|
The corporation simply as a legally separate entity
Older corporate entities gained incorporation as "the person/people of xx". This reflected the people who made up the "body" and also emphasised their legal identity. The law classifies a corporation either as a corporation sole (one person) or as a corporation aggregate (any other number).
Examples include (the link gives the legal name; the nickname appears in brackets with the nature of the corporation)
The Governor and Company of the Bank of England (Bank of England — corporation aggregate)
The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge (Cambridge University — corporation aggregate)
The President and Fellows of Harvard College (Harvard College — corporation aggregate)
Her Majesty the Queen in Right of New Zealand (New Zealand Government — corporation sole)
The Archbishop of Canterbury (corporation sole)
The Dean, Chapter and Students of the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford of the Foundation of King Henry VIII (Christ Church, Oxford — corporation aggregate)
Using strict definitions, universities and colleges count as corporations since they merely comprise groups of people.
Corporations in some jurisdictions do not need to make reference to their membership. For example:
The British Broadcasting Corporation
Sainsbury's Supermarkets Ltd (supermarket)
Modern usage tends not to refer to the membership when incorporating corporations.
|