German business law

type of business grouping, particularly in Europe

A ' (abbreviated KG', ; from + ) is the German name for a limited partnership business entity and is used in German, Belgian, Dutch, Austrian, and some other European legal systems. In Japan, it is called a gōshi gaisha. Its name derives from the commenda, an early Italian medieval form of limited partnership. In Indonesia, it is legally called commanditaire vennootschap (CV) or Persekutuan Komanditer, derived from colonial Dutch administration.

'''''' (; ) is a type of legal entity in German-speaking countries. It is an entity broadly equivalent to the private limited company in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth countries, and the limited liability company (LLC) in the United States.

' (; abbreviated AG' ) is a German word for a corporation limited by share ownership (i.e., one which is owned by its shareholders) whose shares may be traded on a stock market. The term is used in Germany, Austria, Switzerland (where it is equivalent to a société anonyme or a società per azioni) and South Tyrol for companies incorporated there. In the United Kingdom, the equivalent term is public limited company, and in the United States, while the terms "incorporated" or "corporation" are typically used, technically the more precise equivalent term is "joint-stock company".

In German corporate governance, a Vorstand is the executive board of a corporation (public limited company). It is hierarchically subordinate to the supervisory board (Aufsichtsrat), as German company law imposes a two-tier board of directors.

registered voluntary association in Germany