BusinessFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaFor other uses, seeBusiness (disambiguation)."Firm" redirects here. For other uses, seeFirm (disambiguation)."For-profit" redirects here. For businesses which are not-for-profit, seenon-profit business.Corporate law

Company Business

Business entities

Sole proprietorship Partnership Corporation Cooperative Joint-stock company Private limited company

European Union /EEA

EEIG SCE SE SPE

UK / Ireland / Commonwealth

CIO Community interest company Industrial and provident society Limited company by guarantee by shares Proprietary Public Unlimited company

United States

Benefit corporation C corporation LLC Series LLC LLLP S corporation Delaware corporation Delaware statutory trust Massachusetts business trust Nevada corporation

Additional entities

AB AG ANS A/S AS GmbH K.K. N.V. Oy S.A. SARL more

Doctrines

Business judgment rule Corporate governance De facto corporation and corporation by estoppel Internal affairs doctrine Limited liability Piercing the corporate veil Rochdale Principles Ultra vires

Corporate laws

United States Canada United Kingdom Germany France South Africa Australia Vietnam

Related areas

Civil procedure Contract

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Abusiness, also known as anenterpriseor afirm, is anorganizationinvolved in thetradeofgoods,services, or both toconsumers.[1]Businesses are prevalent incapitalisteconomies, where most of them areprivately ownedand provide goods and services tocustomersin exchange for other goods, services, or money. Businesses may also benot-for-profitorstate-owned. A business owned by multiple individuals may be referred to as acompany.Business can refer to a particular organization or to an entiremarket sector, e.g. "the music business". Compound forms such asagribusinessrepresent subsets of the word's broader meaning, which encompasses all activity by suppliers of goods and services. The goal is for sales to be more than expenditures resulting in a profit.Contents[hide] 1Basic forms of ownership 2Classifications 3Management 3.1Restructuring state enterprises 4Organization and government regulation 4.1Commercial law 4.2Capital 4.3Intellectual property 5See also 6ReferencesBasic forms of ownership[edit]Forms of business ownership vary byjurisdiction, but several common forms exist: Sole proprietorship:Asole proprietorship, also known as a sole trader, is owned by one person and operates for their benefit. The owner may operate the business alone or with other people. A sole proprietor has unlimitedliabilityfor all obligations incurred by the business, whether fromoperating costsorjudgementsagainst the business. Allassetsof the business belong to a sole proprietor, including, for example, computer infrastructure, anyinventory,manufacturingequipment and/orretailfixtures, as well as anyreal propertyowned by the business. Partnership:Apartnershipis a business owned by two or more people. In most forms of partnerships, each partner has unlimited liability for the debts incurred by the business. The three most prevalent types of for-profit partnerships aregeneral partnerships,limited partnerships, andlimited liability partnerships. Corporation:The owners of acorporationhavelimited liabilityand the business has a separatelegal personalityfrom its owners. Corporations can be eithergovernment-ownedor privately owned. They can organize either for profit or asnot-for-profitorganizations. A privately owned, for-profit corporation is owned by itsshareholders, who elect aboard of directorsto direct the corporation and hire its managerial staff. A privately owned, for-profit corporation can be eitherprivately heldby a small group of individuals, orpublicly held, with publicly tradedshareslisted on astock exchange. Cooperative:Often referred to as a "co-op", acooperativeis a limited liability business that can organize for-profit or not-for-profit. A cooperative differs from a corporation in that it has members, not shareholders, and they share decision-making authority. Cooperatives are typically classified as eitherconsumer cooperativesorworker cooperatives. Cooperatives are fundamental to the ideology ofeconomic democracy.