3 OR 4 Pages assignment corporate Law

BA 478

UNIT 4 ASSIGNMENT DUE JULY 31, 2017

“Shareholder Influence on Corporate Governance”

Assume that you wish to change the practices, authority, policies, or other characteristics of a large, for-profit corporation in Oregon (United States). However, you are not an officer, director, or shareholder of the corporation. How would you go about attempting to influence the organization to make the changes?

One technique would be to buy the entire corporation. Of course, as sole owner, you could then appoint the board of directors, who would then appoint officers. If you did not like the officers, you could (at least in Oregon) remove the directors, and let the new directors know your preferences. Eventually (if not immediately), you would assemble your own team. Perhaps (better yet?) you could even decide, as sole shareholder, to appoint yourself as sole director, and then, as sole director, appoint yourself as president and treasurer. You could then surround yourself with like-minded individuals.

Of course, this is not an option under most situations. Instead, the usual option is to influence the corporation somehow. This could be done politically by influencing legislators, who could pass laws affecting corporations generally, which might have some desired specific impact on the corporation you, yourself, wish to change. It could also be done through public pressure such as the press.

However, instead of the above, how about buying a single share of the organization you wish to influence? What powers would that create for you? That is this week’s assignment.

Go to ORS Chapter 60 (“Private Corporations”) on the net to find out what authority you possess by holding a single share of stock. You will need to review the appropriate sections of the chapter, and identify the specific statutes that may give you some direct information or power, or at least some “hand holds” for the same.

Please identify all Oregon statutes that could help you influence the corporation as a shareholder. Then, briefly describe exactly how they may assist you in your quest as a shareholder to influence the corporation. “Influence” should be defined broadly, to include access to information, ability to “vote,” and ability to otherwise have some influence the corporation (e.g. by voting for directors, voting as a shareholder on major actions affecting the corporation, dissolution of the corporation, and any other matter).

It is expected that your paper will be approximately 3 – 5 double spaced pages, including citations and quoted material (e.g. portions of ORS 60 that you discuss in your work).