A business may be privately owned in three different forms. These forms are sole proprietorship, a partnership and a corporation. A sole proprietorship is the most common in many western countries. For example, more than 80 per cent of all businesses in the United States are sole proprietorship.
But it is evident that sole proprietorships do not do the greatest volume of business. They account for only 16 percent of all business receipts, for example, in the USA. What kind of business is likely to be a sole proprietorship? First of all, service industries such as Laundromats, beauty shops, different repair shops, restaurants.
A partnership is an association of two or more persons to carry on a business for profit. When the owners of the partnership have unlimited liability they are called general partners. If partners have limited liability they are “limited partners”. There may be a silent partner as well – a person who is known to the public as a member of the firm but without authority in management. The reverse of the silent partner is a secret partner – a person who takes part in management but who is not known to the public.
Any business may have the form of the partnership, for example, in such professional fields as medicine, law, accounting, insurance and stockbrokerage. Limited partnerships are a common form of ownership in real estate, oil prospecting, quarrying industries, etc.
Partnerships have more advantages than sole proprietorships if one needs a big capital or diversified management. Like sole proprietorships they are easy to form and often get tax benefits from the government.
Partnerships have certain disadvantages too. One is unlimited liability. It means that each partner is legally responsible for the whole business. Another disadvantage is that partners may disagree with each other.
A business corporation is an institution established for the purpose of making profit. It is operated by individuals. Their shares of ownership are represented by stock certificates. A person who owns a stock certificate is called a stock-holder.
There are several advantages of the corporate form of ownership.
The first is the ability to attract financial resources. The next advantage is the corporation attracts a large amount of capital it can invest in it plants, equipment and research. And the third advantage is that a corporation can offer higher salaries and thus attract talented managers and specialists.
The privately owned business corporation is one type of corporation. There are some other types too. Educational, religious, charitable institutions can also incorporate. Usually such corporation does not issue stocks and is nonprofit. If there is a profit it is reinvested in the institution rather than distributed to private stock-holders.
In some western countries, cities, states, federal government and special agencies can establish governmental corporations. A few examples of these governmental corporations are state universities, state hospitals and city owned utilities. Governmental corporations are non-profit as a rule and usually they do not issue stock certificates.
From English for Business
III. Decide which of the following advantages are characteristic of sole proprietorship (S), partnership (P) and companies (C):
+ The responsibility of the shareholders is limited by the sum of their stocks.
+ The simplest and the cheapest way to start.
+ The functions are spread between the employees.
+ Every of the partners can perform for his companions.
+ The firm doesn’t disappear when its manager does.
+ The possibility of using many people’s knowledge and skills.
+ Working hours, ideas, experience and responsibility are divided between the partners.
+ It is easy to attract capital.
IV. Which of the following disadvantages are characteristic of sole proprietorship (S), partnership (P) and companies (C)?
- Very expensive and difficult to start.
- Personal responsibility for legality and debts.
- In the case of bankrupt people who invest the most suffer the most losses.
- Difficult to control: partial appropriation of the gain is possible.
- Disappearance of the manager is a threat to the whole business.
- The shareholders’ rights are limited by the Statute.
- It is difficult to get rid of a bad partner.
- Personal touch in business.
- The large tax.
- The strictest judicial control.
Lexical exercises
