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CIE IGCSE Business Your notes
1.1 Business Activity

Contents
The Nature of Business Activity
The Process of Adding Value
Page 1 of 9
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The Nature of Business Activity

Your notes
Needs, Wants, Scarcity and Opportunity cost
Businesses thrive when they are able to meet customer needs and wants
Needs are considered to be essential e.g. shelter or food
Wants are desires which are non essential, even if consumers consider them to be essential e.g
Nike trainers
Due to the problem of scarcity, choices have to be made by producers, consumers, workers and
governments about the best (most efficient) use of these resources. This is known as the economic
problem
These resources are known as the factors of production and are land, labour, capital and
Enterprise
Opportunity cost is the loss of the next best alternative when making a decision
There is an opportunity cost in the allocation of resources

When a consumer chooses to purchase a new phone, they may be unable to purchase new jeans.
The jeans represent the loss of the next best alternative (the opportunity cost)
When a producer decides to allocate all of their resources to producing electric vehicles, they
may be unable to produce petrol vehicles. The petrol vehicles represent the loss of the next best
alternative (the opportunity cost)
When a government decides to provide free school meals to all primary students in the country,
they may be unable to fund some rural libraries which may have to close. The libraries represent
the loss of the next best alternative (the opportunity cost)
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The Importance of Specialisation

Specialisation occurs when people and workers focus on one particular role or task and thereby gain Your notes
significant skill in doing it
Division of labour is the separation of a work process into a number of tasks that are completed by a
separate person or group of persons
Specialisation results in higher output per worker which increases productivity
Specialisation is now more common due to specialised technology, machinery and increasing
global competition
Specialisation occurs on several different levels

On an individual level
On a business level e.g. one firm may only specialise in manufacturing drill bits for concrete work
On a regional level e.g. Silicon Valley has specialised in the tech industry
On a global level as countries seek to trade e.g. Bangladesh specialises in textiles & exports them
to the world
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The Purpose of Business Activity

The purpose of business activity can be broadly defined as the activities that businesses engage in to Your notes
produce goods or services that meet customer needs while adding value
Diagram Showing the Purpose of Business Activity
The purpose of business activity is to take inputs, add value to them, and create products which meet
customer needs
To produce goods or services
The primary purpose of business activity is to produce goods or services that satisfy a need or
demand in the market
Goods are physical products, such as bicycles and T-shirts
Services are non-physical items such as hairdressing, tourism and manicures
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Meeting customer needs

The ultimate goal is to create products that meet the needs and preferences of customers and Your notes
provide value to them
By meeting customer needs, businesses can build customer loyalty, increase brand awareness, and
generate revenue
To add value
The third purpose of business activity is to add value to products or services
Value-added features can differentiate products from competitors, create a unique selling point, and
increase customer satisfaction
E.g. a product that is easier to use, has a better design, or is of higher quality than competitors can
create a competitive advantage for a business
Page 5 of 9

Your notes
Adding value is the process of taking raw materials and using them in such a way that the end
product created is worth more than the cost of the raw materials used to create it - value has been
added
The added value is the difference between the price that is charged to the customer and the cost of
inputs required to create the product or service
E.g. customers are prepared to pay more for potatoes when they are packaged as oven chips than
they would be willing to pay for a bag of potatoes
If value is not added to the materials and components that a business buys then fixed costs cannot
be paid and no profit will be made
Diagram to Show Methods of Adding Value
Page 6 of 9
Your notes
Page 7 of 9
Your notes
Some of the methods of adding value allow for product differentiation which allows the business to
charge a higher selling price
Product and marketing teams will constantly explore ways in which to increase the added value
The most common methods have been summarised in the diagram and include branding, offering
more convenience to customers, improving the product quality or design, and building out the
unique selling points
Real World Examples of how Businesses have Added Value

Adding value is an important concept for businesses. The greater the added the value the more
successful the business is likely to be and the higher their profits
Method Example
Branding Apple has built a brand that many customers believe is superior to other brands
They have achieved this through the use of quality materials, innovative design
and good marketing
This branding allows the firm to charge a higher price for its products thus
increasing the added value
Convenience Persil initially provided a bottle of dishwashing liquid for dishwashing machine
use
This resulted in spillage as customers added the liquid to their machines, so
Persil then created tablets
The tablets offered a much more convenient option and Persil was able to
charge a higher selling price for them
Quality Jo Malone perfume products are well known for their beautiful packaging which
creates an exciting opening experience for the customer
This allows the firm to charge a higher price for its products thus increasing the
added value
Page 8 of 9
Unique Selling MoonPig birthday cards can be completely customised (size, colour, design
Points (USPs) etc.) and the level of customisation has helped them to gain a competitive
advantage Your notes
This customisation allows the firm to charge a higher price for its cards thus
Design Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 has robust health tracking tools built into it, along with
an amazing screen, which has helped it to gain a competitive advantage
These features allow the firm to charge a higher price for its products thus
Exam Tip
Businesses may use several methods of adding value. It's important to understand that adding value
adds raises costs, but it is worth it if the increase in selling price outweighs the costs associated with
the method e.g. if improving the packaging costs £1 per unit and the firm is able to raise its selling price
by £1,40 per unit, then the firm can improve its profitability by changing the packaging.
Page 9 of 9

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CIE IGCSE Business Your notes

1.1 Business Activity

The Nature of Business Activity

There is an opportunity cost in the allocation of resources

The Importance of Specialisation

Specialisation occurs on several different levels

The Purpose of Business Activity

Meeting customer needs

The Process of Adding Value

Diagram to Show Methods of Adding Value

Real World Examples of how Businesses have Added Value

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