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The different types of business organization to be found in the UK and most other capitalist countries may be classified under five headings: the sole proprietor, the partnership, the joint stock company, the cooperative society, and the public corporation.
Sole proprietor is the simplest and the oldest form of business enterprise and often referred to as the one-person business. A single person provides the capital, takes the decisions, and assumes the risks. He or she is solely responsible for the success or failure of the business and has, therefore, the sole rights to such profits as may be made, or, alternatively, bears the sole responsibility for such losses as may accrue. The one-person business is still far more numerous than any other types of business organisation, but in terms of total output employment, value of capital employed, or value of total output, it is relatively unimportant compared with the joint stock company.
The strength of this type of firm lies in the direct personal interest of the proprietor in the efficiency of his enterprise. Ownership and control are vested in one person who enjoys all the fruits of success and hence has a great incentive to run the firm efficiently. Since the proprietor is the sole decision – taker and has no need to consult colleagues when changes of policy are required we should expect this type of organisation to be extremely flexible and capable of quick and easy adjustment to changes in market conditions.
The great disadvantage of the sole proprietor from an enterprise lies in the fact that the owner is personally liable for the debts incurred by his firm and his liability is unlimited. All his personal possessions are at risk and may be seized to meet creditors demands in the event of the business becoming insolvent. Another disadvantage of this type of firm is the strict limitation of its ability to acquire capital for expansion. Finance is restricted to the amounts which the entrepreneur is able to provide from his own resources and whatever sums he can borrow on his own security.
We find the one-person business prevalent in farming, bailing, building, repair and maintenance work, and personal services such as hairdressing.
THE PARTNERSHIP
Partnerships are voluntary combinations of from 2 to 20 persons formed for the purpose of carrying on business with a view of profit. This type of organization represents a logical development from the one-person business since the obvious method by which such a firm may acquire further capital is to form a partnership. The motive, however, may not be financial and partnerships are often formed in order to bring new ability and enterprise into the business.
The partners usually share in the task of running the business, but a partner need not play an active role. A person who joins a partnership, supplying capital and sharing in the profits, but taking no part in the management is known as a dormant or sleeping partner. Partnerships are a common form of business organization in such professions as law, accountancy, surveying, and medicine.
The advantages of this type of firm are similar to those of the one-person business. It is a flexible organization which allows a greater degree of specialization than the one-person business. Partners usually specialize in one or more aspects of the business; one may be responsible for buying, one for selling, one for production, and so on. Since it has greater access to capital, it can achieve greater size than the sole proprietor.
The great disadvantage, like that of the one-person business, is the fact that the liability of the partners is unlimited and they are all fully liable for the acts of the other partners. There are, however, some limited partnerships which have to be registered with the Registrar of Companies. In such firms some partners (e.g. dormant partners) may have their liability limited to some specified sum, but at least one of the partners must have unlimited liability.
The survival of a partnership depends upon the continued harmonious relationship between a number of people in situations which often give much cause for disagreement. Thus, where trading risks are very great, the partnership is not a very stable type of organization.
THE JOINT STOCK VENTURE
The most important form of business organisation in the UK is the joint stock company. Basically, it consists of an association of people who contribute towards a joint stock of capital for the purpose of carrying on business with a view to profit. A company may be defined as a legal person created to engage in business, capable of owning productive assets, of entering into contracts, and of employing labour in the same way as an individual. There are two kinds of the joint stock company, the private company and the public company. In 1986 there were some 860 000 joint stock companies in the UK, of which about 6000 were public companies. The public companies are much larger units and account for about two-thirds of all the capital employed by companies. In general, private companies are small firms, often consisting of the members of one family. Both public and private companies must have at least 2 members. A public company must have a minimum allotted share capital of 50 000 pounds (sterling) of which at least one-quarter has been paid up. A private company must include the word limited in its name while a public company must have the words public limited company at the end of its name although this can be abbreviated to plc. The basic distinction between a private and a public company is that a public company can offer its shares and debentures for sale to the general public. In the case of a private company it would be a criminal offence to ask
the public to subscribe to its shares. All companies must file annually, with the Registrar of Companies, details of their turnover, profits, assets, liabilities and other relevant financial information about their structures and activities.
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