A corporation is "a large business or organization that under the law has the rights and duties of an individual and follows a specific purpose." The corporations of Civilization IV, however, do not bear tremendous resemblance to real-life corporations. Instead, they are mechanisms that can add substantial production to a city, at the cost of higher maintenance costs. Thus, in essence they convert gold into other basic goods (food, hammers, science, and culture). Corporations were introduced in Beyond the Sword. There are seven corporations: