1. Health care is a business as well as a delivery system. Business involves providing a product or service to customers for a profit. Health care businesses must define what their product or service is and who their customers are. The business may be legally organized as a sole proprietorship, a partnership, or a corporation. Regardless of form, the business will perform the key business functions of management, marketing, accounting, production, and information technology. Two external environments impact the operation and design of health care businesses: economic and political-legal. These environments are the frame of reference in which health care businesses make decisions. SWOT analysis can be used to integrate the decision-making process with conditions in the external environment. NOW Do some research. What are the current interest, inflation, and unemployment rates in your region? Have those rates been improving or declining?