Exam 4: Choosing a Form of Business Ownership

Amy owns 100 shares of General Electric preferred stock. She wants to attend the annual stockholder meeting to cast her vote on company issues. Based on your knowledge from school, you caution Amy that

Articles of partnership are a legal document issued by the secretary of state.

Samantha's Dilemma Samantha graduated from college and needed to decide where she wanted to work. She had several options. Her aunt Julie owned and operated a small business that she started about twenty years ago. Julie, an individual owner of her business, informed Samantha that she could work for her. On one hand, Samantha thought it would be a great opportunity to be able to work for her aunt, learn the business, and then run the business when her aunt retired. On the other hand, she also felt that she wanted something a little more challenging; a job where she could really use her education. Her other option would be to work for a company that a friend and her husband had started and jointly owned. It was a rapidly growing company with plenty of opportunity for advancement. However, Samantha had some reservations about this choice because she was not sure she wanted to work for friends. Her last option was to work for a large retail company, headquartered in Maryland, which had stores across the United States. After much consideration, Samantha decided she didn't want an opportunity and a job because someone knew her. She wanted to prove how motivated and hard-working she was. Once she weighed all the advantages and disadvantages of her different options, she decided to work for the large retail company so that she could gain the most experience for herself. -Refer to Samantha's Dilemma. If Samantha worked for the large retail company in Philadelphia, what type of corporation would that be?

Walmart is incorporated in Arkansas, the state of its origins and headquarters. Within Arkansas, Walmart is classified as a(n) ____ corporation.

Mike Nettles approached Nathan Lang about becoming a partner in a firm that destroys environmental waste. While Mike would like to become a partner in the firm, he is concerned about his liability because he has recently inherited a lot of money. In this situation, Mike should become a

Darrell inherited a large amount of money from his uncle. Darrell wishes to start his own business, and his lawyers encourage him to make it a corporation. What disadvantage of a sole proprietorship are the lawyers trying to avoid?

What is the primary disadvantage of both a sole proprietorship and a partnership that a corporation overcomes?

How might a sole proprietorship have a possible tax advantage?

B&G, Inc. A year ago, Kevin went to work for B&G, Inc. He has worked for the finance department ever since he started. He noticed that the corporation was only taxed as though it were a partnership. This was something that he found very odd when he first started working for the company, but he later realized it was a fairly common practice. He recognized that this was one of the advantages of this type of corporation. While the job was challenging, Kevin was not happy. He wanted to work for a company whose main goal was to provide service to the community, not to make a profit. However, Kevin felt that, considering his present financial situation, he had to continue working for B&G, Inc. A week later, Kevin discovered there was going to be a merger between B&G, Inc. and one of its major competitors. Kevin's boss informed him that he would be getting a promotion and a raise. While he was excited about making more money, he still was not happy. He knew then that he would not be working for the company for long. -Refer to B&G, Inc. What type of organization is B&G, Inc.?

When many banks join together to lend money to developing countries such as Bangladesh and Malaysia, they seek to spread out the risk of default. This is called

Susan has a commercial laundry service that has been growing rapidly. She wants to continue to grow the business, but she needs access to more money and does not want to risk her personal assets. Susan contacts her lawyer to see if all the legal requirements are met to start the process of

A corporation organized to provide a social, educational, religious, or other nonbusiness service is known as a(n)

Economists, financial analysts, corporate managers, and stockholders all agree that mergers are good for both the company and the economy.

B&G, Inc. A year ago, Kevin went to work for B&G, Inc. He has worked for the finance department ever since he started. He noticed that the corporation was only taxed as though it were a partnership. This was something that he found very odd when he first started working for the company, but he later realized it was a fairly common practice. He recognized that this was one of the advantages of this type of corporation. While the job was challenging, Kevin was not happy. He wanted to work for a company whose main goal was to provide service to the community, not to make a profit. However, Kevin felt that, considering his present financial situation, he had to continue working for B&G, Inc. A week later, Kevin discovered there was going to be a merger between B&G, Inc. and one of its major competitors. Kevin's boss informed him that he would be getting a promotion and a raise. While he was excited about making more money, he still was not happy. He knew then that he would not be working for the company for long. -Refer to B&G, Inc. B&G, Inc. was going through a ____ merger.

How does an S-corporation differ from a limited-liability company? Does either type of ownership appeal to you? Explain your answer.

Most master limited partnerships are in the areas of

Which of the following is an example of a horizontal merger?

Kayla purchases shares of ownership in General Electric. These shares are referred to as

A corporation is an artificial person created by law.

Sears Holding Corporation is incorporated in Delaware, but when it operates in Illinois and Texas, it is considered a(n) ____ corporation in those states.