编者的话 对于一家企业来说，法律意味着什么？法律有什么样的功用？前不久，笔者带着这个问题走访了一些企业（民营企业居多）得出了两种答案：其一，认为法律是事后救济的手段。当企业的合法权益受到不法侵害时，采取向法院诉讼或提请仲裁委员会的方式来维护自己的利益，使自己的损失尽可能降低到最低限度；其二，往往是等到出现了问题才匆忙拿起法律武器维护合法权益。其实，以上两种答案并不全面。作为企业，其应在经营管理中自觉地运用法律，完善经营管理，规避经营风险，排除风险因素或把危险消灭在萌芽状态。 结合这两种认识来看，许多企业认为法律是兼有“防火”与“救火”的功用。法律是消防队，在火灾发生前它起的作用是检查、监督、排除隐患，防患于未然。在发生火灾时，要救火，使损失降到最低限度、这种认识已揭示了法律功用的重要方面，但依笔者的观点看仍嫌其不透彻、不全面，没有领会到“市场经济是法治经济的内涵”。市场经济是法治经济，主要是以法律来规范市场的主体，建立市场主体法律体系，以法律来规范市场秩序，建立以反不正当竞争的现实的公平环境体系，以法律来规范交易，建立以合同法为主的公平交易体系。 从市场经济的主体企业这一层面上来看，法律已规范了企业的每一个行为 Editor’s Note What Does Law Mean for a Business? What kind of function of law? Not long ago, I visited this issue with some companies (mostly private enterprises) come to two answers: First, that the law is a means of relief. When the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises are unlawful infringement, the court takes the lawsuit or brought to the Arbitration Commission to defend their own interests, so as to minimize their losses as much as possible; second, often wait until there is a problem before hurriedly picked up Legal weapons safeguard legitimate rights and interests. In fact, the above two answers are not comprehensive. As an enterprise, it should conscientiously apply the law in operation and management, improve its management, avoid business risks, eliminate risk factors or eliminate dangers in the bud. Combining these two kinds of understanding, many enterprises think that the law has the function of “fire prevention” and “fire fighting”. The law is the fire brigade, its role in the fire before it is to check, monitor, eliminate hidden dangers, take preventive measures. In the event of a fire, it is necessary to save the fire and to minimize the loss. This understanding has revealed important aspects of the legal function. However, according to the author’s point of view, it is still too thorough and incomplete. He did not understand that “the market economy is the rule of law Economic connotation. ” The market economy is the economy under the rule of law. It mainly adopts the law to standardize the main body of the market, establish the legal system of the market main body, regulate the market order by law, establish a realistic fair environment system against unfair competition, regulate transactions by law, establish Contract law-based fair trade system. From the main body of the market economy this level of law, the law has standardized the business of every act