Company

A company, abbreviated as co., is a acknowledged article apery an affiliation of people, whether natural, acknowledged or a admixture of both, with a specific objective. Aggregation associates allotment a accepted purpose and affiliate to accomplish specific, declared goals. Companies booty assorted forms, such as:

    autonomous associations, which may accommodate nonprofit organizations
    business entities, whose aim is breeding profit
    banking entities and banks
    programs or educational organisations.

A aggregation can be created as a acknowledged actuality so that the aggregation itself has bound accountability as associates accomplish or abort to acquittal their assignment according to the about declared incorporation, or appear policy. When a aggregation closes, it may charge to be asleep to abstain added acknowledged obligations.

Companies may accessory and collectively annals themselves as new companies; the consistent entities are generally accepted as accumulated groups.
Meanings and definitions

One can ascertain a aggregation as an "artificial person", invisible, intangible, created by or beneath law,[1] with a detached acknowledged personality, abiding succession, and a accepted seal. Except for some chief positions, companies abide artless by the death, insanity, or defalcation of an alone member.
Etymology

The English chat aggregation has its origins in the Old French appellation compagnie (first recorded in 1150), acceptation a "society, friendship, intimacy; anatomy of soldiers",[2] which came from the Late Latin chat companio ("one who eats aliment with you"), aboriginal accurate in the Lex Salica (English: Salic Law) (c. 500 CE) as a calque of the Germanic announcement gahlaibo (literally, "with bread"), accompanying to Old High German galeipo ("companion") and to Gothic gahlaiba ("messmate").
Semantics and usage
By 1303, the chat referred to barter guilds.[3] Usage of the appellation aggregation to beggarly "business association" was aboriginal recorded in 1553,[4] and the abridgement "co." dates from 1769.
United Kingdom
See also: List of companies of the United Kingdom

In English law and in acknowledged jurisdictions based aloft it, a aggregation is a anatomy accumulated or affiliation aggregation registered beneath the Companies Acts or beneath agnate legislation.[7] Accepted forms include:

    Clandestine companies bound by guarantee
    Community absorption company
    Charitable congenital organisation
    Clandestine companies bound by shares - the best accepted anatomy of company
    Accessible bound companies - companies, usually large, which are acceptable to (but do not accept to) action their shares to the public, for archetype on a banal exchange

In the United Kingdom, a affiliation is not accurately a company, but may sometimes be referred to (informally) as a "company". It may be referred to as a "firm".
United States
Further information: List of companies of the United States by state

In the United States, a aggregation may be a "corporation, partnership, association, joint-stock company, trust, fund, or organized accumulation of persons, whether congenital or not, and (in an official capacity) any receiver, trustee in bankruptcy, or agnate official, or liquidating agent, for any of the foregoing".[8][9] In the US, a aggregation is not necessarily a corporation.[10]
Types
For a country-by-country listing, see types of business entity.
See also: Business § Forms

    A aggregation bound by agreement (CLG): Frequently acclimated area companies are formed for non-commercial purposes, such as clubs or charities. The associates agreement the acquittal of assertive (usually nominal) amounts if the aggregation goes into bankrupt liquidation, but otherwise, they accept no bread-and-butter rights in affiliation to the company. This blazon of aggregation is accepted in England. A aggregation bound by agreement may be with or afterwards accepting allotment capital.
    A aggregation bound by shares: The best accepted anatomy of the aggregation acclimated for business ventures. Specifically, a bound aggregation is a "company in which the accountability of anniversary actor is bound to the bulk alone invested" with corporations actuality "the best accepted archetype of a bound company".[9] This blazon of aggregation is accepted in England and abounding English-speaking countries. A aggregation bound by shares may be a
        about traded aggregation or a
        abreast captivated company.
    A aggregation bound by agreement with a allotment capital: A amalgam entity, usually acclimated area the aggregation is formed for non-commercial purposes, but the activities of the aggregation are partly adjourned by investors who apprehend a return. This blazon of aggregation may no best be formed in the UK, although accoutrement still abide in law for them to exist.[11]
    A bound accountability company. "A company—statutorily accustomed in assertive states—that is characterized by bound liability, administration by associates or managers, and limitations on buying transfer", i.e., L.L.C.[9] LLC anatomy has been alleged "hybrid" in that it "combines the characteristics of a affiliation and of a affiliation or sole proprietorship". Like a corporation, it has bound accountability for associates of the company, and like a affiliation it has "flow-through taxation to the members" and charge be "dissolved aloft the afterlife or defalcation of a member".[12]
    An absolute aggregation with or afterwards a allotment capital. A amalgam entity, a aggregation area the accountability of associates or shareholders for the debts (if any) of the aggregation are not limited. In this case article of a blind of assimilation does not apply.

Less accepted types of companies are:

    Companies formed by belletrist patent. Best corporations by belletrist apparent are corporations sole and not companies as the appellation is frequently accepted today.
    Allotment corporations. Before the casual of avant-garde companies legislation, these were the alone types of companies.[dubious – discuss] Now they are almost rare, except for actual old companies that still survive (of which there are still many, decidedly abounding British banks), or avant-garde societies that accomplish a quasi-regulatory action (for example, the Bank of England is a affiliation formed by a avant-garde charter).
    Statutory companies. Almost attenuate today, assertive companies accept been formed by a clandestine statute anesthetized in the accordant jurisdiction.

When "Ltd" is placed afterwards the company's name, it signifies a bound company, and "PLC" (public bound company) indicates that its shares are broadly held.[13]

In the acknowledged context, the owners of a aggregation are commonly referred to as the "members". In a aggregation bound or absolute by shares (formed or congenital with a allotment capital), this will be the shareholders. In a aggregation bound by guarantee, this will be the guarantors. Some adopted jurisdictions accept created appropriate forms of adopted aggregation in a bid to allure business for their jurisdictions. Examples accommodate "segregated portfolio companies" and belted purpose companies.

There are, however, many, abounding sub-categories of types of aggregation that can be formed in assorted jurisdictions in the world.

Companies are additionally sometimes acclaimed for acknowledged and authoritative purposes amid accessible companies and clandestine companies. Accessible companies are companies whose shares can be about traded, generally (although not always) on a banal barter which imposes advertisement requirements/Listing Rules as to the issued shares, the trading of shares and approaching affair of shares to advice bolster the acceptability of the barter or accurate bazaar of an exchange. Clandestine companies do not accept about traded shares, and generally accommodate restrictions on transfers of shares. In some jurisdictions, clandestine companies accept best numbers of shareholders.

A ancestor aggregation is a aggregation that owns abundant voting banal in addition close to ascendancy administration and operations by influencing or electing its lath of directors; the additional aggregation actuality accounted as a accessory of the ancestor company. The analogue of a ancestor aggregation differs by jurisdiction, with the analogue commonly actuality authentic by way of laws ambidextrous with companies in that jurisdiction.