into new products. A cabinetmaker combines wood, tools, and skill to create finished kitchen cabinets for a new home. A transit system combines buses, trains, and employees to create its output: passenger transportation. Both of these processes create utility.

People sometimes use the terms production and manufacturing interchangeably, but they ignore an important difference when they do so. Production is a broader term that spans both manufacturing and nonmanufacturing industries. Whether the production process results in a tangible good or an intangible service, it always converts inputs into outputs. One example of production is steel manufacturing. Iron is combined with small quantities of other minerals at high temperatures to produce steel. Steel is required in huge quantities for automobile production. The conversion of steel into metal car parts is one other example of production. Service providers also engage in production. A programmer works to create a computer program which is a finished product or output.

Next, products need to be moved from the factory to the marketplace. This is known as distribution. Whether the product is a car, a computer, or a loaf of bread, it needs to make its way from the producer to the consumer. Distribution channels are an organized network of firms that work together to get goods and services from producer to consumer. Distribution channels come in all shapes and sizes. Some channels are short and simple; others are complex and involve many people and organizations. An organization’s decisions about which combination of channels to use – the distribution mix – and its overall plan for moving products to buyers – the distribution strategy – play major roles in business success.

Third is the sale of goods and services. Businesses exchange their goods, services, or ideas for money. Sale then is the exchange of a product for money. Sales revenue is money that a company receives from sales of its goods or services. Goods are things that are made to be sold; goods are physical objects you can touch. For example, cars or computers can be classified as goods. Services, on the other hand, are activities which a person or organization performs for another person or organization. For instance, transporting a customer by a taxi-cab is a service. An auto mechanic performs a service when he repairs a car. A travel agent also performs a service by organizing tours for you.

There are two large sectors of economy businesses operate in: the goods-producing sector and the service sector. Goods - producing businesses include manufacturing, construction, mining, and agriculture. Service businesses include finance and insurance, transportation and utilities, wholesale and retail trade, and other services like banking or medical care.

The primary goal of all businesses is to earn a profit – the difference between what it costs to make and sell a product and what a customer pays for it. Financial managers think of a profit as the money that remains after all the expenses and taxes have been paid. A company’s profitability is its ability to create an economic surplus or profit. Businesses have the right to keep and use their profits – within legal limits – because profit is the reward for the risks they take in providing products. Without profits, businesses find it difficult, if not impossible, to buy more raw materials, hire more employees, attract more capital, and create additional products that in turn make more profits and fuel the world economy.

Not all organizations are businesses. Nonprofit organizations - like museums, libraries, symphonies, most colleges and universities, charitable and religious organizations, political parties, and government agencies – exist to provide a valuable service rather than to make a profit. Even though these organizations do not have a profit motive, the business concepts – such as competition, marketing, finance, quality, and so on – apply to nonprofit organizations as well.

Why study business? There are five broad fields of business that offer brilliant career opportunities: management, marketing, accounting, finance, and information technology. Studying business can help you develop skills and acquire knowledge to prepare for your future career, regardless of whether you plan to work for private companies, start your own business, or work for a government agency or nonprofit organization. Studying business can also help you better understand many business activities that are necessary to provide satisfying goods and services. Thus, learning about business can help you become a well-informed consumer and member of society. Business activities help generate the profits that are essential not only to individual businesses and local economies, but also to the health of the global economy.

 

NOTES

Different aspects of word “ BUSINESS

 

I. BUSINESS nUNCOUNTABLE

1. Бизнес, дело, предпринимательство (экономическая деятельность с

целью извлечения прибыли)

Many students study business at college.

Многие студенты изучают бизнес в колледже.

Business is a profit-seeking activity.

Бизнес - это деятельность, направленная на получение прибыли.

Business drives the economic pulse of a nation.

Бизнес управляет экономическим пульсом страны..

Drug manufacturing is profitable business.

Производство лекарств – прибыльный бизнес.

 

2. Работа, дело, занятие

I’m here on business.

Я здесь по делу.

You call it pleasure I call it business.

Вы называете это развлечением, я же считаю это работой.

What is his business?

Чем он занимается?

Mind your own business.

Занимайтесь своим делом.

 

II. BUSINESS (businesses) nCOUNTABLE

Компания, фирма, предприятие

 

The company was a family business.

Эта компания была семейным предприятием.

Some businesses such as Coca-Cola and Nike are internationally

famous.

Некоторые компании, такие как Coca-Cola и Nike, имеют всемирную

известность.

Small businesses produce 55 percent of innovations in the U.S.A.

В США малые предприятия разрабатывают и внедряют 55

процентов всех инноваций.

Good Wheels is a profitable business. It sells motorbikes and scooters.

Good Wheels – прибыльная компания. Она продаёт мопеды и

скутеры.

 

III. BUSINESS nSINGULAR

Употребляется перед другим существительным как определение

 

business relations – деловые отношения

business deal - коммерческая сделка

business hours - рабочие часы

business name - название компании

 






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