The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Companies’ General Meetings with an emphasis on Employing Electronic Instruments

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 shahid beheshti university

2 Stockholm University

3 Shahid Beheshti University

Abstract

Countless fields have been adversely affected by the consequences of worldwide spread of Covid-19 and the companies are no exception. One of the current challenges the companies are coping with these days, is convening their general meetings. In this respect, the Iranian authorities, as well as authorities in other countries, have issued orders and rendered decisions on providing the infrastructures necessary for holding virtual general meetings and restricting the physical gatherings. With a positive perspective, the spread of this virus can be viewed as a groundwork and motive for acceleration and improvement of the technical infrastructures as well as legal instruments required for convening virtual general meetings which has been a turning point in the process of digitalization of lengthy, inefficient and paper based process of general meeting convention. In this Article, following the assessment of regulators and executive authorities’ reaction toward the pandemic in Iran and other countries, the possibility of convening virtual general meetings is analysed. It furthers to conclude that the challenges as to physical gathering of shareholders in general meetings can be dealt with by way of convening virtual general meetings and employing digital signature, subject to observation of all the legal standards.

Keywords


  1. فهرست منابع

    الف) منابع فارسی

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    Laws

    1. Delaware General Corporation Law
    2. California Corporations Code (1947)
    3. Maryland Code Corporations and Associations (2010)