What is Business: Definition and 181 Discussions

Business is the activity of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services). Simply put, it is "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit."Having a business name does not separate the business entity from the owner, which means that the owner of the business is responsible and liable for debts incurred by the business. If the business acquires debts, the creditors can go after the owner's personal possessions. A business structure does not allow for corporate tax rates. The proprietor is personally taxed on all income from the business.
The term is also often used colloquially (but not by lawyers or by public officials) to refer to a company. A company, on the other hand, is a separate legal entity and provides for limited liability, as well as corporate tax rates. A company structure is more complicated and expensive to set up, but offers more protection and benefits for the owner.

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  1. D

    Start Your Low-Cost Electrical/Electronic/Computer Business!

    What kind of business can I start that is relating to electrical/electronic/computer that has a low startup cost (around $30k)? It seems like most engineering businesses require huge amount of money. I'm 24 and have no experience in running a business but I'm willing to do research and fail...
  2. H

    Business Calculus 1: Average Cost Function & Min. Production

    1. C(x)=2200 + 5x + 0.002x^2 + 0.00013x^3 (a) Find the average cost function and sketch it (b.) At what production level is the average cost minimized? Homework Equations My book defines the average cost as c(x)=C(x)/x And the average cost is minimized when C'(x) = c(x) The Attempt at a...
  3. D

    I have a business idea. Can I protect it?

    I think I have a great idea for a business. This "idea" is not a physical product. It is a service that I think will help consumers save time and increase sale for retailers. This service will use barcode scanner or RFID reader. Is it possible to patent/protect a service?
  4. Astronuc

    Is TerraCycle's Eco-Friendly Plant Food Really a Threat to Scotts Miracle-Gro?

    TerraCycle sued by Scotts Miracle-Gro TerraCycle's test data are considered proprietary. If Rutger's U did an independent test, that should be good enough. Both parties can have an independent arbitor do an independent test. I just don't see that the two products packaging looks alike...
  5. S

    Acid-base equilibrium calculations in business

    Do many chemists or technicians in the chemical businesses find much use for equilibrium calculations of weak acids or weak bases? In practice, laboratory people can make practical measurements, practical preparations, titrate to a certain pH endpoint, even use a pH indicator material, and can...
  6. D

    Starting an Engineering Company: Challenges and Rewards

    I would like to start my own engineering company in the future. Anyone own an engineering company? What is it about and how much did it cost to start?
  7. T

    Optimizing Rental Rates for Maximum Profit in a Real Estate Business

    Homework Statement A Real estate office manages 50 apartments in a downtown building. When the rent is $900 per month, all the units are occupied. For every $25 increase in rent, one unit becomes vacant. On average, each unit requires $75 in maintenance and repairs each month. How much rent...
  8. M

    Thinking about business, but after spending so much time in engineering/science

    Thinking about business, but after spending so much time in engineering/science... Hello everyone, This is a big step and I don't know if I want to do it or not. Heres how my changing of majors already occured. I went from being a Software Engineer then got hurt in a car accident and was...
  9. N

    Computer Hardware Trade: International Business Perspective

    I am looking for information related to computer hardware trade... which covers from prespective of international business..like major key players,,import,,export...restrictions that sort of things... but till now all my efforts have been unsuccessful to find such infn. I will be really...
  10. R

    How to Sneak a Provision into a Senate Spending Authorization?

    Let's say you, personally, would stand to benefit greatly if a low-key provision were discretely slipped into a Senate spending authorization. How would you go about accomplishing this? Do you have to go through your home state's representatives, or can you look talk to other senators? Would you...
  11. Lisa!

    Dealing with Personal Boundaries at Work: Navigating Interference and Privacy

    How on Earth some of people are always interfering in everything!:bugeye:(am I interfering here?o:) ) So I don't know what's strange about me that my coworkers always talk about me more than anyone else and have lots of questions about me. :confused: They talk about my way of speaking...
  12. Ivan Seeking

    Navigating Business Worlds: Struggles of Scientists & Engineers

    I hate money! Obviously I want to have a lot of it so I'm no better than anyone else, but I hate the games that go with making money. A salesman once told me that it is the pursuit of wealth, and not wealth itself, that addicts people. I would certainly argue that point. But maybe this is the...
  13. JasonRox

    Start a Small Business Installing Floors & Painting

    Alright guys, I'm thinking about starting a small business. Nothing big though. It's kind of like that College Pro Painting thing, but with something more practical. I'm just looking into installing floors like Ceramic Tiles. I'll paint too, but it won't be my main focus. I just have...
  14. marcus

    Start a business selling physics

    http://inverse.physics.berkeley.edu/archives/001624.html there are several things I don't understand about this did anybody else see it?
  15. G

    News Business idea : selling live daggers to schoolkids. Looking for investors.

    Canada's supreme court decided this week it was okay for Sikh to wear their ceremonial Kirpan to school. They were judged to be no more dangerous than baseball bats or scissors, though they remain banned in airplanes or courtrooms. The religion is about 500 years old, originates from...
  16. M

    Gross Calls String Theory A Bizarre Science That Is A Dangerous Business

    From the Woit blog: http://www.math.columbia.edu/~woit/blog/ The only physicist quoted who recognizes that the Landscape is pseudo-science is David Gross. “It’s impossible to disprove” he says, and notes that because we can’t falsify the idea it’s not science. He sees the origin of this...
  17. russ_watters

    News What's wrong with American Big Business?

    3 (if I get to it...) case studies: The auto industry, the airline industry, and the steel industry. I thought of this because recently I've had a number of conversations with friends/family about the problems with the auto industry - so I'll start with that... The big-3 auto makers (set...
  18. A

    Courses Florida Tech - Business courses?

    Hi, I recently switched from a Computer Science undergrad major at Florida Tech to Computer Information Systems. Basically because I like working with hardware, the internet, servers and networks a lot more than programming. CIS offers half Comp Sci courses (programming in C++ and Java but...
  19. Ivan Seeking

    The pleasure of not doing business

    I recently received a call from an old customer who seriously damaged my business. They are big and I made a lot of money doing work for them, but they are so demanding with constantly changing schedules, no end of travel, super-duper pressure situations, beyond belief deadline demands, not to...
  20. A

    Monkey Business Please Confirm

    A 5.0 kilogram monkey hangs initially at rest from two vines, A and B. Each vine is 10 meters in length with negligible mass. Vine A is on the left with an angle of 30 degrees from the horizontal from the monkey and B is at 60 degrees from the horizontal of the angle next to the monkey. 1...
  21. Y

    I have begun my business at now 16 old

    I have begun my business at now 16 old... ----------------------------------------------------------------- I am 16 now, I have a Chinese general website, where has the info of Religions, supernatures, PDA, smartphones, CPUs, Computers, social views and my personal diary and views. Recently I...
  22. R

    How much is this renormalization business a problem in QFT?

    How much is this renormalization business a problem in QFT? Always read it’s complete ‘hand-waving’ and arbitrary, but also that QFT is the most precise theory ever. Also found this quote: "[Renormalization is] just a stop-gap procedure. There must be some fundamental change in our ideas...
  23. M

    Start a Drafting Business: What You Need to Know

    Does anyone here run a drafting business? I am in search of information on what I would need to start one, how it works, and all that and would appreciate reading about others personal experiences.
  24. Pengwuino

    Experiences with starting a business

    Im starting a business and i was wondering what your guyses experiences have been with businesses? What is the big cause for people not making it and what things do i need to consider when planning out the business? Also, what kind of scams should i avoid if there are any and what should i be on...
  25. S

    PhD in Physics to Management: What's the Best Path?

    I'm current a PhD student in physics with an emphasis in computational biophysics. However, I'm not sure a long, boring career in academia is for me. I'm thinking industry when I'm done but even then, I don't want to necessarily be stuck in a research scientist role for the rest of my life...
  26. E

    Schools Top US Universities for Undergrad Business Programs

    What Unis in America have a good UNDERgrad business programs.. I'm looking for anything really but is there any that have a international business program?.. any suggestions for other branches of business would be appriated (such as starting your own and doing well, knowing everything you can...
  27. Crumbles

    All this superconductor business

    I am new to superconductors and how they work. :confused: Could anybody maybe explain how currents actually arise in a superconductor? Is it just by placing the superconductor in a B-field that causes a current due to the expulsion of the external field (Messiner Effect)? If so, is that...
  28. D

    Tips for starting a business in electronics

    Any suggestion when it comes to starting a business in electronics (something with automotive)? With our current economy, jobs are hard to get.
  29. T

    Find Chapter Summaries for Fifth Business

    I need to find chapter sumaries for the book fifth business. sparknotes, booknotes, and the other places I've looked don't have any.
  30. M

    News Paying a business to set up shop in your town

    Paying a business to set up shop in your town... Not quite WORLD, but a story anyways... Locally,two cities in the area are paying Delta and Target Corporation $750,000 and $975,000, respectively, to set up businesses here. Why you say? Both companies label the area as a risky place...
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