II Formation
II Formation
Introduction:
A sole trading concern or a partnership firm can be started very easily. However, that
is not the case with the formation of a joint stock company as it involves a lengthy
legal process. The establishment of a joint stock company requires the preparation
and filing of important documents such as the Memorandum of Association, the
Articles Association, prospectus, and so on with the Registrar of Companies and the
issue of shares and debentures for raising funds required to start and run the business.
There are different stages in the formation of a joint stock company. The formation
of a public company involves ,
four stages, namely, promotion , incorporation, capital subscription, and
business commencement. However, a private company can start its business soon
after promotion and incorporation.
A. Promotion Stage:
The very first step in the formation of any company is its promotion which is carried
out by the promoters. Promotion refers to the entire set of activities through which a
company is floated. It is a process of organising the finances of a business unit under
a corporate form. Certain preliminary steps are to be taken to bring the company into
existence. There are four steps in the promotion of a company which include:
PROMOTERS
Meaning of Promoter:
A promoter is a person who is associated with the formation of a company. He is the
person who is referred to as the founder of a company. The person who takes initiative
for the formation of a company is called a promoter. He devises a plan of a business
venture and takes the preliminary steps necessary for the formation of a company. A
promoter may be an individual or an association or a syndicate.
Definition of Promoter: 1
The legal definition of a promoter is given under Section 2(69) of the Companies Act.
It defines a promoter as "A person -
a. Who has been named as such in a prospectus or is identified by the company
in the annual return referred to in Section 92; or
b. Who has control over the affairs of the company, directly indirectly whether
as a shareholder, director, or otherwise; or
c. In accordance with whose advice, directions, or instructions the board of
directors of the company is accustomed to act.
However, a person who is acting merely in a professional capacity shall not be
treated as a promoter".
According to Guthmann and Doughall, "Promoter is a person who assembles the men,
money and the materials into a going concern".
Cockburn defines a promoter as, "One who undertakes to form a company with
references to a given project and to set it going, and who takes the necessary steps to
accomplish that purpose".
From the above definitions, it is clear that promoters are the persons who initiate
the idea of starting a company for running a business, conduct a thorough study
of the proposition assemble the various requirements of the proposition, take
steps to fund the proposition, and ultimately bring the company into existence.
Position of Promoters.
The position of the promoters is quite peculiar. By the role they play in the promotion
of a company, one can conveniently consider them as the trustees or the agents of the
company. But in fact, they neither act as agents nor trustees of the company they
promote, because there is no trust or principal in existence at the time of their efforts.
However, certain fiduciary duties like an agent or trustee have been imposed on the
promoters under the Companies Act. They stand in a fiduciary position (i.e., a
position which requires full of trust and confidence) with the company they are
promoting.
The promoters invest huge funds to promote the company on behalf of the company
which is yet to take its birth. As stated earlier, a company comes into existence only
after incorporation. The promoters get the invested money back with their
remuneration from the directors of the company only after its incorporation. Until
then, they are solely responsible for all acts they carry out during promotion. If
anything goes wrong in between, they lose the entire amount they invest in promoting
the business. In other words, they should not be negligent in their work as promoters,
deceive or provide false information to the directors of the new company. Therefore,
they run a heavy risk in their venture. Till then, they act as the caretakers or custodians
of the entire property of the company. 2
Functions of Promoters:
The promoters have to perform various functions in bringing the company into
existence. The following are such functions:
1. Promotion of Company:
The foremost important function of the promoters is the promotion of a company.
They carry out the various processes of promotion such as the discovery of a business
idea or opportunity, thorough investigation of the business idea, assembling the
requirements to materialise the business idea, and financing the entire project of
starting a company. At this stage, they enter into preliminary contracts with necessary
people either to buy an existing business or start a new business altogether.
2. Registration of Company:
After promoting the company, promoters have to proceed with registering the
company. For this purpose, they have to get the documents such as the Memorandum
of Association, the Articles Association, etc. drafted and printed to be submitted to
the Registrar of Companies for registration and get the company registered.
3. Raising Capital:
If the company to be started is a public company with share capital, the promoters
have to take the necessary steps to raise the share capital required for the
commencement and running of the business. For this purpose, they enter into a
contract with the bankers, brokers, underwriters, etc. for allotting shares to the public.
Then they make necessary arrangements for obtaining the Certificate to Commence
Business from the Registrar of Companies.
B Incorporation Stage
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The second stage in the formation of any company is registration or incorporation. In
the case of private companies, this stage is the last stage as they can start their business
soon after registration.
MEMORANDUM OF ASSOCIATION
Memorandum Of Association of a company is one most important documents
requiredto be filed with the Registrar Of Companies at the time of formation of a
company. No company can be registered without Memorandum of Association.
It contains the fundamental conditions on which the company is to be
incorporated. In fact, this document is of great importance in relation to the affairs
of the proposed company. It may rightly be called a ‘charter’ or the ‘construction’
of the company as it regulates the relationship of the company with the outside
world. It contains information about name, capital, and liability of the members
and the objectives of the company. It lays down the powers and objects of a
company, and the scope of the operations of the company beyond which its
actions cannot go. The company is bound to act according to the objects and
powers as contained in its memorandum. Any action outside the scope of
memorandum of association will be void.
The memorandum of association is a public document, and every person who deals
withthe company is presumed to have the sufficient knowledge of its contents.
The main purpose of the memorandum of association is to enable shareholders,
creditors and all those persons who deal with the company to know what its
powers are, and what is therange of its activities. Thus, the shareholders will come
to know for what purpose theirinvestment is going to be utilized. They will also
know the risk involved in the investment.
Section 13 of the Companies Act lays down that the Memorandum Of Association
shallcontain the following clauses: 5
1. Name Clause
2. Registered Office Clause
3. Object Clause
4. Liability Clause
5. Capital Clause
6. Association or Subscription Clause
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NAME CLAUSE [Section 13 (1)(a)]
This clause of ‘memorandum of association’ contains the name of the
proposed company. The company being a legal person must have a name to
establish its identity. As a matter of fact, the name is the symbol of personal
existence of the
company. A company may choose any suitable name it likes. However, the
followingrules must be observed while selecting a name of the company:
i. The name should not be undesirable: The name of the company should
not be undesirable in the opinion of the Central Government, if it is so, the
company cannot be registered with such a name [Section 20 (1)]. This
provision enables the Central Government to reject a name without giving
any reason.
ii. The name should not be identical with another company’s name: The
name ofthe company should not be identical with the name of an already
existing company. It should also not too closely resemble the name of
another existing company. The purpose of prohibiting the use of such
names is that the company must not create an impression that it is carrying
on the business of another well-established company. Such name may be
declared undesirable by the Central Government. If the company gets
registered with such name, the other company with whom the name
resembles can apply to the court for an order that the new company be
restrained from having an identical name. Such court order is known as
‘injunction’. As a matter of fact, the name of a company is a part of its
business reputation. If a new company is allowed to have an identical name,
the reputation of the existing company is definitely injured. Therefore, the
courts grant injunctions prohibiting the use of identical names.
iii. The name should not be a prohibited one: The name of the company
should not be prohibited by the Emblems and Names (Prevention of
Improper Use) Act, 1950. This act prohibits the use of the name and
emblems of (a) U.N.O. and World Health Organization, (b) Indian National
Flag, (C) The official Seal and Emblem of Central and State Government,
(d) The name and pictorial representation of Mahatma Gandhi, and Prime
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Minister of India.
iv. The name should end with words Limited or Private Limited: The
public company with limited liability must add the word ‘Limited’ at the end
of its name, and the private company the word ‘Private Limited’. The
purpose of adding these words is that all persons dealing with the company
should have a clear notice that the liability of the members is limited.
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2. REGISTERED OFFICE CLAUSE [Section 13 (1)(b)]
This clause of ‘memorandum of association’ contains the name of the State in
whichthe Registered Office of the company is to be situated. Every company
must have its registered office to which all communications and notices be
addressed. The exact address need not be given. However, registered office
of the company must be in
existence from the day when the company starts its business, or from the 30th
day ofincorporation of the company whichever is earlier. It, therefore, follows
that the exact situations of the registered office must be decided immediately
on the commencement of business by the company or within 30 days of its
incorporation. If default is made in complying with these requirements, the
company and every other officer who is in default shall be punishable with fine
which may extend to Rs. 500/- for every day during which the default
continues.
a. The objects should not be illegal or against the public policy e.g.,
formation of a company for conducting lotteries, trading with enemy
etc.
b. The objects should not be against the provisions of the Companies Act.
c. The objects should not be against the general law of the land e.g., the
law prohibits gambling.
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limited by shares, or by guarantee. In these cases, the liability clause should
state as under:
i. In case of companies limited by shares. The liability of a member is
limited to the nominal value of shares held by him. If the shares are
partly paid, the liability is limited to the amount which remains unpaid,
and if the shares arefully paid, then the liability of the members is nil.
ii. In case of companies limited by guarantee, the liability clause will also
state the amount which every member undertakes to contribute to the
assets of thecompany in the event of its winding up.
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ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION.
The Articles of Association briefly called ‘articles’ is the second most important
document to be filled with the registrar at the time of incorporation of the
company. This document contains the rules, regulations and bye-laws for the
internal management of the company. These rules and regulations are framed for
the purpose of carrying out the objects of the company as stated in the
memorandum of association.
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It may be noted that the articles of association is subordinate to and controlled by
the memorandum of association.
The ‘memorandum of association’ lays down the objects and powers of the
company. And the ‘articles of association’ lays down the modes in which the
objects of the company are to be carried out by the members.
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23. Provisions regarding creation of reserves.
24. Provisions relating to keeping of register of members.
25. Provisions relating to the maintenance of accounts and their audit.
26. Provision regarding the appointment and remuneration of auditors.
27. Provisions relating to the common seal of the company.
1. The articles of association cannot give to the company which is not given
by thememorandum of association. If they are inconsistent on any point,
then the memorandum of association shall prevail.
2. The articles of association cannot alter the provisions of memorandum of
association. The articles, therefore, must not contain anything which is
contraryto the provisions of memorandum of association.
3. The articles of association may explain or supplement the memorandum of
association, but cannot extend its scope. However, if there is no ambiguity
in the memorandum of association, its terms cannot even be controlled or
modified bythe articles of association.
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COMPARISION BETWEEN MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLE OF
ASSOCIATION
The third stage in the formation of a public company is the capital subscription stage
in which the task of raising the capital needed for the formation and running of the
company is done. At this stage, arrangements are made by the promoters/ directors to
consider the following:
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Prospectus:
After the formation of a public limited company if the promoters wish to
collect the necessary capital for commencing business from the public they
have to approach the public with an invitation to subscribe to the shares of
the company. Such deposits may be invited from the public by issuing a
document known as prospectus.
Contents of Prospectus
Section 26 of the Companies Act, 2013 deals with the contents of the prospectus.
In the contents, a detailed description of the establishment of the company, its
characteristics, and its estimated future is given. The important matters
incorporated in the prospectus of a company are as follows:
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• The main objects of the company.
• The location of the plant.
• Information about the project, plant and its machinery, raw material, etc
• Economic justification and marketability of the goods to be produced and
marketed.
B. Capital Structure:
Under this head, complete information is provided about the history main objects
and present business of the company. The details regarding the experience and
background of the promoters, full addresses of the manager, managing director,
and other directors are also furnished under this head.
The main information provided under this head is the cost of the project, the
means of financing the project, location of the project, utilities like water and
power supply, nature of the products, etc.
E. Financial Information:
F General Information:
The main information provided under this head are:
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• Voting rights.
• Transfer of shares.
• Quorum of the general meeting.
H. Particulars of Directors:
Under this head, the particulars regarding the names, addresses, occupation, and
the director identification number of the board of directors are given.
I. Interest of Directors:
The procedure of applying for shares, their scrutiny, and allotment of shares is
made clear to the prospective investors in this section.
K. Miscellaneous:
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Statement in Lieu of Prospectus:
A statement in lieu of (in the place of) prospectus is a document filed with the
Registrar of Companies when a company does not want to issue a prospectus to
the public for inviting it to subscribe to its shares or debentures. It is similar to a
prospectus giving crucial information about the company like the name of the
company, nature of business, names, and addresses of directors, number and type
of shares issued, the face value of shares, and so on. Like a prospectus, it should
also be signed by all directors of the company. It must be filed with the Registrar
of Companies at least three days before the first allotment of shares/debentures.
If the directors of a company are confident of raising the required capital from a
small group of people consisting of their family members, friends, and relatives,
it need not issue a prospectus. It can issue a statement in lieu of a prospectus to
that small group. It is also a public document but issued only to a limited number
of people. In such a case, the public cannot invest in the securities of that
company.
Book Building:
A private company can commence its business soon after incorporation as the
formation of such a company has only two stages. However, in the case of a
public company, it has to complete four stages in its formation and the fourth/last
stage is the business commencement stage. At this stage, it has to obtain a
Certificate to Commence Business to start its operations. For this purpose, the
promoters/directors of the company make necessary arrangements for obtaining
this Certificate from the Registrar of Companies to commence business.
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1. Filing e Form (application) with the Registrar of Companies:
In the e-form filed with the Registrar of Companies for obtaining the Business
Commencement Certificate, the following documents and statements in the form
of a board resolution must also be submitted:
h. A declaration stating that the shares have been allotted upto the minimum
subscription amount.
j. A declaration stating that the directors have purchased the minimum number of
qualification shares to qualify themselves to act as such.
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k. A declaration stating that no money is to be refunded to the applicants of shares
because of the inability to obtain permission for the listing of shares in a
recognised stock exchange.
Along with the application for the Business Commencement Certificate and the
above declarations, the company must also pay the required fees to the Registrar
of Companies.
Register of Companies:
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FORMATION OF GLOBAL COMPANIES
1. Exporting:
This is the most preferred type for reaching out to their customers by the majority
of the global companies. This type of global company specialise in selling their
products to the customers directly through their outlets or agents or distributors
located in different countries. Manufacturing of the products normally is done in
their home country and products are exported to other countries. In such a case,
they need not deploy their own employees in large numbers for marketing
activities since it is done by their agents or distributors in their target markets.
This will have a minimal impact on the company's human resource management.
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2. Licensing:
3. Franchising:
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