Part of the 'Clarendon Law Series' this volume offers a concise introduction to company law. It sets out the five key functions of company law, as well as examining how to maximise the benefits whilst minimising the costs of creating a company.

The history of incorporations legislation and its administration is intimately tied to changes in social beliefs in respect to the role and purpose of the corporation. By studying the evolution of the corporate form in Britain and a number of its colonial possessions, the book illuminates debates on key concepts including the meanings of laissez faire, freedom of commerce, the notion of corporate responsibility and the role of the state in the regulation of business. In doing so, A Social History of Company Law advances our understanding of the shape, effectiveness and deficiencies of modern regulatory regimes, and will be of much interest to a wide circle of scholars.

The Core Text series takes the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing a reliable and invaluable guide for students of law at all levels. Written by leading academics and renowned for their clarity, these concise texts explain the intellectual challenges of each area of the law. Company Law gives a clear and authoritative account of key principles, covering all of the essential concepts in a way that demystifies this complex area of law without oversimplification. The text also includes valuable coverage of corporate governance and theory, including the current debates surrounding these areas. Company Law provides the perfect balance between depth, concision, and accessibility. Digital formats and resources This edition is available for students and institutions to purchase in a variety of formats. The e-book offers a mobile experience and convenient access along with functionality tools, navigation features, and links that offer extra learning support: www.oxfordtextbooks.co.uk/ebooks

Employing a practical and contextual approach, this student textbook covers developments in the self-regulation of corporate governance, which is becoming global due to the activities of the OECD and World Bank.

This book advances a real entity theory of company law, in which the company is a legal entity which acts autonomously in law, and company law establishes procedures facilitating autonomous organisational decision-making. The theory builds on the insight that organisations or firms are a social phenomenon outside of the law and that these are autonomous actors in their own right. They are more than the sum of the contributions of their participants and they act independently of the views and interests of their participants. This occurs because human beings change their behaviour when they act as members of a group or an organisation; in a group we tend to develop and conform to a shared standard, and when we act in organisations habits, routines, processes, and procedures form and a culture emerges. These take on a life of their own affecting the behaviour of the participants. Participants can affect organisational behaviour but this takes time and effort. Company law finds this phenomenon and supplies it with a structure supporting autonomous action by organisations. The real entity theory advanced in this book explains company law as it stands at a positive level. Legal personality overcomes the problems that organisations are social rather than brute facts and that there is no unique physical manifestation permanently associated with an organisation. The corporate constitution is not a contract - it is best characterised as an instrument adopted on a statutory basis through private action. Shareholders cannot limit the capacity of companies or the authority of the board to bind the company in contract and companies are liable in tort and crime. The statute creates roles for shareholders, directors, a company secretary, and auditors and so facilitates a process leading to organisational action. The law also integrates the interests of creditors and stakeholders.

Have you ever wondered why the government is very often rebuked by the courts? What can be the influencing power of big businesses on the government of the day? How do the courts impact the businesses by their judgments? What can a small change in government policy do to the entire business environment of the country? Why contract enforcement still remains a sore point in India? How does the bureaucracy play a vital link between the political masters and businesspersons? What harm can a whimsical judge do to the legal environment and how can it dampen the morale of the people? Lawfully Yours focuses on the interplay between business, government and law. It is from the perspective of an observer interested primarily in doing business legally and ethically as profit-making ought to be incidental and not the sole goal of doing business. It reveals how and why the external forces of the government and the law impact a businessperson's decision-making. The subjects discussed include business, judiciary, legal system, politics, world trade and infrastructure. Devoid of technical jargon, it uses simple language to drive home important and interesting concepts and points for the reader.