partnership
Business
(noun)
An agreement between individuals to collaborate towards mutually determined objectives.
Accounting
(noun)
an association of two or more people to conduct a business
Examples of partnership in the following topics:
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Pros and Cons of a Partnership
- The partnership structure has the benefit of simplicity and control but the drawback of personal liability for the partnership's activities.
- The partnership is one type of business structure.
- This means that the partnership structure is only as good as the partnership at the relational level.
- If the mutual consent to form a partnership breaks down, the partnership breaks down as well; partnerships are considered to be an aggregate of their partners rather than a separate entity.
- Types of partnership beyond the general partnership have developed to mitigate some of the disadvantages of the structure.
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Partnerships
- There are two types of partnerships: a relational and strategic partnership.
- A relational partnership is a partnership that develops on the premise of a close, personal relationship built on trust (Mohr, 1994).
- A relational partnership is more similar to a friendship than to a market exchange.
- If this ideal is applied, a strong foundation can be formed through relational partnerships.
- An example of a strategic partnership was evident in 2007 when Time Warner's AOL strengthened their strategic partnership with Google.
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Advantages and Disadvantages of Partnerships
- Partnerships have certain default characteristics relating to both the relationship between the individual partners and the relationship between the partnership and the outside world.
- Each general partner is deemed the agent of the partnership.
- However, in a partnership of any size, the partnership agreement will provide for certain electees to manage the partnership along the lines of a company board.
- Partnerships are relatively easy to establish; however time should be invested in developing the partnership agreement
- As in sole proprietorships, partnerships have unlimited liability.
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Types of Partnerships
- For the purpose of this discussion, the most important types of partnerships to consider are general partnerships, limited partnerships, joint liability partnerships, several liability partnerships, and limited liability partnerships.
- This represents a default version of a partnership, which governs the relationships between the individual partners as well as between the partnership and the outside world.
- Finally, there are limited liability partnerships (LLPs).
- When considering the appropriate type of partnership, liability is the key word.
- Differentiate between partnership types, and recognize the key role liabilities play in these partnerships
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Partnerships and Taxes
- Various partnerships need to file different tax forms; it is important to understand the IRS codes before embarking on a partnership.
- Different types of partnerships have different tax requirements, and partners will need to fill out different forms depending on the type.
- It is designed to provide the limited liability features of a corporation and the tax efficiencies and operational flexibility of a partnership.
- Formation is more complex and formal than that of a general partnership.
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Forms of Business Organizations
- A partnership is a business owned and managed by two or more people.
- Partnership is defined as general or limited liability.
- Under a general partnership, all partners become liable for the partnership's debts and obligations.
- On the other hand, general partnerships do not have this protection.
- Usual partnerships are accounting and law firms.
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Partnership Agreements
- Partnership agreements govern the relationship between the various individuals who are collaborating on a given venture.
- Similar to a sole proprietor, a partnership shoulders the majority of the risk when opening a new venture (unlike limited liability models).
- For example, let's assume that a startup company decides to formulate their business as a partnership between four people.
- Here are a few common components of partnership agreements:
- Recall the more common components of partnership agreements, and recognize why these agreements are valuable
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Phases of relationship development
- Strategic partnerships experience four major developmental phases and Exhibit 36 represents the life cycle of such a relationship.
- Partnerships can have various types of relationships; some areas may only need to be functional, whereas others may seek to be strategic.
- During this phase, parties engage in exchanges to explore potential partnership costs and benefits.
- After both parties prove that they are capable of performing as needed, the partnership will move to the expansion phase.
- The dissolution phase is the decision to end the partnership.
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Marketing exchanges and partnerships
- In 2005, Barton A Weitz, Stephen B Castleberry, and John F Tanner published their book "Selling: Building Relationships" in which they discuss many of the aspects of modern business relationships, including market exchanges and partnerships.
- A partnership, conversely, is based on creating a mutually beneficial affiliation for both of the organizations.
- Market exchanges and partnerships both generate commercially oriented connections, which classifies the two relationships as external (Weitz, Castleberry, and Tanner, 2005).
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Foundations of successful relationships
- Trust, however, is only one building block of several involved in the creation of strategic partnerships.
- In order for a partnership to be successful, trust must be mutual.
- Proposed partnerships perceived as contrary to the existing structure or cultures are candidates for enhanced scrutiny.
- Once a partnership is entered into it is necessary to develop programs such as training and rewards to establish the desired partnership behaviors.
- Thus, it is important to evaluate the level of intrinsic gain that has been established through the partnership.