I was having a discussion on this topic the other day at work with my fellow liberals and conservatives.   What do YOU conisder a corporation to be?  There is a definition for it here:

 cor·po·ra·tion [ kàwrpə ráysh'n ]

cor·po·ra·tions

Plural

NOUN 1. group regarded as individual by law: a company recognized by law as a single body with its own powers and liabilities, separate from those of the individual members. Corporations perform many of the functions of private business, governments, educational bodies, and the professions. 2. local governing authority: the governing authority of an incorporated municipality such as a city or town 3. group acting as single entity: a group of people acting as a single entity

Now some are easy to point out.   McDonalds, Walmart, Burger King, Target, Starbucks, Microsoft, Boeing.  But when you get away from the giants of industry is where it get a bit more interesting and where are discussion got a bit more interesting.

Some thought that you are only a corporation if you are a giant.  Others thought that once you had more than 100 employees that you were a corporation.  If you are a small business type person anyone who is large enough to have a "monopoly" in that area would be considered a corporation.  So that made me think about how we as Americans are different on our view as to what a corporation is.

So what is a corporation to you?  Is it strictly the definition above or is it something more?   And when do you cease being a small business?