1. Sole proprietorship （独资）

Proprietorships are single–person ownerships. The person owns, operates, and makes all major decisions for the company. There may be many employees, but the only responsible person is the proprietor（所有者）.

This is the simplest form of ownership. A disadvantage is the high risk. Debts need to be paid back with personal funds（个人财产）; it also has difficulty in raising money（融资）.）

2. Partnership （合伙制）

It includes at least 2 people in the partnership. The percentage of ownership varies.  The percentage sometimes depend on how much money each partner contributes to the firm but may also depend on other assets or skills, such as equipment, or patent（专利）. Partners are each responsible for all debts incurred by any one member. In the case of bankruptcy（破产） or financial loss, general rules (mutual agreement) apply regarding how debts are paid off.  Outside creditors（债权人） are paid first. If the assets of the business are insufficient  to cover all the debts, then the partners are personally and equally for the payment.

People who invest a certain amount of money in a business but do not contribute to the management of the firm are called limited partners（有限合伙人）. A limited partner is only liable to his or her investment. General partners（一般合伙人） may take in limited partners to increase their ability to raise capital and increase their credit base while remaining control over the firm.

  3. Corporation （股份制）

Corporations are the most complex of the three forms of organizations. To form a corporation, a company has to apply for a charter from the state（申请注册）.

As in the partnership, each member of the corporation contributes a sum of money or other assets. The percentage of the ownership is recognized in the amount of the stock given to the individual. The number of shares determines the number of votes each person has in the company. A corporation has many advantages. Unlike proprietorship or partnership, it has continuity independent of the stockholders. The corporation is perpetual. If a stockholder(股东） dies, the heirs (successor)（后嗣，继承人） offer that stock to other stockholders or retain the stock themselves. Stockholders are only liable to the amount they have invested in the company. If the corporation wants to raise additional capital, it can sell more shares of stock, which do not have to be paid back. But of course, they must be careful because issuing or selling stock shares can affect the power to manage the company. If a corporation is dissolved（解体）, outside creditors（外部债权人） are paid first and shareholders last. Corporations do have disadvantages. Some management decisions such as the dividend level, the expansion plan must be approved by all stockholders. So the decision making process is slow.  Sometimes individual states that want to encourage the local business will put restrictions on the corporations, for instance, different taxing rate（税率）.   

☛what's the listed Corporation？

(上市公司)是指所发行的股票经过国务院或者国务院授权的证券管理部门批准在证券交易所上市交易的股份有限公司)

视频：常见合法商业组织类型

 Conclusion

For efficiency sake, companies need to arrive at the correct level of specialization and centralization. Projects and project leaders need to begin with a stated（陈述的，明确的） organization mission and with adequate authority to direct their project teams and successfully complete the project. Leaders need to keep the team focused and establish and maintain a positive team attitude. Leaders watch out for their people and support their subordinates' （下属的）personal and professional growth. Leaders coach their people and are always looking for opportunities to pat them in the back and build their confidence. Confidence promotes a positive risk-taking attitude, which is important in construction, an inherently risky industry. Confidence comes from good preparation. The better prepared a project team is, the more creative and confident it can be. Of course, because every construction project is different, it is impossible to prepare every contingency（偶发事件）. However, if the team members are cooperative, loyal to the project and each other, they will rise to meet the challenge.

Though organizational design and structure does not guarantee success, they can determine the efficiency of an organization.