Types of business organizations Flashcards
Sole trader
is a business owned by one person
Legal regulations to set up a sole trader business
- The owner must register with, and send annual accounts to, the government tax office
- The name of the business might be registered with the registrar of business names.
- Needs to co-operate laws such as health and safety, license and etc.
Advantages of being a sole trader
- Few legal requirements needed to set up the business
- Owner is in full control, and all decision are up to him to make
- Freedom to choose your own holidays, hours of work and prices
- Close relationship with their customers, personal satisfaction of customers, and quick to provide them with goods and services
- Since all the profit made is completely to the owner, it motivates them to work hard towards the business
- Complete secrecy of the business matters
Limited liability
means that the liability of shareholders in a company is limited to only the amount they invested
Unlimited liability
means that the owners of a business can be held responsible for the debts of the business they own. Their liability is not limited to the investment they made in the business.
Disadvantages of being a sole trader
- No one to discuss the business matters
- No limited liability present, so all the debts that the business may own is solely the owners responsibility. So because of unlimited liability, the owner could be forced to sell their own possession to pay the debts to the creditors.
- Limited money to expand the business, all the capital must be invested by the owner, and banks are hesitant to give loans to small businesses due to high rate of business failure.
- If the owner is ill, there is no one to take control of the business, and cannot be passed on to anyone else as the business no longer exists when the owner dies.
Partnerships
is a form of business in which two or more people agree to jointly own a business.
A partnership agreement
is a written and legal agreement between business partners. It is not essential for partners to have such an agreement but it is always recommended.
Advantages of partnership
- More capital could be invested into the business from the partners savings as well, which would help expansion of the business
- The responsibilities of running the business is shared between the partners, so absences and holidays doesn’t effect the running of the business much
- Both partners would work hard as they both get a portion of the profit.
Disadvantages of Partnership
- No limited liability, creditors could force them to sell own possession to pay debts.
- if one partner dies, the partnership ends (unicooperated business)
- Disagreements of decisions can occur between the partners
- If one partner is inefficient or dishonest, both of them would suffer from losses.
Unicooperated business
is one that does not have a separate legal identity. (Sole traders and Partnerships)
Private limited business
are businesses owned by shareholders but they cannot sell their shares to the public.
Incorporated business
are companies that have separate legal statues from their owners
Shareholders
are the owners of a limited company. They buy shares which represent part of ownership of the business
Advantages of private limited companies
- Shares can be sold to a large number of people, but not the public, it can be the owners relatives or friends. This would mean more capital is invested into the business so it has a higher chance of expansion.
- All shareholders have limited liability, which means none of the shareholders could be forced to sell their own possessions to pay the business debts. The shareholders could only lose their original investment made to the business. They have a lower risk than sole traders and partnerships.
- The owners can keep the business under their control as long as they do not sell too many shares.