Editing Corporate title (section)

===United States===

State laws in the United States traditionally required certain positions to be created within every corporation, such as [[President (corporate title)|president]], [[Company secretary|secretary]] and [[treasurer]]. Today, the approach under the ''[[Model Business Corporation Act]]'', which is employed in many states, is to grant corporations discretion in determining which titles to have, with the only mandated organ being the board of directors.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|title=Model Business Corporation Act|url=http://users.wfu.edu/palmitar/ICBCorporations-Companion/Conexus/ModelBusinessCorporationAct.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121010220809/http://users.wfu.edu/palmitar/ICBCorporations-Companion/Conexus/ModelBusinessCorporationAct.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 October 2012|access-date=19 August 2013}}</ref>

Some states that do not employ the MBCA continue to require that certain offices be established. Under the law of [[Delaware]], where most large US corporations are established, stock certificates must be signed by two officers with titles specified by law (e.g. a president and secretary or a president and treasurer).<ref>{{cite web|title=Delaware General Corporation Law § 158|url=http://delcode.delaware.gov/title8/c001/sc05/index.shtml|access-date=19 December 2013|quote=Every holder of stock represented by certificates shall be entitled to have a certificate signed by, or in the name of the corporation by the chairperson or vice-chairperson of the board of directors, or the president or vice-president, and by the treasurer or an assistant treasurer, or the secretary or an assistant secretary of such corporation representing the number of shares registered in certificate form.}}</ref> Every corporation incorporated in [[California]] must have a chairman of the board or a president (or both), as well as a secretary and a chief financial officer.<ref>{{cite web|title=California Corporations Code § 312|url=http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=corp&group=00001-01000&file=300-318|access-date=19 December 2013|quote=A corporation shall have a chairman of the board or a president or both, a secretary, a chief financial officer, and such other officers with such titles and duties as shall be stated in the bylaws or determined by the board and as may be necessary to enable it to sign instruments and share certificates.|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121113085241/http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/cgi-bin/displaycode?section=corp&group=00001-01000&file=300-318|archive-date=13 November 2012}}</ref>

[[Limited liability company]] (LLC)-structured companies are generally run directly by their members, but the members can agree to appoint officers such as a CEO or to appoint "managers" to operate the company.<ref>{{cite news|last=Lawrence|first=George|title=Does an LLC Have to Have a President or CEO?|url=http://smallbusiness.chron.com/llc-president-ceo-17385.html|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|access-date=20 August 2013}}</ref>

American companies are generally led by a CEO. In some companies, the CEO also has the title of "president". In other companies, a president is a different person, and the primary duties of the two positions are defined in the company's bylaws (or the laws of the governing legal jurisdiction). Many companies also have a CFO, a COO and other senior positions such as [[general counsel|chief legal officer]] (CLO), [[chief strategy officer]] (CSO), [[chief marketing officer]] (CMO), etc. that report to the president and CEO. The next level, which are not executive positions, is middle management and may be called "vice presidents", "[[Director (business)|directors]]" or "managers", depending on the size and required managerial depth of the company.<ref>{{cite web|last=Lowe|first=Keith|title=The Relevance of Employee Titles|url=http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/48776|access-date=20 August 2013}}</ref>