Shareholder rights, shareholder voting, and corporate performance

The areas of shareholder rights and shareholder voting are fundamental features of a sound corporate governance system. The Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Principles of Corporate Governance 2004) state that ‘the corporate governance framework should protect and facilitate the exercise of shareholders’ rights’ and amongst these shareholder rights are the right to relevant, timely and regular information about the company; the right to participate and vote in shareholder meetings; the right to elect and remove members of the board; and the right to share in the company’s profits. Shareholders are the providers of risk capital and as such they need to be able to protect their investment by insuring that a competent board is in place to manage the company and to ensure that effective strategies are in place for the company’s overall corporate performance and longterm sustainability.