There are numerous legal questions to be resolved when a company begins operation. When a company caters to a teenage market, the legal liability issues become even greater. The personal views of an owner also shape the business environment, and it is possible (even desirable) for a business to create an environment which protects it from legal action while promoting a Christian ethical perspective. By emphasizing a "just" environment as postulated by Thomas Aquinas, business owners can offer ethical alternatives to non-Christian businesses.
The business, called the Internet Arcade for the purposes of this research, will combine the traditional video arcade with personal computers having access to the Internet. In addition, some products will be sold (snacks and non-alcoholic beverages) and there will be office space for the staff. The Internet Arcade will be open to all individuals, but will specifically target teenagers and preteenagers, who constitute the major target audience for this type of service.
There are three common types of business that an entrepreneur can choose, each with its own advantages and disadvantages: sole proprietorship, partnership and corporation (Siropolis, 1994). The sole proprietorship, as its name suggests, has only one owner, who is often also the only employee. Sole proprietorships are simple to set up and have few legal burdens or costs associated with starting up. Since the income from a sole proprietorship is combined with the entrepreneurs other income, losses from a new venture can help offset income from other sources, thus reducing the entrepreneur's total tax burden. The disadvantages of a sole proprietorship is that the entrepreneur is entirely liable for all debts associated with the organization. In this way, other assets not associated with the venture can be put at risk if the entrepreneur enters a period of financial difficulty. The entrepreneur may also find that it is d...