fbpx
Wikipedia

Business

Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or buying and selling products (such as goods and services).[1][2][3][4] It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for profit."[5]

Having a business name does not separate the business entity from the owner, which means that the owner of the business is responsible and liable for debts incurred by the business. If the business acquires debts, the creditors can go after the owner's personal possessions.[6] A business structure does not allow for corporate tax rates. The proprietor is personally taxed on all income from the business.

The term is also often used colloquially (but not by lawyers or by public officials) to refer to a company, such as a corporation or cooperative.

Corporations, in contrast with sole proprietors and partnerships, are a separate legal entity and provide limited liability for their owners/members, as well as being subject to corporate tax rates. A corporation is more complicated and expensive to set up, but offers more protection and benefits for the owners/members.

Forms

Forms of business ownership vary by jurisdiction, but several common entities exist:

  • A sole proprietorship, also known as a sole trader, is owned by one person and operates for their benefit. The owner operates the business alone and may hire employees. A sole proprietor has unlimited liability for all obligations incurred by the business, whether from operating costs or judgments against the business. All assets of the business belong to a sole proprietor, including, for example, a computer infrastructure, any inventory, manufacturing equipment, or retail fixtures, as well as any real property owned by the sole proprietor.
  • A partnership is a business owned by two or more people. In most forms of partnerships, each partner has unlimited liability for the debts incurred by the business. The three most prevalent types of for-profit partnerships are general partnerships, limited partnerships, and limited liability partnerships.[7]
  • Corporations' owners have limited liability and the business has a separate legal personality from its owners. Corporations can be either government-owned or privately owned, and they can organize either for profit or as nonprofit organizations. A privately owned, for-profit corporation is owned by its shareholders, who elect a board of directors to direct the corporation and hire its managerial staff. A privately owned, for-profit corporation can be either privately held by a small group of individuals, or publicly held, with publicly traded shares listed on a stock exchange.
  • A cooperative or co-op is a limited-liability business that can organize as for-profit or not-for-profit. A cooperative differs from a corporation in that it has members, not shareholders, and they share decision-making authority. Cooperatives are typically classified as either consumer cooperatives or worker cooperatives. Cooperatives are fundamental to the ideology of economic democracy.
  • Limited liability companies (LLC), and other specific types of business organization protect their owners or shareholders from business failure by doing business under a separate legal entity with certain legal protections. In contrast, a general partnership or persons working on their own are usually not as protected.[8]
  • A franchise is a system in which entrepreneurs purchase the rights to open and run a business from a larger corporation.[9] Franchising in the United States is widespread and is a major economic powerhouse. One out of twelve retail businesses in the United States are franchised and 8 million people are employed in a franchised business.[10]
  • Company limited by guarantee is Commonly used where companies are formed for non-commercial purposes, such as clubs or charities. The members guarantee the payment of certain (usually nominal) amounts if the company goes into insolvent liquidation, but otherwise, they have no economic rights in relation to the company. This type of company is common in England. A company limited by guarantee may be with or without having share capital.
  • A company limited by shares is the most common form of the company used for business ventures. Specifically, a limited company is a "company in which the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount individually invested" with corporations being "the most common example of a limited company."[11] This type of company is common in England and many English-speaking countries. A company limited by shares may be a
  • A company limited by guarantee with a share capital: A hybrid entity, usually used where the company is formed for non-commercial purposes, but the activities of the company are partly funded by investors who expect a return. This type of company may no longer be formed in the UK, although provisions still exist in law for them to exist.[12]
  • An unlimited company with or without a share capital: A hybrid entity, a company where the liability of members or shareholders for the debts (if any) of the company are not limited. In this case, the doctrine of a veil of incorporation does not apply.

Less common types of companies are:

  • Most corporations by letters patent are corporations sole and not companies as the term is commonly understood today.
  • Charter corporations these were the only types of companies before the passing of modern companies legislation. Now they are relatively rare, except for very old companies that still survive (of which there are still many, particularly many British banks), or modern societies that fulfill a quasi-regulatory function (for example, the Bank of England is a corporation formed by a modern charter).
  • Statutory companies: Relatively rare today, certain companies have been formed by a private statute passed in the relevant jurisdiction.

Note that "Ltd after the company's name signifies limited company, and PLC (public limited company) indicates that its shares are widely held."[13]

In legal parlance, the owners of a company are normally referred to as the "members". In a company limited or unlimited by shares (formed or incorporated with a share capital), this will be the shareholders. In a company limited by guarantee, this will be the guarantors. Some offshore jurisdictions have created special forms of offshore company in a bid to attract business for their jurisdictions. Examples include "segregated portfolio companies" and restricted purpose companies.

There are, however, many, many sub-categories of types of company that can be formed in various jurisdictions in the world.

Companies are also sometimes distinguished into public companies and private companies for legal and regulatory purposes. Public companies are companies whose shares can be publicly traded, often (although not always) on a stock exchange which imposes listing requirements/Listing Rules as to the issued shares, the trading of shares and a future issue of shares to help bolster the reputation of the exchange or particular market of exchange. Private companies do not have publicly traded shares, and often contain restrictions on transfers of shares. In some jurisdictions, private companies have maximum numbers of shareholders.

A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors; the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company. The definition of a parent company differs by jurisdiction, with the definition normally being defined by way of laws dealing with companies in that jurisdiction.

Classifications

Activities

Accounting

Accounting is the measurement, processing, and communication of financial information about economic entities[14][15] such as businesses and corporations. The modern field was established by the Italian mathematician Luca Pacioli in 1494.[16] Accounting, which has been called the "language of business",[17] measures the results of an organization's economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of users, including investors, creditors, management, and regulators.[18] Practitioners of accounting are known as accountants. The terms "accounting" and "financial reporting" are often used as synonyms.

Commerce

The process of exchanging goods and services.[19]

Finance

Finance is a field that deals with the study of money and investments. It includes the dynamics of assets and liabilities over time under conditions of different degrees of uncertainty and risk.[20] In the context of business and management, finance deals with the problems of ensuring that the firm can safely and profitably carry out its operational and financial objectives; i.e. that it: (1) has sufficient cash flow for ongoing and upcoming operational expenses, and (2) can service both maturing short-term debt repayments, and scheduled long-term debt payments. Finance also deals with the long term objective of maximizing the value of the business, while also balancing risk and profitability; this includes the interrelated questions of (1) capital investment, which businesses and projects to invest in; (2) capital structure, deciding on the mix of funding to be used; and (3) dividend policy, what to do with "excess" capital.

Human Resources

 

Human Resources can be defined as division of business that involves finding, screening, recruiting, and training job applicants.[21] Human Resources, or HR, is crucial for all businesses to succeed as it helps companies adjust to a fast-moving business environment and the increasing demand for jobs.[21]

The term "human resource" was first coined by John R. Commons in his novel The Distribution of Wealth. HR departments are relatively new as they began developing in the late 20th century. HR departments main goal is to maximize employee productivity and protecting the company from any issues that may arise in the future. Some of the most common activities conducted by those working in HR include increasing innovation and creativity within a company, applying new approaches to work projects, and efficient training and communication with employees.

Two of the most popular subdivisions of HR are Human Resource Management,[22] HRM, and Human Resource Information Systems, [23]or HRIS. The HRM route is for those who prefer an administrative role as it involves oversight of the entirety of the company. HRIS involves the storage and organization of employee data including full names, addresses, means of contact, and anything else required by that certain company.

Some careers of those involved in the Human Resource field include enrollment specialists, HR analyst, recruiter, employment relations manager, etc.

Manufacturing

Manufacturing is the production of merchandise for use or sale using labour and machines, tools, chemical and biological processing, or formulation. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale.

Marketing

Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as "the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large."[24] The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to a market to buy or sell goods or services. Marketing tactics include advertising as well as determining product pricing.

With the rise in technology, marketing is further divided into a class called digital marketing. It is marketing products and services using digital technologies.

Research and development

Research and development refer to activities in connection with corporate or government innovation.[25] Research and development constitute the first stage of development of a potential new service or product.[26] Research and development are very difficult to manage since the defining feature of the research is that the researchers do not know in advance exactly how to accomplish the desired result.[26]

Safety

Injuries cost businesses billions of dollars annually.[27] Studies have shown how company acceptance and implementation of comprehensive safety and health management systems reduce incidents, insurance costs, and workers' compensation claims.[28] New technologies, like wearable safety devices[29] and available online safety training, continue to be developed to encourage employers to invest in protection beyond the "canary in the coal mine" and reduce the cost to businesses of protecting their employees.

Sales

Sales are activity related to selling or the number of goods or services sold in a given time period. Sales are often integrated with all lines of business and are key to a companies' success.[30]

Management

The efficient and effective operation of a business, and study of this subject, is called management. The major branches of management are financial management, marketing management, human resource management, strategic management, production management, operations management, service management, and information technology management. [31]

Owners may manage their businesses themselves, or employ managers to do so for them. Whether they are owners or employees, managers administer three primary components of the business's value: financial resources, capital (tangible resources), and human resources. These resources are administered in at least six functional areas: legal contracting, manufacturing or service production, marketing, accounting, financing, and human resources.[citation needed]

Restructuring state enterprises

In recent decades, states modeled some of their assets and enterprises after business enterprises. In 2003, for example, China modeled 80% of its state-owned enterprises on a company-type management system.[32] Many state institutions and enterprises in China and Russia have transformed into joint-stock companies, with part of their shares being listed on public stock markets.

Business process management

Business process management (BPM) is a holistic management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients. BPM attempts to improve processes continuously. It can, therefore, be described as a "process optimization process". It is argued that BPM enables organizations to be more efficient, effective and capable of change than a functionally focused, traditional hierarchical management approach.[who?]

Organization and regulation

 
Time required to start a business in 2017[33]

Most legal jurisdictions specify the forms of ownership that a business can take, creating a body of commercial law for each type.

The major factors affecting how a business is organized are usually:

  • The size and scope of the business firm and its structure, management, and ownership, broadly analyzed in the theory of the firm. Generally, a smaller business is more flexible, while larger businesses, or those with wider ownership or more formal structures, will usually tend to be organized as corporations or (less often) partnerships. In addition, a business that wishes to raise money on a stock market or to be owned by a wide range of people will often be required to adopt a specific legal form to do so.
  • The sector and country. Private profit-making businesses are different from government-owned bodies. In some countries, certain businesses are legally obliged to be organized in certain ways.
  • Tax advantages. Different structures are treated differently in tax law and may have advantages for this reason.
  • Disclosure and compliance requirements. Different business structures may be required to make less or more information public (or report it to relevant authorities) and may be bound to comply with different rules and regulations.
  • Control and coordination requirements. In function of the risk and complexity of the tasks to organize, a business is organized through a set of formal and informal mechanisms.[34][35] In particular, contractual and relational governance can help mitigate opportunism as well as support communication and information sharing.[35]

Many businesses are operated through a separate entity such as a corporation or a partnership (either formed with or without limited liability). Most legal jurisdictions allow people to organize such an entity by filing certain charter documents with the relevant Secretary of State or equivalent and complying with certain other ongoing obligations. The relationships and legal rights of shareholders, limited partners, or members are governed partly by the charter documents and partly by the law of the jurisdiction where the entity is organized. Generally speaking, shareholders in a corporation, limited partners in a limited partnership, and members in a limited liability company are shielded from personal liability for the debts and obligations of the entity, which is legally treated as a separate "person". This means that unless there is misconduct, the owner's own possessions are strongly protected in law if the business does not succeed.

Where two or more individuals own a business together but have failed to organize a more specialized form of vehicle, they will be treated as a general partnership. The terms of a partnership are partly governed by a partnership agreement if one is created, and partly by the law of the jurisdiction where the partnership is located. No paperwork or filing is necessary to create a partnership, and without an agreement, the relationships and legal rights of the partners will be entirely governed by the law of the jurisdiction where the partnership is located. A single person who owns and runs a business is commonly known as a sole proprietor, whether that person owns it directly or through a formally organized entity. Depending on the business needs, an adviser can decide what kind is proprietorship will be most suitable.

A few relevant factors to consider in deciding how to operate a business include:

  1. General partners in a partnership (other than a limited liability partnership), plus anyone who personally owns and operates a business without creating a separate legal entity, are personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business.
  2. Generally, corporations are required to pay tax just like "real" people. In some tax systems, this can give rise to so-called double taxation, because first the corporation pays tax on the profit, and then when the corporation distributes its profits to its owners, individuals have to include dividends in their income when they complete their personal tax returns, at which point a second layer of income tax is imposed.
  3. In most countries, there are laws that treat small corporations differently from large ones. They may be exempt from certain legal filing requirements or labor laws, have simplified procedures in specialized areas, and have simplified, advantageous, or slightly different tax treatment.
  4. "Going public" through a process known as an initial public offering (IPO) means that part of the business will be owned by members of the public. This requires the organization as a distinct entity, to disclose information to the public, and adhering to a tighter set of laws and procedures. Most public entities are corporations that have sold shares, but increasingly there are also public LLC's that sell units (sometimes also called shares), and other more exotic entities as well, such as, for example, real estate investment trusts in the US, and unit trusts in the UK. A general partnership cannot "go public".

Commercial law

 
Offices in the Los Angeles Downtown Financial District

A very detailed and well-established body of rules that evolved over a very long period of time applies to commercial transactions. The need to regulate trade and commerce and resolve business disputes helped shape the creation of law and courts. The Code of Hammurabi dates back to about 1772 BC for example and contains provisions that relate, among other matters, to shipping costs and dealings between merchants and brokers.[36] The word "corporation" derives from the Latin corpus, meaning body, and the Maurya Empire in Iron-Age India accorded legal rights to business entities.[37]

In many countries, it is difficult to compile all the laws that can affect a business into a single reference source. Laws can govern the treatment of labour and employee relations, worker protection and safety, discrimination on the basis of age, gender, disability, race, and in some jurisdictions, sexual orientation, and the minimum wage, as well as unions, worker compensation, and working hours and leave.

Some specialized businesses may also require licenses, either due to laws governing entry into certain trades, occupations or professions, that require special education or to raise revenue for local governments. Professions that require special licenses include law, medicine, piloting aircraft, selling liquor, radio broadcasting, selling investment securities, selling used cars, and roofing. Local jurisdictions may also require special licenses and taxes just to operate a business.

Some businesses are subject to ongoing special regulation, for example, public utilities, investment securities, banking, insurance, broadcasting, aviation, and health care providers. Environmental regulations are also very complex and can affect many businesses.

Capital

When businesses need to raise money (called capital), they sometimes offer securities for sale.[38]

Capital may be raised through private means, by an initial public offering or IPO on a stock exchange,[39] or in other ways.[38]

Major stock exchanges include the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Singapore Exchange, Hong Kong Stock Exchange, New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ (the USA), the London Stock Exchange (UK), the Tokyo Stock Exchange (Japan), and Bombay Stock Exchange (India). Most countries with capital markets have at least one.

Businesses that have gone public are subject to regulations concerning their internal governance, such as how executive officers' compensation is determined, and when and how information is disclosed to shareholders and to the public. In the United States, these regulations are primarily implemented and enforced by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Other western nations have comparable regulatory bodies. The regulations are implemented and enforced by the China Securities Regulation Commission (CSRC) in China. In Singapore, the regulatory authority is the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and in Hong Kong, it is the Securities and Futures Commission (SFC).

The proliferation and increasing complexity of the laws governing business have forced increasing specialization in corporate law. It is not unheard of for certain kinds of corporate transactions to require a team of five to ten attorneys due to sprawling regulation. Commercial law spans general corporate law, employment and labor law, health-care law, securities law, mergers and acquisitions, tax law, employee benefit plans, food and drug regulation, intellectual property law on copyrights, patents, trademarks, telecommunications law, and financing.

Other types of capital sourcing include crowdsourcing on the Internet, venture capital, bank loans, and debentures.

Intellectual property

Businesses often have important "intellectual property" that needs protection from competitors for the company to stay profitable. This could require patents, copyrights, trademarks, or preservation of trade secrets.[40] Most businesses have names, logos, and similar branding techniques that could benefit from trademarking. Patents and copyrights in the United States are largely governed by federal law, while trade secrets and trademarking are mostly a matter of state law. Because of the nature of intellectual property, a business needs protection in every jurisdiction in which they are concerned about competitors. Many countries are signatories to international treaties concerning intellectual property, and thus companies registered in these countries are subject to national laws bound by these treaties. In order to protect trade secrets, companies may require employees to sign noncompete clauses which will impose limitations on an employee's interactions with stakeholders, and competitors.

Trade union

A trade union (or labor union) is an organization of workers who have come together to achieve common goals such as protecting the integrity of its trade, improving safety standards, achieving higher pay and benefits such as health care and retirement, increasing the number of employees an employer assigns to complete the work, and better working conditions.[41] The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members (rank and file members) and negotiates labor contracts (collective bargaining) with employers.[41] The most common purpose of these associations or unions is "maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment".[42] This may include the negotiation of wages, work rules, complaint procedures, rules governing hiring, firing, and promotion of workers, benefits, workplace safety and policies.

See also

References

  1. ^ . Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. business [:] 1. The activity of buying and selling commodities, products, or services.
  2. ^ Longman Business English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Pearson Longman. 2007. ISBN 9781405852593. OCLC 954137383.
  3. ^ . Archived from the original on July 9, 2019. business [:] 1 [...] the activity of making money by producing or buying and selling goods, or providing services.
  4. ^ . Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. business [:] 2 The practice of making one's living by engaging in commerce.
  5. ^ Burton, William (2007). Burton's Legal Thesaurus (4th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education. p. 68. ISBN 9780071472623. OCLC 70864526.
  6. ^ "Definition of POSSESSION". www.merriam-webster.com. Retrieved 2022-11-20.
  7. ^ Holloway, S. S.; Parmigiani, A. (2014). "Friends and Profits Don't Mix: The Performance Implications of Repeated Partnerships". Academy of Management Journal. 59 (2): 460. doi:10.5465/amj.2013.0581. S2CID 168091169.
  8. ^ "Choose a business structure". Choose a business structure. from the original on 2020-10-30. Retrieved 2021-05-13.
  9. ^ "Definition of a Franchise Business". Small Business - Chron.com. from the original on 2016-11-26. Retrieved 2016-11-25.
  10. ^ hWelsh, Dianne H. B.; Desplaces, David E.; Davis, fAmy E. (2011). "A Comparison of Retail Franchises, Independent Businesses, and Purchased Existing Independent Business Startups: Lessons from the Kauffman Firm Survey". Journal of Marketing Channels. 18: 3. doi:10.1080/1046669X.2011.533109. S2CID 154304180.
  11. ^ Black's Law and lee Dictionary. Second Pocket Edition. Bryan A. Garner, editor. West. 2001.
  12. ^ Companies Act 2006
  13. ^ "Investopedia - Public Limited Company". from the original on 2018-07-06. Retrieved 2018-07-06.
  14. ^ Needles, Belverd E.; Powers, Marian (2013). Principles of Financial Accounting. Financial Accounting Series (12 ed.). Cengage Learning.
  15. ^ (Report). Committee on Accounting Procedure, American Institute of Accountants. November 1940. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  16. ^ DIWAN, Jaswith. ACCOUNTING CONCEPTS & THEORIES. LONDON: MORRE. pp. 001–002. id# 94452.
  17. ^ Peggy Bishop Lane on Why Accounting Is the Language of Business, Knowledge @ Wharton High School, September 23, 2013, from the original on 13 June 2018, retrieved 25 December 2013
  18. ^ "Department of Accounting". Foster School of Business. Foster School of Business. 2013. from the original on 19 March 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2013.
  19. ^ "Commerce". Oxford English Dictionary (Online ed.). Oxford University Press. (Subscription or participating institution membership required.)
  20. ^ CFI. "What is Finance?". from the original on 7 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Human Resources (HR) Meaning and Responsibilities". Investopedia. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  22. ^ "What is HR (Human Resource Management)?". TheBalance. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  23. ^ "What is an HRIS (Human Resource Information System)?". SearchHRSoftware. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
  24. ^ Marketing definition approved in October 2007 by the American Marketing Association: [1] 2010-12-27 at the Wayback Machine.
  25. ^ Kenton, Will. "Why Research and Development (R&D) Matters". Investopedia. from the original on 2018-07-10. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  26. ^ a b "Research and development". Encyclopedia Britannica. from the original on 2020-10-03. Retrieved 2020-06-12.
  27. ^ Leigh, J. (2011). Economic Burden of Occupational Injury and Illness in the United States. Milbank Quarterly, 89(4), 728-772. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0009.2011.00648.x
  28. ^ Rowe, Kelly P. (2007). OSHA and small businesses: A winning combination: When small businesses tap into OSHA's many resources, everyone benefits. Occupational Hazards, 69(3), 33.
  29. ^ Goldberg, S. (2016). Business Technical: Wearable Devices at Work. Business Insurance, 50(2), 1.
  30. ^ "How To Organize Your Marketing Department In The Digital Age". from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved October 15, 2018.
  31. ^ "What Are the Branches of Business Management?". business.com. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  32. ^ Major Industries 2008-06-11 at the Wayback Machine. People.com
  33. ^ "Time required to start a business". Our World in Data. from the original on 23 November 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  34. ^ Poppo, Laura; Zenger, Todd (2002). "Do formal contracts and relational governance function as substitutes or complements?". Strategic Management Journal. 23 (8): 707–725. doi:10.1002/smj.249. ISSN 1097-0266. from the original on 2021-03-08. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  35. ^ a b Long, Chris P.; Sitkin, Sim B. (2018). "Control–Trust Dynamics in Organizations: Identifying Shared Perspectives and Charting Conceptual Fault Lines". Academy of Management Annals. 12 (2): 725–751. doi:10.5465/annals.2016.0055. ISSN 1941-6520. S2CID 150017645. from the original on 2022-03-03. Retrieved 2020-09-05.
  36. ^ "Law Code of Hammurabi". from the original on 2013-10-19. Retrieved 2013-10-18.
  37. ^ Vikramaditya S. Khanna. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-10-19.
  38. ^ a b Hargrave, Marshall. "What Is Capital?". Investopedia. from the original on 11 August 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  39. ^ "What is Ipo? Definition of Ipo, Ipo Meaning". The Economic Times. from the original on 10 August 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  40. ^ "What is Intellectual Property (IP)?". www.wipo.int. from the original on 22 January 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  41. ^ a b "What is Trade Union? Definition of Trade Union, Trade Union Meaning". The Economic Times. from the original on 1 February 2021. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  42. ^ Webb, Sidney; Webb, Beatrice (1920). History of Trade Unionism. Longmans and Co. London. ch. I

External links

business, other, uses, disambiguation, this, article, multiple, issues, please, help, improve, discuss, these, issues, talk, page, learn, when, remove, these, template, messages, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve,. For other uses see Business disambiguation This article has multiple issues Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page Learn how and when to remove these template messages This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Business news newspapers books scholar JSTOR August 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably Please consider splitting content into sub articles condensing it or adding subheadings Please discuss this issue on the article s talk page August 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Business is the practice of making one s living or making money by producing or buying and selling products such as goods and services 1 2 3 4 It is also any activity or enterprise entered into for profit 5 Having a business name does not separate the business entity from the owner which means that the owner of the business is responsible and liable for debts incurred by the business If the business acquires debts the creditors can go after the owner s personal possessions 6 A business structure does not allow for corporate tax rates The proprietor is personally taxed on all income from the business The term is also often used colloquially but not by lawyers or by public officials to refer to a company such as a corporation or cooperative Corporations in contrast with sole proprietors and partnerships are a separate legal entity and provide limited liability for their owners members as well as being subject to corporate tax rates A corporation is more complicated and expensive to set up but offers more protection and benefits for the owners members Contents 1 Forms 2 Classifications 3 Activities 3 1 Accounting 3 2 Commerce 3 3 Finance 3 4 Human Resources 3 5 Manufacturing 3 6 Marketing 3 7 Research and development 3 8 Safety 3 9 Sales 4 Management 4 1 Restructuring state enterprises 4 2 Business process management 5 Organization and regulation 5 1 Commercial law 5 2 Capital 5 3 Intellectual property 5 4 Trade union 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksFormsMain article List of business entitiesForms of business ownership vary by jurisdiction but several common entities exist A sole proprietorship also known as a sole trader is owned by one person and operates for their benefit The owner operates the business alone and may hire employees A sole proprietor has unlimited liability for all obligations incurred by the business whether from operating costs or judgments against the business All assets of the business belong to a sole proprietor including for example a computer infrastructure any inventory manufacturing equipment or retail fixtures as well as any real property owned by the sole proprietor A partnership is a business owned by two or more people In most forms of partnerships each partner has unlimited liability for the debts incurred by the business The three most prevalent types of for profit partnerships are general partnerships limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships 7 Corporations owners have limited liability and the business has a separate legal personality from its owners Corporations can be either government owned or privately owned and they can organize either for profit or as nonprofit organizations A privately owned for profit corporation is owned by its shareholders who elect a board of directors to direct the corporation and hire its managerial staff A privately owned for profit corporation can be either privately held by a small group of individuals or publicly held with publicly traded shares listed on a stock exchange A cooperative or co op is a limited liability business that can organize as for profit or not for profit A cooperative differs from a corporation in that it has members not shareholders and they share decision making authority Cooperatives are typically classified as either consumer cooperatives or worker cooperatives Cooperatives are fundamental to the ideology of economic democracy Limited liability companies LLC and other specific types of business organization protect their owners or shareholders from business failure by doing business under a separate legal entity with certain legal protections In contrast a general partnership or persons working on their own are usually not as protected 8 A franchise is a system in which entrepreneurs purchase the rights to open and run a business from a larger corporation 9 Franchising in the United States is widespread and is a major economic powerhouse One out of twelve retail businesses in the United States are franchised and 8 million people are employed in a franchised business 10 Company limited by guarantee is Commonly used where companies are formed for non commercial purposes such as clubs or charities The members guarantee the payment of certain usually nominal amounts if the company goes into insolvent liquidation but otherwise they have no economic rights in relation to the company This type of company is common in England A company limited by guarantee may be with or without having share capital A company limited by shares is the most common form of the company used for business ventures Specifically a limited company is a company in which the liability of each shareholder is limited to the amount individually invested with corporations being the most common example of a limited company 11 This type of company is common in England and many English speaking countries A company limited by shares may be a publicly traded company or a privately held company A company limited by guarantee with a share capital A hybrid entity usually used where the company is formed for non commercial purposes but the activities of the company are partly funded by investors who expect a return This type of company may no longer be formed in the UK although provisions still exist in law for them to exist 12 An unlimited company with or without a share capital A hybrid entity a company where the liability of members or shareholders for the debts if any of the company are not limited In this case the doctrine of a veil of incorporation does not apply Less common types of companies are Most corporations by letters patent are corporations sole and not companies as the term is commonly understood today Charter corporations these were the only types of companies before the passing of modern companies legislation Now they are relatively rare except for very old companies that still survive of which there are still many particularly many British banks or modern societies that fulfill a quasi regulatory function for example the Bank of England is a corporation formed by a modern charter Statutory companies Relatively rare today certain companies have been formed by a private statute passed in the relevant jurisdiction Note that Ltd after the company s name signifies limited company and PLC public limited company indicates that its shares are widely held 13 In legal parlance the owners of a company are normally referred to as the members In a company limited or unlimited by shares formed or incorporated with a share capital this will be the shareholders In a company limited by guarantee this will be the guarantors Some offshore jurisdictions have created special forms of offshore company in a bid to attract business for their jurisdictions Examples include segregated portfolio companies and restricted purpose companies There are however many many sub categories of types of company that can be formed in various jurisdictions in the world Companies are also sometimes distinguished into public companies and private companies for legal and regulatory purposes Public companies are companies whose shares can be publicly traded often although not always on a stock exchange which imposes listing requirements Listing Rules as to the issued shares the trading of shares and a future issue of shares to help bolster the reputation of the exchange or particular market of exchange Private companies do not have publicly traded shares and often contain restrictions on transfers of shares In some jurisdictions private companies have maximum numbers of shareholders A parent company is a company that owns enough voting stock in another firm to control management and operations by influencing or electing its board of directors the second company being deemed as a subsidiary of the parent company The definition of a parent company differs by jurisdiction with the definition normally being defined by way of laws dealing with companies in that jurisdiction ClassificationsMain article Industry classification Agriculture such as the domestication of fish animals and livestock as well as lumber oil vegetables fruits etc Mining businesses that extract natural resources and raw materials such as wood petroleum natural gas ores metals or minerals Service businesses offer intangible goods or services and typically charge for labor or other services provided to government to consumers or to other businesses Interior decorators beauticians hair stylists make up artists tanning salons laundromats dry cleaners and pest controllers are service businesses Financial services businesses include banks brokerage firms credit unions credit cards insurance companies asset and investment companies such as private equity firms private equity funds real estate investment trusts sovereign wealth funds pension funds mutual funds index funds hedge funds stock exchanges and other companies that generate profits through investment and management of capital Transportation businesses such as railways airlines and shipping companies deliver goods and individuals to their destinations for a fee Utilities produce public services such as water electricity waste management or sewage treatment These industries are usually operated under the charge of a public government Entertainment companies and mass media agencies generate profits primarily from the sale of intellectual property They include film studios and production houses mass media companies such as cable television networks online digital media agencies talent agencies mobile media outlets newspapers book and magazine publishing houses Sports organizations are involved in producing facilitating promoting or organizing any activity experience or business enterprise focused on sports They make their profits by selling goods and services that are sports related Industrial manufacturers produce products either from raw materials or from component parts then export the finished products at a profit They include tangible goods such as cars buses medical devices glass or aircraft Real estate businesses sell invest construct and develop properties including land residential homes and other buildings Retailers wholesalers and distributors act as middlemen and get goods produced by manufacturers to the intended consumers they make their profits by marking up their prices Most stores and catalog companies are distributors or retailers ActivitiesAccounting Main article Accounting Accounting is the measurement processing and communication of financial information about economic entities 14 15 such as businesses and corporations The modern field was established by the Italian mathematician Luca Pacioli in 1494 16 Accounting which has been called the language of business 17 measures the results of an organization s economic activities and conveys this information to a variety of users including investors creditors management and regulators 18 Practitioners of accounting are known as accountants The terms accounting and financial reporting are often used as synonyms Commerce Main article Commerce The process of exchanging goods and services 19 Finance Further information Financial management and Managerial finance See also Corporate finance and Strategic financial management Finance is a field that deals with the study of money and investments It includes the dynamics of assets and liabilities over time under conditions of different degrees of uncertainty and risk 20 In the context of business and management finance deals with the problems of ensuring that the firm can safely and profitably carry out its operational and financial objectives i e that it 1 has sufficient cash flow for ongoing and upcoming operational expenses and 2 can service both maturing short term debt repayments and scheduled long term debt payments Finance also deals with the long term objective of maximizing the value of the business while also balancing risk and profitability this includes the interrelated questions of 1 capital investment which businesses and projects to invest in 2 capital structure deciding on the mix of funding to be used and 3 dividend policy what to do with excess capital Human Resources Main article Human resources Human Resources can be defined as division of business that involves finding screening recruiting and training job applicants 21 Human Resources or HR is crucial for all businesses to succeed as it helps companies adjust to a fast moving business environment and the increasing demand for jobs 21 The term human resource was first coined by John R Commons in his novel The Distribution of Wealth HR departments are relatively new as they began developing in the late 20th century HR departments main goal is to maximize employee productivity and protecting the company from any issues that may arise in the future Some of the most common activities conducted by those working in HR include increasing innovation and creativity within a company applying new approaches to work projects and efficient training and communication with employees Two of the most popular subdivisions of HR are Human Resource Management 22 HRM and Human Resource Information Systems 23 or HRIS The HRM route is for those who prefer an administrative role as it involves oversight of the entirety of the company HRIS involves the storage and organization of employee data including full names addresses means of contact and anything else required by that certain company Some careers of those involved in the Human Resource field include enrollment specialists HR analyst recruiter employment relations manager etc Manufacturing Main article Manufacturing Manufacturing is the production of merchandise for use or sale using labour and machines tools chemical and biological processing or formulation The term may refer to a range of human activity from handicraft to high tech but is most commonly applied to industrial production in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale Marketing Main article Marketing Marketing is defined by the American Marketing Association as the activity set of institutions and processes for creating communicating delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers clients partners and society at large 24 The term developed from the original meaning which referred literally to going to a market to buy or sell goods or services Marketing tactics include advertising as well as determining product pricing With the rise in technology marketing is further divided into a class called digital marketing It is marketing products and services using digital technologies Research and development Main article Research and development Research and development refer to activities in connection with corporate or government innovation 25 Research and development constitute the first stage of development of a potential new service or product 26 Research and development are very difficult to manage since the defining feature of the research is that the researchers do not know in advance exactly how to accomplish the desired result 26 Safety Main article Safety Injuries cost businesses billions of dollars annually 27 Studies have shown how company acceptance and implementation of comprehensive safety and health management systems reduce incidents insurance costs and workers compensation claims 28 New technologies like wearable safety devices 29 and available online safety training continue to be developed to encourage employers to invest in protection beyond the canary in the coal mine and reduce the cost to businesses of protecting their employees Sales Main article Sales Sales are activity related to selling or the number of goods or services sold in a given time period Sales are often integrated with all lines of business and are key to a companies success 30 ManagementMain article Management For a topical guide see Outline of business management The efficient and effective operation of a business and study of this subject is called management The major branches of management are financial management marketing management human resource management strategic management production management operations management service management and information technology management 31 Owners may manage their businesses themselves or employ managers to do so for them Whether they are owners or employees managers administer three primary components of the business s value financial resources capital tangible resources and human resources These resources are administered in at least six functional areas legal contracting manufacturing or service production marketing accounting financing and human resources citation needed Restructuring state enterprises In recent decades states modeled some of their assets and enterprises after business enterprises In 2003 for example China modeled 80 of its state owned enterprises on a company type management system 32 Many state institutions and enterprises in China and Russia have transformed into joint stock companies with part of their shares being listed on public stock markets Business process management Business process management BPM is a holistic management approach focused on aligning all aspects of an organization with the wants and needs of clients BPM attempts to improve processes continuously It can therefore be described as a process optimization process It is argued that BPM enables organizations to be more efficient effective and capable of change than a functionally focused traditional hierarchical management approach who Organization and regulationSee also Theory of the firm Time required to start a business in 2017 33 Most legal jurisdictions specify the forms of ownership that a business can take creating a body of commercial law for each type The major factors affecting how a business is organized are usually The size and scope of the business firm and its structure management and ownership broadly analyzed in the theory of the firm Generally a smaller business is more flexible while larger businesses or those with wider ownership or more formal structures will usually tend to be organized as corporations or less often partnerships In addition a business that wishes to raise money on a stock market or to be owned by a wide range of people will often be required to adopt a specific legal form to do so The sector and country Private profit making businesses are different from government owned bodies In some countries certain businesses are legally obliged to be organized in certain ways Tax advantages Different structures are treated differently in tax law and may have advantages for this reason Disclosure and compliance requirements Different business structures may be required to make less or more information public or report it to relevant authorities and may be bound to comply with different rules and regulations Control and coordination requirements In function of the risk and complexity of the tasks to organize a business is organized through a set of formal and informal mechanisms 34 35 In particular contractual and relational governance can help mitigate opportunism as well as support communication and information sharing 35 Many businesses are operated through a separate entity such as a corporation or a partnership either formed with or without limited liability Most legal jurisdictions allow people to organize such an entity by filing certain charter documents with the relevant Secretary of State or equivalent and complying with certain other ongoing obligations The relationships and legal rights of shareholders limited partners or members are governed partly by the charter documents and partly by the law of the jurisdiction where the entity is organized Generally speaking shareholders in a corporation limited partners in a limited partnership and members in a limited liability company are shielded from personal liability for the debts and obligations of the entity which is legally treated as a separate person This means that unless there is misconduct the owner s own possessions are strongly protected in law if the business does not succeed Where two or more individuals own a business together but have failed to organize a more specialized form of vehicle they will be treated as a general partnership The terms of a partnership are partly governed by a partnership agreement if one is created and partly by the law of the jurisdiction where the partnership is located No paperwork or filing is necessary to create a partnership and without an agreement the relationships and legal rights of the partners will be entirely governed by the law of the jurisdiction where the partnership is located A single person who owns and runs a business is commonly known as a sole proprietor whether that person owns it directly or through a formally organized entity Depending on the business needs an adviser can decide what kind is proprietorship will be most suitable A few relevant factors to consider in deciding how to operate a business include General partners in a partnership other than a limited liability partnership plus anyone who personally owns and operates a business without creating a separate legal entity are personally liable for the debts and obligations of the business Generally corporations are required to pay tax just like real people In some tax systems this can give rise to so called double taxation because first the corporation pays tax on the profit and then when the corporation distributes its profits to its owners individuals have to include dividends in their income when they complete their personal tax returns at which point a second layer of income tax is imposed In most countries there are laws that treat small corporations differently from large ones They may be exempt from certain legal filing requirements or labor laws have simplified procedures in specialized areas and have simplified advantageous or slightly different tax treatment Going public through a process known as an initial public offering IPO means that part of the business will be owned by members of the public This requires the organization as a distinct entity to disclose information to the public and adhering to a tighter set of laws and procedures Most public entities are corporations that have sold shares but increasingly there are also public LLC s that sell units sometimes also called shares and other more exotic entities as well such as for example real estate investment trusts in the US and unit trusts in the UK A general partnership cannot go public Commercial law Main article Corporate law Offices in the Los Angeles Downtown Financial District A very detailed and well established body of rules that evolved over a very long period of time applies to commercial transactions The need to regulate trade and commerce and resolve business disputes helped shape the creation of law and courts The Code of Hammurabi dates back to about 1772 BC for example and contains provisions that relate among other matters to shipping costs and dealings between merchants and brokers 36 The word corporation derives from the Latin corpus meaning body and the Maurya Empire in Iron Age India accorded legal rights to business entities 37 In many countries it is difficult to compile all the laws that can affect a business into a single reference source Laws can govern the treatment of labour and employee relations worker protection and safety discrimination on the basis of age gender disability race and in some jurisdictions sexual orientation and the minimum wage as well as unions worker compensation and working hours and leave Some specialized businesses may also require licenses either due to laws governing entry into certain trades occupations or professions that require special education or to raise revenue for local governments Professions that require special licenses include law medicine piloting aircraft selling liquor radio broadcasting selling investment securities selling used cars and roofing Local jurisdictions may also require special licenses and taxes just to operate a business Some businesses are subject to ongoing special regulation for example public utilities investment securities banking insurance broadcasting aviation and health care providers Environmental regulations are also very complex and can affect many businesses Capital Mexican Stock Exchange in Paseo de la Reforma Mexico CityWhen businesses need to raise money called capital they sometimes offer securities for sale 38 Capital may be raised through private means by an initial public offering or IPO on a stock exchange 39 or in other ways 38 Major stock exchanges include the Shanghai Stock Exchange Singapore Exchange Hong Kong Stock Exchange New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ the USA the London Stock Exchange UK the Tokyo Stock Exchange Japan and Bombay Stock Exchange India Most countries with capital markets have at least one Businesses that have gone public are subject to regulations concerning their internal governance such as how executive officers compensation is determined and when and how information is disclosed to shareholders and to the public In the United States these regulations are primarily implemented and enforced by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission SEC Other western nations have comparable regulatory bodies The regulations are implemented and enforced by the China Securities Regulation Commission CSRC in China In Singapore the regulatory authority is the Monetary Authority of Singapore MAS and in Hong Kong it is the Securities and Futures Commission SFC The proliferation and increasing complexity of the laws governing business have forced increasing specialization in corporate law It is not unheard of for certain kinds of corporate transactions to require a team of five to ten attorneys due to sprawling regulation Commercial law spans general corporate law employment and labor law health care law securities law mergers and acquisitions tax law employee benefit plans food and drug regulation intellectual property law on copyrights patents trademarks telecommunications law and financing Other types of capital sourcing include crowdsourcing on the Internet venture capital bank loans and debentures Intellectual property Main article Intellectual property Businesses often have important intellectual property that needs protection from competitors for the company to stay profitable This could require patents copyrights trademarks or preservation of trade secrets 40 Most businesses have names logos and similar branding techniques that could benefit from trademarking Patents and copyrights in the United States are largely governed by federal law while trade secrets and trademarking are mostly a matter of state law Because of the nature of intellectual property a business needs protection in every jurisdiction in which they are concerned about competitors Many countries are signatories to international treaties concerning intellectual property and thus companies registered in these countries are subject to national laws bound by these treaties In order to protect trade secrets companies may require employees to sign noncompete clauses which will impose limitations on an employee s interactions with stakeholders and competitors Trade union Main article Trade union A trade union or labor union is an organization of workers who have come together to achieve common goals such as protecting the integrity of its trade improving safety standards achieving higher pay and benefits such as health care and retirement increasing the number of employees an employer assigns to complete the work and better working conditions 41 The trade union through its leadership bargains with the employer on behalf of union members rank and file members and negotiates labor contracts collective bargaining with employers 41 The most common purpose of these associations or unions is maintaining or improving the conditions of their employment 42 This may include the negotiation of wages work rules complaint procedures rules governing hiring firing and promotion of workers benefits workplace safety and policies See also Business portalMain article Outline of business Accounting List of accounting topics Advertising Bank Big business Business acumen Business broker Business ethics Social responsibility Business hours Business law topics Business mathematics Business mediator Business school Business tourism Business valuation Businessperson Capitalism Change management analyst Commerce Company Corporate personhood Cost overrun E commerce Electronic business Economics Economic democracy Financial economics List of economics topics Entrepreneurship Finance List of finance topics Franchising Government ownership Human resources Industry categories Innovation Insurance Intellectual property Interim management International trade List of international trade topics Investment Job creation program Labour economics Limited liability List of company registers List of largest employers List of oldest companies Lists of companies Management information system Manufacturing List of production topics Marketing List of marketing topics Money Organizational studies Profit Real estate List of real estate topics Revenue shortfall Shareholder value Small business Strategic management Strategic planning Tax Trade Types of business entityReferences American Heritage Dictionary Archived from the original on March 31 2019 business 1 The activity of buying and selling commodities products or services Longman Business English Dictionary 2nd ed Pearson Longman 2007 ISBN 9781405852593 OCLC 954137383 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English Archived from the original on July 9 2019 business 1 the activity of making money by producing or buying and selling goods or providing services Oxford Living Dictionaries Archived from the original on May 1 2019 business 2 The practice of making one s living by engaging in commerce Burton William 2007 Burton s Legal Thesaurus 4th ed McGraw Hill Education p 68 ISBN 9780071472623 OCLC 70864526 Definition of POSSESSION www merriam webster com Retrieved 2022 11 20 Holloway S S Parmigiani A 2014 Friends and Profits Don t Mix The Performance Implications of Repeated Partnerships Academy of Management Journal 59 2 460 doi 10 5465 amj 2013 0581 S2CID 168091169 Choose a business structure Choose a business structure Archived from the original on 2020 10 30 Retrieved 2021 05 13 Definition of a Franchise Business Small Business Chron com Archived from the original on 2016 11 26 Retrieved 2016 11 25 hWelsh Dianne H B Desplaces David E Davis fAmy E 2011 A Comparison of Retail Franchises Independent Businesses and Purchased Existing Independent Business Startups Lessons from the Kauffman Firm Survey Journal of Marketing Channels 18 3 doi 10 1080 1046669X 2011 533109 S2CID 154304180 Black s Law and lee Dictionary Second Pocket Edition Bryan A Garner editor West 2001 Companies Act 2006 Investopedia Public Limited Company Archived from the original on 2018 07 06 Retrieved 2018 07 06 Needles Belverd E Powers Marian 2013 Principles of Financial Accounting Financial Accounting Series 12 ed Cengage Learning Accounting Research Bulletins No 7 Reports of Committee on Terminology Report Committee on Accounting Procedure American Institute of Accountants November 1940 Archived from the original on 7 January 2014 Retrieved 31 December 2013 DIWAN Jaswith ACCOUNTING CONCEPTS amp THEORIES LONDON MORRE pp 001 002 id 94452 Peggy Bishop Lane on Why Accounting Is the Language of Business Knowledge Wharton High School September 23 2013 archived from the original on 13 June 2018 retrieved 25 December 2013 Department of Accounting Foster School of Business Foster School of Business 2013 Archived from the original on 19 March 2015 Retrieved 31 December 2013 Commerce Oxford English Dictionary Online ed Oxford University Press Subscription or participating institution membership required CFI What is Finance Archived from the original on 7 April 2020 Retrieved 7 April 2020 a b Human Resources HR Meaning and Responsibilities Investopedia Retrieved 2022 11 29 What is HR Human Resource Management TheBalance Retrieved 2022 11 29 What is an HRIS Human Resource Information System SearchHRSoftware Retrieved 2022 11 29 Marketing definition approved in October 2007 by the American Marketing Association 1 Archived 2010 12 27 at the Wayback Machine Kenton Will Why Research and Development R amp D Matters Investopedia Archived from the original on 2018 07 10 Retrieved 2020 06 12 a b Research and development Encyclopedia Britannica Archived from the original on 2020 10 03 Retrieved 2020 06 12 Leigh J 2011 Economic Burden of Occupational Injury and Illness in the United States Milbank Quarterly 89 4 728 772 doi 10 1111 j 1468 0009 2011 00648 x Rowe Kelly P 2007 OSHA and small businesses A winning combination When small businesses tap into OSHA s many resources everyone benefits Occupational Hazards 69 3 33 Goldberg S 2016 Business Technical Wearable Devices at Work Business Insurance 50 2 1 How To Organize Your Marketing Department In The Digital Age Archived from the original on April 26 2018 Retrieved October 15 2018 What Are the Branches of Business Management business com Retrieved 2022 11 26 Major Industries Archived 2008 06 11 at the Wayback Machine People com Time required to start a business Our World in Data Archived from the original on 23 November 2020 Retrieved 7 March 2020 Poppo Laura Zenger Todd 2002 Do formal contracts and relational governance function as substitutes or complements Strategic Management Journal 23 8 707 725 doi 10 1002 smj 249 ISSN 1097 0266 Archived from the original on 2021 03 08 Retrieved 2020 09 05 a b Long Chris P Sitkin Sim B 2018 Control Trust Dynamics in Organizations Identifying Shared Perspectives and Charting Conceptual Fault Lines Academy of Management Annals 12 2 725 751 doi 10 5465 annals 2016 0055 ISSN 1941 6520 S2CID 150017645 Archived from the original on 2022 03 03 Retrieved 2020 09 05 Law Code of Hammurabi Archived from the original on 2013 10 19 Retrieved 2013 10 18 Vikramaditya S Khanna The Economic History of the Corporate Form in Ancient India PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2013 10 19 a b Hargrave Marshall What Is Capital Investopedia Archived from the original on 11 August 2021 Retrieved 21 January 2021 What is Ipo Definition of Ipo Ipo Meaning The Economic Times Archived from the original on 10 August 2021 Retrieved 21 January 2021 What is Intellectual Property IP www wipo int Archived from the original on 22 January 2021 Retrieved 21 January 2021 a b What is Trade Union Definition of Trade Union Trade Union Meaning The Economic Times Archived from the original on 1 February 2021 Retrieved 21 January 2021 Webb Sidney Webb Beatrice 1920 History of Trade Unionism Longmans and Co London ch IExternal linksBusiness at Wikipedia s sister projects Definitions from Wiktionary Media from Commons News from Wikinews Quotations from Wikiquote Texts from Wikisource Textbooks from Wikibooks Resources from Wikiversity Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Business amp oldid 1134263508, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.