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The Legal Concerns Of Modern Business Organization

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Modern businesses operate in a much more complex environment than existed with earlier for-profit organizations. One of those complexities is created by the legal issues surrounding all aspects of operating in today’s world. These legal concerns are often significant, and are a major reason individuals who wish to establish and grow a business must focus on the form of their business organization.

Balancing Different Requirements and Objectives
Whether operating as a one-person bedroom firm or a multi-national business with thousands of employees, there are a host of common issues, concerns and liabilities to consider. For that very large organization, it is virtually a necessity to operate as a legally chartered corporation of some sort. …show more content…

Sorting Out the Options
Generally speaking, the sole proprietorship is the simplest and least expensive form of business structure. However, it provides no protection of the owner’s personal assets from claims, litigation and financial judgments.
On the other hand, a properly chartered and maintained corporation will in most cases protect owners and shareholders against any such actions or liabilities lodged against a business. A more detailed discussion of these various options follows.

Sole Proprietorship
If an owner of a business takes no specific legal action to separate the operations under another entity, they operate by default as a sole proprietorship. This structure has a minimum of forms to file and track, and the profits and losses generated are not separated from the personal income of the owner.
While this form of operation provides no special legal protections for the owners, it does not preclude the development of a separate business identity. Most small businesses will file a “doing business as” form with the local government. This dba allows the use of a business name as an alter ego in the marketplace.
Federal income tax reporting allows the owner of a sole proprietorship to include their earnings or losses with the addition of several forms. In most cases, owners are also liable for filing and paying a self-employment tax. Several special tax-advantaged retirement

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