definition
strict definition
branch
A national, regional, or local office subordinate to a company's home office, excluding an independent subsidiary.
A branch is any national, regional, or local office under the home office of a company, as long as it is not set up as an independent subsidiary corporation.
The office belongs to the company whose home office it reports to. It can cover a country or region as well as a local area; its geographical reach does not by itself make it independent.
A separately incorporated subsidiary has its own corporate identity and is excluded by this definition. A franchise name alone does not establish whether an office is a branch of the franchisor.
Related definitions
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brand
A registered trademark used by a company to establish product identity among consumers. -
consortium
A named partnership of two or more firms working together on a particular building or project. -
division
A sub-organization within a company acting as an individual firm in relation to a structure or complex. -
fund
A collective investment scheme which spreads ownership among several investors. -
group of companies
A corporate union or association of multiple companies which retain their separate identities. -
headquarters
The main or only office of a company, ranging from a single-office firm to a worldwide headquarters. -
individual
A single person acting in the role of a company with respect to a structure or complex.