Corporate bylaws are a company's foundational governing document. They lay out how things should run day-to-day and the processes for making important decisions. They serve as a legal contract between the corporation and its shareholders, directors, and officers and set the protocol for how the organization operates.
By electing members of a board of directors. The control of the corporation by the shareholders of most of the corporations is shown by exercising the powers they have and one of them is the power to elect the members of the board of directors.
Shareholders are an essential component of a company's governance structure. They are the owners of the company and hold the power to elect the board of directors, approve major transactions, and make changes to the company's bylaws.
In the modern publicly held corporation, ownership and control are separated. The shareholders “own” the company through their ownership of its stock, but power to manage is vested in the directors.
Majority shareholders are typically company founders or their heirs. By owning most shares, they can influence operational decisions, including hiring executives. Unlike proprietors and partners, corporate shareholders are liable for a company's financial obligations until a point specified in the corporation's policy.
Shareholders enjoy various rights, including voting, receiving dividends, inspecting company records, transferring shares, and appointing directors and auditors. However, these rights are accompanied by specific liabilities, such as the potential for personal liability in fraud, misrepresentation, or insider trading.
The seven characteristics of good Corporate Governance ing to the King II Report (20) are discipline, transparency, independence, accountability, responsibility, fairness and social responsibility.
The King Code also understands that corporate governance is a leadership issue. Ethical leadership is exemplified by integrity, competence, responsibility, accountability, fairness, and transparency. The King Code defines corporate governance as “the exercise of ethical and effective leadership by the governing body”.
King III applies to “all entities regardless of the manner and form of incorporation or establishment of whether in the public, private or non-profit sectors.” King III has opted for the more flexible 'apply or explain' approach to its principles and recommended practices.