单选题
Forms of Business Ownership
A business may have a small beginning as a sole proprietorship, later expand into a partnership, and finally become a corporation. Many corporate giants started as sole proprietoriships. Sole Proprietorships
The oldest, most common form of private business ownership is the sole proprietorship. A sole proprietorship is a business owned and managed by one individual. That person may receive help from others in operating the business but is the only boss; the sole proprietor is the company.
Typically the sole proprietor owns a small service or retail operation, such as a roadside produce stand, hardware store, bakery, or restaurant. The sole owner, often sided by one or two employees, operates a small shop that often supplies goods to a group of regular customers. The capital (money) needed to start and operate the business is normally provided by the owner through personal wealth or borrowed money.
The sole proprietor is usually an active manager, working in the ship every day. He or she controls the operations, supervises the employees, and makes the decisions. The managerial ability of the owner usually accounts for the success or failure of the business.
Many people desire to be their own boss. A sole proprietorship accomplishes this goal; it has other advantages as well. Sole proprietorship is the easiest way to start a business. The sole owner has all profits earned or losses by operation. Another advantage of the proprietorship is that the business pays no income tax. It is also easy to close a business. A sole proprietorship also has disadvantages, for example, unlimited liability, difficulty in raising capital, limitations in managerial ability, demands on time, difficulty in hiring and keeping high achievement employees, and etc.
Partnerships
There are three major types of partnerships. A general partnership is a business with at least one general partner who has unlimited liability for the debts of the business. A limited partnership has at least one or more limited partners. The joint venture is a special type of partnership established to carry out a special project or to operate for a specific time period.
The advantages of a partnership include the following: more capital, combined managerial skills, ease of starting, tax advantages. and etc. The disadvantages of a partnership include the following: unlimited liability, disagreements among partners, investment withdrawal difficulty, limited capital and etc.
Corporations
Some industries, such as automobile manufacturing, computer manufacturing, oil refining, and natural gas production, require millions of dollars to operate a business. Typically such vast sums of money are put together by attracting many investors. The unincorporated forms of business--the proprietorship and the partnership do not attract investors who do not want to make decisions or to be actually involved in managing the firm. The corporation, by contrast, provides a form of business ownership in which owners spread over a wide geographical area can hire professional managers to operate the business. It has the legal rights of an individual: it can own property, purchase goods and services, and sue other persons or corporations. The advantages of a corporation include the following: limited liability, skilled management team, transfer of ownership, greater capital base, and etc. the disadvantages of a corporation include the following: difficulty and expenses of starting, lack of control right to the operation, government involvement, lack of personal interest, double taxation, credit limitations.