We can just as easily say: the enterprise is the only entity whose raison d’être is economic exchanges.
1. This proposition is a definition in the sense of this concept in set theory.
The definition of all enterprises, by the common ownership of all its elements and to them alone, applies to any enterprise regardless of:
Since a definition is also a vocabulary convention51, we agree to call “enterprise”, the commercial enterprise in economics, with its other main specificities reviewed in the rest of the chapter.
2. Of course, not all human enterprises are commercial.
Families do not exist only for the practice of economic exchanges. Human beings engage in other kinds of exchange. Their undertakings are far from being all commercial. States do not exist only for the practice of economic exchanges.
3. The assimilation of a state to an enterprise is mistake.
However, it is still frequent, as the recognition of the main specificities of the enterprise is still not widespread. This makes it easier to cover up anomalies. Public administration reformers who do not see this take what turns out to be setbacks in the face of experience.
4. Enterprises are crossroads of markets.
Savers invest in it Placement_Epargne for a fee. Workers provide services for their own pay. Other suppliers supply it. Customers buy what it sells from it. Only in enterprises are there economic exchanges of these different categories.
5. Enterprises create opportunities.
This creation is carried out through three types of offers. Some are made to savers, others to workers, the third to customers.
These offers are essential to increase the purchasing power in circulation, the makers of which are ultimately savers and workers. Managers are organizers.
Businesses are economically indispensable because of the opportunities they create and maintain.
6. The claim that enterprises are the sole creators of wealth and value is an oversimplification.
First of all, it is necessary to specify what wealth and value it is. This wealth is marketable. This value is of economic exchange, in conjunction with utility, or use value.
In reality, enterprises participate in the creation of market wealth and economic exchange value as well as utilities. This participation helps to make enterprises economically indispensable. But the value-creating act of economic exchange is the exchange of elementary commodities. The population derives its income from the sale of these commodities. However, enterprises are not the only buyers.
However, it is important to keep in mind one of the exclusivities of enterprises. They alone buy capital investment from savers, in the unequivocal sense in which we will be led to use this word.