In a market economy, enterprises can create various associations for the joint solution of certain tasks, the achievement of certain goals.
The main principles of the creation of associations are:
voluntary entry into the association and withdrawal under the conditions determined by its statutes; preservation of economic independence of the enterprise; the contractual basis of relations between the participants of the association; freedom to choose the organizational form of association; compliance with antitrust laws.
New forms of voluntary associations of enterprises are economic associations, concerns, holdings, consortia, financial and industrial groups and unions.
An economic association is a voluntary association of enterprises belonging to various industries to solve major scientific and technical problems, to represent their interests before state bodies.
Within the limits of the delegation of authority, it may conclude contracts on its own behalf, use a loan from a bank, carry out export-import operations and other foreign economic activity, create joint ventures, represent the interests of the association and its participants in relations with other enterprises.
The Association may create self-supporting enterprises to provide construction, transport, technological, commercial, design, foreign trade, legal, informational, advisory and other services to participating enterprises.
As part of the management structure of the association, the following links are created:
The supreme management body through which the enterprises of the association participate in making the most important decisions; Executive management body (supervises current activities); The executive apparatus that ensures the work of the supreme and executive bodies, the implementation of their decisions.
A concern is an association of enterprises engaged in joint activities on the basis of voluntary centralization of many functions of production, scientific and technological development, investment, financial and foreign economic activity. Concerns can be industry-specific (for example: Bellegprom, Bellesprom, Belgospischeprom) and intersectoral.
A concern is the most common form of corporation in the field of industry. They arose in developed countries in the 20s of the twentieth century on the basis of diversification of production, i.e. penetration of the capital of this corporation into industries that are not directly related to the main sphere of its activity. Modern concerns unite in their composition dozens and even hundreds of enterprises, research institutions, training centers, test sites, innovation units and many other links that ensure the functioning of a diversified economic organism. A characteristic feature of the concern is the combination of strict central control in the field of investment, research and development and finance with a wide economic independence of enterprises, departments and branches.
Concerns have already been established in the gas industry, cement production and other sectors of the construction industry, energy and chemical engineering. A characteristic feature of the formation of concerns in the CIS is that they are formed around an industry investment bank that plays the role of a structure-forming link.
Consortium – complicity, comparison – a temporary voluntary agreement between several firms, banks, companies for the joint implementation of a project, financing a major event, the construction of an expensive facility, the implementation of a targeted scientific, technical, environmental or other program, the placement of a loan, etc. Banks often unite in a consortium to conduct large and promising, but risky projects and thus reduce the degree of risk for each of them. The consortium allows to concentrate funds, the allocation of which is beyond the power of an individual bank, to increase the prestige and attractiveness of the event and thereby facilitate the attraction of funds from depositors and shareholders.
The consortium carries out its activities on the basis of the disposal of financial, material and other resources submitted by the participants on a share basis, and can also attract borrowed funds on behalf of the participants.
The members of the consortium conclude an agreement among themselves, an agreement that provides for the share of each of them in the costs, financing of the project or activity and, accordingly, in the expected profit, the form of participation in the implementation of the event, and other conditions for the functioning of the consortium. One of the members of the consortium is elected its head or leader. The agreement defines the functions of the leader, the powers granted to him, which he performs on behalf of the consortium. A great advantage of consortium agreements is their flexibility, variety of forms, the absence of strict requirements that limit the possibility of organizing a consortium. Sometimes the initiator of the creation of a consortium is the state interested in solving a major scientific, technical or other problem or in attracting funds from banks, firms for the implementation of expensive projects (for example, the construction of roads, canals, ports, etc.). The participants of the consortium fully retain economic independence, can simultaneously enter into other consortia, associations, etc. Upon fulfillment of the tasks for the solution of which the consortium was created, it ceases its activities.
The holding is a parent company that has a controlling stake in the shares of enterprises united in a single structure, provides management and control over their activities.
Holding structures are multi-factor complex formations that provide for the pooling of production and capital resources, the creation of large-scale industries focused on the development and implementation of the latest technical solutions, the implementation of various investment programs.
Financial and Industrial Group (FIG) is an economic association of enterprises, organizations, credit and financial institutions and investment institutions, created with the aim of conducting joint coordinated activities. It is formed in areas that determine the scientific, production and export potential, as well as meet the priority directions of the state industrial policy.
Among the most significant characteristics of the FIG are the following:
integration of their members not only through the pooling of financial resources, but also through a common management, pricing, technical, personnel policy; the existence of a common strategy; voluntary participation and preservation of the legal independence of participants; The structure of the FIG makes it possible to solve many issues at a lower cost than in other associations.
The main principles of the creation of FIG are:
Priority creation of groups on the basis of technologically and cooperatively connected industrial enterprises that produce products that are provided with effective demand and competitive in the foreign and domestic markets; use of holding and trust (trust) relations as the basis for organizational and economic interaction of group members with the parent financial and industrial company; Prevention of negative monopolistic tendencies in connection with the concentration of capital; Socio-economic substantiation of projects for the creation of groups, involving the use of appropriate expertise and a system of quantitative assessments of the potential effectiveness of future joint activities in its formation (assessment of the product market, economic efficiency of investment projects, employment, economic security of the created industries); Inclusion of representatives of government bodies in the management structure of the FIG, etc.
Unions are associations of enterprises created on sectoral, territorial or other grounds. The Union does not conduct joint production and economic activities. It can develop economic forecasts, organize conferences, summarize and disseminate best practices, carry out information and publishing activities for the benefit of its participants.
The Union carries out its activities at the expense of membership fees of its participants, voluntary contributions and donations from enterprises, organizations and citizens.