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2. Limited Liability
This is the biggest attraction of companies. If you buy shares worth ₹10,000 in a
company, your maximum loss is limited to that amount. Creditors cannot touch your
personal house, car, or jewelry. This protection gives people confidence to invest.
3. Perpetual Succession
The company never “dies” even if its shareholders change, retire, or die. The law
gives it eternal life. For example, Tata Steel was started in 1907, and even though its
founders are no longer alive, the company is still running.
4. Large Capital
Companies raise funds by issuing shares to the public. This allows them to collect
huge amounts of money that no individual or small group could arrange. That’s why
large projects like railways, airlines, or telecom can only be run by companies.
5. Transferability of Shares
In public companies, shareholders can freely buy and sell shares in the stock market.
This gives liquidity (easy entry and exit), making investment attractive.
6. Separation of Ownership and Management
The owners (shareholders) are usually very large in number and cannot run the
company directly. So they elect a Board of Directors to manage it. This separation
ensures professional management, but sometimes it creates conflicts between
owners and managers.
7. Regulation and Formalities
Unlike partnerships, companies face strict rules under the Companies Act. They must
register, publish accounts, hold meetings, and follow government regulations. While
this brings transparency, it also makes them more complicated and expensive to run.
8. Artificial Person
A company is called an “artificial person.” It cannot eat, sleep, or walk, but in the
eyes of law, it can do everything a real person can (except activities requiring a
natural body).
In short: A joint stock company is like a giant machine that never stops. It is powerful,
wealthy, and long-lasting – but it also requires many rules, paperwork, and regulations.
Partnership vs. Joint Stock Company – The Contrast
To make it even clearer, let’s imagine a comparison like two different “families”:
• Partnership is like a close-knit family business. Small in size, based on trust, simple
to run, but risky because of unlimited liability.
• Company is like a city full of strangers working together under laws. Big in size,
professional in management, safe for investors due to limited liability, but highly
regulated.
Both have their own charm and usefulness. For small to medium businesses, partnerships
are perfect. For large-scale operations, joint stock companies are the only practical option.