1. Private Limited Company
Forms of Business Ownership

2. What is a Private Limited Company?
A private limited company is where between one and ninety nine people come together and form a business
The owners are called shareholders and they invest money in the company
The profit is divided up among the shareholders and distributed in the form of dividends
“Ltd.” is written after the name of the company
The annual accounts are sent to the Registrar of Companies. They are not published

3. Advantages of a Private Limited Company
Shareholders have limited liability
Extra capital is available to fund expansion of the business
Continuity of existence

4. Disadvantages of a Private Limited Company
Costly to set up
A lot of legal requirements when forming a company
Shares cannot be transferred to the general public

5. Forming a Private Limited Company
Now the company can begin trading
Promoters
Hire…
Certificate of Incorporation
Solicitor
Promoters
Who completes…
Sent to…
Form A1
Memorandum of Association
Articles of Association
Companies Registration Office (CRO)

6. Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer
The owners of the company (1-99)
Shareholders
Elect…
The people elected to run the company (max. 12)
Board of Directors
Appoint…
The MD/CEO runs the company on a daily basis with
the assistance of the department managers
Managing Director/ Chief Executive Officer
IT Manager
Marketing Manager
Finance Manager
Production Manager

7. Forming a Private Limited Company
You need 1 – 99 people who invest money and are shareholders
The people involved in forming a company are called the promoters
The promoters employ:
An accountant – for financial advice
A solicitor – to prepare the legal documents which must be sent to the Companies Registration Office (CRO)

8. What documents must be filled out?
Memorandum of Association – sets out the relationship of the company to the general public, i.e. rules and regulations governing how the company deals with the public
Articles of Association – sets out the internal rules and regulations of the company, e.g. shareholders voting rights, how directors are elected, powers and duties of the directors
Form A1 – sets out the details of the company, it’s directors and their signatures (Declaration of Compliance with the Companies Acts 1963 – 1990)

9. These documents are sent to the Registrar of Companies
The Registrar will check to see if they are all in order
If so, a Certificate of Incorporation is issued
This is the birth certificate of a company
It has a separate legal existence from its owners
The shareholders have limited liability
The company can sue and be sued in its own name

10. Articles of Association Memorandum of Association
Form A1 10

11. Board of Directors
When the company is incorporated it will hold a meeting of its shareholders who elect a board of directors to run the company on a day-to-day basis
They report to the shareholders annually on the performance of the company at the Annual General Meeting (AGM)

12. Summary What is a private limited company?
How do you know if a business is a private limited company?
Can you list three advantages and three disadvantages of operating as a private limited company?
What documents are needed to form a private limited company?
What is the certificate of incorporation?
What do the board of directors do?
What is an AGM?