The Business Environment

What The Business Environment covers

The Business Environment is examined in Unit AS 1, Introduction to Professional Business Services. It covers primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary production, private, public and voluntary sector objectives, sole traders and partnerships, private and public limited companies, stakeholder interests and conflicts and factors of production.

The 6 subtopics

Each one has its own page. CCEA AS Professional Business Services students sit this topic in the first year.

• Primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary productionPrimary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary production, the chain of production, where professional services sit, deindustrialisation, the growth of quaternary work in Northern Ireland and automation.Open →
• Private, public and voluntary sector objectivesThe private, public and voluntary sectors and their objectives, survival, surpluses, social enterprises, NICVA, Northern Ireland's public sector and how objectives change.Open →
• Sole traders and partnershipsSole traders and partnerships, unlimited liability, control and profit, deeds of partnership, limited liability partnerships and a worked profit-sharing calculation.Open →
• Private and public limited companiesPrivate and public limited companies, limited liability and separate legal identity, finance and control, the divorce of ownership and control, Companies House, Kainos, and choosing a legal form.Open →
• Stakeholder interests and conflictsStakeholders and shareholders, the interests of owners, employees, managers, customers, suppliers, lenders, government and communities, and managing conflicting objectives.Open →
• Factors of productionLand, labour, capital and enterprise, entrepreneurs and human capital, the factors used by a law firm, substitution, scarcity and why firms locate in Belfast.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take The Business Environment further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Private sector vs Public sector

  Private sector: the part of the economy owned by individuals and shareholders. Public sector: the part of the economy owned or funded by government.

• Tertiary production vs Quaternary production

  Tertiary production: activity providing services such as retailing, transport and banking. Quaternary production: knowledge-based activity such as research, software and consultancy.

• Private limited company vs Public limited company

  Private limited company: an incorporated business whose shares cannot be offered on a stock exchange. Public limited company: an incorporated business whose shares can be traded on a stock exchange.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What is primary production?

   Model answer

   Primary production is extracting or growing natural resources, such as farming, fishing, quarrying and forestry. Agriculture is a major primary industry in Northern Ireland.

2. 2

   What is secondary production?

   Model answer

   Secondary production turns raw materials into finished or part-finished goods. Manufacturing and construction are secondary activities.

3. 3

   What is tertiary production?

   Model answer

   Tertiary production provides services to consumers and businesses rather than making goods. Retailing, banking, tourism and transport are tertiary activities.

4. 4

   What is quaternary production?

   Model answer

   Quaternary production is knowledge-based activity built on information, research and expertise. Consultancy, software development and research and development are examples.

5. 5

   Why are professional business services usually classed as quaternary rather than simply tertiary?

   Model answer

   Professional firms sell specialist knowledge and advice rather than a routine service. The value lies in the expertise of qualified staff, which is the mark of quaternary activity.

6. 6

   Explain how the types of production link together in a chain of production.

   Model answer

   Each stage adds value to the output of the stage before. A farmer grows barley, a distillery turns it into whiskey and a retailer sells it. A marketing consultancy may advise the distillery along the way.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

The Business Environment revision questions

Is The Business Environment examined at AS in CCEA Professional Business Services?

Yes. It sits in AS 1, which you take in the first year, so it is on the AS paper as well as counting towards the full A level.

What does The Business Environment cover in CCEA AS-Level Professional Business Services?

6 subtopics: primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary production, private, public and voluntary sector objectives, sole traders and partnerships, private and public limited companies, stakeholder interests and conflicts and factors of production. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is The Business Environment organised?

By the CCEA 3210 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.