What is the difference between a company and an enterprise? The cambridge dictionary defines an enterprise as 'a business', and gives an example, 'a commercial enterprise', Oxford defines it, among other things as 'a business or company', and gives the example of a state-owned enterprise, the EU provides money for 'Small and medium-sized enterprises' (= businesses), yet we would not say: 'my father has set up an enterprise making chocolate bars' or 'the enterprise where I work employs 3 people'. If you look up 'enterprise' on google images, you get pages of space ships, a few aircraft carriers and a car rental firm, if you google image 'company', you get, well, companies.
I am not referring here to the other meanings of enterprise: entrepreneurial activity/ initiative and resourcefulness, but just to 'enterprise' (countable), used as a near synonym for 'company'.
Best Answer
The following extract helps understand the main differences. Entreprise has a wider definition which actually contains that of a Company:
Company
Enterprise
What is the difference between Enterprise and Company?
While a company is typically an organization engaged in an economic activity for the purpose of earning profits for the stakeholders, an enterprise may not be a formal company in many instances.
There are educational and community enterprises that do not fit into the definition of a company as they are not set up for the sole purpose of making profits.
Enterprise is a word that can be used for a company though it is mostly used in the sense of action and growth as in private enterprise.
Enterprise has become common in the context of IT these days with enterprise class and enterprise solutions being commonly used phrases.
SME is an acronym that clearly indicates that enterprise is meant to be used for ventures.