's after names of companies (genitive case)

[Malahide156]

Greetings, everyone
I was wondering if it is possible to use 's to show genitive if we are speaking about names of companies like Microsoft etc.
Thanks in advance for answers.

 

[sound shift]

It's entirely possible. "Microsoft's profits rose in 2014" is a very common type of sentence.

 

[Malahide156]

Thanks!

 

[entangledbank]

Yes, use the same principles as for common nouns:

Microsoft's profits
YUKOS's profits, or YUKOS' profits (singular ending in -s, so apostrophe is optional)
Temasek Holdings' profits (plural ending in -s, so no apostrophe)

Some companies already end in genitive 's, like McDonald's, so you can't change them any more: McDonald's profits.

 

[Egmont]

... YUKOS's profits, or YUKOS' profits (singular ending in -s, so apostrophe is optional) ...

I don't think the apostrophe is optional.

Some people feel that the final "s" is optional, but I think it's required also. My authority for this is any map of central London that shows St. James's Park. Several books on grammar say the same thing, but are harder to find. There are several threads here on the topic of forming the possessive of a noun that happens to end in the letter "s."

 

[JulianStuart]

Yes, use the same principles as for common nouns:

Microsoft's profits
YUKOS's profits, or YUKOS' profits (singular ending in -s, so apostrophe is optional)
Temasek Holdings' profits (plural ending in -s, so no apostrophe)

Some companies already end in genitive 's, like McDonald's, so you can't change them any more: McDonald's profits.

I think what etb meant to write was "so the s after the apostrophe is optional" - and it is true that some people treat singular names and words ending in s as if they were plural.

 

[Andygc]

My authority for this is any map of central London that shows St. James's Park

We've been round this buoy before, Egmont, in previous threads. St James's Park is on the same central London map as St Thomas' Hospital. Newcastle United FC plays on St James' Park. Exeter City FC plays on St James Park. Not much consistency there.