proper nouns - Company names, use of "have" and "has"

Should company names be followed by "has" or "have"? It depends on whether a company is treated as a singular proper-noun:

Samsung has gotten itself in a lot of trouble recently.

Or plural proper-noun:

Samsung have stated they don't imitate cooler products.

Are both acceptable?

Answer

A company is a collective entity. When referring to a company by name, it is the overall entity that is being referenced. It is treated as a single thing for the purpose of verb (and pronoun) agreement.

While there are other collectives that may, at times be treated as a plural to reflect the multiplicty of the participants in the activity or characteristic, even when a company is a conglomerate of many smaller companies, the name use is singular.

Time-Warner collects revenue from all of its subsidiaries.