ABSTRACT
AT AN ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM), A SHAREHOLDER’S provocative question alleging poor working conditions at a second-tier supplier may not pose much of an immediate challenge to an experienced chairman, but gone are the days when those who raise such issues can be dismissed as cranks. The shareholder may be a member of a well-staffed non-governmental organisation (NGO) operating internationally with access to information that the company is not able immediately to verify or deny. Wise investor-relations managers are treating such questions raised at AGMs or through the proxy systems as triggers to open dialogue with their critics in order to ensure the business understands the facts and underlying issues behind individual alleged incidents.
