Agency Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (2024)

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Agency Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary? ›

Britannica Dictionary definition of AGENCY. [count] 1. : a business that provides a particular service. an insurance/travel/employment agency.

: the office or function of an agent. 2. : a person or thing through which power is used or something is achieved : means. 3. : an establishment doing business for another.

Agency is your sense of what you can do and what you think you can do. It is your power to affect your future. Agency takes your desires, make plans, and carries out the actions necessary to obtain them.

/ˈeɪdʒənsi/ (pl. agencies) 1a business or an organization that provides a particular service, especially on behalf of other businesses or organizations an advertising/employment agency You can book at your local travel agency.

a business acting for or representing a person, an organization, or another business: an advertising/employment agency. a real estate agency. An agency is also a government organization: federal agencies.

An agency relationship is created when one person (the principal) consents to another person (the agent) acting on his behalf, subject to the P's control, and the A agrees to do so. Agency most often comes up in relationship to business matters of some sort.

agency, in law, the relationship that exists when one person or party (the principal) engages another (the agent) to act for him—e.g., to do his work, to sell his goods, to manage his business. The law of agency thus governs the legal relationship in which the agent deals with a third party on behalf of the principal.

In social science, agency is the capacity of individuals to have the power and resources to fulfill their potential. For instance, structure consists of those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ability, customs, etc.) that determine or limit agents and their decisions.

An agency usually provides a service, like an aid organization or a government bureau. If you're looking for a job, an employment agency might be able to help. The Latin word agere means "to do or manage," and it's a fitting ancestor for agency, a word that means an institution that manages or specializes in something.

1. A relation between two or more persons, by which one party, usually called the agent or attorney, is authorized to do certain acts for, or in relation to (lie rights or property of the other, who is denominated the principal, constituent, or employer.

What is agency in the Bible? ›

Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves. Agency is essential in the plan of salvation. Without agency, we would not be able to learn or progress or follow the Savior.

A common example of an agency relationship is between an employer as the principal and an employee as the agent. Laws governing how parties—particularly the party with the power or influence—can act in these relationships are called laws of agency.

Actual agency is a type of agency relationship where the agent is actually employed by the principal. This relationship can be created through an express or implied contract or by law. The agent has the power to act on behalf of the principal and can bind the principal by their words or actions.

In social science, agency is the capacity of individuals to have the power and resources to fulfill their potential. For instance, structure consists of those factors of influence (such as social class, religion, gender, ethnicity, ability, customs, etc.) that determine or limit agents and their decisions.

Human agency refers to the ability to shape one's life and a few dimensions can be differentiated. Individual agency is reflected in individual choices and the ability to influence one's life conditions and chances.

It refers to the capacity of women and girls to take purposeful action and pursue goals, free from the threat of violence or retribution.