A '''shareholder''' is an individual who owns [[stock]] in a [[corporation]], either publicly traded ("secondary trading") or privately held. In general, the term refers to the public trading of corporate stock. A shareholder, in the corporate model, contributes [[capital]] to the operation of the business, and the [[Officers (Corporation)|officers]] run the corporation, using this stock. In the "economic model" of the corporation, the shareholder has the unique function of bearing risk, although the shareholder also exercises partial control through the [[Board of Directors]]. | A '''shareholder''' is an individual who owns [[stock]] in a [[corporation]], either publicly traded ("secondary trading") or privately held. In general, the term refers to the public trading of corporate stock. A shareholder, in the corporate model, contributes [[capital]] to the operation of the business, and the [[Officers (Corporation)|officers]] run the corporation, using this stock. In the "economic model" of the corporation, the shareholder has the unique function of bearing risk, although the shareholder also exercises partial control through the [[Board of Directors]]. |