American Business Formations in the 21st Century

As a manager for your organization, you likely conduct business with numerous companies from different industries and of varying sizes and complexity. And just as you interact with individuals differently based upon their personalities and positions, so too, you conduct business with other companies based upon their different formations. In American business, there are four primary formations: Sole Proprietorships, Partnerships, Franchises, and Corporations. This course examines the specific statutory criteria for each of these distinct business formations. How a business is formed dictates both the rights it has in the eyes of the law and the responsibilities it has towards individuals and other businesses. By understanding these different formations, you as a manager can build successful business relationships.This course presents strategies for conducting business with each kind of business formation and for developing your business through acquisition, joint venture or minority investment. As a manager, you will also be introduced to strategies for avoiding antitrust liability or situations where courts may "pierce the corporate veil."Finally, this course explains the bearing income taxation can have on commercial transactions between different business formations, as well as the impact on organizations when vendors or customers seek bankruptcy protection or voluntarily go out of business. In light of these issues, this course presents strategies that you, as a manager, can proactively use to protect your organization's financial and legal interests.

This course is designed for managers who compete and conduct business with a variety of businesses; whether those businesses are sole proprietorships, partnerships, franchises, or corporations.