Formation of a Company Essay

Refers to the entire process by which a company is brought into existence. It starts with the conceptualisation of the birth a a company and determination of the purpose for which it is to be formed. The persons who conceive the company and invest the initial funds are known as the promoters of the company. The promoters enter into preliminary contracts with vendors and make arrangements for the preparation, advertisement and the circulation of prospectus and placement of capital. However, a person who merely acts in his professional capacity on behalf of the promoter (eg lawyer, CA, etc) for drawing up the agreement or other documents or prepares the figures on behalf of the promoter and who is paid by the promoter is not a promoter. The promoters have certain basic duties towards the company formed :- In case of default on the part of the promoter in fulfilling the above duties, the company may :- A promoter may be rewarded by the company for efforts undertaken by him in forming the company in several ways. The more common ones are :- If the promoter fails to disclose the profit made by him in course of promotion or knowingly makes a false statement in the prospectus whereby the person relying on that statement makes a loss, he will be liable to make good the loss suffered by that other person. The promoter is liable for untrue statements made in the prospectus. A person who subscribes for any shares or debenture in the company on the faith of the untrue statement contained in the prospectus can sue the promoter for the loss or damages sustained by him as the result of such untrue statement. II. Incorporation by Registration : The promoters must make a decision regarding the type of company i. e a pulic company or a private company or an unlimited company, etc and accordingly prepare the documents for incorporation of the company. In this connection the Memorandum and Articles of Association (MA & AA) are crucial documents to be prepared. Memorandum of Association of a company : Is the constitution or charter of the company and contains the powers of the company. No company can be registered under the Companies Act, 1956 without the memorandum of association. Under Section 2(28) of the Companies Act, 1956 the memorandum means the memorandum of association of the company as originally framed or as altered from time to time in pursuance with any of the previous companies law or the Companies Act, 1956. The memorandum of association should be in any of the one form specified in the tables B,C,D and E of Schedule 1 to the Companies Act, 1956. Form in Table B is applicable in case of companies limited by the shares , form in Table C is applicable to the companies limited by guarantee and not having share capital, form in Table D is applicable to company limited by guarantee and having a share capital whereas form in table E is applicable to unlimited companies. Contents of Memorandum : The memorandum of association of every company must contain the following clauses :- Name clause The name of the company is mentioned in the name clause. A public limited company must end with the word ‘Limited’ and a private limited company must end with the words ‘Private Limited’. The company cannot have a name which in the opinion of the Central Government is undesirable. A name which is identical with or the nearly resembles the name of another company in existence will not be allowed. A company cannot use a name which is prohibited under the Names and Emblems (Prevntion of Misuse Act, 1950 or use a name suggestive of connection to government or State patronage. Domicile clause The state in which the registered office of company is to be situated is mentioned in this clause. If it is not possible to state the exact location of the registered office, the company must state it provide the exact address either on the day on which commences to carry on its business or within 30 days from the date of incorporation of the company, whichever is earlier. Notice in form no 18 must be given to the Registrar of Comapnies within 30 days of the date of incorporation of the company. Similarly, any change in the registered office must also be intimated in form no 18 to the Registrar of Companies within 30 days. The registered office of the company is the official address of the company where the statutory books and records must be normally be kept. Every company must affix or paint its name and address of its registered office on the outside of the every office or place at which its activities are carried on in. The name must be written in one of the local languages and in English. Objects clause This clause is the most important clause of the company. It specifies the activities which a company can carry on and which activities it cannot carry on. The company cannot carry on any activity which is not authorised by its MA. This clause must specify :- In case of the companies other than trading corporations whose objects are not confined to one state, the states to whose territories the objects of the company extend must be specified. Consequences of an ultravires transaction :- However, the doctrine of ultra-vires does not apply in the following cases :- The following are exceptions to the rule of limited liability of members :- Capital clause The amount of share capital with which the company is to be registered divided into shares must be specified giving details of the number of shares and types of shares. A company cannot issue share capital greater than the maximum amount of share capital mentioned in this clause without altering the memorandum. Association clause A declaration by the persons for subscribing to the Memorandum that they desire to form into a company and agree to take the shares place against their respective name must be given by the promoters. Articles of Association The Articles of Association (AA) contain the rules and regulations of the internal management of the company. The AA is nothing but a contract between the company and its members and also between the members themselves that they shall abide by the rules and regulations of internal management of the company specified in the AA. It specifies the rights and duties of the members and directors. The provisions of the AA must not be in conflict with the provisions of the MA. In case such a conflict arises, the MA will prevail. Normally, every company has its own AA. However, if a company does not have its own AA, the model AA specified in Schedule I – Table A will apply. A company may adopt any of the model forms of AA, with or without modifications. The articles of association should be in any of the one form specified in the tables B,C,D and E of Schedule 1 to the Companies Act, 1956. Form in Table B is applicable in case of companies limited by the shares , form in Table C is applicable to the companies limited by guarantee and not having share capital, form in Table D is applicable to company limited by guarantee and having a share capital whereas form in table E is applicable to unlimited companies. However, a private company must have its own AA. The important items covered by the AA include :- Alteration of articles of association : A company can alter any of the provisions of its AA, subject to provisions of the Companies Act and subject to the conditions contained in the Memorandum of association of the company. A company, by special resolution at a general meeting of members, alter its articles provided that such alteration does not have the effect of converting a public limited company into a private company unless it has been approved by the Central Government. The articles must be printed, divided into paragraphs and numbered consequently and must be signed by each subscriber to the Memorandum of Association who shall add his address, description and occupation in presence of at least one witness who must attest the signature and likewise add his address, description and occupation. The articles of association of the company when registered bind the company and the members thereof to the same extent as if it was signed by the company and by each member. III. Registration of the Company Once the documents have been prepared, vetted, stamped and signed, they must be filed with the Registrar of Companies for incorporating the Company. The following documents must be filed in this connection :- {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Certificate of Incorporation Once all the above documents have been filed and they are found to be in order, the Registrar of Companies will issue Certificate of Incorporation of the Company. This document is the birth certificate of the company and is proof of the existence of the company. Once, this certificate is issued, the company cannot cease its existence unless it is dissolved by order of the Court. IV. Commencement of Business A private company or a company having no share capital can commence its business immediately after it has been incorporated. However, other companies can commence their activities only after they have obtained Certificate of Commencement of Business. For this purpose, the following additional formalities have to be complied with :- If a company has share capital and has issued a prospectus, then :- {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Once the above provisions have been complied with, the Registrar of Companies grants â€Å"Certificate of Commencement of Business† after which the company can commence its activities