Chapter 8 & 17 Flashcards
Sole proprietorship
a firm owned by a single individual and not organized as a corporation
Partnership
a firm owned jointly by two or more persons and not organized as a corporation
Corporation
a form of business that provides owners with legal protection from losing more than their investment should the business fail
Liability
varies considerably across the various types of firms
Limited liability
legal provision that shields owners from losing more than they have invested in the firm
Corporations
if you owned stock in Apple & they got in trouble you could lose value of stock but no further liability
makes investing in firms easier for INDIVIDUALS
facilitates raising funds for the FIRM
Unlimited liability
no legal distinction is made between the assets of the firm and the assets of its owners
Sole proprietorships & partnerships
Assets
anything of value owned by a person or a firm
Advantages & Disadvantaged of Sole Proprietorships
+ control by owner
+ no layers of management
- unlimited personal liability
- limited ability to raise funds
Advantages & Disadvantaged of Partnerships
+ ability to share ownership responsibilities
+ ability to share risks
- unlimited personal liability
- limited ability to raise funds
Advantages & Disadvantages of Corporations
+ limited personal liability
+ greater ability to raise funds
- costly to organize
- profits may be subject to double taxation (corporation profits & profits paid out to investors)
T/F there is no single “best” business structure
TRUE
What type of firm is most prominent?
sole proprietorships
What type of firm makes the most revenue?
corporations
What type of firm makes the most profits?
corporations
Governance of sole proprietorships & partnerships
owners typically have day-to-day involvement in decisions at the firm
Governance of large corporations
separation of ownership from control, top management (not shareholders) control day-to-day operations
Structure of large corporations
owners/shareholders elect a board of directors who appoint a C-suite executives (top managers) to oversee day-to-day operations
Principal-Agent Problem
the conflict between the interests of shareholders (owners/the principal) and the interests of top management (the agent hired by the principal)
Efforts to reduce the effect of the principal-agent problem
- closely link top management compensation to firm profit and/or stock price
- significant use of stock and stock options in top management compensation
- integration of outside directors