Nuovo appuntamento con “Peter’s Pills“, la rubrica online di Legal English by Federnotizie (la rivista online di Federnotai), in collaborazione con Confprofessioni e Beprof. La 52esima video-lezione “Voting at a meeting” è disponibile sul sito www.federnotizie.it, sui canali social e sul sito di Confprofessioni e sulla app Beprof, scaricabile da App Store e Google Play.
LESSON N. 52: CLICCA QUI PER IL VIDEO
Transcript:
Hello!
Today we look at the two main methods for collecting votes at company meetings, namely, a show of hands and a poll, as well as some associated words.
| Vote by Show of Hands | Poll Vote | |
| Method | Members raise hands | Cast secret electronic votes or paper ballots |
| Anonymity | Not anonymous | Anonymous |
| Pressure to Conform | Members may feel pressure to conform to the consensus | Members are free to express their true opinion |
| Accuracy | Results may not be accurate if some members are hesitant to oppose the majority | Results are more accurate as they reflect the honest opinion of members |
| Weight | One member, one vote | One share, one vote |
| Nuance | Limited to simple ‘yes’ or ‘no’ vote | Allows for more nuanced decisions through ranking or rating systems |
| Speed | Quick decision-making process | Longer time required due to the need for collecting and counting paper ballots or electronic polls |
| Circumstance | Suitable for simple decisions | Ideal for complex or important decisions |
| Legality | Legally permissible for all types of resolutions | Mandatory for certain types of resolutions, such as special resolutions or resolutions requiring a poll vote |
Key vocabulary:
raise: alzare;
cast a vote: esprimere un voto;
electronic votes: quesiti elettronici;
paper ballots: schede di carta;
one share, one vote: un’azione, un voto (oppure, un voto per ogni percentuale di quota);
nuanced decisions: decisioni più sfumate;
ranking or rating systems: sistemi di classificazione o valutazione;
suitable: adatto;
mandatory: obbligatorio.
Thank you, and see you next time for more Peter’s Pills to improve your legal English.
Read more about voting on resolutions at company meetings in the UK here: “Companies Act 2006: General provisions about resolutions“.