This chapter discusses the obligations imposed on directors of companies to maintain proper accounting records, prepare annual financial statements and reports on the company’s business and disclose this information to members and the public. Requirements for companies to report their financial position to their members and to the public vary according to whether the company is a micro-entity, or is small, medium-sized or large. A company is subject to additional requirements if it is a quoted company. The definitions of these categories are set out and the rules applying to each category are summarised. The chapter discusses the form and contents of annual accounts and the contents of the strategic report and directors’ report.
Chapter
Accounts and reports
Chapter
Accounts and reports
This chapter discusses the obligations imposed on directors of companies to maintain proper accounting records, prepare annual financial statements and reports on the company’s business and disclose this information to members and the public. Requirements for companies to report their financial position to their members and to the public vary according to whether the company is a micro-entity, or is small, medium-sized or large. A company is subject to additional requirements if it is a quoted company. The definitions of these categories are set out and the rules applying to each category are summarised. The chapter discusses the form and contents of annual accounts and the contents of the strategic report and directors’ report.
Chapter
19. Acting for a company: agency and attribution
This chapter deals with the legal relationship of agency that exists between the company and the agent, explaining the process involved in an agent’s authentication and the execution of documents for the company they represent. It considers two ways in which a company may become contractually bound to another person (a ‘contractor’) under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006: through a written contract to which the company’s common seal is affixed, or when someone has made a contract on behalf of the company. It also discusses the company’s capacity to enter into contracts, including the ultra vires rule, and attribution by a court so as to impose criminal liability on a company. A number of court cases relevant to the discussion are cited.
Chapter
19. Acting for a company: agency and attribution
This chapter deals with the legal relationship of agency that exists between the company and the agent, explaining the process involved in an agent’s authentication and the execution of documents for the company they represent. It considers two ways in which a company may become contractually bound to another person (a ‘contractor’) under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006: through a written contract to which the company’s common seal is affixed, or when someone has made a contract on behalf of the company. It also discusses the company’s capacity to enter into contracts, including the ultra vires rule, and attribution by a court so as to impose criminal liability on a company. A number of court cases relevant to the discussion are cited.
Chapter
4. Articles of association
This chapter deals with articles of association, the principal element of a company’s constitution, under the Companies Act 2006. It describes the content of the articles, model articles of association which can be adopted by limited companies (either in whole or in part) on registration, and the function of articles as a contract between the company and its members and between the members themselves. It also considers provisions of articles that may be incorporated in other contracts and the right of members of a company to amend its articles. The chapter discusses a number of particularly significant court cases, including Allen v Gold Reefs of West Africa Ltd [1900] 1 Ch 656 and Quin and Axtens Ltd v Salmon [1909] AC 442.
Chapter
4. Articles of association
This chapter deals with articles of association, the principal element of a company’s constitution, under the Companies Act 2006. It describes the content of the articles, model articles of association which can be adopted by limited companies (either in whole or in part) on registration, and the function of articles as a contract between the company and its members and between the members themselves. It also considers provisions of articles that may be incorporated in other contracts and the right of members of a company to amend its articles. The chapter discusses a number of particularly significant court cases, including Allen v Gold Reefs of West Africa Ltd [1900] 1 Ch 656 and Quin and Axtens Ltd v Salmon [1909] AC 442.
Chapter
2. The Board
This chapter deals with the board. It analyses the rationales, within different types of company, for the division of powers between (a) the shareholders and the board, and (b) the board and the senior management of the company. The second part of the chapter shows how the rules on the composition of the board (mainly to be found in the Corporate Governance Code) and the directors’ statutory core duty of loyalty fashion the accountability of the board. That accountability is primarily to the shareholders, but non-shareholder interests are recognised, in different ways, in both the Code and the statutory duty.
Chapter
7. Board composition—appointment and removal of directors
This chapter discusses the appointment and removal of directors, including corporate directors, and especially considers the recently enacted requirements for identity verification on appointment and addresses the consequences of appointments where the individual’s identity has not been verified. It also considers directors’ remuneration. This chapter addresses the three classes of directors: the de jure director, the de facto director, and the shadow director. The chapter considers the behaviour which will result in being classified as a de facto or a shadow director, explores the extensive case law on these issues, and identifies the duties and liabilities which attach or potentially attach to each category.
Chapter
7. Board composition—appointment and removal of directors
This chapter discusses the appointment and removal of directors. Directors are responsible for the management of the company’s business, for which purpose they may exercise all the powers of the company. This chapter considers three classes of directors: the de jure director, the de facto director, and the shadow director. It identifies the characteristics of each category and the liabilities which attach in the event that someone is classed as being a director. It also considers whether fiduciary duties are owed by shadow directors. The position of corporate directors is also considered. In addition, the remuneration of directors is addressed.
Chapter
5. The Board of Directors as an Organ of the Company
This chapter discusses: members’ rights and duties under the Companies Act 2006 and the company’s constitution; the problems in dividing power between the company’s members and directors, and the consequences of that division; the rules of interpretation that apply to constitutional documents; the practical exercise of the decision-making powers given to members, including the formalities of meetings and the possibility of informal agreements; the legal constraints on the exercise of power by shareholders; and the enforcement of the constitution by the members, and their potential use of shareholders’ agreements to achieve what they cannot achieve via the articles.
Chapter
11. Borrowing and security
This chapter considers borrowing as an important method of financing a company’s activities, and security as a right of recourse against company property if the loan is not repaid on time. It begins by discussing security for financial obligations, paying particular attention to security contracts, the redemption or discharge of security and the realisation of security. It then turns to the registration of non-possessory security contracts, the priorities of legal and equitable charges and floating charges as a form of security and their crystallisation. The extent to which the assets of a company, to which anyone is considering extending credit, are already charged as security is also explained. The chapter considers three particularly significant court cases: Evans v Rival Granite Quarries Ltd [1910] 2 KB 979; Re Spectrum Plus Ltd [2005] UKHL 41, [2005] 2 AC 680; and Re Yorkshire Woolcombers Association Ltd [1903] 2 Ch 284.
Chapter
11. Borrowing and security
This chapter considers borrowing as an important method of financing a company’s activities, and security as a right of recourse against company property if the loan is not repaid on time. It begins by discussing security for financial obligations, paying particular attention to security contracts, the redemption or discharge of security and the realisation of security. It then turns to the registration of non-possessory security contracts, the priorities of legal and equitable charges and floating charges as a form of security and their crystallisation. The extent to which the assets of a company, to which anyone is considering extending credit, are already charged as security is also explained. The chapter considers three particularly significant court cases: Evans v Rival Granite Quarries Ltd [1910] 2 KB 979; Re Spectrum Plus Ltd [2005] UKHL 41, [2005] 2 AC 680; and Re Yorkshire Woolcombers Association Ltd [1903] 2 Ch 284.
Chapter
1. Business structures
Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the four principal business structures in the UK, namely the sole proprietorship, ordinary partnership, limited liability partnership (LLP), and company. The LLP and the company are created via a process called incorporation and are therefore known as incorporated business structures or, as they are referred to in their respective statutes, as ‘bodies corporate’. The sole proprietorship and the ordinary partnership are not created via incorporation and so are known as unincorporated business structures.
Chapter
7. Capital and capital maintenance
Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the two principal types of capital that companies acquire: share capital (capital obtained by selling shares) and debt capital (capital borrowed from others). Having obtained share capital through the selling of shares, the law requires that the company ‘maintain’ that capital by not distributing it in unauthorized ways, notably by prohibiting companies from returning capital to the shareholders prior to liquidation.
Chapter
9. Classes of shares and variation of class rights
Titles in the Core Text series take the reader straight to the heart of the subject, providing focused, concise, and reliable guides for students at all levels. This chapter focuses on the rights and liabilities of a shareholder which are the incident of the general nature of a share, as well as his particular rights and liabilities by virtue of owning a particular type or class of share. It first considers the legal nature of a shareholding and the different types of share capital and typical class rights of a shareholder, as well as the statutory procedure required of a company before it can effect a variation of shareholders’ class rights. Examples of classes of shares are then given, and preferential rights attached to preference shares are discussed. The chapter concludes by looking at European Union initiatives on shareholders’ rights.
Chapter
7. Classifications of director
This chapter assesses what a director is and the different types of director that exist. Section 250 of the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) provides that a director ‘includes any person occupying the position of director, by whatever name called’. A person validly appointed as a director is known as a de jure director, whereas a person who has not been validly appointed, but who acts as a director, is known as a de facto director. A shadow director is ‘a person in accordance with whose directions or instructions the directors of a company are accustomed to act’. Other types of director include executive director, non-executive director, and alternate director. Meanwhile, certain persons such as major shareholders or creditors may have power to nominate a person to the board, and this nominated person is known as a nominee director. Many companies appoint some of their directors to specific board roles.
Chapter
2. Companies and Corporate Personality
The Concentrate Questions and Answers series offers the best preparation for tackling exam questions and coursework. Each book includes typical questions, suggested answers with commentary, illustrative diagrams, guidance on how to develop your answer, suggestions for further reading, and advice on exams and coursework. This chapter considers the main legal forms used for businesses in the UK—particularly sole traders, general partnerships, limited liability partnerships (LLPs), and companies (public and private). It then examines how registered companies limited by shares come into existence. On registration a company becomes a legal person, separate from its shareholders and directors. This chapter explores this ‘corporate personality’ and the popular topic of when the ‘veil of incorporation’ can be lifted or pierced by statute or the courts.
Chapter
1. The Company and its Incorporation
This chapter discusses rescue and insolvency procedures. Companies experiencing financial difficulty have various options to effect either the timely rescue of viable commercial enterprises or the orderly and competent management of affairs before ceasing operations. This chapter considers: the Insolvency Act 1986 Pt 1A moratorium; company voluntary arrangements; administration; receivership and administrative receivership; distribution of assets subject to the receivership; liquidation or winding up; investigating and reporting the affairs of the company; dissolution of the company; and restoration to the register.
Chapter
9. Company Auditors
This chapter discusses the available remedies when a company is poorly run, including the types of issues that are legitimate subjects of complaint. Topics covered include: pursuing claims for maladministration; why shareholder litigation is such a problem; the old common law rule in Foss v Harbottle; the statutory derivative action for bringing corporate claims and limitations based on reflective loss; personal claims by members; and unfairly prejudicial conduct of the company’s affairs.
Chapter
5. The company constitution
This chapter focuses on the company constitution and explores the meaning of ‘constitution’ in this context. For most companies, the constitution essentially is the articles of association and model articles may be adopted. The chapter covers the content of the articles, amending the articles, interpreting the articles, enforcing the articles, and shareholders’ agreements. While shareholders have a power to amend the articles, that power is limited at common law to prevent alterations that are not in good faith and the case law on that issue is explored. The courts are also constrained in how they interpret articles of association, given they are a public document, and the approach to interpretation is considered.
