The Three Business Sectors Explained

The primary sector consists of businesses which produce or obtain natural products or raw materials from either the land or sea. This sector is split into four main categories. Agriculture This category covers animal farming, landscape gardening, horticultural, vegetables and cereals. Mining and quarrying This category covers coal mining, natural gas and oil extraction and the quarrying of all types’ stone, gravel, sand, clay and salt production. Fishing

This category covers freshwater mussel growers, salmon farms, trout hatcheries and fish farms. Forestry and logging This category includes all businesses involved with the planting and conservation of felling timber and Christmas tree growers. The Secondary Sector The secondary sector consists of all businesses which manufacture, process or assemble products. This also covers energy and construction. Again this sector is split into four main categories.

Manufacturing This comprises of all businesses which make or manufacture goods in the UK, this is regardless of their size or what they actually manufacture. Engineering This group comprises of engineers who are employed in the manufacturing industry. This is mainly in relation to the design and functioning of machinery and equipment. Lighter engineering companies make smaller items where precision is paramount such as scientific and medical equipment.

Heavier engineering companies make goods that usually comprise of large sheets of metals for ships, cranes and steel buildings. Energy Production This group includes businesses that produce or distribute gas and electricity such as British Gas and nPower. This also includes water companies such as South Staffordshire water PLC. Construction This group comprises of house builders and civil engineers. Between them they construct all different types of buildings, motorways, bridges, roads and railways.

This group also includes electricians who work on building sites and plumbers, plasterers, joiners, painters and glaziers. The Tertiary Sector This sector includes all types of businesses that offer a service such as the NHS and fire department. Private Services These are purchased by either businesses or individuals and are offered to privately owned businesses such as retailers, accountants, banks, consultants, communications companies, private clinics and hospitals, publishers, transport and distribution firms, travel agencies and many other kinds.

Public Services These are provided by local and national, government and locally owned authorities. Emergency services, housing, law and order, defence and military activity, social services, local planning, recreational facilities are just some of the examples. Voluntary and Not-for-Profit Services This sector involves work by charitable and voluntary organisations in areas such as social care, community health care, global re-development and environmental and wildlife protection.