Getting Down to Business

Business Participants and Activities

Let's begin our discussion of business by identifying the main participants of business and the functions that most businesses perform. Then we'll finish this section by discussing the external factors that influence a business's activities.

Participants

Every business must have one or more owners whose primary role is to invest money in the business. When a business is being started, it's generally the owners who polish the business idea and bring together the resources (money and people) needed to turn the idea into a business. The owners also hire employees to work for the company and help it reach its goals. Owners and employees depend on a third group of participants – customers. Ultimately, the goal of any business is to satisfy the needs of its customers in order to generate a profit for the owners.