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SPECIALIZED FORMS OF ORGANIZATION
The majority of new and small businesses use one of the three major ownership structures just described-the sole proprietorship, partnership, or C corporation. However, other specialized forms of organization are also used by small firms. Five of these alternative merit further consideration: the limited partnership, the S corporation, the limited liability company, the professional corporation, and the nonprofit corporation.
THE LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
The limited partnership is a special form of partnership involving at least one general partner and one or more limited partners. The general partner remains personally liable for the debts of the business, but ,limited partners have limited personal liability as long as they do not take an active role in the management of the partnership. In other words, limited partners risk only the capital they invest in the business. An individual with substantial personal wealth can, therefore, invest money in a limited partnership without exposing his or her personal assets to liability claims that might arise through activities of the business. If a limited partner becomes active in management, however, his or her limited liability is lost. To form a limited partnership, partners must file a certificate of limited partnership with the proper state office, as state law governs this form of organization.
THE S CORPORATION
The designation S corporation, or Subchapter S corporation, is derived from Subchapter S of the Internal Revenue Code, which permits a business to retain the limited liability feature of a C corporation while being taxed as a partnership. To obtain S corporation status, a corporation must meet certain requirements, including the following:
*No more than 100 stockholder are allowed
*All stockholders must be individual or certain qualifying estates and trusts.
*Only one class of stock can be outstanding.
*Fiscally, the corporation must operate on a calendar-year basis.
*Shareholders may not include nonresident a liens.
A restriction preventing S corporation from owning other corporations, including C corporation, has recently been removed, resulting in tax advantages for some small firms. Whereas in the past different businesses had to be legally separate, individual subsidiaries now many consolidate under one S corporation and submit one tax return. However, combining two businesses under one legal entity can create problems. For example, liability is shared, so if one business gets sued or is bogged down in debt, the other will be exposed to that legal or financial risk. And combined businesses are more difficult to market and sell because potential buyers find it hard to distinguish between the two and determine their individual values.