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65-631: Chesapeake Utilities Corporation was incorporated in Delaware in 1947. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation is a diversified energy company engaged, directly or through operating divisions and subsidiaries, in regulated and unregulated energy businesses. The Company's common stock began trading on the NASDAQ Exchange in 1985 and on the New York Stock Exchange (currently traded as CPK ) in 1993. The company began construction of

130-418: A limited liability company (LLC) may hold assets such as real estate, cars or boats. If a shareholder of a corporation is personally involved in a lawsuit or bankruptcy , these assets may be protected. A creditor of a shareholder of a Corp. or LLC cannot seize the assets of the company. However, the creditor may be able to seize ownership shares in the corporation, as they are considered a personal asset. In

195-606: A 448-mile interstate pipeline that transports natural gas from various points in Pennsylvania to customers in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania. Florida Public Utilities (FPU) distributes natural gas to tens of thousands of residential and commercial customers in Florida. It also distributes electricity and propane to various regions in Florida. Peninsula Energy Services Company (PESCO) provides natural gas supply and supply management services to customers in Florida and on

260-410: A board of trustees appointed by the governor. The board filed a suit challenging the constitutionality of the legislation. The suit alleged that the college enjoyed the right to contract and the government changing that contract was not allowed. Chief Justice John Marshall delivered the majority opinion and affirmed that the right to contract exists between owners of private property rather than between

325-433: A broad impact, there are disputes about how those technologies and the businesses they thrive in fit under the umbrella of laws that govern regulations and taxation. In 1886 one such taxation dispute arose between Santa Clara County and Southern Pacific Railroad . The railroad thought the tax code was misapplied to some of their property and assets. In deciding the case, a unanimous court ruled that governments must abide by

390-570: A business in common with a view of profit" and is not a joint stock company or an incorporated company. If the business entity registers with the Registrar of Companies it takes the form of a limited partnership defined in the Limited Partnerships Ordinance. However, if this business entity fails to register with the Registrar of Companies, then it becomes a general partnership as a default. A limited partnership in

455-610: A business partnership are personally liable for the debts and obligations of the partnership. Forms of partnership have evolved that may limit a partner's liability. The general partnership, in which all partners manage the business and are personally liable for its debts, developed under common law . General partners have an obligation of strict liability to third parties injured by the Partnership. General partners may have joint liability or joint and several liability depending upon circumstances. The limited partnership (LP)

520-413: A business such as loans, accounts payable, and legal judgments. In a corporation, however, shareholders , directors and officers typically are not liable for the company's debts and obligations. They are limited in liability to the amount they have invested in the corporation. For example, if a shareholder purchased $ 100 in stock, no more than $ 100 can be lost. On the other hand, a corporation (Corp.) or

585-519: A compensation for the opportunity cost of lending money without using it for other fruitful purposes. To circumvent the usury laws edicted by the Church, other forms of reward were created, in particular through the widespread form of partnership called commenda , very popular with Italian merchant bankers. Florentine merchant banks were almost sure to make a positive return on their loans, but this would be before taking into account solvency risks. In

650-631: A contract. Partnerships have a long history; they were already in use in medieval times in Europe and in the Middle East. According to a 2006 article, the first partnership was implemented in 1383 by Francesco di Marco Datini , a merchant of Prato and Florence. The Covoni company (1336–40) and the Del Buono-Bencivenni company (1336–40) have also been referred to as early partnerships, but they were not formal partnerships. In Europe,

715-403: A direct campaign. The articles of incorporation (also called a charter , certificate of incorporation or letters patent ) are filed with the appropriate state office, listing the purpose of the corporation, its principal place of business and the number and type of shares of stock. A registration fee is due, which is usually between $ 25 and $ 1,000, depending on the state. A corporate name

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780-606: A face-to-face meeting. In the UK, the process of incorporation is generally called company formation. The United Kingdom is one of the quickest locations to incorporate, with a fully electronic process and a very fast turnaround by the national registrar of companies, the Companies House . The current Companies House record is five minutes to vet and issue a certificate of incorporation for an electronic application. There are many different types of UK companies: In Canada ,

845-467: A first step toward partnership. This capacity to join forces in reciprocal services became a distinctive feature, and a long lasting success factor, of the Hanseatic team spirit. A close examination of medieval trade in Europe shows that numerous significant credit based trades were not bearing interest. Hence, pragmatism and common sense called for a fair compensation for the risk of lending money, and

910-569: A fixed share of the partnership (usually, but not always an equal share with the other partners) and, upon distribution of profits, receive a portion of the partnership's profits proportionate to that share. In more sophisticated partnerships, different models exist for determining either ownership interest, profit distribution, or both. Two common alternate approaches to distribution of profit are " lockstep " and " source of origination " compensation (sometimes referred to, more graphically, as "eat what you kill"). The source of origination compensation

975-491: A government and its citizens. The case was the first case in US history that asked fundamental questions about corporate entities and the protections they enjoy; it also was a precedent-setting case in extending "individual rights" to corporations. The railroad was an expensive multi-year project that greatly changed and altered both the physical and commercial landscape of the country. As with most new technology developments that have

1040-472: A means to observe this evolution. While these cases may seem arbitrary and decontextualized when examined individually, when viewed successively and within historical context, a narrative emerges that offers an explanation for why such views are upheld. In 1816, the New Hampshire state legislature passed a bill intended to turn privately owned Dartmouth College into a publicly owned university with

1105-465: A more detailed explanation of the products and/or services to be offered by their company. The chosen name should be followed with a corporate identifier such as "Corp.", "Inc.", or "Co.". A preliminary name availability search is advisable prior to the submission of the Articles of Incorporation. In the case of online incorporation, the state will have the final say with regards to the name chosen for

1170-556: A partner is the agent of the firm for the purpose of the business of the firm" 5) Oral or Written Agreements . The Partnership Act, 1932 nowhere mentions that the Partnership Agreement is to be in written or oral format. Thus the general rule of the Contract Act applies that the contract can be 'oral' or 'written' as long as it satisfies the basic conditions of being a contract i.e. the agreement between partners

1235-423: A partnership agreement, even if it has not been reduced to writing. In common law jurisdictions, a written partnership agreement is not legally required, but partners may benefit from a partnership agreement that articulates the important terms of their relationship. In business, two or more companies join forces in a joint venture, a buyer–supplier relationship, a strategic alliance or a consortium to i) work on

1300-579: A project (e.g. industrial or research project) which would be too heavy or too risky for a single entity, ii) join forces to have a stronger position on the market, iii) comply with specific regulation (e.g. in some emerging countries, foreigners can only invest in the form of partnerships with local entrepreneurs). In this case, the alliance may be structured in a process comparable to a Mergers & Acquisitions transaction. A large literature in business and management has paid attention to forming and managing partnership agreements. It has, in particular, shown

1365-1052: A single commercial civilization in the Middle Ages, and the two regions were economically interdependent through trade (in varying degrees). The Mongols adopted and developed the concepts of liability in relation to investments and loans in Mongol– ortoq partnerships, promoting trade and investment to facilitate the commercial integration of the Mongol Empire. The contractual features of a Mongol- ortoq partnership closely resembled that of qirad and commenda arrangements; however, Mongol investors used metal coins, paper money, gold and silver ingots and tradable goods for partnership investments and primarily financed money-lending and trade activities. Moreover, Mongol elites formed trade partnerships with merchants from Central and Western Asia and Europe, including Marco Polo 's family. To come into being, every partnership necessarily involves

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1430-417: A state by state basis. However, there are common pieces of information that states require to be included in the certificate of incorporation . A business purpose describes the incorporated tasks a company has to do or provide. The purpose can be general, indicating that the budding company has been formed to carry out "all lawful business" in the region. Alternatively, the purpose can be specific, furnishing

1495-498: A view of corporations emerge that put them at odds with the normal working man. The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt was a manifestation of many populist sentiments the country might have felt. In 1933 a Florida case came before the court, again disputing taxation. In Liggett v. Lee the court ruled that there could be a corporate tax, essentially saying the structure of business was a justifiably discriminatory criterion for governments to consider when writing tax legislation. This

1560-461: A way to use it to influence politics and policy. In response, Massachusetts passed a law limiting corporate donations strictly to issues related to their industry. The First National Bank of Boston challenged the law on First Amendment grounds and won. First National Bank of Boston v. Bellotti allowed business to use financial speech in political causes of any nature. In 2010 amidst an outpouring of frustration and blame directed at Wall Street

1625-644: Is registered as a company under Companies Act, 2013 or formed in pursuance of some other law. Some other law means companies and corporations formed via some other law passed by Parliament of India . 7) Mutual agency is the real test . The real test of 'partnership firm' is 'mutual agency' set by the Courts of India, i.e. whether a partner can bind the firm by his act, i.e. whether he can act as agent of all other partners. Statutory regulation of partnerships in Canada fall under provincial jurisdiction . A partnership

1690-399: Is a partnership in which general partners manage the partnership's operations, and limited partners forego the right to manage the business in exchange for limited liability for the partnership debts. The liability of limited partners is limited to their investment in the partnership. This form of partnership was developed in the 19th century, the U.K. where it was imparted by charter, and in

1755-483: Is basically a settlement between two or more groups or firms in which profit and loss are equally divided In Bangladesh, the relevant law for regulating partnership is the Partnership Act 1932. A partnership is defined as the relation between persons who have agreed to share the profits of a business carried on by all or any of them acting for all. The law does not require written partnership agreement between

1820-569: Is capable of continuing indefinitely. Its existence is not affected by the death of shareholders, directors, or officers of the corporation. Ownership in a Corp. or LLC is easily transferable to others, either in whole or in part. Some state laws are particularly corporate-friendly. For example, the transfer of ownership in a corporation incorporated in US-DE is not required to be filed or recorded. Legal opinion on corporations has evolved significantly throughout history, and Supreme Court cases provide

1885-523: Is entitled to a share of the partnership's profits. Silent partners may prefer to invest in limited partnerships in order to insulate their personal assets from the debts or liabilities of the partnership. Summarising s. 5 of the Partnership Act 1958 (Vic), for a partnership in Australia to exist, four main criteria must be satisfied. They are: Partners share profits and losses. A partnership

1950-412: Is generally made up of three parts: "distinctive element", "descriptive element", and a legal ending. All corporations must have a distinctive element, and in most filing jurisdictions, a legal ending to their names. Some corporations choose not to have a descriptive element. In the name "Tiger Computers, Inc.", the word "Tiger" is the distinctive element; the word "Computers" is the descriptive element; and

2015-611: Is legally enforceable. A written agreement is advisable to establish existence of partnership and to prove rights and liabilities of each partner, as it is difficult to prove an oral agreement. 6) Number of Partners is minimum 2 and maximum 50 in any kind of business activities . Since partnership is 'agreement' there must be minimum two partners. The Partnership Act does not put any restrictions on maximum number of partners. However, section 464 of Companies Act 2013, and Rule 10 of Companies (Miscellaneous) Rules, 2014 prohibits partnership consisting of more than 50 for any businesses, unless it

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2080-415: Is not a separate legal entity and partnership income is taxed at the rate of the partner receiving the income. It can be deemed to exist regardless of the intention of the partners. Common elements considered by courts in determining the existence of a partnership are that two or more legal persons: Under U.S. law a partnership is a business association of two or more individuals, through which partners share

2145-655: Is prevalent in Quebec, while the English system is operating in 9 provinces/territories. Partnership A partnership is an agreement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests. The partners in a partnership may be individuals, businesses , interest -based organizations , schools , governments or combinations. Organizations may partner to increase the likelihood of each achieving their mission and to amplify their reach. A partnership may result in issuing and holding equity or may be only governed by

2210-507: Is rarely seen outside of law firms. The principle is simply that each partner receives a share of the partnership profits up to a certain amount, with any additional profits being distributed to the partner who was responsible for the "origination" of the work that generated the profits. British law firms tend to use the lockstep principle, whereas American firms are more accustomed to source of origination. When British firm Clifford Chance merged with American firm Rogers & Wells , many of

2275-445: Is reached, the partnership is typically enforceable by civil law , especially if well documented. Partners who wish to make their agreement affirmatively explicit and enforceable typically draw up articles of partnership . Trust and pragmatism are also essential as it cannot be expected that everything can be written in the initial partnership agreement, therefore quality governance and clear communication are critical success factors in

2340-585: The Uniform Partnership Act and the Uniform Limited Partnership Act . Most U.S. states have adopted a form of the Uniform Partnership Act , which includes provisions regulating general partnerships , limited partnerships and limited liability partnerships . Although the federal government does not have specific statutory law for establishing partnerships, it has an extensive statutory and regulatory scheme for

2405-650: The taxation of partnerships , set forth in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC) and Code of Federal Regulations . The IRC defines federal tax obligations for partnership operations that effectively serve as federal regulation of some aspects of partnerships. A partnership in Hong Kong is a business entity formed by the Hong Kong Partnerships Ordinance, which defines a partnership as "the relation between persons carrying on

2470-507: The "Inc." is the legal ending. The legal ending indicates that it is in fact a legal corporation and not just a business registration or partnership . Incorporated, limited , and corporation, or their respective abbreviations (Inc., Ltd., Corp.) are the possible legal endings in the US. Usually, there are also corporate bylaws which must be filed with the state. Bylaws outline a number of important administrative details such as when annual shareholder meetings will be held, who can vote and

2535-480: The Delmarva Peninsula. Peninsula Pipeline Company provides natural gas transportation services in Florida. Sharp Energy distributes propane to nearly 40,000 customers in Delaware, eastern Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. Sharp AutoGas fuels more than 600 vehicles through its more than 30 propane fueling stations throughout the Delmarva Peninsula. Information was obtained from multiple parts of

2600-762: The Middle East, the qirad and mudarabas institutions developed when trade with the Levant, namely the Ottoman Empire and the Muslim Near East, flourished and when early trading companies , contracts , bills of exchange and long-distance international trade were established. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the Levant trade revived from the 10th to 11th century in Byzantine Italy. The eastern and western Mediterranean formed part of

2665-531: The State government and Central (National) Government can legislate i.e. pass laws on). 3) Unlimited Liability . The major disadvantage of partnership is the unlimited liability of partners for the debts and liabilities of the firm. Any partner can bind the firm and the firm is liable for all liabilities incurred by any firm on behalf of the firm. If property of partnership firm is insufficient to meet liabilities, personal property of any partner can be attached to pay

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2730-418: The U.S. where it was created by statute. More recently, additional forms of partnership have been recognized: A silent partner or sleeping partner is one who still shares in the profits and losses of the business, but who is not involved in its management. Sometimes the silent partner's interest in the business will not be publicly known. A silent partner is often an investor in the partnership, who

2795-508: The United States, corporations can sometimes be taxed at a lower rate than individuals. Also, corporations can own shares in other corporations and receive corporate dividends 80% tax-free. There are no limits on the amount of losses a corporation may carry forward to subsequent tax years. A sole proprietorship, on the other hand, cannot claim a capital loss greater than $ 3,000 unless the owner has offsetting capital gains. A corporation

2860-423: The company shuts down its operations. A lot of small business owners only allow shares of common stock. There are a number of legal benefits that come with incorporation. One significant legal benefit is the protection of personal assets against the claims of creditors and lawsuits. Sole proprietors and general partners in a partnership are personally and jointly responsible for all the legal liability (LL) of

2925-418: The company website: Staff (2017). "Chesapeake Utilities Corporation corporate web site" . Retrieved 2017-05-01 . Incorporation (business) Incorporation is the formation of a new corporation . The corporation may be a business , a nonprofit organization , sports club , or a local government of a new city or town . Specific incorporation requirements in the United States differ on

2990-418: The company. The name should not deceive or mislead consumers. Registered agents are responsible for receiving all legal and tax documentation on behalf of the corporation. Share per value refers to the stated minimum value and generally doesn't correspond to the actual share value. In reality, the value of a share is based on its fair market value or the amount a buyer is willing to pay. An Inc. stipulates

3055-827: The controversial Eastern Shore Pipeline on the Eastern Shore of Maryland in 2021. Chesapeake Utilities Corporation operates directly or through operating divisions and subsidiaries throughout the diversified energy midstream and downstream supply chain. Aspire Energy of Ohio operates more than 2,600 miles of pipeline systems in 40 counties throughout Ohio. Chesapeake Utilities and Sandpiper Energy distribute natural gas to tens of thousands of residential, commercial and industrial customers in Delaware and Maryland. Additionally, Sandpiper Energy distributes propane and natural gas to customers in Worcester County, Maryland. Eastern Shore Natural Gas owns and operates

3120-416: The debts of the firm. 4) Partners are Mutual Agents .The business of firm can be carried on by all or any of them acting for all. Any partner has authority to bind the firm. Act of any one partner is binding on all the partners. Thus, each partner is 'agent' of all the remaining partners. Hence, partners are 'mutual agents'. Section 18 of the Partnership Act, 1932 says "Subject to the provisions of this Act,

3185-440: The difficulties associated with that merger were blamed on the difficulties of merging a lockstep culture with a source of origination culture. Partnerships recognized by a government body may enjoy special benefits from taxation policy . Among developed countries, for example, business partnerships are often favored over corporations in taxation policy, since dividend taxes only occur on profit before they are distributed to

3250-464: The establishment of partnerships. Instead, every U.S. state and the District of Columbia has its own statutes and common law that govern partnerships. The National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws has issued non-binding model laws (called uniform act) in which to encourage the adoption of uniformity of partnership law into the states by their respective legislatures. Model laws include

3315-445: The exact number of shares the corporation is willing to authorize. It is mandatory for every corporation to have stock. If the corporation is willing to permit both preferred as well as common shares of stock, then this should have a mention in the articles of incorporation, along with the voting rights information. Generally, preferred shares provide its shareholders preferential payments of distribution of assets or dividends, in case

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3380-470: The following common characteristics: 1) A partnership firm is not a legal entity apart from the partners constituting it. It has limited identity for the purpose of tax law as per section 4 of the Partnership Act of 1932. 2) Partnership is a concurrent subject . Contracts of partnerships are included in the Entry no.7 of List III of The Constitution of India (the list constitutes the subjects on which both

3445-402: The issue of corporate contributions came before the court again. In Citizens United v. FEC the court said there was virtually no distinction between monetary contributions and political speech, and because we do not limit political speech unless it is tantamount to bribery, corporations have the right as people to donate unlimited amounts of money to any political cause so long as it is not to

3510-633: The long run. It is common for information about formally partnered entities to be made public, such as through a press release, a newspaper ad, or public records laws. Partner compensation will often be defined by the terms of a partnership agreement. Partners who work for the partnership may receive compensation for their labor before any division of profits between partners. In certain partnerships of individuals, particularly law firms and accountancy firms, equity partners are distinguished from salaried partners (or contract or income partners ). The degree of control which each type of partner exerts over

3575-535: The manner in which shareholders will be notified if there is need for an additional "special" meeting. Corporations can only deduct net operating losses going back two years and forward 20 years. Assuming a corporation has not sold stock to the public, conducting corporate business is straightforward. Often, it amounts to recording key corporate decisions (for example, borrowing money or buying real estate) and holding an annual meeting. These formalities can often be supplanted by written agreement and do not usually need

3640-416: The partners to form a partnership. A partnership is not required to be registered, but a partnership is considered as a separate legal identity from its owners only if the partnership is registered. There must be a minimum of 2 partners and maximum of 20 partners. According to section 4 of the Partnership Act of 1932,"Partnership is defined as the relation between two or more persons who have agreed to share

3705-555: The partners. However, depending on the partnership structure and the jurisdiction in which it operates, owners of a partnership may be exposed to greater personal liability than they would as shareholders of a corporation. In such countries, partnerships are often regulated via antitrust laws, so as to inhibit monopolistic practices and foster free market competition . Enforcement of the laws, however, varies considerably. Domestic partnerships recognized by governments typically enjoy tax benefits, as well. At common law , members of

3770-503: The partnership depends on the relevant partnership agreement . Although individuals in both categories are described as partners, equity partners and salaried partners have little in common other than joint and several liability . In many legal systems, salaried partners are not technically "partners" at all in the eyes of the law. However, if their firm holds them out as partners, they are nonetheless subject to joint and several liabilities. In their most basic form, equity partners enjoy

3835-538: The partnerships contributed to the Commercial Revolution which started in the 13th century. In the 15th century the cities of the Hanseatic League would mutually strengthen each other; a ship from Hamburg to Gdansk would not only carry its own cargo but was also commissioned to transport freight for other members of the league. This practice not only saved time and money, but also constituted

3900-709: The process of incorporation can be done either at the federal or provincial level. Companies which incorporate with the federal government will generally need to register extra-provincially in the province that they elect to do business. Similarly, a provincial corporation may need to register extra-provincially if they are to have offices outside of their home province. Incorporated Canadian companies can generally use either Corp., Corporation, Inc., Incorporated, Incorporée, Limited, Limitée, Ltd., Ltée, Société par actions de régime fédéral, and S.A.R.F in their name, but this may vary from province to province. Note that there are two government structures operating within Canada. French system

3965-441: The profits and responsibility for the liabilities of their venture. U.S. states recognize forms of limited partnership that may allow a partner who does not participate in the business venture to avoid liability for the partnership's debts and obligations. Partnerships typically pay less taxes than corporations in fields like fund management. The federal government of the United States does not have specific statutory law governing

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4030-451: The profits of a business carried on by all or any one of them acting for all". This definition superseded the previous definition given in section 239 of Indian Contract Act 1872 as – "Partnership is the relation which subsists between persons who have agreed to combine their property, labor, skill in some business, and to share the profits thereof between them". The 1932 definition added the concept of mutual agency. The Indian Partnerships have

4095-440: The role of contracts and relational mechanisms to organize business partnerships. Partnerships present the involved parties with complex negotiations and special challenges that must be navigated to agreement. Overarching goals, levels of give-and-take, areas of responsibility, lines of authority and succession , how success is evaluated and distributed, and often a variety of other factors must all be negotiated. Once an agreement

4160-423: The same tax code enforcement for individuals that it did for corporations. While not explicitly stated in the case, it was implied that this case extended equal protection rights to corporations under the 14th amendment . The booming economy the railroad corporations helped build from the late 19th into the early 20th centuries came to a screeching halt in 1929. The Great Depression , as it came to be known, helped

4225-415: Was a unique ruling handed down during a unique time in US history that denied a corporation freedom it sought in the courtroom. From 1940 to 1990 the percent of total GDP made up by financial service professionals increased by 300%. Along with that growth there was a growth in the profits this industry experienced as well. As the disposable income of banks and other financial institutions rose, they sought

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