Whether you work for a corporation or you just have an interest in these groups of people, you'll find that there's a lot worth knowing about corporations and their history. At the most basic level, corporations are legal entities in their own right. That means that they're legally separate from the people who own them and the people who work for them. While corporations can be formed for just about any reason, you'll mostly find that this term refers to people pooling their resources for business reasons. One of the big things you should remember when looking at corporations is the fact that they're a product of corporate law. That means there's a balance that needs to be struck between shareholders, who invest the capital needed by the company to function, and employees, who provide services and labor. As time goes on, more and more corporations appear in the business landscape. That's because the size and large amount of revenue corporations tend to exhibit allow them to supply benefits that smaller businesses just can't match. The history of corporations can be traced back to the Roman era, and in fact, the term "corporation" comes from the Latin word "corpus" meaning a body, or in this case, a body of people who essentially act as one. During the time of the ancient Romans, there were groups of people who carried on business as a unit in this fashion, but they were far from alone. The Maurya Empire of ancient India did much the same. The medieval period of Europe saw churches becoming incorporated, and almost simultaneously, so did cities. There was a very strong interest in the creation of corporations as it formed a kind of support that was very necessary at the time. There was also the fact that it could promise security and even a form of immortality. The basic goal of most corporations is to ensure that institutions last longer than just one person. The oldest corporation in the world is probably the Stora Kopparberg mining company. Founded by a charter signed in 1347 by King Magnus Erikson of Sweden, this corporation is still active today. Similar corporations in history include the Dutch East India Company and Hudson's Bay Company, although they have since been dissolved. Like the Stora Kopparberg company, the Dutch East India company's charter was given by a monarch. This company capitalized on the European desire for spices, taking over trade in the Moluccan Islands. Despite the fact that we tend to view modern corporations as huge monoliths located inside of tall buildings, we should remember that there's more to them. All corporations work towards their common goal. Even though earlier corporations lacked computers, copiers, and office chairs, they still had a lot in common with the big businesses of today. In the end, the point is still the same.
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