What can shareholders do through the voting process?

Shareholders utilize the voting process primarily to influence corporate management and decisions. This ability to vote is a fundamental right of shareholders and allows them to participate in significant company matters, such as electing the board of directors, approving mergers or acquisitions, and making decisions on major corporate changes, like amendments to the articles of incorporation.

Through these voting rights, shareholders can direct the strategic direction of the company and hold management accountable. While shareholders may indirectly benefit financially from their influence, such as through decisions that improve company performance and increase stock value, the primary purpose of voting is to shape governance and operational strategies rather than directly obtaining financial rewards.

Changing the corporate tax rate, on the other hand, is generally beyond the scope of shareholders' influence as it is determined by government policy and legislation, not by the voting process within a company. Similarly, decisions regarding employee salaries are typically managed by the company’s human resources and management teams, and although shareholders might influence overall corporate strategies or compensation policies through voting, they do not directly set individual employee salaries.