Acquisition: obtaining (in business it is when one company buys another).
Merger: combination of to or more firms to form one company.
Example: many banks in the USA are currently merging (such as Chemical and Chase Manhattan).
Subsidiary: subordinate or secondary (in business it is one company that is owned and controlled by another).
Example: Pizza Hut and Kentucky Fried Chicken are subsidiaries of PepsiCo.
Association: groups of people that are united for a purpose (in business it may be a professional association of educators, doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc).
Example: International Association of Translators and Interpreters, Institute of Managerial Accountants.
Cooperative: groups of people that are united for a principally economic purpose (it is basically a type of Association).
Example: agricultural cooperatives.
Joint Ventures: strategic alliance between two or more businesses.
Example: Fiat and Toillette car plant.
Non-profit Organization: an organization that does not profit for its owners.
Example: International Red Cross.