Business
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Business (disambiguation).
"Firm" redirects here. For other uses, see The Firm.
Companies law
Company Business
Business entities
Sole proprietorship Partnership
Corporation Cooperative
European Union / EEA
EEIG SCE SE SPE
UK / Ireland / Commonwealth
Community interest company Limited company by guarantee by shares Proprietary Public Unlimited company
United States
Benefit corporation C corporation LLC Series LLC LLLP S corporation Delaware corporation Delaware statutory trust Massachusetts business trust Nevada corporation
Additional entities
AB AG ANS A/S AS GmbH K.K. N.V. Oy S.A. more
Doctrines
Business judgment rule Corporate governance De facto corporation and corporation by estoppel Internal affairs doctrine Limited liability Piercing the corporate veil Rochdale Principles Ultra vires
Corporate laws
United States Canada United Kingdom Germany France South Africa Australia Vietnam
Related areas
Civil procedure Contract v t e
A business, also known as an enterprise or a firm, is an organization involved in the trade of goods, services, or both to consumers.[1] Businesses are prevalent in capitalist economies, where most of them are privately owned and provide goods and services to customers for profit. Businesses may also be not-for-profit or state-owned. A business owned by multiple individuals may be referred to as a company, although that term also has a more precise meaning[clarification needed].
The etymology of "business" stems from the state of being busy, and implies commercially viable and profitable work. The term "business" has at least three usages, depending on the scope in which it is used. A business can mean a particular organization, while a more generalized usage refers to a particular market sector, i.e. "the music business". Compound forms such as