What a business is
| English | Chinese | Pinyin |
|---|---|---|
| business | 企业 | qǐ yè |
| factors of production | 生产要素 | shēng chǎn yào sù |
| primary sector | 第一产业 | dì yī chǎn yè |
| secondary sector | 第二产业 | dì èr chǎn yè |
| tertiary sector | 第三产业 | dì sān chǎn yè |
| sole trader | 个体经营 | gè tǐ jīng yíng |
| unlimited liability | 无限责任 | wú xiàn zé rèn |
| partnership | 合伙企业 | hé huǒ qǐ yè |
| limited company | 有限公司 | yǒu xiàn gōng sī |
| stakeholders | 利益相关者 | lì yì xiāng guān zhě |
A business is an answer to somebody's problem
- A business 企业 combines resources to produce goods or services that people will pay for.
- If nobody would pay, it is a hobby. The willingness to pay is what makes it a business.
- Factors of production 生产要素 are what it combines: land, labour, capital and enterprise.
Which are factors of production? Choose all that apply.
Profit is a result of combining them, not one of the inputs. Enterprise is the fourth.
The three sectors
- The primary sector 第一产业 extracts: farming, fishing, mining.
- The secondary sector 第二产业 manufactures: turning materials into products.
- The tertiary sector 第三产业 provides services, and it is where most people in a developed economy work.
- The mix shifts as an economy develops, which is why the sectors are a measure and not just a list.
Match each activity to its sector.
The mix shifts as an economy develops, which makes the sectors a measure rather than a list.
Ownership decides who loses
- A sole trader 个体经营 owns everything and has unlimited liability 无限责任: business debts reach personal assets.
- A partnership 合伙企业 shares both.
- A limited company 有限公司 separates the owners' money from the firm's, so a failure costs the investment and no more.
- That separation is the reason limited companies exist, and it is what makes raising money possible.
A sole trader's business fails owing money. What can creditors reach?
This is the most consequential difference between business forms, and why limited companies exist.
Stakeholders
- Stakeholders 利益相关者 are everyone affected: owners, employees, customers, suppliers, the community.
- Their interests genuinely conflict, and a decision that pleases all of them is usually a decision that changes nothing.
A café raises wages by 15%.
Employees gain. The owner's profit falls. Customers may face higher prices. Suppliers are unaffected.
A stakeholder question is marked on naming who and saying how much it matters to them — not on listing everyone you can remember. Four named stakeholders with an effect each beats eight names with none.
How is a stakeholder question marked?
Four named stakeholders with an effect each beats eight names with none.
A shop opens on Sundays. Name one stakeholder and the effect on them.
Example: "Staff lose a guaranteed day off, which may raise wage costs if Sunday hours are paid at a premium."
Unlimited liability is the single most consequential difference between business forms. A sole trader whose business fails can lose a house; a shareholder in a limited company loses only what they put in.
Do not treat "the community" as a stakeholder without saying how it is affected. Naming a stakeholder is worth nothing on its own; the mark is for the effect, and a vague gesture at society reads as padding.