Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Causes of the Great Migration (1910-1970)

Reasons for the Great Migration (1910-1970) Somewhere in the range of 1910 and 1970, an expected 6,000,000 African-Americans relocated from southern states to northern and Midwestern urban areas. Endeavoring to get away from bigotry and Jim Crowâ laws of the South, African-Americans looked for some kind of employment in northern and western steel factories, tanneries, and railroad companies.â During the primary influx of the Great Migration, African-Americans settled in urban territories, for example, New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Detroit. Be that as it may, by the beginning of World War II, African-Americans were additionally moving to urban areas in California, for example, Los Angeles, Oakland and San Francisco just as Washingtons Portland and Seattle. Harlem Renaissance pioneer Alain Leroy Lockeâ argued in his paper, â€Å"The New Negro,† that â€Å"the wash and surge of this human tide on the sea shore line of the Northern downtown areas is to be clarified fundamentally as far as another vision of chance, of social and monetary opportunity, of a soul to seize, even notwithstanding an extortionate and substantial cost, a possibility for the improvement of conditions. With each progressive rush of it, the development of the Negro turns out to be increasingly more a mass development toward the bigger and the more fair possibility - in the Negros case an intentional flight structure field to city, however from medieval America to present day. Disappointment and Jim Crow Laws African-American men were conceded the option to cast a ballot through the Fifteenth Amendment. In any case, white Southerners passed enactment that kept African-American men from practicing this right. By 1908, ten Southern states had revised their constitutions confine casting a ballot rights through education tests, survey expenses and Grandfather provisos. These state laws would not be upset until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was built up, conceding all Americans the option to cast a ballot. Notwithstanding not reserving the privilege to cast a ballot, African-Americans were consigned to isolation too. The 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson case made it legitimate to uphold separate however equivalent open offices including open transportation, government funded schools, bathroom offices and drinking fountains. Racial Violence African-Americans were exposed to different demonstrations of fear by white Southerners. Specifically, the Ku Klux Klan developed, contending that solitary white Christians were qualified for social equality in the United States. Subsequently, this gathering, alongside other racial oppressor bunches killed African-American people by lynching, shelling places of worship, and furthermore burning down homes and property. The Boll Weevil Following the finish of subjection in 1865, African-Americans in the South confronted an unsure future. In spite of the fact that the Freedmens Bureau assisted with modifying the South during the Reconstruction time frame, African-Americans before long got themselves dependent on similar individuals who were at one time their proprietors. African-Americans became tenant farmers, a framework where little ranchers leased homestead space, supplies and instruments to collect a yield. In any case, a creepy crawly known as the boll weevil harmed crops all through the south somewhere in the range of 1910 and 1920. Because of the boll weevil’s work, there was to a lesser degree an interest for rural specialists, leaving numerous African-Americans jobless. World War I and the Demand for Workers At the point when the United States chose to enter World War I, industrial facilities in northern and Midwestern urban areas confronted outrageous work deficiencies for a few reasons. To start with, in excess of 5,000,000 men enrolled in the military. Besides, the United States government stopped migration from European nations. Since numerous African-Americans in the South had been seriously influenced by the deficiency of agrarian work, they reacted to the call of business specialists from urban areas in the North and Midwest. Operators from different modern segments showed up in the South, luring African-American people to move north by paying their movement costs. The interest for laborers, motivating forces from industry specialists, better instructive and lodging choices, just as more significant salary, brought numerous African-Americans from the South. For example, in Chicago, a man could gain $2.50 every day in a meat pressing house or $5.00 every day on a mechanical production system in Detroit The Black Press Northern African-American papers assumed a significant job in the Great Migration. Distributions, for example, the Chicago Defender distributed train calendars and work postings to convince Southern African-Americans to move north. News distributions, for example, the Pittsburgh Courier and the Amsterdam News distributed articles and kid's shows indicating the guarantee of moving from the South toward the North. These guarantees included better training for youngsters, the option to cast a ballot, access to different kinds of business and improved lodging conditions. By perusing these motivators alongside train calendars and employment postings, African-Americans comprehended the significance of leaving the South.

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Block Right Click Access to Context Menus on Web Pages

Square Right Click Access to Context Menus on Web Pages Web learners regularly accept that by obstructing their guests utilization of the mouse right-click setting menu that they can forestall the robbery of their website page content. Nothing could be further from reality. Crippling right snaps is handily evaded by more sharp clients, and the capacity to get to quite a bit of a site pages code itself is an essential component of internet browsers that doesnt require a correct snap by any means. Downsides There are numerous approaches to sidestep the no correct snap content, and as a general rule the main impact that such a content has is to disturb those of your guests who truly utilize the right-click setting menu (as that menu is appropriately called) in their web route. Moreover, the entirety of the contents that I have seen to do this solitary square access to the setting menu from the correct mouse button. They dont consider the way that the menu is likewise open from the console. All anybody needs to do to get to the menu utilizing a 104 key console is to choose the article on the screen for which they need to get to the setting menu (for instance by left tapping on it) and afterward press the setting menu key on their console its the one promptly to one side of the privilege CTRL key on PC consoles. On a 101 key console, you can execute a right-click order by holding down the move key and squeezing F10. JavaScript On the off chance that you might want to cripple right-taps on your website page in any case, heres an extremely straightforward JavaScript that you can use to hinder all entrance to the setting menu (from the correct mouse button as well as from the console also)- and truly bother your guests. This content is much easier than the majority of the ones that solitary square the mouse catch, and it works in about the same number of programs as those contents do. Heres the whole content for you: body oncontextmenureturn bogus; Including only that little bit of code to the body tag of your page is increasingly compelling at obstructing your guests access to the setting menu than the some no-right-click contents that you can discover somewhere else on the web since it squares access from both the mouse button and from console alternatives depicted previously. Confinements Obviously, the content doesnt work in all internet browsers (e.g., Opera overlooks it-yet then Opera disregards the entirety of the other no-right-click contents also). This content additionally does nothing to keep your guests from getting to the page source utilizing the View Source alternative from their program menu, or from sparing the site page and survey the wellspring of the spared duplicate in their preferred proofreader. Lastly, however you may cripple access to the setting menu, that entrance can be effectively re-empowered by clients basically by typingjavascript:void oncontextmenu(null) into the location bar of the program.

Tuesday, August 4, 2020

Electrophoresis Boogaloo

Electrophoresis Boogaloo In just the past few hours, Ive realized a few things, mostly about myself: Im being really ambitious about all the writing I have to do this semester. 9.12, 24.900, and WGS.271 are all writing intensive classes. Two (9.12 and 24.900) are officially known to be communication-intensive, and thus require a set amount of writing. MIT makes taking four of these classes a graduation requirement; that way, instead of just being good at running experiments or doing work, youre also good at expressing the results, findings, and analysis. Not to mention Im staying gainfully employed by writing new blog posts, and I hope to do about one a week from now on. (Restrictions apply.) I can be pretty hard on myself. Sometimes Ill consider a personal project Im not attending to, or even a mistake on an assignment, and magnify it a ton. Thats when the Im not doing well enough sentiments kick in. However I learned about a different way to look at it. One of my friends in Denmark and I had a chat today on the subject. In between her uncontainable excitement over of all things perfume, she remarked that there exists a razor-thin line between certain kinds of pessimism and a constant drive to improve oneself. Or as she said, Its good to know where you can be better, but it doesnt mean you arent already awesome.Somehow, that statement was particularly illuminating and its very true. One can say I can do better in a resigned or enthusiastic way, and sometimes, those two outlooks are separated by a fine line. Last Thursday was also a learning day, one that gave me real science-y skills. Specifically, I can now say that I kind-of-sort-of know how to run a gel, shorthand in this case for gel electrophoresis. To tell you more about it, Ill have to walk through a little molecular bio for some context. One of the major breakthroughs in biology came when scientists discovered DNA and began to unwind its secrets pun kind of intended. Then came the central dogma of molecular biology, positing that DNA holds our genetic information, and mRNAs  transcribe that information in a form that directs the assembly of amino acids into proteins. But things really got more creative when recombinant DNA techniques were first developed, which owed to the discovery of restriction enzymes. These guys cleave DNA at specific sequences and tend to leave ends (sticky ends) that hang out and allow other such ends to bind, so long as that would result in complementary base-pairing. As these recognizable sequences tend to be palindromic, cutting a bunch of sequences with the same restriction enzyme will allow you to cut up DNA and paste different combinations of them together hence the recombinant part of recombinant DNA techniques. You can also use those enzymes in some analytical techniques. Enter gel electrophoresis, a method that separates molecules on the basis of size and charge. By firing up a current that courses through an ion-filled buffer, you can induce the movement of your analytes through a gel. Since DNA is negatively charged, itll be loaded on the negative side of the gel box so that it can be attracted to the positive side. Its not smooth sailing through the agarose gel, though on a microscopic level, its a pretty cavernous, rather bumpy ride to the other side. This kind of terrain makes it harder for larger molecules to travel, so theyll move slower (and as a consequence, travel a shorter distance in a given amount of time). Heres an example that my lab partner in 9.12 and I ran! We did virtually every step, except for operating the UV imager, by ourselves, including creating the gel, digesting the DNA samples, and running some electrophoresis: Awwwwww yeah science. Theres two reasons why I didnt just snap a picture of the gel itself. First, I did that in the lab, and it wouldve been weird taking off my gloves in the middle of 9.12 lab just to take a picture of the completed gel. Second, even if it were permissible and/or not weird to do that, you only wouldve seen only one straight line of purple across a few lanes. Bromophenol, the source of that purple color, is an indicator that tracks the progress of your gel electrophoresis. When it runs about half the length of your gel, thats how you know youre likely to have a decent amount of separation in the bands you see above. So if the above isnt from the bromophenol, whats causing those bands? Thats GelRed, a proprietary fluorescent gel stain that binds to the ends of DNA fragments. If you expose this gel to a UV imager, youll get what Ive shown above. The wells in which each DNA sequence started are at the top; bands marking the ends of DNA fragments of decreasing size progress toward the bottom. (If youre extra observant, youll see that it looks like I skipped two lanes in that gel. Im pretty sure there were someissues in loading the first couple of samples. Its hard to get right the first few times.) What is this all good for? For starters, it helps you finish up a 9.12 lab. Otherwise, you can use the lengths of the fragments youve produced to create restriction maps, which outline where restriction sites the sequences that restriction enzymes recognize lie on your genetic material. Ive only ever made a restriction map for a plasmid, because its pretty easy to figure out for circular DNA, but in principle it should also work on linear DNA. Analyzing the lengths of fragments is also good as a quick and necessary, but not sufficient, test of whether youre looking at a particular gene. Thats based on the principle that if you know youre dealing with a gene thats 500 base pairs long, and you expect that digestion by a certain enzyme will yield two fragments 200 and 300 base pairs long, respectively then youll at least know that you might still have what youre looking for if your fragments turn out to be 200 and 300 base pairs long. If they were, say, 100 and 400 base pairs, you can start doubting whether you have the right stuff. Ill also get into other uses of gel electrophoresis as I go through the class, as a lab like this will probably cover techniques like Southern blotting at some point, which also makes use of electrophoresis. I guess theyre just not trying to let us get ahead of ourselves, since electrophoresis is a pretty fundamental technique in molecular bio lab work; other skills can build off of that. Bottom line: expect to hear a little more about these techniques as I learn them. (P.S.: This wont be relevant to a lot of you, but I like snickerdoodles. Or those Caramel deLite / Samoas  Girl Scout cookies. *cough cough*)

Saturday, May 23, 2020

How Cultural Differences Impact On Advertising - 1055 Words

How cultural differences impact on advertising in multi-national companies? (Case study of Coca-Cola Company) Introduction A multinational company (MNC) can be defined as a company which operating in several countries but managed by its home country. These companies play a major role in present globalized business market. By moving forward beyond geographical barriers, helps multinational companies to expand market share and maximize companies’ profit margins. In comparison with its home country, operating in foreign country is not an easy task for any company. Due to different factors such as currency different, legal barriers, government regulations and cultural barriers multinational companies need to adjust their policies and marketing strategies according to the country. In order to survive in the competitive market, every company needs to adopt significant marketing tools in order to sell their products and services. Advertising is among the top marketing tools which used multinational companies in order to attract more customers towards their products. But, can a multinational company use same advertising campaign in all around the world? The simplest answer for that question is â€Å"No†. If so, what is the reason for that? The main reason for that is due to cultural barriers and different any company cannot adopt same advertising tools or methods among every country. Therefore, multinational companies advertise different in according to the cultural norms of the countryShow MoreRelatedInfluence Of Cultural Values On Advertising Essay1124 Words   |  5 Pages Influence of Cultural Values in Advertising Name: Institution: Introduction Commercial products of multinational companies are being marketed to people from different cultures owing to an increased growth in the world economy (Lin, 2012). 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Moreover, culture has been described as the integration of beliefs, values and norms as well as symbols that impact a particular society’s memberRead MoreThe Impact Of Culture On International Marketing Communication1486 Words   |  6 PagesSUMMARY Cultural factors have long been known to impact the communication and success capability of competition in conducting worldwide business. The objective of this report is to recognize the importance of cultural factors occurring in marketing communications. Therefore, it discusses the following: †¢ Key issues in cross-cultural marketing communication which shows identifying the cultural factors to support marketing communication in the proposed markets and pre-requisites for cross-cultural communicationRead MoreVisual Media Influence1226 Words   |  5 Pagesvulnerable to advertising because they lack the experience and knowledge to understand and evaluate the purpose of the persuasive advertising appeals (Barve G). However the advertising is exploiting young adults insecurities as in they have to over buy these products for them to look a certain way. â€Å"The influence of commercial advertising on young adults participation in the family consumer decision has been a change in lifestyle, with the increase of exposure of young adults visual media advertising and hence

Monday, May 11, 2020

The Walt Disney Company Analysis - 873 Words

â€Å"The Walt Disney Company is a leading diversified international family entertainment and media enterprise with five business segments: media networks, parks and resorts, studio entertainment, consumer products and interactive media.† (The walt disney, n.d.) At year end of 2013, the company had net revenues of $45 billion, up from $42.3 billion the previous year and net income of $6.1 billion, up from $5.7 billion the previous year. (Walt disney co, 2014) Enterprise Risk Management Risk management is a way for firms to grow and create value. Enterprise risk management programs give organizations the tools they need to make quicker decisions with confidence. Steven Hunt, vice president of research at Forrester Research states,†¦show more content†¦(Gusman, 2008) An example of cost savings for Disney was at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. After implementing their multifaceted loss control and safety program, the OSHA frequency rate fell 60.3 percent from 2002 to 2007. (Gusman, 2008) During this same time period, the lost-time frequency rate fell nearly in half. (Gusman, 2008) Work related injuries are inevitable, but Disney has programs in place to get employees back to work as soon as possible. They focus on helping employees to stay employed during their recovery process by helping to minimize their time away from work. They believe â€Å"it is not only important to know limitations, but it is also essential to know what the injured worker can do.† (Gusman, 2008) Park Safety Another way Disney manages risk is by implementing safety programs at their parks for customers. Visitors to Disney parks receive safety-themed literature filled with Disney characters. (Bradford, 2005) Parks also have safety trading cards that customers can collect, as well as activity books for children with safety reminders. Disney understands that in order to get their message across they have to be creative. 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Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Legal Forms of Business in Sri Lanka Free Essays

Introduction A business also called a company, enterprise or firm is a legally recognized organization, designed to provide goods and services to consumers. According to the purpose of the business, ownership of the business and nature of economic contribution of the business; the business can fall into one of the three standard sectors. There are; private sector, public sector and nonprofit sector. We will write a custom essay sample on Legal Forms of Business in Sri Lanka or any similar topic only for you Order Now The part of the economy concerned with providing basic government services is called public sector. In most countries the public sector includes such services as the military, public transit, primary education and healthcare. Their aim is to give service to the people and less emphasis is made on profit making. Public cooperation is the widely known type of public sector business entity. The non-profit sector is derived with organizations that do not distribute their surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead use them to help pursue their goals. Examples include charitable organizations, trade unions, and public arts organizations. In private sector, businesses are financed and controlled by individuals or private institutions, such as companies, stockholders, or investment groups. These businesses run for private profit and they are not controlled by the state or the government. There are many types of business entities defined in the private sector and authorized by the legal systems of various countries. These legal forms of business include; †¢ Sole Proprietorship †¢ Partnership (General Partnership, Limited Partnership and Joint Venture) †¢ Corporation (C Corporation and S Corporation) †¢ Limited Liability Company (Private and Public) These legal forms have been derived according to their Source of the capital, Value of capital investment, Nature of ownership, Number of owners, Nature of liability and many other factors. Each legal form has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. When making a decision about the type of business to form, there are several criteria you need to evaluate based on advantages and disadvantages of above mentioned legal forms. The most important fact is cost of formation of the business and cost of ongoing administration. This includes cost of record-keeping and paperwork, as well as the costs associated with administrative requirements. Legal liability is the next thing to be considered and it defines to what extent the owner need to be insulated from legal liability. Based on the individual situation and goals of the business owner, he has to consider what the available tax implications are because it is also an important factor. Finally the owner has to think about the future needs and whether the legal forms support flexibility feature. Sri Lanka Company Act, No. 7 of 2007 and Company Act, No. 17 of 1982 have defined Sri Lanka legal forms of organizations, which can be the choices for Sri Lankan business community when forming a new business. Legal Forms of business in Sri Lanka include; †¢ Sole Proprietorship †¢ Limited Liability Company (Private and Public) †¢ General Partnership Sole Proprietorship A sole proprietorship also known as a sole trader is a type of business entity which is owned and run by one individual and where there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business. Sole proprietorships are forms of business ownership that mingle the owner’s rights, liabilities and responsibilities with the business’ rights, liabilities and responsibilities. Regardless of the state of the business, the procedures we need to follow to form a sole proprietorship are fairly simple, and do not even require an attorney, accountant, or business consultant. There are no legal requirements for establishing a sole proprietorship, other than obtaining the necessary local business license and permit. As the sole proprietor, owner has the full control and responsibility for the business and its operation and he makes all the decisions. With this type of business entity, owner has complete freedom over operating the business, because he is responsible for all transactions and activities occur in the business. All assets of the business are owned by the owner and all profits and all losses accrue to him. He is personally responsible for all debts of the business and must pay them from his personal resources. This means that the owner has unlimited personal liability for the business. Also, owner is less burdened by government restrictions and control, and he has less to do in terms of reporting and taxes. The main advantage of a sole proprietorship is that they are easy to start up and to close. The reason is, they are less expensive and also subject to fewer regulations compared to other types of businesses. Since the owner has full autonomy with regard to business decisions, sole proprietorship businesses are easy and inexpensive to discontinue. The second advantage is that the owner can take all the profits of the business and there is no profit sharing. This may be the most significant motivation for most businesses to become sole proprietorship type. At the same time, all losses accrue to the owner and he does not have the tension regarding conflicts among the partners as there are no partners. In sole proprietorship business type, the owner of the organization pays self employment taxes on the profits made. It makes tax filing much simpler and hence this can be considered as another advantage for sole proprietorship business type. Since this is not a corporation; it does not pay corporate taxes. The remarkable disadvantage of the sole proprietorship is that the sole trader will likely have a hard time with raising capital since he has to make up for all the business’s funds. He may have to use his own money or personal loan for the business. The next disadvantage is; the owner of the business has unlimited liability as he is responsible for the business’s debts. As the business grows, the risks accompanying the business also tend to grow, and if the business is sued, owner and his personal assets are at risk. Sole proprietorship business type is very prominent in Sri Lanka, may be because form of the business is very straightforward. As a third world country with low rate of individual income, starting up a business with low capital is a very convenient factor for any Sri Lankan business person who is thinking of having an own business. There several home based business running in Sri Lanka such as; groceries, stationary shops, pharmacies, fashion stores and they can be categorized as sole proprietorship business, because they are owned by single person. Freelance writers, copy editors, photographers and craftspeople also have chosen to run their businesses as a sole proprietorship. Sri Lankan government has identified the importance of sole proprietorship businesses, in terms of their contribution to the country’s development. So the government is encouraging this business community, to develop their businesses, by providing necessary financial aids, resources, equipment and guidance. Since Sri Lana is based on an agricultural economy, we can encourage more farmers to form their own sole proprietorship businesses to sell their goods, and this will reduce the terrible effects occurring from the intermediate business people. If farmers can sell their goods directly to consumers, they may be able to get full profit and it will encourage them to develop their business. This will ultimately lead to a high development in Sri Lanka’s economy as well as society. Limited liability Companies (LLC) A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a type of business organization that combines some aspects of a corporation with those of a sole proprietorship or partnership. The primary characteristic a LLC shares with a corporation is limited liability; that is personal liability of company’s members for the business’s debts is limited. The primary characteristic LLC share with a partnership is the availability of pass-through income taxation; that is LLC is not taxed as a separate entity. Forming a LLC may not be as simple as a sole-proprietorship; however, the process is much less than a corporation. There are two main actions: †¢ Articles of Organization: Have to file articles of organization with the secretary of province and pay the required fees. Articles may be prepared by a lawyer. An LLC business entity may be file as a corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship in terms of tax return. †¢ Operating Agreement: Have to develop an operating agreement which helps to define the company profit sharing, ownership, responsibilities, and ownership changes An LLC may have one or more owners, and may have different classes of owners. If the LLC has a single member, it will be disregarded as separate from its owner, and will be treated as a sole proprietorship or a division of its owner, unless it elects to be taxable as a corporation. An LLC that is filed for taxation as a partnership can achieve both conduit tax treatment and limited liability protection under civil law and a LLC filed for taxation as a partnership does not have the ownership restrictions. An LLC is typically managed by its members, unless the members agree to have a manager handle the LLC’s business affairs. LLCs do not issue stock and are not required to hold annual meetings or keep written minutes. Generally, members of an LLC that are taxed as a partnership may agree to share the profits and losses in any manner. Members of an LLC receive profits and losses in the same manner as shareholders of a corporation. In general, all the owners and members are shielded from individual liability for debts and obligations of the LLC. The main advantage of LLC is that owners of the LLC have the liability protection of a corporation because it exists as a separate entity much like a corporation. Also members do not hold personally liable for debts unless they have signed a personal guarantee, and this is a great relief for all the members. LLC can select varying forms of distribution of profits, unlike a common partnership where the split is 50-50. Hence flexible profit distribution is another advantage of LLC. The LLC business structure requires no corporate minutes or resolutions and is easier to operate. This can be pointed out as the next advantage of LLC. All the LLC business losses, profits, and expenses flow through the company to the individual members. So, it avoids the double taxation of paying corporate tax and individual tax. Generally, this flow through taxation will be a tax advantage. The most significant disadvantage of LLC is the limited life time of business. A LLC is dissolved when a member dies or undergoes bankruptcy whereas corporations can live forever. Business owners with plans to take their company public, or issuing employee shares in the future, may be not best served by choosing a LLC business structure, because going public is bit complicated with LLC. So this can be again a vital disadvantage of LLC structure. Running a sole-proprietorship or partnership will have less paperwork and complexity compared to LLC. So this added complexity also can be pointed out as a disadvantage of LLC structure. There are two major types of companies operating with limited liability status in Sri Lanka. ? Private Limited Companies ? Public Limited Companies Private Limited Companies A Private Limited Company, theoretically also refer to a private company limited by guarantee, is a type of company incorporated under the laws of England in certain Commonwealth countries. Private limited companies are required to have the suffix â€Å"Limited† (often written â€Å"Ltd† or â€Å"Ltd. â€Å") or â€Å"Incorporated† (â€Å"Inc. â€Å") as part of their name. It has shareholders, but its shares may not be offered to the general public. This means that shares are usually sold to family, friends and business contacts. The liability of the shareholders to creditors of the company is limited to the capital originally invested; that is to the nominal value of the shares and any premium paid in return for the issue of the shares by the company. A shareholder’s personal assets are thereby protected in the event of the company’s insolvency, but money invested in the company will be lost. Most companies, particularly small companies, are private limited companies. One of the main advantages of Private Limited Company is, they are easy to set up because; the shares are sold among family, friends and business contacts. Limited liability is another advantage of a Private Limited Company. The shareholder’s liability is limited to the value of the shares held by them. If things go wrong for the business, personal assets of a shareholder cannot be used to pay off the debts. Since boards of directors are usually the main share holders, the ownership and the control are closely connected. Therefore decisions can be taken more quickly and this can be pointed out as another advantage. A Private Limited Company has a separate legal existence. This means that properties will be owned by the company itself and all contracts would be signed on its behalf. The directors and secretary can only act as agents. Therefore the company is not dissolved on the resignation, bankruptcy or death of a director which is a vital advantage of Private Limited Company. The company can be dissolved only by winding up, liquidation or order of the Registrar of Companies or by the Court. When we think about advantages, tax benefits of Private Limited Company are also can be considered. The directors of the company are required to pay income tax but the company pays corporation tax on company profits which is one rate of tax only and averages out at much less than if income tax were paid on the profits. Though Private Limited Company has many advantages, there are some disadvantages which often deter small- and medium-sized business owners from setting up private limited companies. Many Private Limited Companies are very profitable. Unfortunately, these profits can become diluted because they must be evenly distributed among all shareholders, and many Private Limited Companies have up to 50 shareholders. So this becomes the major disadvantage of Private Limited Company. The next point that can be a vital disadvantage is shareholders in a Private Limited Company are not able to sell or transfer their shares to the general public. The 50 or so shareholders that comprise a Private Limited Company must keep their shares and cannot trade them on any stock exchange. A Private Limited Company can be quite complex to create, meaning that lawyers and accountants almost always need to be involved in the Private Limited Company from the start. This can be costly and hence a disadvantage. The importance of Private Limited Companies in Sri Lankan economy over the last 15 years has been tremendous. The opening up of Sri Lankan economy has led to free inflow of investments along with modern cutting edge technology, which increased the importance of Private Limited Companies in Sri Lankan economy considerably. Previously, the Sri Lankan market was ruled by the government enterprises but the scene in Sri Lankan market changed as soon as the markets were opened for investments. This saw the rise of the Sri Lankan private sector companies, which prioritized customer’s need and speedy service. Most of the pioneering businesses in today’s Sri Lankan business world are categorized as Private Limited Companies. Some of the best examples are Richard Pieris Company PLC; (One of the largest and most successful diversified business conglomerate), Abans Group – Abans Private Limited; (Represent world famous brands of household items), Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC; (Household durable company), ODEL (PVT) LTD; (Sri Lanka’s foremost fashion gallery). Private Limited Companies are often considered the Sri Lanka’s version of limited liability companies. This may be because; for many years, forming businesses with the family and friends has been a custom of Sri Lankans. There are many examples such as Perera and Sons (PVT) LTD; (One of Sri Lanka’s foremost baker and caterer), H. Don Carolis Sons (PVT) LTD; (Manufacturers of fine hand crafted wooden furniture), Ebert Silva Touring Co. Ltd; (pioneering Company in the travel and tourism industry) . These are consider as successful family businesses and categorized under Private Limited Company type businesses. To promote private sector domestic investments, the Sri Lanka government has recently brought the bank interest rates down from 20 percent to around 10 percent for borrowings. Public Limited Companies A public limited company (legally abbreviated to plc with or without full stops) is a type of limited liability Company incorporated under the laws of England in certain Commonwealth countries and it is permitted to offer its shares to the public. This means that Shares in a public limited company, can be traded on the Stock Exchange and can be bought by members of the general public. The Capital needed to start a Public Limited Company could come from two different sources; part of the money comes from a loan from the bank, and the rest comes from shares sold to the public, via the stock market. The liability of the shareholders to creditors of the company is limited to the capital originally invested; that is to the nominal value of the shares and any premium paid in return for the issue of the shares by the company. A shareholder’s personal assets are thereby protected in the event of the company’s insolvency, but money invested in the company will be lost. The dividend is paid out using the profits from a PLC. The profit of the public limited company is divided into percentages and is paid out to shareholders. There are many advantages of operating the business as a Public Limited Company, and of registering the company on the stock exchange. For example, equity capital obtained from an initial public offering is considered a permanent form of capital since there is no interest to be paid on the equity, and it is not repayable like debt. Funds generated by a public offering are, therefore, considered a relatively safe form of capital for a business and this can be pointed out as the main advantage of the Public Limited Company type. Going public can also allow a company the freedom and flexibility to spend capital, as it needs to finance its growth and further development, providing a solid financial base on which to build. This will be a vital motivate point for anyone who think to start a new business as Public Limited Company. Many companies use stock and stock option plans as an incentive to attract and retain talented employees. It is increasingly common to recruit and compensate executives with a combination of salary and stock. Stock can be instrumental in attracting and keeping key personnel. Public companies are more likely to receive the attention of major newspapers, magazines and periodicals. The proper use of press releases, interviews or news stories can increase investor awareness, shareholder value, and demand for the stock, sales and revenue. Once a company becomes public it has to disclose so much information to public on regular intervals. This includes share holding pattern, quarterly and annual financial statements, profiles of directors etc. So it can be pointed out as one of the disadvantage of Public Limited Company. In a Public Limited Company decisions take time is too long and it also can be a disadvantage. This is because implementation of any key decision is subjected to the approval by the board of directors elected by share holders. Shareholders in public companies expect a steady stream of income from dividends, which might mean that the business has to concentrate on short term objectives of creating a profit and this may be a vital disadvantage because it might be better to work on longer term objectives, such as growth and investment. The most significant disadvantage Public Limited Company has is the threat of takeover. This is because they are traded publicly and another company can buy up a large number of shares and they can then persuade other shareholders to join with them to vote in a new management team. The Sri Lankan stock market has become quite vibrant and booming, particularly as a result of the end of the war, and this was a vivid point for growth of Public Limited Companies. New companies made their public offerings and were oversubscribed during the first day itself. There is considerable demand for company shares in the market and we can see many giants companies have turned into Public Limited Companies. These companies represent banking, finance, insurance, healthcare, telecommunication, food, beverage and so many other sectors. Most important examples are; Commercial Bank of Ceylon Ltd; (Adjudged as the best bank in Sri Lanka), Janashakthi Insurance; (3rd largest general insurance company in Sri Lanka), Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd; (The premier telecommunication service provider in Sri Lanka), Cargills (Ceylon) Ltd; (Sri lanka’s largest food network) and Nawaloka Hospitals Ltd; (Asia’s largest and most trusted healthcare hospital). The end of the war has put Sri Lanka on the radar of global companies as a country with attractive investment proposition opportunities. As the issuances of shares by resident companies to foreign investors are permitted in terms of a general permission, many resident companies have issued their shares to foreign investors. They include; Lanka IOC; (75% of shares owned by Indian Oil Corporation) and Millenium IT; (Shares were bought by London Stock Exchange). General Partnerships A General Partnership is the most simplistic type of legal structure designed for the situation in which two or more people are collaborating in some type of business activity. The entities involved in a partnership can be individuals, corporations, or trusts. General partnerships are usually started with good friends or family. Starting up a new business is a huge risk and gigantic leap of faith. People who open up general partnerships need to trust each other and work well together. Even if the business does not need a lot of assets to start or operate, still it needs a lot of money to open up a business. General partnerships allow more than one individual to carry the financial burden. This is ideal and makes a business much easier to open. By default, the profits and losses generated by a General Partnership are shared equally among its partners. However, typically a partnership agreement is created to further define the rights, responsibilities, and duties of each partner, as well as the terms of perpetuity if one of the partners withdrawals from the partnership. Financial responsibility is shared equally among the partners, with each partner jointly and severally liable for all business debts and obligations which means that the partners are jointly liable for any and all legal claims against any of the partners. The taxation of a General Partnership is calculated at the individual level. General partnerships can be less expensive to form with a limited start up cost and it has a shared financial commitment, which can be consider as main advantages of this business type. Also it requires less paperwork and formalities which encourage people to form their businesses as general partnerships. General partnerships can thrive when each partner brings a specific strength to the business. If each partner takes on a defined role and there is general agreement on the business plan, goals, and visions from the outset, a partnership can be advantageous. Work can get done more quickly, and having several partners involved will increase the potential of acquiring resources and attracting backers. In the end, the success of such an endeavor depends largely on the personalities of the parties involved. General partnerships offer members the advantages of shared risk and total control over the transactions of the business. One of the most significant benefits of a General Partnership is simplified tax filing, since no corporate forms or double taxation is required. As a pass-through tax entity, this form of business pays no direct tax instead its individual owners carry the tax burden However, the wide array of disadvantages of a General Partnership is what makes it arguably one of the worst organizational business structures available. Because of the lack of corporate structure, a General Partnership does not establish any kind of separate business entity from the partners. This means that the partners are totally unprotected from any litigation against the business, and their personal assets can be seized at any time to cover the unmet obligations of the business. Even worse, each partner is liable for the actions of the others on behalf of the business. So if one of the partners was to execute an agreement without the knowledge of the others, each partner would become equally obligated to the terms of that agreement. The same is true for credit obligations. If any of the partners secure credit on behalf of the business, each partner would become equally obligated to the terms of that debt. In addition, without a Partnership Agreement, there is no guarantee of perpetuity for a General Partnership if one of the partners dies, becomes disabled, or withdrawals from the business. For these and other reasons, general partnership agreements should be drawn up carefully with legal counsel, and signed by all partners. Additionally, there should be a means in place of dissolving the partnership in the case of death, disability, or if one partner should want out of the business for any other reason, personal or professional. Sri Lanka, as a country with low individual income, general partnership would be an idle business type because it gives you pool of resources and financial encouragement to start a new business. Since family businesses are very famous in Sri Lanka, anyone can get together with his family and friends to form the business. Since each partner has a vital contribution to the business, skills and abilities of them will guide the business to success. There are several businesses in Sri Lanka, engaged in all types of sectors such as; grocery, pharmacy, restaurant, book shop and laundry; which can be categorized into general partnership business type. Sri Lankan government has identified the importance of general partnership businesses, in terms of their contribution to the country’s development. So the government is encouraging this business community, to develop their businesses, by providing necessary financial aids, resources, equipment and guidance. How to cite Legal Forms of Business in Sri Lanka, Papers

Legal Forms of Business in Sri Lanka Free Essays

Introduction A business also called a company, enterprise or firm is a legally recognized organization, designed to provide goods and services to consumers. According to the purpose of the business, ownership of the business and nature of economic contribution of the business; the business can fall into one of the three standard sectors. There are; private sector, public sector and nonprofit sector. We will write a custom essay sample on Legal Forms of Business in Sri Lanka or any similar topic only for you Order Now The part of the economy concerned with providing basic government services is called public sector. In most countries the public sector includes such services as the military, public transit, primary education and healthcare. Their aim is to give service to the people and less emphasis is made on profit making. Public cooperation is the widely known type of public sector business entity. The non-profit sector is derived with organizations that do not distribute their surplus funds to owners or shareholders, but instead use them to help pursue their goals. Examples include charitable organizations, trade unions, and public arts organizations. In private sector, businesses are financed and controlled by individuals or private institutions, such as companies, stockholders, or investment groups. These businesses run for private profit and they are not controlled by the state or the government. There are many types of business entities defined in the private sector and authorized by the legal systems of various countries. These legal forms of business include; †¢ Sole Proprietorship †¢ Partnership (General Partnership, Limited Partnership and Joint Venture) †¢ Corporation (C Corporation and S Corporation) †¢ Limited Liability Company (Private and Public) These legal forms have been derived according to their Source of the capital, Value of capital investment, Nature of ownership, Number of owners, Nature of liability and many other factors. Each legal form has its own advantages as well as disadvantages. When making a decision about the type of business to form, there are several criteria you need to evaluate based on advantages and disadvantages of above mentioned legal forms. The most important fact is cost of formation of the business and cost of ongoing administration. This includes cost of record-keeping and paperwork, as well as the costs associated with administrative requirements. Legal liability is the next thing to be considered and it defines to what extent the owner need to be insulated from legal liability. Based on the individual situation and goals of the business owner, he has to consider what the available tax implications are because it is also an important factor. Finally the owner has to think about the future needs and whether the legal forms support flexibility feature. Sri Lanka Company Act, No. 7 of 2007 and Company Act, No. 17 of 1982 have defined Sri Lanka legal forms of organizations, which can be the choices for Sri Lankan business community when forming a new business. Legal Forms of business in Sri Lanka include; †¢ Sole Proprietorship †¢ Limited Liability Company (Private and Public) †¢ General Partnership Sole Proprietorship A sole proprietorship also known as a sole trader is a type of business entity which is owned and run by one individual and where there is no legal distinction between the owner and the business. Sole proprietorships are forms of business ownership that mingle the owner’s rights, liabilities and responsibilities with the business’ rights, liabilities and responsibilities. Regardless of the state of the business, the procedures we need to follow to form a sole proprietorship are fairly simple, and do not even require an attorney, accountant, or business consultant. There are no legal requirements for establishing a sole proprietorship, other than obtaining the necessary local business license and permit. As the sole proprietor, owner has the full control and responsibility for the business and its operation and he makes all the decisions. With this type of business entity, owner has complete freedom over operating the business, because he is responsible for all transactions and activities occur in the business. All assets of the business are owned by the owner and all profits and all losses accrue to him. He is personally responsible for all debts of the business and must pay them from his personal resources. This means that the owner has unlimited personal liability for the business. Also, owner is less burdened by government restrictions and control, and he has less to do in terms of reporting and taxes. The main advantage of a sole proprietorship is that they are easy to start up and to close. The reason is, they are less expensive and also subject to fewer regulations compared to other types of businesses. Since the owner has full autonomy with regard to business decisions, sole proprietorship businesses are easy and inexpensive to discontinue. The second advantage is that the owner can take all the profits of the business and there is no profit sharing. This may be the most significant motivation for most businesses to become sole proprietorship type. At the same time, all losses accrue to the owner and he does not have the tension regarding conflicts among the partners as there are no partners. In sole proprietorship business type, the owner of the organization pays self employment taxes on the profits made. It makes tax filing much simpler and hence this can be considered as another advantage for sole proprietorship business type. Since this is not a corporation; it does not pay corporate taxes. The remarkable disadvantage of the sole proprietorship is that the sole trader will likely have a hard time with raising capital since he has to make up for all the business’s funds. He may have to use his own money or personal loan for the business. The next disadvantage is; the owner of the business has unlimited liability as he is responsible for the business’s debts. As the business grows, the risks accompanying the business also tend to grow, and if the business is sued, owner and his personal assets are at risk. Sole proprietorship business type is very prominent in Sri Lanka, may be because form of the business is very straightforward. As a third world country with low rate of individual income, starting up a business with low capital is a very convenient factor for any Sri Lankan business person who is thinking of having an own business. There several home based business running in Sri Lanka such as; groceries, stationary shops, pharmacies, fashion stores and they can be categorized as sole proprietorship business, because they are owned by single person. Freelance writers, copy editors, photographers and craftspeople also have chosen to run their businesses as a sole proprietorship. Sri Lankan government has identified the importance of sole proprietorship businesses, in terms of their contribution to the country’s development. So the government is encouraging this business community, to develop their businesses, by providing necessary financial aids, resources, equipment and guidance. Since Sri Lana is based on an agricultural economy, we can encourage more farmers to form their own sole proprietorship businesses to sell their goods, and this will reduce the terrible effects occurring from the intermediate business people. If farmers can sell their goods directly to consumers, they may be able to get full profit and it will encourage them to develop their business. This will ultimately lead to a high development in Sri Lanka’s economy as well as society. Limited liability Companies (LLC) A Limited Liability Company (LLC) is a type of business organization that combines some aspects of a corporation with those of a sole proprietorship or partnership. The primary characteristic a LLC shares with a corporation is limited liability; that is personal liability of company’s members for the business’s debts is limited. The primary characteristic LLC share with a partnership is the availability of pass-through income taxation; that is LLC is not taxed as a separate entity. Forming a LLC may not be as simple as a sole-proprietorship; however, the process is much less than a corporation. There are two main actions: †¢ Articles of Organization: Have to file articles of organization with the secretary of province and pay the required fees. Articles may be prepared by a lawyer. An LLC business entity may be file as a corporation, partnership or sole proprietorship in terms of tax return. †¢ Operating Agreement: Have to develop an operating agreement which helps to define the company profit sharing, ownership, responsibilities, and ownership changes An LLC may have one or more owners, and may have different classes of owners. If the LLC has a single member, it will be disregarded as separate from its owner, and will be treated as a sole proprietorship or a division of its owner, unless it elects to be taxable as a corporation. An LLC that is filed for taxation as a partnership can achieve both conduit tax treatment and limited liability protection under civil law and a LLC filed for taxation as a partnership does not have the ownership restrictions. An LLC is typically managed by its members, unless the members agree to have a manager handle the LLC’s business affairs. LLCs do not issue stock and are not required to hold annual meetings or keep written minutes. Generally, members of an LLC that are taxed as a partnership may agree to share the profits and losses in any manner. Members of an LLC receive profits and losses in the same manner as shareholders of a corporation. In general, all the owners and members are shielded from individual liability for debts and obligations of the LLC. The main advantage of LLC is that owners of the LLC have the liability protection of a corporation because it exists as a separate entity much like a corporation. Also members do not hold personally liable for debts unless they have signed a personal guarantee, and this is a great relief for all the members. LLC can select varying forms of distribution of profits, unlike a common partnership where the split is 50-50. Hence flexible profit distribution is another advantage of LLC. The LLC business structure requires no corporate minutes or resolutions and is easier to operate. This can be pointed out as the next advantage of LLC. All the LLC business losses, profits, and expenses flow through the company to the individual members. So, it avoids the double taxation of paying corporate tax and individual tax. Generally, this flow through taxation will be a tax advantage. The most significant disadvantage of LLC is the limited life time of business. A LLC is dissolved when a member dies or undergoes bankruptcy whereas corporations can live forever. Business owners with plans to take their company public, or issuing employee shares in the future, may be not best served by choosing a LLC business structure, because going public is bit complicated with LLC. So this can be again a vital disadvantage of LLC structure. Running a sole-proprietorship or partnership will have less paperwork and complexity compared to LLC. So this added complexity also can be pointed out as a disadvantage of LLC structure. There are two major types of companies operating with limited liability status in Sri Lanka. ? Private Limited Companies ? Public Limited Companies Private Limited Companies A Private Limited Company, theoretically also refer to a private company limited by guarantee, is a type of company incorporated under the laws of England in certain Commonwealth countries. Private limited companies are required to have the suffix â€Å"Limited† (often written â€Å"Ltd† or â€Å"Ltd. â€Å") or â€Å"Incorporated† (â€Å"Inc. â€Å") as part of their name. It has shareholders, but its shares may not be offered to the general public. This means that shares are usually sold to family, friends and business contacts. The liability of the shareholders to creditors of the company is limited to the capital originally invested; that is to the nominal value of the shares and any premium paid in return for the issue of the shares by the company. A shareholder’s personal assets are thereby protected in the event of the company’s insolvency, but money invested in the company will be lost. Most companies, particularly small companies, are private limited companies. One of the main advantages of Private Limited Company is, they are easy to set up because; the shares are sold among family, friends and business contacts. Limited liability is another advantage of a Private Limited Company. The shareholder’s liability is limited to the value of the shares held by them. If things go wrong for the business, personal assets of a shareholder cannot be used to pay off the debts. Since boards of directors are usually the main share holders, the ownership and the control are closely connected. Therefore decisions can be taken more quickly and this can be pointed out as another advantage. A Private Limited Company has a separate legal existence. This means that properties will be owned by the company itself and all contracts would be signed on its behalf. The directors and secretary can only act as agents. Therefore the company is not dissolved on the resignation, bankruptcy or death of a director which is a vital advantage of Private Limited Company. The company can be dissolved only by winding up, liquidation or order of the Registrar of Companies or by the Court. When we think about advantages, tax benefits of Private Limited Company are also can be considered. The directors of the company are required to pay income tax but the company pays corporation tax on company profits which is one rate of tax only and averages out at much less than if income tax were paid on the profits. Though Private Limited Company has many advantages, there are some disadvantages which often deter small- and medium-sized business owners from setting up private limited companies. Many Private Limited Companies are very profitable. Unfortunately, these profits can become diluted because they must be evenly distributed among all shareholders, and many Private Limited Companies have up to 50 shareholders. So this becomes the major disadvantage of Private Limited Company. The next point that can be a vital disadvantage is shareholders in a Private Limited Company are not able to sell or transfer their shares to the general public. The 50 or so shareholders that comprise a Private Limited Company must keep their shares and cannot trade them on any stock exchange. A Private Limited Company can be quite complex to create, meaning that lawyers and accountants almost always need to be involved in the Private Limited Company from the start. This can be costly and hence a disadvantage. The importance of Private Limited Companies in Sri Lankan economy over the last 15 years has been tremendous. The opening up of Sri Lankan economy has led to free inflow of investments along with modern cutting edge technology, which increased the importance of Private Limited Companies in Sri Lankan economy considerably. Previously, the Sri Lankan market was ruled by the government enterprises but the scene in Sri Lankan market changed as soon as the markets were opened for investments. This saw the rise of the Sri Lankan private sector companies, which prioritized customer’s need and speedy service. Most of the pioneering businesses in today’s Sri Lankan business world are categorized as Private Limited Companies. Some of the best examples are Richard Pieris Company PLC; (One of the largest and most successful diversified business conglomerate), Abans Group – Abans Private Limited; (Represent world famous brands of household items), Singer (Sri Lanka) PLC; (Household durable company), ODEL (PVT) LTD; (Sri Lanka’s foremost fashion gallery). Private Limited Companies are often considered the Sri Lanka’s version of limited liability companies. This may be because; for many years, forming businesses with the family and friends has been a custom of Sri Lankans. There are many examples such as Perera and Sons (PVT) LTD; (One of Sri Lanka’s foremost baker and caterer), H. Don Carolis Sons (PVT) LTD; (Manufacturers of fine hand crafted wooden furniture), Ebert Silva Touring Co. Ltd; (pioneering Company in the travel and tourism industry) . These are consider as successful family businesses and categorized under Private Limited Company type businesses. To promote private sector domestic investments, the Sri Lanka government has recently brought the bank interest rates down from 20 percent to around 10 percent for borrowings. Public Limited Companies A public limited company (legally abbreviated to plc with or without full stops) is a type of limited liability Company incorporated under the laws of England in certain Commonwealth countries and it is permitted to offer its shares to the public. This means that Shares in a public limited company, can be traded on the Stock Exchange and can be bought by members of the general public. The Capital needed to start a Public Limited Company could come from two different sources; part of the money comes from a loan from the bank, and the rest comes from shares sold to the public, via the stock market. The liability of the shareholders to creditors of the company is limited to the capital originally invested; that is to the nominal value of the shares and any premium paid in return for the issue of the shares by the company. A shareholder’s personal assets are thereby protected in the event of the company’s insolvency, but money invested in the company will be lost. The dividend is paid out using the profits from a PLC. The profit of the public limited company is divided into percentages and is paid out to shareholders. There are many advantages of operating the business as a Public Limited Company, and of registering the company on the stock exchange. For example, equity capital obtained from an initial public offering is considered a permanent form of capital since there is no interest to be paid on the equity, and it is not repayable like debt. Funds generated by a public offering are, therefore, considered a relatively safe form of capital for a business and this can be pointed out as the main advantage of the Public Limited Company type. Going public can also allow a company the freedom and flexibility to spend capital, as it needs to finance its growth and further development, providing a solid financial base on which to build. This will be a vital motivate point for anyone who think to start a new business as Public Limited Company. Many companies use stock and stock option plans as an incentive to attract and retain talented employees. It is increasingly common to recruit and compensate executives with a combination of salary and stock. Stock can be instrumental in attracting and keeping key personnel. Public companies are more likely to receive the attention of major newspapers, magazines and periodicals. The proper use of press releases, interviews or news stories can increase investor awareness, shareholder value, and demand for the stock, sales and revenue. Once a company becomes public it has to disclose so much information to public on regular intervals. This includes share holding pattern, quarterly and annual financial statements, profiles of directors etc. So it can be pointed out as one of the disadvantage of Public Limited Company. In a Public Limited Company decisions take time is too long and it also can be a disadvantage. This is because implementation of any key decision is subjected to the approval by the board of directors elected by share holders. Shareholders in public companies expect a steady stream of income from dividends, which might mean that the business has to concentrate on short term objectives of creating a profit and this may be a vital disadvantage because it might be better to work on longer term objectives, such as growth and investment. The most significant disadvantage Public Limited Company has is the threat of takeover. This is because they are traded publicly and another company can buy up a large number of shares and they can then persuade other shareholders to join with them to vote in a new management team. The Sri Lankan stock market has become quite vibrant and booming, particularly as a result of the end of the war, and this was a vivid point for growth of Public Limited Companies. New companies made their public offerings and were oversubscribed during the first day itself. There is considerable demand for company shares in the market and we can see many giants companies have turned into Public Limited Companies. These companies represent banking, finance, insurance, healthcare, telecommunication, food, beverage and so many other sectors. Most important examples are; Commercial Bank of Ceylon Ltd; (Adjudged as the best bank in Sri Lanka), Janashakthi Insurance; (3rd largest general insurance company in Sri Lanka), Sri Lanka Telecom Ltd; (The premier telecommunication service provider in Sri Lanka), Cargills (Ceylon) Ltd; (Sri lanka’s largest food network) and Nawaloka Hospitals Ltd; (Asia’s largest and most trusted healthcare hospital). The end of the war has put Sri Lanka on the radar of global companies as a country with attractive investment proposition opportunities. As the issuances of shares by resident companies to foreign investors are permitted in terms of a general permission, many resident companies have issued their shares to foreign investors. They include; Lanka IOC; (75% of shares owned by Indian Oil Corporation) and Millenium IT; (Shares were bought by London Stock Exchange). General Partnerships A General Partnership is the most simplistic type of legal structure designed for the situation in which two or more people are collaborating in some type of business activity. The entities involved in a partnership can be individuals, corporations, or trusts. General partnerships are usually started with good friends or family. Starting up a new business is a huge risk and gigantic leap of faith. People who open up general partnerships need to trust each other and work well together. Even if the business does not need a lot of assets to start or operate, still it needs a lot of money to open up a business. General partnerships allow more than one individual to carry the financial burden. This is ideal and makes a business much easier to open. By default, the profits and losses generated by a General Partnership are shared equally among its partners. However, typically a partnership agreement is created to further define the rights, responsibilities, and duties of each partner, as well as the terms of perpetuity if one of the partners withdrawals from the partnership. Financial responsibility is shared equally among the partners, with each partner jointly and severally liable for all business debts and obligations which means that the partners are jointly liable for any and all legal claims against any of the partners. The taxation of a General Partnership is calculated at the individual level. General partnerships can be less expensive to form with a limited start up cost and it has a shared financial commitment, which can be consider as main advantages of this business type. Also it requires less paperwork and formalities which encourage people to form their businesses as general partnerships. General partnerships can thrive when each partner brings a specific strength to the business. If each partner takes on a defined role and there is general agreement on the business plan, goals, and visions from the outset, a partnership can be advantageous. Work can get done more quickly, and having several partners involved will increase the potential of acquiring resources and attracting backers. In the end, the success of such an endeavor depends largely on the personalities of the parties involved. General partnerships offer members the advantages of shared risk and total control over the transactions of the business. One of the most significant benefits of a General Partnership is simplified tax filing, since no corporate forms or double taxation is required. As a pass-through tax entity, this form of business pays no direct tax instead its individual owners carry the tax burden However, the wide array of disadvantages of a General Partnership is what makes it arguably one of the worst organizational business structures available. Because of the lack of corporate structure, a General Partnership does not establish any kind of separate business entity from the partners. This means that the partners are totally unprotected from any litigation against the business, and their personal assets can be seized at any time to cover the unmet obligations of the business. Even worse, each partner is liable for the actions of the others on behalf of the business. So if one of the partners was to execute an agreement without the knowledge of the others, each partner would become equally obligated to the terms of that agreement. The same is true for credit obligations. If any of the partners secure credit on behalf of the business, each partner would become equally obligated to the terms of that debt. In addition, without a Partnership Agreement, there is no guarantee of perpetuity for a General Partnership if one of the partners dies, becomes disabled, or withdrawals from the business. For these and other reasons, general partnership agreements should be drawn up carefully with legal counsel, and signed by all partners. Additionally, there should be a means in place of dissolving the partnership in the case of death, disability, or if one partner should want out of the business for any other reason, personal or professional. Sri Lanka, as a country with low individual income, general partnership would be an idle business type because it gives you pool of resources and financial encouragement to start a new business. Since family businesses are very famous in Sri Lanka, anyone can get together with his family and friends to form the business. Since each partner has a vital contribution to the business, skills and abilities of them will guide the business to success. There are several businesses in Sri Lanka, engaged in all types of sectors such as; grocery, pharmacy, restaurant, book shop and laundry; which can be categorized into general partnership business type. Sri Lankan government has identified the importance of general partnership businesses, in terms of their contribution to the country’s development. So the government is encouraging this business community, to develop their businesses, by providing necessary financial aids, resources, equipment and guidance. How to cite Legal Forms of Business in Sri Lanka, Papers