Business And Economy Archive
Thread: Lots?
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mirah
Mon Sep 06, 2004 6:40 am
#3
k thanks was just beginning to get worried as i don't have a lot of lots left.
Dolly
Master Tailor
Master ?--working on becoming the sexiest mayor on wanderhome...hopefully by christmas
IntoTheGarbage
Tue Feb 01, 2005 4:12 pm
#7
Ok I once said it couldn't be done, but maybe it can. (Note that this creates companies but does not create a stock exchange, I sitll think that is impossible.) Here, goes....
Starting a Company
To start a company a player places a corporate headquarters. (Built by an architect.) The corporate HQ has a voting terminal, a corporate account terminal, and a building management terminal. It would use about 4 lots.
Once the HQ is dropped, the company is started. It gets a default name. ( A number or "Playername inc.")The dropping player is the Chairman, and that player has automatically dedicated 4 lots to the company. (The ones used to drop the HQ). Once dropped, an HQ cannot be lifted until the company winds up. (See below) Shares in the company are obtained by donating lots to the company. One share per lot. The shares cannot be traded. At the start therefore the chairman is the sole shareholder with four shares. The maximum number of shares/lots per company would probably be about 30.
From the voting terminal, the chairman can initiate votes on the following:
- Company name.
- Shareholder agreements
- New Shareholders/Releasing Shareholders
- New Directors/Releasing Directors
- New Chairman
- Chairman and Director Salaries
- Winding up.
Only the Chairman can initiate votes, every shareholder gets a vote for each share. Shareholders are advised of votes by e-mail and get a certain amount of time to vote.For each vote they are given a simple yes/no option.Votes that are not cast are counted as abstentions.
Company Name.
Obviously there would be the usual name filter in place here. This is likely to be the first thing the chairman does. Since he or she is the only voter, there choice is guaranteed to have unanimous support! However the company name can be changed later, by vote.
Shareholder agreements
This is the weekly dividend that is paid per share. It is automatically paid out from the corporate account to the shareholders every week. The default is zero. It is essentially the rent paid out per lot. If the chairman wants to encourage others to become shareholders, he or she will probably have to raise this. If the company every lacks the funds to pay a dividend, the company automatically winds up.
New Shareholders/Release shareholders.
The company must approve new shareholders, and can vote to expel current shareholders. However, any shareholder, except the Chairman, can opt out on theie own anytime they like. If the company has enough free lots then the shareholder automatically gets their lotsback. If not then the company has one week to free up enough lots. I they do not, as many of the newest corporate structures to free up the needed lots, and everything in them, goes poof, and the shareholder gets their lots back.
New Directors/Releasing Directors
Any shareholder can be a director. Directors have the right to use the company lots. They can also recieve salaries. They are voted in and out like shareholders.
New Chairman
A new chairman can be voted in. However, since only the chairman can initiate votes, it obviously has to be a voluntary stepping down. It works like any other election. In order to be eligible for chairman, you must have dedicated at least 4 lots to the company.
The chairman also has the option to resign at anytime. If the chairman resigns he or she must wait one week, during this time the company must vote a new chairman. If not, the company automatically winds up.
A chairman that resigns, quits the company and get their lots back. A chairman that simply steps down and is succssfully replaced, stays in the company and becomes an ordinary shareholder.
Chairman and Director Salaries
The default is zero, but the company can vote to pay them weekly salaries. It is paid out of the company account after the dividend. If there is not enough money for the corporate salaries, then the money is divided among the directors,based on there incomes, but the company does not wind up.
Winding up.
A company can vote to wind up, or it can happen automatically if there is no chairman or if there is not enough money to pay dividends. Once this happens the company has one week to collect and distribute it's assets. (The company assets are any structures using company lots and anything in those structures) after which time they all go poof.
Account terminal
This is in the corporate HQ, any player can access it to:
- view the amount of money in the account;
- donate money to the corporate account;
- view the number of shares issued;
- view the shareholders agreement; and,
- view the board of directors and their salaries.
Nobody can withdraw from the account.
Corporate Lots
If the corporation has unused lots the chairman and directors can use them to place any structure. (The option would be a sub-option on the radial menu of the structure. Like when you open a container, you have the sub-option to open it in a new window.) They can also lift any company structure. The chairman and directors are automatically on the management list of any company structure, no other players may be added to the management list. When management fees are paid, it is drawn from the corporate account, not the directors account. Money earned by a vendor in a corporate building automatically goes to the corporate account. If management fees are not paid, the building decays as normal.
Conclusion
Ok that's it. You don't need an economics degree to see that it is really just a lot trading scheme. However lot trading already exists, and this just formalizes it. Lot trading right now is cumbersome, and so is this. It gives you the freedom to move traded lots, but it also imposes financial burdens and responsibilities. You can still trade lots the old way, but I think many would find this to be a better system. If you are against lot trading in any form, you will hate this idea. If you like it or areresigned to it, you may find this interesting.
I think most companies would be small affairs with 2 or three shareholders. However creative players could run companies with as many as 26 shareholders.
Adrir
Tue Feb 01, 2005 4:30 pm
#8
Sounds real cool, an interesting feature for the game, from what i understood, players surrender some of their lots for shares, they then get paid an recurring ammount and their lots become available for the company.
Shadine
Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:06 pm
#9
not bad. How about something similar. A Co-op. which you could have members supply their wares to be sold at a given rate. sort of a farming corperation?
IntoTheGarbage
Tue Feb 01, 2005 5:07 pm
#10
Yup pretty much, but I should elaborate a little here. This system would give players several option:
The company is just used to pool lots.
Three or four players could pool most of their lots. They are all directors, they agree to pay no dividends and receive no salaries. The simply keep enough money in the corporate account to pay for structure maintenance. The HQ is only used as a warehouse. The directors make money by placing vendors in private structures.
The company is justused to rent lots from other players.
One or two players are the only directors. The other players rent their lots for the weekly dividend. All shareholders, except the directors, informally agree to never vote on anything. (Even if a shareholder broke this agreement and tried to vote, they probably would not have enough votes to vote against the directors, and would soon find themselves voted out of the company.)
The chairman and directors (if any) receive no salary, and place no corporate vendors. Instead they just plug enough money into the corporate account to pay the dividends and maintain the structures. Again, the HQ is just a warehouse.
Full blown company
Shareholders are found anywhere you can get them. Directors are mostly crafters who are hired as employees. They make goods and place them on corporate vendors. Rather than making money by selling their goods as a crafter, the director has chosen to receive a salary as a director, and receive dividends as a shareholder.
The HQ here is used as the corporate shopping mall, as well as a warehouse, and showroom.
Those are just three examples, any variation on the three, or any other scheme I have not thought up are naturally possible as well.
OldManDog
Tue Feb 01, 2005 8:27 pm
#11
Winding up.
A company can vote to wind up, or it can happen automatically if there is no chairman or if there is not enough money to pay dividends. Once this happens the company has one week to collect and distribute it's assets. (The company assets are any structures using company lots and anything in those structures) after which time they all go poof.
Account terminal
This is in the corporate HQ, any player can access it to:
- view the amount of money in the account;
- donate money to the corporate account;
- view the number of shares issued;
- view the shareholders agreement; and,
- view the board of directors and their salaries.
Nobody can withdraw from the account.
"You don't need an economics degree to see that it is really just a lot trading scheme"
I dont see this happening, main reason is that structures don't go POOF anymore. Secondly I don't know anyone who would invest in their own business if they couldn't withdraw their credits.Chairman = Owner untill he declares his 4 lots & sanity to the Company which sole purpose is to buy lots & has no form of income other than the"Owner & Board aka LotRetailers"Placing thier credits into it? Why would you invest your LOTs to then 2) donate money to the corporate account, which is responsible for your dividends on your LOTs?
SharperMind
Tue Feb 01, 2005 9:06 pm
#12
I think the devs need to make 1 lot structures that hold the equivalent of about 3 small homes but are designated WHAREHOUSES so can only access a term inside and its used to transfer items into small sections which you can organize for the wharehouse...
IntoTheGarbage
Wed Feb 02, 2005 12:16 am
#13
OldManDog wrote:
I dont see this happening, main reason is that structures don't go POOF anymore. Secondly I don't know anyone who would invest in their own business if they couldn't withdraw their credits.Chairman = Owner untill he declares his 4 lots & sanity to the Company which sole purpose is to buy lots & has no form of income other than the"Owner & Board aka LotRetailers"Placing thier credits into it? Why would you invest your LOTs to then 2) donate money to the corporate account, which is responsible for your dividends on your LOTs?
The structures would have to go poof to free up the lots. Otherwise a company could hold a player's lot hostage. I think a week would be about enough time for a company to either free up a lot, or get new lots from new shareholders. If they don't then the player just get's their lot back no matter what, and the youngest corporate building goes poof. I don't like that solution, but it is the only way I can think of to keep lots from being held hostage. I am certainly open to alternatives though.
The owner/chairman would have another source of income. Remember, they have full use of the lots. They can use them to harvest and manufacture, then sell the goods or resouces on private vendors where they keep all the profits. If the shareholders agreed to no dividends and no income then the only expence from the corporate account would be structure mainenance, which they would have to pay anyways.
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