Companies (at least ones in the US) are democracies. Of course, so was Soviet Russia, so that's not really saying too much.
When bits of change are requested by it's members, it is proposed, seconded and placed on a ballot for general vote. The number of shares held determines the sway of the vote, in effect, each share representing a given "individual". A ballot is carried if more than half of the holding shares agree with a given measure, otherwise it is defeated.
Like any group, it's not so much a question of "right" or "wrong" as it is convincing enough of the group to vote in the way that you prefer. Politicians realize this by reducing argument to easily digestible, regularly repeated soundbytes that can be played before the widest audience and ensure that the "hook" is set deepest. Same with any proposal.
Of course, much like Soviet Russia, some holders are more equal than others, and much like any democracy other voters are apathetic, and the governing body naturally slants the vote to their favor whenever possible. Still, a failure to pass a given measure is not indicative of anything other than the failure of said measure to convince enough votes that it was worth passing.
That's simple civics.
So, you want a revolution? Play politics. Get the message out and rally the troops. Realize that change is never easy, so make sure you understand what you're proposing, it's benefits and costs, and structure your arguments accordingly. Know your opponent's arguments before they make them and have your answers in place. Build alliances with the heavy hitters. Be an activist, otherwise you're no better than the guy who wants everyone to get free ice-cream on Tuesdays. Who knows? With all the research and discussion, you might just learn a few things too.
Unlike countries, however, you have to buy your citizenship (right to vote) and you can buy as many citizenships as you can afford.
There are something like 40 people/groups who represent the real, voting-blocks power in this certain "country" of 1.3 billion. Grassroots ain't gonna cut it with their votes - you better be talking about low-risk money in their pockets with this cash-hungry bunch. The romance of a revolution is totally lost on these pills.
Derek: Well, yeah, that's the reason I noted it had more parallels with Soviet states than other democracies. And frankly, one can't deny that there are equally strong voting blocks even in the US (thus the reason that parties are exceptionally protective of groups like low income workers and church organizations).
What I find amazing are the stories and articles that come out "shocked and surprised" that various initiatives fail because they didn't operate like more successful political campaigns. Likewise, what bothers me are the impassioned statements made to a strikingly small audience.
Mind you, that's true for nearly every company I've worked at, and yes, I've seen this actually work a few times in the past.
Still, I agree that I'd prefer to have abstention votes discarded from the total and I'm aware of a few corporations that do that. The problem there is that apathy is HUGE among shareholders and I've often gotten solicitations from these corporations to "please vote! Nobody else did!"
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I think that your premise is flawed. You cannot compare "shareholder meeting proposals" with 'democracy' because of one simple truth in a democracy:
Abstention is not agreement.
The only votes which "count" in a democracy are those cast. In a shareholder vote, "any votes not cast are cast in favor of the board's position".
In a democracy "the people who care enough to stand up and vote" determine the outcome. In a shareholder proposal, 99.9% of the time, "Laziness and the Board's Position" determine the outcome.