Association vs. Corporation: Difference and Comparison
Edited by Muazma Batool — By Muneeza Rehman — Updated on September 22, 2023
An association is a group organized for a joint purpose, while a corporation is a company legally separated from its owners.
Difference Between Association and Corporation
Association denotes a group of individuals linked by a common purpose or interest, usually formed for non-profit motives, emphasizing communal and altruistic objectives. Corporation, on the other hand, implies a distinct legal entity created by individuals, shareholders, or employees, with its primary aim usually being profit. Although both are organized bodies, an association focuses more on collective goals, while a corporation underscores financial interests and legal separateness.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Associations are typically characterized by mutual aims and shared interests, and they can be informal or formal, professional or recreational. Corporations are formal, structured entities, recognized by law as a single 'person', and they operate with defined roles and responsibilities, emphasizing formalities and legality. Associations lean more towards collective pursuits and shared passions, whereas corporations are structured around business activities and profitability.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
The term association is synonymous with cooperation and linkage, implying a connection between individuals or entities united by shared objectives or common interests. Corporation, in contrast, connotes structure, legality, and profit, symbolizing a legal entity distinct from its owners, operated for profit. Associations reflect unity and commonality, and corporations denote structure and distinctness.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
An association might not have a formalized structure or legal recognition, and it might exist for social, cultural, or educational purposes. In contrast, a corporation is a legally recognized entity, distinct from its owners, existing to conduct business and generate profit. An association’s essence is in shared goals and interests, while a corporation is defined by its legal status and profit motive.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
Association vs. Corporation Comparison Chart
Purpose
Organized for a joint purpose, usually non-profit
Structured and legal entity, usually for-profit
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Ownership & Liability
Members have no ownership interest; limited liability
Owners (shareholders) have ownership interest; limited liability
Levi
Sep 22, 2023
Focus
Communal and altruistic objectives
Financial interests and legal separateness
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Association vs. Corporation Definitions
◉Association
A connection or cooperative link between people or organizations.
The research revealed a strong association between poverty and crime.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
◉Corporation
A large company or group of companies authorized to act as a single entity.
She works for a multinational corporation.
Elijah
Sep 22, 2023
◉Association
The process of forming mental connections or bonds between sensations, ideas, or memories.
For many, the smell of pine has an association with the holidays.
William
Sep 22, 2023
◉Corporation
A legal entity distinct from its owners, created to conduct business.
The corporation was sued for negligence.
Nolan
Sep 22, 2023
◉Association
A group of people organized for a common purpose.
The association aims to protect wildlife in the area.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
◉Corporation
A body authorized by law to carry out functions, attributes, and objectives with rights, privileges, or liabilities.
The city’s transportation corporation manages public transit systems.
Lucas
Sep 22, 2023
◉Association
The act of associating or being connected with
My parents disapproved of my association with my friends from across town.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
A company or group authorized to act as an individual for certain legal purposes.
The corporation will issue stocks to raise funds.
Nolan
Sep 22, 2023
◉Association
An organized body of people who have an interest, activity, or purpose in common; a society.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
A group of people elected to govern a city, town, or borough.
The corporation decided to implement stricter zoning laws.
Elijah
Sep 22, 2023
◉Association
A mental connection or relation between thoughts, feelings, ideas, or sensations
My therapist helped me examine my association of food with comfort.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
An entity such as a business, municipality, or organization, that involves more than one person but that has met the legal requirements to operate as a single person, so that it may enter into contracts and engage in transactions under its own identity.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
The act of expressing a link or connection between two things
"The media's association of visa overstayers with illegality is so strong and common as to shape public attitudes towards them" (Junya Morooka).
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
Such a body created for purposes of government. Also called body corporate.
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
A correlation or causal connection
There is a definite association of exercise with improved health.
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
(Chemistry) Any of various processes of combination, such as hydration, solvation, or complex-ion formation, depending on relatively weak chemical bonding.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
(Ecology) A large number of organisms in a specific geographic area constituting a community with one or two dominant species.
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May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
A body corporate, created by law or under authority of law, having a continuous existence independent of the existences of its members, and powers and liabilities distinct from those of its members.
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
(countable) The state of being associated; a connection to or an affiliation with something.
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May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
(historical) In Fascist Italy, a joint association of employers' and workers' representatives.
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
(statistics) Any relationship between two measured quantities that renders them statistically dependent (but not necessarily causal or a correlation).
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
A group of persons associated for a common purpose; an organization; society.
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May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
A body politic or corporate, formed and authorized by law to act as a single person, and endowed by law with the capacity of succession; a society having the capacity of transacting business as an individual.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
(object-oriented programming) Relationship between classes of objects that allows one object instance to cause another to perform an action on its behalf.
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May 03, 2023
◉Corporation
a business firm whose articles of incorporation have been approved in some state
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
A benevolent overseas Chinese organization of popular origin for overseas Chinese individuals with the same surname or trade or business.
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
The act of associating, or state of being associated; union; connection, whether of persons of things.
Self-denial is a kind of holy association with God.
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
Mental connection, or that which is mentally linked or associated with a thing.
Words . . . must owe their powers association.
Why should . . . the holiest words, with all their venerable associations, be profaned?
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
Union of persons in a company or society for some particular purpose; as, the American Association for the Advancement of Science; a benevolent association. Specifically, as among the Congregationalists, a society, consisting of a number of ministers, generally the pastors of neighboring churches, united for promoting the interests of religion and the harmony of the churches.
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
a formal organization of people or groups of people;
he joined the Modern Language Association
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
the act of consorting with or joining with others;
you cannot be convicted of criminal guilt by association
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
the state of being connected together as in memory or imagination;
his association of his father with being beaten was too strong to break
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
a social or business relationship;
a valuable financial affiliation
he was sorry he had to sever his ties with other members of the team
many close associations with England
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
the process of bringing ideas or events together in memory or imagination;
conditioning is a form of learning by association
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
a relation resulting from interaction or dependence;
flints were found in association with the prehistoric remains of the bear
the host is not always injured by association with a parasite
Muneeza Rehman
May 03, 2023
◉Association
(chemistry) any process of combination (especially in solution) that depends on relatively weak chemical bonding
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
(ecology) a group of organisms (plants and animals) that live together in a certain geographical region and constitute a community with a few dominant species
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May 03, 2023
◉Association
A group of individuals who voluntarily enter into an agreement to form a body to accomplish a purpose.
Our neighborhood has an association that organizes community events.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
◉Association
The act of associating or being connected with something.
The politician’s association with the controversial group harmed his reputation.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Association vs. Corporation Frequently Asked Questions
Is the primary focus of associations usually profit?
No, associations usually focus on communal and altruistic objectives and are often non-profit.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Does an association imply formal structure?
An association may have an informal or formal structure, often emphasizing shared interests or objectives.
Kaitlyn
Sep 22, 2023
How does a corporation differ from an association in terms of legal status?
A corporation has distinct legal status and is recognized as a single entity, whereas an association may or may not have legal recognition.
Muazma Batool
Sep 22, 2023
Is a corporation recognized as a separate legal entity from its owners?
Yes, a corporation is legally distinct from its owners, possessing its own rights, privileges, and liabilities.
William
Sep 22, 2023
Does being part of an association imply a shared interest or goal?
Yes, being part of an association typically implies a shared interest, goal, or purpose among its members.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
What does association mean in a general sense?
Association generally refers to a group of people organized for a specific purpose or a connection between ideas or things.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Can the term corporation imply structure and legality?
Yes, the term corporation typically implies a formal, structured, and legal entity, often created for business and profit motives.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Can corporations be created for profit?
Yes, corporations are usually created as structured and legal entities with the primary aim of generating profit.
Lucas
Sep 22, 2023
Do corporations have a defined set of roles and responsibilities?
Yes, corporations operate with structured roles and responsibilities, emphasizing formalities and legal obligations.
Jonathan
Sep 22, 2023
Can an association exist for social or cultural purposes?
Yes, associations often exist to fulfill social, cultural, or educational purposes, emphasizing shared goals and interests.
Muneeza Rehman
Sep 22, 2023
Content Creators
Written by
Muneeza RehmanAt Comparisons.wiki, Muneeza skillfully navigates the vast sea of information, ensuring clarity and accuracy as the lead content editor. With a keen eye for detail, she curates every comparison to enlighten and engage readers.
Edited by
Muazma BatoolAs a content editor, Muazma Batool is not just a grammar guru but a creative mastermind who breathes life into every word. With an eagle eye for detail and a passion for storytelling, she transforms bland text into engaging content that captivates audiences and drives results.
