Types of firms in the Russian economy. Types of firms

How the company will act in the market, what will be its results of its activities depends not only on the size of the company (the amount of resources used), but also on who makes decisions in the company, what goals it pursues and what responsibility it bears. In this regard, all enterprises in a market economy can be divided into:

a) private commercial enterprises;

b) private non-profit enterprises;

c) state enterprises;

d) mixed (private-state) enterprises.

Private business enterprises(organizations) are firms pursuing profit (income) as the main goal of their activities. The activity of such enterprises is determined by the market.

Any private commercial enterprise combines the factors of production - labor, capital, land, entrepreneurship. Therefore, it is important to determine in the interests of the owners of which factor the enterprise operates. From this point of view, firms can be primarily divided into:

Enterprises managed by owners of capital;

Enterprises managed by labor collectives.

In the first case, the owners of the enterprise risk their property invested in this business, hire workers and usually strive to maximize long-term profits. In the second case, enterprises are managed by those who work for them. At the same time, capitalists do not hire workers, but, on the contrary, labor hires capital. Labor collectives can, in particular, attract bank loans and lease the means of production. At the same time, interest is paid on the capital used. The purpose of the activity of such enterprises is to obtain the maximum residual income (revenue minus all expenses except wages) for all members of the workforce.

The organizational and legal forms of an enterprise managed by employees may be different. One of them - production cooperative. This is an association of citizens on the basis of membership for the joint conduct of any economic activity based on their personal labor participation and the pooling of property shares.

The transfer of enterprises under the control of labor collectives is a very widespread socialist idea. However, until now, such enterprises have not become widespread, probably due to insufficient receptivity to the introduction of scientific and technological progress. The fact is that technical innovations often require the replacement of labor by capital, i.e. reduction in employment, which is unacceptable for firms run by workers. Excessive employment hinders the development of such firms.

In a market economy, most goods and services are produced by private commercial enterprises managed by owners of capital. At the same time, however, labor collectives are quite widely involved (especially in European countries) in solving certain issues of managing firms, primarily related to social sphere- organization and conditions of work and leisure, career growth of employees, etc.

Private non-profit (non-profit) enterprises(organizations) - enterprises that do not pursue profit as the main goal of their activities. The latter does not mean that such enterprises cannot make a profit at all. They are created to satisfy any public needs, and the extraction of profit by them is interpreted by law, not as the main, but as a concomitant goal. At the same time, unlike commercial firms, non-profit enterprises do not have the right to distribute the profits received among their founders. Private non-profit enterprises are consumer cooperatives, public and religious organizations, charitable foundations, etc. Often, educational and medical institutions, recreation centers, etc. operate in the form of such enterprises.

State enterprises can be both commercial and non-commercial. Typically, the activities of such enterprises are determined not only by the market, but also by political decisions. A striking Russian example is, of course, Gazprom. Which country should turn off the gas, and which one does not need it yet, who should raise the price, and who should be given a discount - such decisions are made at the highest state level in our country. Often, “gas solutions” are designed to influence the results of elections in a particular country (for example, in Ukraine) or to punish a country that has elected the wrong leaders from the Kremlin’s point of view (for example, Georgia).

Subsequent topics in this textbook will consider the activities of private business enterprises, managed by owners of capital, as playing a leading role in a market economy. They can have the following organizational and legal forms: individual enterprise, general partnership, limited partnership, limited liability company, additional liability company, joint-stock company.

Individual enterprise created by a citizen who entrepreneurial activity as an individual entrepreneur. Such an entrepreneur is liable for his obligations with all his property.

General partnership- a partnership, the participants of which are engaged in entrepreneurial activities on behalf of the partnership and are jointly and severally liable for its obligations with their property.

Limited partnership(limited partnership) - a partnership in which, along with participants engaged in entrepreneurial activities on behalf of the partnership and bearing joint and several liability for its obligations with their property, there are one or more contributors (limited partners). The latter are not engaged in entrepreneurial activity and bear the risk of losses only within the limits of their deposits.

Society with limited liability - a company whose authorized capital is divided into shares. Members of the company are not liable for its obligations and bear the risk of losses only to the extent of the value of their contributions.

Additional Liability Company- differs from the previous one in that the liability of the participants is not limited to the value of the contributions, but also extends to the rest of the property of the members of the company.

Joint-stock company(JSC) - society, authorized capital which is divided into certain number shares. JSC participants (shareholders) are not liable for its obligations and bear the risk of losses only to the extent of the value of their contributions.

In terms of size, enterprises are divided into small, medium and large. According to the Law "On the development of small and medium-sized businesses in the Russian Federation", adopted in July 2007 and amended by the Government Decree of July 25, 2008, micro-enterprises include firms with no more than 15 employees and an annual revenue of up to 60 million rubles. , to small enterprises - firms that employ no more than 100 people and whose revenue does not exceed 400 million rubles, and to medium enterprises - firms with employment of up to 250 people and revenues of up to 1 billion rubles.

The importance of small businesses is growing significantly in the modern economy. Such enterprises stimulate competition, ensure the diversification of the economy, solve the problem of employment at the regional level, and expand the country's export opportunities. Critical importance at the present stage of scientific and technological progress, they have such characteristics of a medium-sized business as high mobility, the ability to innovate, and the satisfaction of individual needs. This gives small businesses a competitive advantage over larger and therefore more sluggish firms.

This is constantly pointed out by leading foreign economists. Here are some authoritative opinions. Harvard Business School Professor M. Porter: “The concept of national leaders died with General Motors – no one believes in it. The heart of the economy is small mobile companies". E. Toffler in the book "Revolutionary Wealth": "Now there is a transition to a microeconomics based on small business and individual needs."

It is no coincidence that in Central Europe and the Baltic countries, as well as in Western countries, the share of small and medium-sized businesses in the economy is constantly growing, and by now these enterprises produce 50-80% of GDP.

Growing very fast small business and in Russia, although in international comparison this segment remains insignificant in our country. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Economic Development, by the beginning of 2007, small business generated 15-17% of GDP in our country. The number of registered small enterprises at the same time exceeded 1 million, having increased by 5.5% over the year, and the number of employees in small businesses reached 8.58 million people, having increased by 6.7%. This number does not include 2.9 million individual entrepreneurs working without forming a legal entity.

The development of small businesses in our country is constrained by a number of problems. The most important of them are administrative barriers and corruption. This is evidenced by the World Bank's report published in November 2010, dedicated to the conditions for doing small and medium-sized businesses in 183 countries - Doing business-2011. The report analyzes in detail the barriers to business in each country and presents a ranking showing how well a country has succeeded in creating a favorable business environment.

The country's place in the ranking is determined by nine indicators: registration and liquidation of enterprises, registration of property, obtaining building permits, investor protection, etc. The report is recognized as the most authoritative assessment of the business climate for small enterprises in the countries surveyed.

In the top five leading countries, where the most comfortable conditions for business are Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. In comparison with the previous year, Russia lost 7 positions in the rating, dropping to 123rd place. The reason in this case is not that we are not doing anything to improve the situation of small businesses (there are certain shifts), but that we are lagging behind many other countries in terms of the pace of positive transformations in this area.

Indeed, by the beginning of 2008, according to the Ministry of Economic Development, there were 20 million inspections per 1 million small firms in our country annually. At the same time, one enterprise could be checked on the same grounds several dozen times during the year. According to the estimates of OPORA Russia 1, enterprises' expenses related to inspections have reached 10% of their revenues.

According to expert estimates, the removal of bureaucratic barriers will allow our country to double the share of small businesses in GDP in five to six years and add 1.6% to its annual growth.

Lack of funding is another key problem for small businesses in Russia. Small businesses do not have assets suitable as collateral for loans. Venture financing is still in its infancy. According to the estimates of the Ministry of Economic Development, the need for small and medium-sized businesses in loans is estimated at 750-800 billion rubles. By the beginning of 2008, banks met this need by no more than 20%.

Urgent positive changes are needed in such areas as the availability of renting production space, as well as connection to infrastructure facilities (housing, electricity, gas). AT last years these problems were supplemented by a shortage of qualified personnel and the difficulties of small innovative enterprises with the commercialization of their developments.

The sectoral structure of small Russian enterprises also does not meet modern requirements: 72% of their revenue comes from trade and services. At the same time, only 2.5% of innovative enterprises operate in the field of small business. The government sets the task of overcoming the "trade bias" in the development of small businesses in favor of the accelerated growth of enterprises engaged in housing and communal services, education, healthcare and innovation.

In an attempt to improve the situation of small businesses, the government has focused on reducing the administrative barriers to its development by eliminating the inefficient system state supervision. In December 2008, in the spirit of the task set by President Dmitry Medvedev “not to nightmare business”, a new law “On the protection of the rights legal entities and individual entrepreneurs in the exercise of state and municipal control”.

The law radically reduces the number of inspections of small businesses. According to the plan, one enterprise can be checked only once every three years, and the check should not take more than 15-50 hours a year. The law also restricts unscheduled inspections and, in general, hinders the willfulness of inspectors when conducting inspections.

The problem, however, is that even the best law will be of little use if it is not enforceable. The initiator of the law, Dmitry Medvedev, notes the presence in the country of a huge number of people "who have long been sitting on the control topic and are used to sucking money out of business under a variety of pretexts." Unfortunately, the social atmosphere in modern Russia does not well prevent the arbitrariness of officials and law enforcement officers closely associated with them. 1 Although, of course, it is better to have a good law, even if not always enforced, than to live without laws at all: here at least there is hope.

Finally, it is important to keep in mind that in order to radically improve the situation with the growth of small and medium-sized businesses, it is not enough just not to interfere with its development by eliminating administrative barriers. A variety of state support programs for small businesses are used all over the world. These include tax incentives, loan guarantees, rent subsidies, etc.

Such measures are applied or planned in Russia. In particular, in April 2009, the annual revenue threshold was doubled, allowing a small business to switch to a preferential simplified taxation system. At the same time, a new simplified procedure for connecting small businesses to the power grid was introduced. Legislative amendments have also been adopted to make it easier for small and medium enterprises to privatize the premises they rent.

In May 2009, the Ministry of Economy presented an ambitious program of economic growth through the development of small and medium businesses. In accordance with it, the total cost of supporting medium-sized businesses in 2009-2012 will amount to. nearly 1 trillion rub. As part of this program, in 2010 the Russian Development Bank allocated about 100 billion rubles to support small and medium-sized enterprises through banks, leasing and factoring companies. In 2011, the volume of the program is proposed to be expanded to 135 billion rubles, thereby increasing it by 30-35%.

The goal will be considered achieved if the share of workers employed by small enterprises increases from 13% in 2008 to 28% in 2012, and the share of products manufactured by these enterprises increases to 32% of GDP by 2012.

In countries with developed market economies, there are the most different types and types of organizations (firms), reflecting various forms and methods of attracting and using capital, doing business.

They can be classified according to a number of criteria:

types of economic activity;

forms of ownership;

quantitative criterion;

in terms of value and location.

In addition, one of the most important classification features is organizational and legal form of organizations (firms).

The classification of organizations is presented in table 1.

Table 1

Firm classification

Classification sign	Types of firms (their products)
I. Kind of activity	Manufacture of personal and industrial goods Production services Research work Domestic services Transportation of goods and population Trade (wholesale, retail) Communication services Financial and credit services Mediation and other services
II. Forms of ownership	1. State Municipal Property of public associations (organizations) Other forms of ownership 1
III. Dimensions
IV. Level of activity regulation	1. Objects of federal importance 2. Objects of regional importance Objects of local importance
V. Organizational and legal forms	see diagram

Regardless of the type, scale or scope of economic activity, all organizations (firms) operate in certain organizational and legal forms provided for by the laws of the respective countries. These forms determine the procedure for establishing an organization (firm), the responsibility and powers of its members, the procedure for reporting and taxation of profits, the structure of management bodies and the procedure for transforming or liquidating a company.

The organizational and legal forms of business structures operating in Russia are established by the Civil Code of the Russian Federation, which enshrines the right to the existence of various organizational and legal forms of commercial organizations that have the rights of legal entities.

Legal entities that are commercial organizations, the main purpose of their activities is to make a profit , but not commercial organizations do not set such a goal (consumer cooperatives, public or religious organizations, charitable foundations financed by the owner of the institution and other forms provided by law).

We will consider commercial organizations.

A detailed classification of the organizational and legal forms of commercial organizations is shown in the diagram:

Let us consider in more detail the main organizational and legal forms of entrepreneurial structures.

Business partnerships and companies commercial organizations are recognized with the authorized capital divided into shares (contributions) of founders (participants). Subdivided into partnerships and society. Associations, in turn, are divided into full and faith partnerships . Business companies are divided into: limited liability companies ,additional liability companies and joint-stock companies (open and closed).

Partnerships are associations of persons based on personal participation in the affairs of the partnership. Everyone has the right to conduct business, representation and administration.

General partnership

Partnership, participants whom (general partners) in accordance with the agreement concluded between them are engaged in entrepreneurial activities on behalf of the partnership and are liable for its obligations not only in the amount of contributions to the authorized capital, but with all their property, i.e. "full", unlimited liability.

It may be founded by at least two persons.

Members are required to participate in its activities.

Due to the contributions of the participants, it is formed share capital(no minimum size).

Profits and losses are distributed in proportion to the participants' shares in the share capital (there may be a different procedure by agreement between the participants).

Limited partnership (limited partnership)

Basically, a limited partnership is similar to a general partnership. But along with full comrades there is one or more members who bear the risk of loss associated with the activities of the association within the limits of their contributions , they do not take part in the implementation of entrepreneurial activities by the partnership.

Limited Liability Company

Limited Liability Company - a capital association company; involves only the addition of capital funds, but not the activities of investors. Management and management is carried out by specially created bodies. A limited liability company is established by one or more legal entities (individuals and legal entities). It cannot be established by another company consisting of one person.

Maximum number of participants 50. Minimum size authorized capital - 100 min. salaries (10,000 rubles). The participation of members of the society in its activities is not necessary, it is enough to make contributions .

Additional Liability Company

Unlike a limited liability company participants also bear additional responsibility for its obligations in the same multiple size for all(determined by the constituent document) to the value of their contributions to the authorized capital.

Joint stock company (open and closed)

In a joint stock company shares (contributions) in the authorized capital are in the form of shares  valuable papers certifying the ownership of a part of the property of the company with all the ensuing consequences. Open JSC have the right to conduct an open subscription for their shares (ie offer them for purchase to an unlimited number of persons), their shares can be freely sold and bought.

Shares of a closed JSC should be distributed only among its founders or a predetermined circle of persons. The minimum authorized capital for an open joint-stock company1000 min. salaries, for closed JSC100 min. salaries. The number of participants in a closed joint-stock company must not exceed the number established by the law on joint-stock companies (currently 50 shareholders-participants), otherwise it is subject to transformation into an open joint-stock company within a year, and after this periodliquidation, if their number does not decrease up to the legal limit.

It is necessary to briefly say about other organizational and legal forms of commercial structures: production cooperatives, state and municipal unitary enterprises(based on the right of economic management and the right of operational management).

Production cooperative

it- an association of citizens for joint economic activities based on their personal labor and other participation. Legal entities may be members of a cooperative as an exception. There must be at least 5 members of the cooperative. The initial property of the cooperative is formed from the share contributions of its members (the minimum amount of contributions is not determined). Its members bear subsidiary responsibility for the obligations of the cooperative in the manner prescribed by the charter. Each member of the cooperative has only one vote, profit is distributed in accordance with the labor participation of its members (and not in proportion to the size of the share of each of the members of the cooperative).

unitary enterprise

A unitary enterprise is a state or municipal enterprise, which is a commercial organization, not endowed with the right of ownership of the property assigned to it by the owner (property is indivisible and cannot be distributed among deposits). Brand Name unitary enterprise must contain an indication of the owner.

Unitary enterprises are of two types:

enterprises based on the right of economic management;

enterprises based on the right of operational management (in this case it is called a federal state enterprise).

Qualitative characteristics of various unitary enterprises are considered in Scheme 2.

The firm in a market economy.

Lectures №5. Company in the system market relations

Lecture plan:

1. Firm in a market economy

2. Types of firms

3. Joint stock companies and features of their functioning

In the conditions of the enterprise market - the firm is a primary, independent entity economic activity. Some own raw materials, others own the means of production, others own capital, fourth have labor resources, and fifth have the gift of entrepreneurship.

Firm - this is an institutional formation in a market economy, designed to coordinate the decisions of the owners of production factors or production resources. Coles 1937 raised this question and tried to answer it. In a market economy, coordination between firms is carried out by the market based on the mechanism of supply and demand. The market forces to act for the benefit of the whole society. Market coordination does not cost society free of charge, but requires certain transaction costs:

1. Costs of searching for information

2. Negotiating

3. Legal support, compliance with contracts and their protection

Firms are cutting costs. When hiring a person for a job, labor contract within the framework of a market economy, on the basis of market relations, but within the firm, market relations do not operate. The "invisible hand" of the market is being replaced by management leadership. Firms arise on the high cost of market relations, and administrative coordination within small, medium-sized firms turns out to be cheaper. Transaction costs also exist within the company - this is primarily due to the requirement for forecasting, stimulation, control, and as the company grows, these costs increase very quickly. At very rapid growth firms, the costs of starting a firm exceed the profits. Optimal size The firm is the one with the lowest transaction costs. If this is not achieved, the firm is too small, then administrative coordination is preferable to market coordination. Merge these firms until the optimal point is passed.

The size depends not only on coordination, but also on the owner of the company.

In this regard, all enterprises are divided into the following components:

1. Private commercial enterprises. The main goal is to make a profit.

2. Private non-profit enterprises. Enterprises that do not pursue profit as their main goal. Making a profit is a secondary goal. Enterprises do not have the right to distribute the profits received among their managers, only for statutory activities. This is usually public organizations, religious, etc. Very often in the form of such enterprises are hospitals, recreation centers.

3. State enterprises. They can be either commercial or non-commercial. As a rule, the activities of such enterprises are determined political decisions and not the market. In a market economy, most goods and services are produced by private and commercial enterprises.

Private and commercial enterprises may take the following forms:

A) an individual enterprise - created by a citizen without education as a legal entity. B) As a rule, such an entrepreneur is liable with all his property.

C) General partnership - they are engaged in entrepreneurial activities and are jointly and severally liable.

D) Command partnership - a partnership based on faith. He is liable for losses within the limits of his contribution.

E) A limited liability company is a statutory company, which is divided into shares. Members of the company are not liable for its obligations and bear the risk of losses only to the extent of the value of their contributions. One of the safest formations of the enterprise.

E) Joint stock company - the authorized capital is divided into shares and participants (shareholders) bear the risk of losses only within the limits of their contributions.

G) Production cooperative - an association of citizens to conduct economic activities based on their personal action on the pooling of their field contributions.

4. Mixed enterprises (public-private)

FOUNDATIONS OF THE MODERN ECONOMY OF THE FIRM

5.1. Firm, its characteristics and types.

5.2. Firm costs. scale effect.

5.3. Firm income.

Firm. One of the main subjects of the economy is the firm. Firm is an economic entity that is engaged in the production and commercial activities and has economic independence (in deciding what, how and in what quantities to produce, where, to whom and at what price to sell their products). The firm pools resources to produce certain economic goods in order to maximize profits.

Forms of organization of economic activity. There are two main forms of organization of economic activity: spontaneous and systematic order, involving the creation of hierarchical structures. These forms of organization determine the division of functions and the coordination of activities between economic agents. In the first case, such coordination is carried out through the market, and in the second - by combining (cooperating) individual actions based on the instructions and orders of the entrepreneur.

The market involves the isolation of the means of production, and the firm - their concentration. In the conditions of the market, indirect methods of control dominate, in the firm - direct ones. The market excludes dictate, it is based on economic incentives; the firm, on the contrary, assumes unity of command, is based on administrative forms of management.

If the market mechanism is efficient enough, then what causes the emergence of firms. According to R. Coase and his followers, the basis of the firm is a bundle of contracts between different owners of factors of production.

Types of contracts:

1. Classic contract is a bilateral contract based on existing legal rules, clearly fixing the terms of the transaction and providing for sanctions in case of non-compliance with these conditions.

2. neoclassical contract- This is a long-term contract under conditions of uncertainty, when it is impossible to foresee all the consequences of the transaction being concluded.

3. Relational (implicit) contract is a long-term mutually beneficial contract in which informal conditions prevail over formal ones.

The nature of the firm. In modern neo-institutional theory, a firm is understood as a coalition of owners of factors of production, interconnected by a network of contracts, as a result of which transaction costs are minimized. The system of contracts is concluded between the owners of certain resources (factors of production).

Resource types:

1. Shared Resources- these are resources, the value of which does not depend on being in a given company: both inside and outside it, they are valued the same.

2. Specific Resources are resources that are more valuable inside the firm than outside.

3. Interspecific Resources- these are complementary resources, the maximum value of which is achieved only in and through this firm.

The basis of the firm is a long-term relationship contract concluded between the owners of interspecific resources. The presence of interspecific and specific resources in the company allows saving transaction costs, and their owners receive - economic profit. This understanding of the nature of the firm allows us to explain the variety of forms of modern firms.

Types of firms. The concept of a firm is not identical to the concept of an enterprise. Company is a separate unit for the production of goods and services. Firm is the organization of economic, entrepreneurial activity. The boundaries of the firm and the enterprise rarely coincide, since modern firms usually consist of more than one enterprise.

In terms of economic organization, the main types of enterprises are privately owned firms and corporations, regulated and state-owned firms, consumer cooperatives, partnerships and self-managed firms. The most common of these are the sole proprietorship, partnerships and corporations.

Private company- a company whose owner independently conducts business in his own interests; manages it, receives all profits (residual income) and is personally liable for all its obligations, i.e. is subject to unlimited liability.

The owner of the classical firm is the central figure with whom the owners of all other resources enter into contracts. Controls the behavior of all other employees of the company. Therefore, he receives all residual income - all profits minus all costs.

Typically, the owner of a classical firm is the owner of the most important interspecific resource (for example, physical or human capital).

Advantages of a private company:

Ease of organization (institution, management);

Freedom of action (not associated with the need for coordination in decision-making);

An economic incentive to receive all profits.

Disadvantages of a privately owned firm:

Limited financial and material resources;

Lack of a developed system of internal specialization of production and management functions;

The existence of unlimited liability (the risk of losing not only the invested capital, but also personal property).

partnership is a firm organized by a number of persons jointly owning and managing the enterprise. Rights are shared between all partners. They supervise each other's activities. In some cases, partnerships with limited liability arise. This means that along with the main participants who are fully responsible for the activities of the company, there are partners whose liability is limited to the amount invested in the business (limited liability).

Partnership Benefits:

Ease of organization and management;

Division of labor and specialization apply;

Opportunity to raise funds to start and continue activities.

Partnership Disadvantages:

Insufficiency of financial resources;

Inconsistency of actions between partners as a result of the division of labor;

Probability of termination of activities as a result of emerging actions between partners.

Corporation is a company that has the form of a legal entity, where the liability of each owner is limited to his contribution to this enterprise. By buying securities (stocks and bonds), individuals become owners of the corporation. Through the securities market, it is possible to quickly attract funds from a huge number of people. Shareholders receive a portion of the income (dividend) and risk only the amount they paid when they bought the shares.

A corporation is a specific type of enterprise that has a form of existence that is different from individuals (legal entity). The corporation exists independently of its owners - shareholders. If they do not like the policies of the corporation, they are free to sell their shares, but are generally unable to liquidate the company.

Corporate benefits:

Deeper specialization;

High probability of attracting highly qualified personnel;

Widespread introduction of the achievements of scientific and technological progress;

Updating the range of products;

relative stability.

Possibility of concentration of large capitals, which allows solving the most complex economic problems;

Limited Liability of Shareholders.

Corporation Disadvantages:

Organizational and financial difficulties of the institution

There is a gap between the ownership function and the management function;

Not all shareholders have sufficient information;

Property rights are diluted and opportunistic behavior becomes more likely;

Double taxation.

Regulated (state) firm. The activities of a number of firms are regulated by the state. In this case, the state imposes restrictions on the amount of profit, i.e. regulates residual income. Such a policy of the state leads to the fact that part of the profit either turns into costs (by increasing wages, additional bonuses), or is given to consumers by reducing the price of products.

The state not only regulates the activities of private firms. A number of firms are owned by the state. State ownership means the absence of rights to freely sell existing powers. Managers state enterprises controlled by the owners (citizens of the state) to a lesser extent than the managers of private companies. The weakening of control opens up wide opportunities for opportunistic behavior and various abuses. The service life of managers is generally longer than in the private sector. They take less risk, care less about profit. The state often underestimates the prices for the products of its enterprises, because the losses can be covered by taxpayers.

Organizational and legal forms of entrepreneurial activity in the Russian Federation. Forms of entrepreneurship in Russian Federation defined in the Civil Code. Participants of relations regulated by civil law are citizens and legal entities. The Russian Federation, constituent entities of the Russian Federation and municipalities may also participate in relations regulated by civil law.

civil law regulates relations between persons engaged in entrepreneurial activity, or with their participation, based on the fact that entrepreneurial activity is an independent activity carried out at one’s own risk, aimed at systematically obtaining profit from the use of property, the sale of goods, the performance of work or the provision of services by persons registered in this capacity in the manner prescribed by law. Citizens have the right to engage in entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity from the moment of state registration as an individual entrepreneur. Individual entrepreneurs - individuals registered in the prescribed manner and carrying out entrepreneurial activities without forming a legal entity, heads of peasant (farmer) households. Other forms of entrepreneurial activity must be registered as legal entities.

legal entity recognized as an organization that owns, manages or operational management separate property and is liable for its obligations with this property, may, on its own behalf, acquire and exercise property and personal non-property rights, bear obligations, be a plaintiff and defendant in court. Legal entities must have an independent balance sheet and (or) estimate. To legal entities, according to Civil Code RF, include: business partnerships and companies; production and consumer cooperatives; state and unitary enterprises; public and religious associations; charitable and other foundations, associations and unions.

Partnership- an association of individuals or legal entities for joint economic activities. A distinction is made between a general partnership and a limited partnership.

Complete a partnership is recognized, the participants of which (general partners), in accordance with the agreement concluded between them, are engaged in entrepreneurial activities on behalf of the partnership and are liable for its obligations with their property. partnership in faith(limited partnership) is a partnership in which, along with participants carrying out entrepreneurial activities on behalf of the partnership and liable for the obligations of the partnership with their property (general partners), there are one or more participants - investors (limited partners) who bear the risk of losses associated with the activity partnerships, within the limits of the amounts of contributions made by them and do not take part in the implementation of entrepreneurial activities by the partnership.

Limited Liability Company(hereinafter - the company) is recognized as created by one or more persons economical society whose authorized capital is divided into shares; members of the company are not liable for its obligations and bear the risk of losses associated with the activities of the company, within the value of their shares in authorized capital society. Company with additional liability a company is recognized, the authorized capital of which is divided into shares; the participants of such a company jointly and severally bear subsidiary liability for its obligations with their property in the same for all multiples of the value of their shares, determined by the charter of the company. In case of bankruptcy of one of the participants, his liability for the obligations of the company is distributed among the other participants in proportion to their contributions, unless a different procedure for the distribution of liability is provided. founding documents society.

joint stock company a company is recognized, the authorized capital of which is divided into a certain number of shares; participants of a joint-stock company (shareholders) are not liable for its obligations and bear the risk of losses associated with the activities of the company, to the extent of the value of their shares. Shareholders who have not fully paid for the shares shall be jointly and severally liable for the obligations of the joint stock company within the limits of the unpaid part of the value of their shares. A company whose shares are distributed only among its founders or other predetermined circle of persons is recognized closed society. Such a company is not entitled to conduct an open subscription for shares issued by it or otherwise offer them for purchase to an unlimited number of persons. A joint-stock company whose members may alienate their shares without the consent of other shareholders is recognized open joint stock company. Such a joint-stock company has the right to conduct an open subscription for shares issued by it and their free sale on the terms established by law and other legal acts.

unitary enterprise a commercial organization is recognized that is not endowed with the right of ownership of the property assigned to it by the owner. In the form of unitary enterprises, only state and municipal enterprises. The property of a unitary enterprise is owned by the Russian Federation, a subject of the Russian Federation or a municipality.

It is necessary to distinguish between commercial organizations and non-commercial ones. non-profit organization is an organization that does not have profit making as the main goal of its activities and does not distribute the profit received among the participants.

Non-Profit Organizations can be created to achieve social, charitable, cultural, educational, scientific and managerial goals, in order to protect the health of citizens, develop physical education and sports, meeting the spiritual and other non-material needs of citizens, protecting the rights, legitimate interests citizens and organizations, resolving disputes and conflicts, providing legal assistance, as well as for other purposes aimed at achieving public benefits.

a) classification of firms in terms of concentration of production;

b) classification of firms from the organizational and legal point of view.

3. Production function and its types.

a) production with one variable factor;

b) production with two variable factors.

Question 1. The concept and economic nature of the firm.

In the most general way, under a firm is understood as an economic entity that is engaged in production activities and has economic independence (in deciding what, how and in what volume to produce, where, to whom and at what price to sell its products).

Firms play a key role in a market economy:

manufacturing activities are mainly carried out by firms. The firm converts inputs into final product. It optimizes the volume of production in its own interests by determining the structure and size of the output of finished products;

The firm is the main consumer of resources. It purchases capital resources - raw materials, materials, equipment; land is rented or bought; employees are hired;

the size and number of firms operating in the industry determine and dictate the structure of the market and the degree of its competitiveness;

the activity of firms to a large extent determines the overall efficiency of a market economy. The degree of efficiency of the economy is determined by the degree of efficiency of firms.

With a certain degree of conditionality, four main aspects of the nature of the firm can be distinguished and, accordingly, four approaches to the analysis of its activities.

The firm is commercial, i.e. profit-oriented organization. From this point of view, it can be characterized by a definition familiar to us: a firm is an organization that concentrates and uses resources to produce goods and (or) services in order to make a profit.

The firm is a team of employees, organizationally capable of solving the tasks assigned to it. From this position, the firm acts as a system of relations in which target settings companies into specific actions of individual employees and entire departments.

The firm is an association of independent market entities pursuing mutually agreed goals. From this point of view, the firm can be seen as a compromise of the interests of all its participants, from owners and top managers down to ordinary workers.

The firm is a viable market institution. In this respect, the firm manifests itself as a system of contracts that ensures the minimization of transaction costs, i.e. as a form of doing business, the most adapted to market conditions.

In a real firm, all four aspects of its nature coexist and either complement each other or mutually interfere with each other.

The firm in the economy performs a number of functions:

the firm generates economies of scale. AT modern conditions for efficient production specialized equipment and production buildings, assembly lines and the division of labor into many small operations are needed. This cannot be done spontaneously, without an organization within which specialists will coordinate and ensure the continuity of the production process;

the firm mobilizes resources for large-scale production. In today's self-employed economy, most of the money needed to carry out production is drawn from the profits of companies or from financial markets in the form of loans. Effective private enterprise would be unthinkable if corporations did not find billions of dollars annually for new projects;

only within the firm (hierarchical organization) is it possible to control the production process. A manager is a person who organizes production, develops new ideas, creates new products and processes, makes business decisions, and evaluates business results.

In a sense, the firm as a hierarchical organization contradicts the spontaneity of the market. The market involves the isolation of the means of production, the firm - their concentration. In the conditions of the market, indirect methods of control dominate, in the firm - direct ones. The market excludes dictate, it is based on economic incentives; the firm, on the contrary, assumes unity of command and is based on administrative methods of management.

This contradiction was resolved in the theory of R. Coase and O. Williamson, thanks to which, in modern neo-institutional theory, under a firm is understood as a coalition of owners of factors of production, interconnected by a network of contracts, as a result of which transaction costs are minimized(transaction costs). At the heart of the modern firm is implicit contract (this is a long-term mutually beneficial contract in which informal conditions prevail over formal ones) between the owners interspecific resources (mutually complementary, mutually unique resources that are effective only in a given firm) about their use.

This interpretation of the nature of the firm allows us to explain the variety of forms of modern firms.