1 chapter business essentials, 8 th edition ebert/griffin the u. s. business environment instructor...

1chapter

Business Essentials, 8th EditionEbert/Griffin

The U. S. Business Environment

Instructor Lecture PowerPointsPowerPoint Presentation prepared by Carol Vollmer Pope Alverno College

Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E SL E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

1. Define the nature of U.S. business and identify its main goals and functions.

2. Describe the external environments of business and discuss how these environments affect the success or failure of any organization.

3. Describe the different types of global economic systems according to the means by which they control the factors of production.

1-2Copyright © 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S (cont.)L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S (cont.)

After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

4. Show how markets, demand, and supply affect resource distribution in the United States.

5. Identify the elements of private enterprise and explain the various degrees of competition in the U.S. economic system.

6. Explain the importance of the economic environment to business and identify the factors used to evaluate the performance of an economic system.


The Concept of Business and Profit

• Business– An organized effort of individuals that provides (sells)

goods or services to earn a profit.• Profits

– The difference between a business’s revenues and its expenses.

• Consumer Choice and Demand– Consumers choose how to satisfy their wants and needs.

• Opportunity and Enterprise– Identify needs and capitalize on the opportunity.


The Concept of Business and Profit (cont.)

• The Benefits of Business– Provide goods and services

– Employ workers which results in increased quality of life and standard of living

– Innovation and opportunities

– Enhanced personal incomes of owners and stockholders

– Support for charities and community leadership


The External Environments of Business

• External Environment– Everything outside an organization’s boundaries

that might affect it• Six areas: domestic business, global business,

technological, political-legal, sociocultural, and economic environments


The External Environments of Business (cont.)

• 1 of 6: Domestic Business Environment

– The environment in which a firm conducts its operations and derives its revenues by:

• Seeking to be close to customers

• Building relationships with suppliers

• Distinguishing itself from competitors


The External Environments of Business (cont.)• 2 of 6: Global Business Environment

– The international forces that affect a business:• International trade agreements

• International economic conditions

• Political unrest

• International market opportunities

• Suppliers

• Cultures

• Competitors

• Currency values



• 3 of 6: Technological Environment

– All the ways by which firms create value for their constituents:

• Human knowledge

• Work methods

• Physical equipment

• Electronics and telecommunications

• Various business activity processing systems



• 4 of 6: Political-Legal Environment– The relationship between business and the

government; laws regulate what an organization can and cannot do in many areas including:

• Products• Advertising practices• Safety and health considerations


The External Environments of Business (cont.)• 5 of 6: Sociocultural Environment

– The customs, mores, values, and demographic characteristics of the society

– The standards of business conduct a society is likely to accept



• 6 of 6: Economic Environment

– The relevant conditions that exist in the economic system in which a company operates

• In a strong economy where many people have jobs, a growing company may find it necessary to pay higher wages and offer more benefits in order to attract workers.

• In a weaker economy where people are looking for jobs, a firm may be able to pay less and offer fewer benefits.


Economic Systems

• Economic System– A nation’s system for allocating its resources among its

citizens, both individuals and organizations

• Factors of Production– Labor– Capital– Entrepreneurs– Physical resources– Information resources


Two Types of Economic Systems

• Planned Economy – A centralized government controls all or most factors of

production and makes all or most production and allocation decisions for the economy.

• Market Economy – Individual producers and consumers control production

and allocation by creating combinations of supply and demand.


Types of Economic Systems

• Planned Economy

- Communism – individuals contribute according to their abilities and receive benefits according to their needs.

• The government owns and operates all factors of production.

• The government assigns people to jobs and owns all businesses and controls business decisions.


Types of Economic Systems (cont.)

• Market Economics• Capitalism

– The government supports private ownership and encourages entrepreneurship.

– Individuals choose where to work, what to buy, and how much to pay.– Producers choose who to hire, what to produce, and how much to

charge.

• Market– A mechanism of exchange between buyers and sellers of a

good or service.


Types of Economic Systems (cont.)

• Market Economics

• Mixed Market Economy– Features characteristics of both planned and market

economies.– Privatization: The process of converting government

enterprises into privately owned companies.– Socialism: The government owns and operates select

major industries such as banking and transportation. Smaller businesses are privately owned.


The Economics of Market Systems

• Demand– The willingness and ability of buyers to purchase a product (a good or

a service).

• Supply– The willingness and ability of producers to offer a good or service for

sale.

• The Laws of Demand and Supply in a Market Economy– Demand: Buyers will purchase (demand) more of a product as its price

drops and less of a product as its price increases.

– Supply: Producers will offer (supply) more of a product for sale as its price rises and less of a product as its price drops.


SKIPDemand and Supply in a Market Economy

• Demand and Supply Schedule– The relationships among different levels of demand and

supply at different price levels• Demand curve: How much product will be demanded (bought) at

different prices.

• Supply curve: How much product will be supplied (offered for sale) at different prices.

• Market price (equilibrium price): The price at which the quantity of goods demanded and the quantity of goods supplied are equal.


skipDemand and Supply (cont.)



• Surplus– A situation in which the quantity supplied exceeds

the quantity demanded

• Shortage– A situation in which the quantity demanded will

be greater than the quantity supplied


skipPrivate Enterprise in a Market Economy

• Private Enterprise System– Allows individuals to pursue their own interests

with minimal government restriction.

• Elements of a Private Enterprise System– Private property rights– Freedom of choice– Profits– Competition


Degrees of Competition

• Perfect Competition

– No single firm is powerful enough to influence the price of its product.

• All firms in an industry are small.• The number of firms in the industry is large.

– Four Principles:• Buyers view all products as identical.• Buyers and sellers know the prices that others are paying and

receiving in the marketplace.• Firms easily enter or leave the market.• Prices are set exclusively by supply and demand.


Degrees of Competition (cont.)

• Monopolistic Competition

– Numerous sellers try to differentiate their products from those of competitors in an attempt to influence price.

– There are many sellers, though fewer than in pure competition.

– Sellers can enter or leave the market easily.

– The large number of buyers relative to sellers applies potential limits to prices.



• Oligopoly– An industry with only a few large sellers.

– Entry by new competitors is hard because large capital investment is needed.

– The actions of one firm can significantly affect the sales of every other firm in the industry.

– The prices of comparable products are usually similar.

– As the trend toward globalization continues, most experts believe that oligopolies will become increasingly prevalent.



• Monopoly– An industry or market that has only one producer (or else

is so dominated by one producer that other firms cannot compete with it).

– Natural monopolies: Industries in which one firm can most efficiently supply all needed goods or services.

• Example: Electric company


Economic Indicators

• Economic Indicators– Statistics that show whether an economic system

is strengthening, weakening, or remaining stable

• GDP• GNP• Balance of trade• Trade deficit• National Debt

© 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

• Inflation• CPI• Unemployment

Economic Indicators (cont.)

• Gross Domestic Product (GDP)– An aggregate output measure of the total

value of all goods and services produced within a given period by a national economy through domestic factors of production.

– http://www.tradingeconomics.com/Economics/GDP-Growth.aspx?Symbol=USD


Economic Indicators (cont.)• Balance of Trade

– The economic value of all the products a country exports minus the economic value of its imported products.

• Positive balance of trade: When a country exports (sells to other countries) more than it imports (buys from other countries).

• Negative balance of trade: When a country imports more than it exports. Commonly called a trade deficit.

• http://www.bea.gov/newsreleases/international/transactions/transnewsrelease.htm


Economic Indicators (cont.)• National Debt

– The amount of money that the government owes its creditors.

• Financed by borrowing in the form of bonds (government promises to pay buyers certain amounts of money by specified future dates).

• http://www.usdebtclock.org/



• Stability– A condition in which the amount of money available in an

economic system and the quantity of goods and services produced in it are growing at about the same rate.

• Inflation– Inflation occurs when the amount of money injected into

an economy exceeds the increase in actual output, resulting in price increases exceeding purchasing power increases.



• Consumer Price Index (CPI)

– A measure of the prices of typical products purchased by consumers living in urban areas



• Unemployment– The level of joblessness among people actively seeking

work in an economic system• Low unemployment results in higher wages.

• Higher wages increases unemployment.

• Cyclical Unemployment– Businesses continuing to eliminate jobs during a business

cycle downturn cause more reduced revenues and further job losses.



• Recession– A period during which aggregate output, as

measured by real GDP, declines

• Depression– A prolonged and deep recession


==END=Managing the U.S. Economy

• Fiscal Policy– The ways in which a government collects (taxes) and spends revenues.

• Monetary Policy– The manner in which a government controls its money supply.

• Stabilization Policy– Coordinating fiscal and monetary policies to smooth fluctuations in

output and unemployment and to stabilize prices.


Key Terms

aggregate output balance of trade business business cycle capital capitalism communism competition consumer price index demand demand and supply schedule

demand curve depression domestic business environmenteconomic environment economic indicators economic system entrepreneur external environment factors of production fiscal policies


Key Terms (cont.)

global business environment gross domestic product (GDP) gross national product (GNP) inflation information resources labor (human resources) law of demandlaw of supply market market economy market price (equilibrium price)

mixed market economy monetary policies monopolistic competition monopoly national debt natural monopoly nominal GDP oligopoly perfect competitionphysical resourcesplanned economy


Key Terms (cont.)

political-legal environment private enterprise privatization productivity profits purchasing power parity real GDP recession shortage socialism sociological environment stability

stabilization policystandard of living supply supply curve surplus technological environment unemployment


All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.


1 chapter business essentials, 8 th edition ebert/griffin the u. s. business environment instructor...

Documents

profit business

concept of business

benefits of business

global business environment

prentice hall slide

domestic business environment

pearson education

chapter business essentials