Business Flashcards
sole proprietorship
- number of owners
- income
- advantages
- disadvantages
- one owner
- pass through taxation
- unlimited personal liability; - last of continuation
- easily formed and owner has sole control
general partnership
- number of owners
- income
- advantages
- disadvantages
- 2 or more people (no limit)
- pass through taxation
- partners share profits and losses according to their agreement (if no agreement; it is shared equally regardless of capital contribution)
- unlimited personal liability
- lack of continuity
- difficulty in transferring partnership interest
- ease of formation
limited partnership
- number of owners
- income
- advantages
- disadvantages
- created by statutes; must have at least 1 general and 1 limited partner
- pass through taxation
- partners share according to their agreement (if no agreement, profit is allocated on basis of contributions)
- lack of control for limited partners
- unlimited liability for general partners
- expensive to form
- continuity of existence
- easy transferablility of partnership interest for limited partners
limited liability partnership (LLP)
- number of owners
- income
- advantages
- disadvantages
- form by complaince with statutes (common in groups of professionals)
- pass through taxation
- allows all partners to take active role in management
- Partners protected against unlimited personal liability for negligent acts of other partners (there are exceptions)
limited liability company (LLC)
- number of owners
- income
- advantages
- disadvantages
- no limit (one person LLC)
- pass through taxation
- Income distributed equally among the members
- Gives its members FULL protection from personal liability
- Allow members to manage a company themselves or elect managers
- Formation complex & expensive
- Some state limit to a term (30 yrs)
- Limit on transfer of interest from one member to another
Business corporation
- number of owners
- income
- advantages
- disadvantages
- under authority of state legislature
- an entity in it of itself
- management centralized in a board of directors
- double taxation
- limited liability
- entitled to corporate deductions
- continuity of existence
- must follow formalities of organizations & operation
S corporation (share holders?) (how are they taxed?)
- limited to 100 share holders
- income passes to shareholders, then pay taxes
- minimizes double taxation
- taxed as a partnership for federal tax purposes
C corporation (shareholders?)
A regular corporation; the corporation files its own tax return (double taxation);
Any corporation with more than 100 shareholders Is automatically a C Corp. for tax reporting purposes
close corporation
- no limit on shareholders; small corps. such as farms
- shareholders are active in managing
public corporation
created by a government entity to administer government purpose
ex. federal government created Federal Home Mortgage association to administer special federal programs
private corporation
created by private persons for private purposes; generally are either nonprofit or for profit
de jure corporation
one which has complied with ALL statutory requirements governing its organization and existence
de facto corporation
not a corporation at all, having failed to comply with satisfactory requirements for organization existence
It is a legal fiction created to identify an entity that has made a good faith effort to comply with statutory requirements and has conducted itself as a corporation. If these elements are present, 3rd parties may NOT assert lack of corporation status as a basis to impose personal liability
security
A share, participation, or other interest in property or an enterprise of the issuer
- include equity and debt security
Equity security
share stock; ownership interest. Entitled to receive DISTRIBUTIONS
debt security
bonds; bond holder is an outside creditor ENTITLED to timely repayment of debt
common stock
- ordinary stock; no special privileges
- voting rights
- (not guaranteed) Entitled to payment of dividends only after shares of dividend preference are paid
- (not guaranteed) Entitled to distribution of assets upon liquidation only after creditors and preferred shareholders received distributions
Preferred stock
- Stock in corporation that grants some preference over common stock (given priority over common stock)
- Generally nonvoting shares
- Entitled to payments of dividends (often fixed amount)
- Entitled to distribution of assets upon liquidation after creditors
redeemable shares
classes of stock subject to re-acquisition (redemption) by the corporation at a fixed price
Convertible shares
where shares of a given class can be converted into shares of another class on some predetermined ratio (the MBCA has provisions - ex. Preferred stock may be converted to common stock, but common stock may not be converted to preferred stock)
The shares outstanding
The total number of shares owned by investors, including the company’s officers
Float
The number of shares available only to the public to buy and sell
Treasury stock
AKA treasury shares, are the portion of shares that a company keeps in its own treasury. When a business buys back its own shares, these shares become “treasury stock” and are decommissioned. They don’t have much value and they do NOT have voting rights and do NOT pay and distributions. This purpose (limiting outside ownership) is mainly to help raise the share price, providing investors with an immediate reward.
Stock option
entitle the option holders to purchase a stated number of shares of a given class from the corporation at a specific price and usually within a limited period of time
Stock warrants
stock options generally are evidenced by certificates called stock warrants, which are LONG term
Stock rights
short term share options; they are often issued in connection with the issuance of debt securities or preferred stock
par value of a share
the lowest price for which a share it can be sold
Preemptive right
right to purchase a proportional share of newly issued shares
shares must be authorized by…
the article of incorporation
voting rights and their definitions (5)
- straight - one share equals one vote
- cumulative - combining all votes into one (pooling votes)
- disproportionate - ties in with class voting (different shares have different voting rights)
- nonvoting stock