Subjects:

Company Law

Contents:

Introduction

B.A.K. Rider, M. Andenas.
1. The Quest for an Ideal Form for Small Business

A.J. Boyle.
2. The Quest for an Ideal Form for Small Businesses -- A Misconceived Enterprise? J. Freeman.
3. Legislating for the Needs of the Small Business

A. Hicks.
4. In Defence of Salomon: Promoting the Corporate Veil

J. Lowry.
5. Managing the Diversity of Business Relationships

C. Riley.
6. A European Perspective on Small Business and the Law

J. Biscare.
7. Developments in Contrast for Small Businesses in Europe

F. Dahan.
8. Close Corporations and Private Business Corporations -- The Southern African Solution

J. Henning.
9. Personal Liability for the Debts of the Corporation -- An Alternative Approach to Corporate Sanctions in South Africa

L. de Koker. Index.

This second volume focuses on the quest for a legal form for small businesses. The debate as to whether the traditional registered company, perhaps with some modification, is an appropriate vehicle for small enterprises has continued in Britain, and to a lesser extent in Europe, for well over 30 years. The imperative behind reform in this area of the law in many cases will be political and this is perhaps most dramatically illustrated in the case of South Africa. The British heritage of South African law renders South Africa's approach to developing appropriate legal forms for small enterprises of considerable interest to Europe. Consequently, the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies in collaboration with the Centre for Business Law of the University of the Orange Free State organized a conference in London in the Autumn of 1997 on the search for an ideal form for small businesses. The discussions were chaired by Professor A.J. Boyle and Professor Johan Henning and ranged across a broad spectrum of issues.