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Sample Template for XXX Co., Ltd. Rules of Procedure for Shareholders Meetings(2011.03.31) |
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Article 1
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To establish a strong governance system and sound supervisory capabilities for this Corporation's shareholders meetings, and to strengthen management capabilities, these Rules are adopted pursuant to Article 5 of the Corporate Governance Best-Practice Principles for TWSE/GTSM Listed Companies.
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Article 2
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The rules of procedures for this Corporation's shareholders meetings, except as otherwise provided by law, regulation, or the articles of incorporation, shall be as provided in these Rules.
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Article 3
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(Convening shareholders meetings and shareholders meeting notices)
Unless otherwise provided by law or regulation, this Corporation's shareholders meetings shall be convened by the board of directors.
This Corporation shall prepare electronic versions of the shareholders meeting notice and proxy forms, and the origins of and explanatory materials relating to all proposals, including proposals for ratification, matters for deliberation, or the election or dismissal of directors or supervisors, and upload them to the Market Observation Post System (MOPS) before 30 days before the date of a regular shareholders meeting or before 15 days before the date of a special shareholders meeting. This Corporation shall prepare electronic versions of the shareholders meeting agenda and supplemental meeting materials and upload them to the MOPS before 21 days before the date of the regular shareholders meeting or before 15 days before the date of the special shareholders meeting. In addition, before 15 days before the date of the shareholders meeting, this Corporation shall also have prepared the shareholders meeting agenda and supplemental meeting materials and made them available for review by shareholders at any time. The meeting agenda and supplemental materials shall also be displayed at this Corporation and its shareholder services agent as well as being distributed on-site at the meeting place.
The reasons for convening a shareholders meeting shall be specified in the meeting notice and public announcement. With the consent of the addressee, the meeting notice may be given in electronic form.
Election or dismissal of directors or supervisors, amendments to the articles of incorporation, the dissolution, merger, or demerger of the corporation, or any matter under Article 185, paragraph 1 of the Company Act or Articles 26-1 and 43-6 of the Securities and Exchange Act shall be set out in the notice of the reasons for convening the shareholders meeting. None of the above matters may be raised by an extraordinary motion.
A shareholder holding 1 percent or more of the total number of issued shares may submit to this Corporation a written proposal for discussion at a regular shareholders meeting. Such proposals, however, are limited to one item only, and no proposal containing more than one item will be included in the meeting agenda. In addition, when the circumstances of any subparagraph of Article 172-1, paragraph 4 of the Company Act apply to a proposal put forward by a shareholder, the board of directors may exclude it from the agenda.
Prior to the book closure date before a regular shareholders meeting is held, this Corporation shall publicly announce that it will receive shareholder proposals, and the location and time period for their submission; the period for submission of shareholder proposals may not be less than 10 days.
Shareholder-submitted proposals are limited to 300 words, and no proposal containing more than 300 words will be included in the meeting agenda. The shareholder making the proposal shall be present in person or by proxy at the regular shareholders meeting and take part in discussion of the proposal.
Prior to the date for issuance of notice of a shareholders meeting, this Corporation shall inform the shareholders who submitted proposals of the proposal screening results, and shall list in the meeting notice the proposals that conform to the provisions of this article. At the shareholders meeting the board of directors shall explain the reasons for exclusion of any shareholder proposals not included in the agenda.
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Article 4
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For each shareholders meeting, a shareholder may appoint a proxy to attend the meeting by providing the proxy form issued by this Corporation and stating the scope of the proxy's authorization.
A shareholder may issue only one proxy form and appoint only one proxy for any given shareholders meeting, and shall deliver the proxy form to this Corporation before 5 days before the date of the shareholders meeting. When duplicate proxy forms are delivered, the one received earliest shall prevail unless a declaration is made to cancel the previous proxy appointment.
After a proxy form has been delivered to this Corporation, if the shareholder intends to attend the meeting in person, a written notice of proxy cancellation shall be submitted to this Corporation no later than 1 business day before the meeting date. If the cancellation notice is submitted after that time, votes cast at the meeting by the proxy shall prevail.
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Article 5
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(Principles determining the time and place of a shareholders meeting)
The venue for a shareholders meeting shall be the premises of this Corporation, or a place easily accessible to shareholders and suitable for a shareholders meeting. The meeting may begin no earlier than 9 a.m. and no later than 3 p.m. Full consideration shall be given to the opinions of the independent directors with respect to the place and time of the meeting.
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Article 6
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(Preparation of documents such as the attendance book)
This Corporation shall furnish the attending shareholders or their proxies (collectively, "shareholders"), with an attendance book to sign, or attending shareholders may hand in a sign-in card in lieu of signing in.
This Corporation shall furnish attending shareholders with the meeting agenda book, annual report, attendance card, speaker's slips, voting slips, and other meeting materials. Where there is an election of directors or supervisors, pre-printed ballots shall also be furnished.
A shareholder shall attend a shareholders meeting on the basis of the attendance card, sign-in card, or other supporting document. Solicitors soliciting proxy forms shall also bring identification documents for verification.
When the government or a juristic person is a shareholder, it may be represented by more than one representative at a shareholders meeting. When a juristic person is appointed to attend as proxy, it may designate only one person to represent it in the meeting.
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Article 7
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(The chair and non-voting participants of a shareholders meeting)
If a shareholders meeting is convened by the board of directors, the meeting shall be chaired by the chairperson of the board. When the chairperson of the board is on leave or for any reason unable to exercise the powers of the chairperson, the vice chairperson shall act in place of the chairperson; if there is no vice chairperson or the vice chairperson also is on leave or for any reason unable to exercise the powers of the vice chairperson, the chairperson shall appoint one of the managing directors to act as chair, or, if there are no managing directors, one of the directors shall be appointed to act as chair. Where the chairperson does not make such a designation, the managing directors or the directors shall select from among themselves one person to serve as chair.
It is advisable that shareholders meetings convened by the board of directors be attended by a majority of the directors.
If a shareholders meeting is convened by a party with power to convene but other than the board of directors, the convening party shall chair the meeting. When there are two or more such convening parties, they shall mutually select a chair from among themselves.
This Corporation may appoint its attorneys, certified public accountants, or related persons retained by it to attend a shareholders meeting in a non-voting capacity.
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Article 8
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(Documentation of a shareholders meeting by audio or video)
This Corporation shall record the proceedings of a shareholders meeting in their entirety in audio or video and retain the recording for at least 1 year. If, however, a shareholder files a lawsuit pursuant to Article 189 of the Company Act, the recording shall be retained until the conclusion of the litigation.
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Article 9
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Attendance at shareholders meetings shall be calculated based on numbers of shares. The number of shares in attendance shall be calculated according to the shares indicated by the attendance book and sign-in cards handed in plus the number of shares whose voting rights are exercised by correspondence or electronically.
The chair shall call the meeting to order at the appointed meeting time. However, when the attending shareholders do not represent a majority of the total number of issued shares, the chair may announce a postponement, provided that no more than two such postponements, for a combined total of no more than 1 hour, may be made. If the quorum is not met after two postponements and the attending shareholders still represent less than one third of the total number of issued shares, the chair shall declare the meeting adjourned.
If the quorum is not met after two postponements as referred to in the preceding paragraph, but the attending shareholders represent one third or more of the total number of issued shares, a tentative resolution may be adopted pursuant to Article 175, paragraph 1 of the Company Act; all shareholders shall be notified of the tentative resolution and another shareholders meeting shall be convened within 1 month.
When, prior to conclusion of the meeting, the attending shareholders represent a majority of the total number of issued shares, the chair may resubmit the tentative resolution for a vote by the shareholders meeting pursuant to Article 174 of the Company Act.
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Article 10
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(Discussion of proposals)
If a shareholders meeting is convened by the board of directors, the meeting agenda shall be set by the board of directors. The meeting shall proceed in the order set by the agenda, which may not be changed without a resolution of the shareholders meeting.
The provisions of the preceding paragraph apply mutatis mutandis to a shareholders meeting convened by a party with the power to convene that is not the board of directors.
The chair may not declare the meeting adjourned prior to completion of deliberation on the meeting agenda of the preceding two paragraphs (including extraordinary motions), except by a resolution of the shareholders meeting. If the chair declares the meeting adjourned in violation of the rules of procedure, the other members of the board of directors shall promptly assist the attending shareholders in electing a new chair in accordance with statutory procedures, by agreement of a majority of the votes represented by the attending shareholders, and then continue the meeting.
The chair shall allow ample opportunity during the meeting for explanation and discussion of proposals and of amendments or extraordinary motions put forward by the shareholders; when the chair is of the opinion that a proposal has been discussed sufficiently to put it to a vote, the chair may announce the discussion closed and call for a vote.
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Article 11
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(Shareholder speech)
Before speaking, an attending shareholder must specify on a speaker's slip the subject of the speech, his/her shareholder account number (or attendance card number), and account name. The order in which shareholders speak will be set by the chair.
A shareholder in attendance who has submitted a speaker's slip but does not actually speak shall be deemed to have not spoken. When the content of the speech does not correspond to the subject given on the speaker's slip, the spoken content shall prevail.
Except with the consent of the chair, a shareholder may not speak more than twice on the same proposal, and a single speech may not exceed 5 minutes. If the shareholder's speech violates the rules or exceeds the scope of the agenda item, the chair may terminate the speech.
When an attending shareholder is speaking, other shareholders may not speak or interrupt unless they have sought and obtained the consent of the chair and the shareholder that has the floor; the chair shall stop any violation.
When a juristic person shareholder appoints two or more representatives to attend a shareholders meeting, only one of the representatives so appointed may speak on the same proposal.
After an attending shareholder has spoken, the chair may respond in person or direct relevant personnel to respond.
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Article 12
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(Calculation of voting shares and recusal system)
Voting at a shareholders meeting shall be calculated based the number of shares.
With respect to resolutions of shareholders meetings, the number of shares held by a shareholder with no voting rights shall not be calculated as part of the total number of issued shares.
When a shareholder is an interested party in relation to an agenda item, and there is the likelihood that such a relationship would prejudice the interests of this Corporation, that shareholder may not vote on that item, and may not exercise voting rights as proxy for any other shareholder.
The number of shares for which voting rights may not be exercised under the preceding paragraph shall not be calculated as part of the voting rights represented by attending shareholders.
With the exception of a trust enterprise or a shareholder services agent approved by the competent securities authority, when one person is concurrently appointed as proxy by two or more shareholders, the voting rights represented by that proxy may not exceed 3 percent of the voting rights represented by the total number of issued shares. If that percentage is exceeded, the voting rights in excess of that percentage shall not be included in the calculation.
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Article 13
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A shareholder shall be entitled to one vote for each share held, except when the shares are restricted shares or are deemed non-voting shares under Article 179, paragraph 2 of the Company Act.
When this Corporation holds a shareholders meeting, it may allow the shareholders to exercise voting rights by correspondence or electronic means. When voting rights are exercised by correspondence or electronic means, the method of exercise shall be specified in the shareholders meeting notice. A shareholder exercising voting rights by correspondence or electronic means will be deemed to have attended the meeting in person, but to have waived his/her rights with respect to the extraordinary motions and amendments to original proposals of that meeting.
A shareholder intending to exercise voting rights by correspondence or electronic means under the preceding paragraph shall deliver a written declaration of intent to this Corporation before 5 days before the date of the shareholders meeting. When duplicate declarations of intent are delivered, the one received earliest shall prevail, except when a declaration is made to cancel the earlier declaration of intent.
After a shareholder has exercised voting rights by correspondence or electronic means, in the event the shareholder intends to attend the shareholders meeting in person, a written declaration of intent to retract the voting rights already exercised under the preceding paragraph shall be made known to this Corporation, by the same means by which the voting rights were exercised, at least 1 business day before the date of the shareholders meeting. If the notice of retraction is submitted after that time, the voting rights already exercised by correspondence or electronic means shall prevail. When a shareholder has exercised voting rights both by correspondence or electronic means and by appointing a proxy to attend a shareholders meeting, the voting rights exercised by the proxy in the meeting shall prevail.
Except as otherwise provided in the Company Act and in this Corporation’s articles of incorporation, the passage of a proposal shall require an affirmative vote of a majority of the voting rights represented by the attending shareholders. At the time of a vote, for each proposal, the chair or a person designated by the chair shall first announce the total number of voting rights represented by the attending shareholders, followed by a poll of the shareholders. After the conclusion of the meeting, on the same day it is held, the results for each proposal, based on the numbers of votes for and against and the number of abstentions, shall be entered into the MOPS.
When there is an amendment or an alternative to a proposal, the chair shall present the amended or alternative proposal together with the original proposal and decide the order in which they will be put to a vote. When any one among them is passed, the other proposals will then be deemed rejected, and no further voting shall be required.
Vote monitoring and counting personnel for the voting on a proposal shall be appointed by the chair, provided that all monitoring personnel shall be shareholders of this Corporation.
Vote counting shall be conducted in public at the place of the shareholders meeting, and voting results shall be reported on-site immediately and recorded in writing.
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Article 14
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(Election of directors and supervisors)
The election of directors or supervisors at a shareholders meeting shall be held in accordance with the applicable election and appointment rules adopted by this Corporation, and the voting results shall be announced on-site immediately.
The ballots for the election referred to in the preceding paragraph shall be sealed with the signatures of the monitoring personnel and kept in proper custody for at least 1 year. If, however, a shareholder files a lawsuit pursuant to Article 189 of the Company Act, the ballots shall be retained until the conclusion of the litigation.
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Article 15
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Matters relating to the resolutions of a shareholders meeting shall be recorded in the meeting minutes. The meeting minutes shall be signed or sealed by the chair of the meeting and a copy distributed to each shareholder within 20 days after the conclusion of the meeting. The meeting minutes may be produced and distributed in electronic form.
For shareholders holding fewer than 1,000 shares, this Corporation may distribute the meeting minutes of the preceding paragraph by means of a public announcement made through the MOPS.
The meeting minutes shall accurately record the year, month, day, and place of the meeting, the chair's full name, the methods by which resolutions were adopted, and a summary of the deliberations and their results, and shall be retained for the duration of the existence of this Corporation.
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Article 16
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(Public disclosure)
On the day of a shareholders meeting, this Corporation shall compile in the prescribed format a statistical statement of the number of shares obtained by solicitors through solicitation and the number of shares represented by proxies, and shall make an express disclosure of the same at the place of the shareholders meeting.
If matters put to a resolution at a shareholders meeting constitute material information under applicable laws or regulations or under Taiwan Stock Exchange Corporation (or GreTai Securities Market) regulations, this Corporation shall upload the content of such resolution to the MOPS within the prescribed time period.
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Article 17
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(Maintaining order at the meeting place)
Staff handling administrative affairs of a shareholders meeting shall wear identification cards or arm bands.
The chair may direct the proctors or security personnel to help maintain order at the meeting place. When proctors or security personnel help maintain order at the meeting place, they shall wear an identification card or armband bearing the word "Proctor".
At the place of a shareholders meeting, if a shareholder attempts to speak through any device other than the public address equipment set up by this Corporation, the chair may prevent the shareholder from so doing.
When a shareholder violates the rules of procedure and defies the chair's correction, obstructing the proceedings and refusing to heed calls to stop, the chair may direct the proctors or security personnel to escort the shareholder from the meeting.
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Article 18
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(Recess and resumption of a shareholders meeting)
When a meeting is in progress, the chair may announce a break based on time considerations. If a force majeure event occurs, the chair may rule the meeting temporarily suspended and announce a time when, in view of the circumstances, the meeting will be resumed.
If the meeting venue is no longer available for continued use and not all of the items (including extraordinary motions) on the meeting agenda have been addressed, the shareholders meeting may adopt a resolution to resume the meeting at another venue.
A resolution may be adopted at a shareholders meeting to defer or resume the meeting within 5 days in accordance with Article 182 of the Company Act.
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Article 19
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These Rules, and any amendments hereto, shall be implemented after adoption by shareholders meetings.
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