JOINT STOCK COMPANY Joint Stock Company is the third major form of business organization. It has entirely different organizational structure from sole proprietorship and partnership. There are two advantages of Joint Stock Company. First of all, it enjoys the advantage of increased capital. Secondly, the company offers the protection of limited liability to the investors. The law relating to Joint Stock Company has been laid in Companies Ordinance, 1984, which came into force on January 1, 1985 in Pakistan. DEFINITIONS Following are some important definition of Joint Stock Company: 1. Simple Definition “A company may be defined as an association of persons for the purpose of making profit.” 2. According to Kimball, “A corporation by nature is an artificial person, created or authorized by a legal statue for some specific purpose.” 3. According o S.E. Thomas, “A company is an incorporated association of persons formed usually for the pursuit of some commercial purpose.” Structural Diagram FEATURES OF JOINT STOCK COMPANY Following are the main features of a Joint Stock Company. 1. Creation of Law A joint stock company is the creation of law or special ‘Act’ of the state. It is formed and governed by the Companies Ordinance or by a special Act of the legislature. Pakistani companies are incorporated under the Companies Ordinance, 1984. 2. Capital Borrowing The company can borrow capital in its own name to expand the business. 3. Separate Legal Entity A Joint Stock Company has separate legal entity, apart from its members. It can sue in a court of law in its own name. 4. Legal Person A Joint Stock Company, as a legal person, has the usual rights of any person to carry on the business in its own name, to own property, to borrow or lend money and to enter into contract. 5. Long Life A joint stock company has long life as compared to other forms of business organizations. 6. Limited Liability The liability of the shareholder is limited to the extent of the face value of the shar4es they hold. 7. Large Scale Business Because of more members, a company has larger capital as compared to sole trade ship and partnership, which helps in doing business on large scale. 8. Management of Company The shareholders elect the Board of Directors in the Annual General Meeting and all the management is selected by the Board of Directors. 9. Number of members In case of private limited company, minimum number of shareholders is ‘2’ and maximum is ‘50’; but in case of public limited company, minimum number is ‘7’ and there is no limit for maximum number. 10. Transferability of Shares A shareholder of a company can easily transfer his shares to other persons. There is no restriction on the purchase and sale of shares. 11. Trade Agreement A joint stock company enjoys separate existence, so it can join the trade agreements with other firms in its own name. 12. Purchases and Sale of Property A joint stock company can purchase and sale the property in its own name. 13. Payment of Taxes A joint stock company pays double taxes to the government. 14. Object The basic object of a joint stock company is to earn profit. Whole profit is not distributed among the shareholders. Some portion is transferred to General Reserve for emergencies. 15. Government Control A joint stock company has to comply with the rules of the government. It has to audit its accounts. 16. Easy Mode of Investment The capital of a joint stock company is divided into the shares of small value. So, every person can purchase these shares according to his income and saving. 17. Common Seal Since a company is an artificial person created by law, therefore, it cannot sign documents for itself. The common seal, with the name of the company is used as a substitute for its signature. ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF JOINT STOCK COMPANY ADVATNAGES OF JOINT STOCK COMPANY Following are the advantages of Joint Stock Company: 1. Expansion of Business A joint stock company sells the shares, debentures and bond s on large scale. So, a joint stock company can collect a large amount of capital and can expand its business. 2. Easy Access to Credit A joint stock company can get a huge amount of capital from banks and other institutions. [...]
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