The limited company is the dominant type of organisational structure for businesses operating in the UK it is the best available mechanism for raising finance and diversifying financial risk. This book identifies the company as a financing vehicle and explains how the law facilitates the raising of finance by providing the corporate form and methods of financing that match the changing needs of a business through its life. The approach sets this book apart from other legal texts and provides it with its distinctive orientation. The rules relating to share capital, debt finance and public offers of securities are clearly explained with emphasis throughout on their practical operation and on the interests that these requirements are intended to protect. Topical corporate finance issues, such as the ways in which companies can return value to their shareholders, are examined. The corporate governance implications of raising finance from external investors are considered. Key corporate gov