With only a few exceptions (for instance, non-profit corporations), entities are required to file an Annual Report with the North Carolina Secretary of State by April 15th and to pay the accompanying fee with their submission. Some business owners may not realize this requirement, while others may be so busy attending to the day-to-day affairs of their business that they forget to do so. The process to file an Annual Report with the North Carolina Secretary of State is not difficult. Many individuals quickly handle the task themselves online or allow their accountant to do so when preparing their tax … Continue reading
Category Archives: Corporate Law
Criminals Need Not Apply
Employers today face a wide variety of concerns when hiring new employees. Can the business afford the costs associated with additional personnel? What job functions must the new employee satisfy? What skillsets are required? How is the newly hired individual going to interact with its customers and, just as importantly, its other employees? More and more often, employers are turning to pre-employment criminal background checks as a means of answering or managing the perceived risk associated with at least some of these questions. Seem reasonable? Perhaps, but such checks can also open the door to even greater problems and potential … Continue reading
How to Chair a Convention or Large Membership Meeting
Most of the time, I seem to be advising boards on how to run less formal meetings. That’s because the major parliamentary authorities, such as Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (12th Edition) and The Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure (“Sturgis”), recognize that boards with not more than about 12 members present can follow more relaxed procedures (and only be more formal if the circumstances require it). For examples of smaller board procedure, see Board Procedures Versus a Membership Meeting or Convention. Even so, you will occasionally encounter larger meetings—homeowner or condominium membership meetings, conventions, church meetings, shareholder meetings, membership meetings of … Continue reading
Buy a Book and Support the National Association of Parliamentarians!
Prior to having two books published last year, I hadn’t given much attention to the bookselling world. Sometimes I’d buy a book from the National Association of Parliamentarians (NAP) at the Biennial Convention or National Training Conference. Or from Barnes & Noble if I happened to be there. Or from Amazon if there was free shipping. Book purchases were really about convenience, since all the books seemed to cost generally the same. In fact, when you think about it, why would an organization like NAP go to the trouble to maintain an online bookstore? For one, NAP publishes original works related to parliamentary procedure … Continue reading
Support CAI — Buy a Book!
Prior to having two books published last year, I hadn’t given much attention to the bookselling world. Sometimes I’d buy a book from the Community Associations Institute (CAI) bookstore at the Annual Conference or Law Seminar. Or I might purchase a book from the National Association of Parliamentarians on meeting procedure. Or from Barnes & Noble if I happened to be there. Or from Amazon if there was free shipping. Book purchases were really about convenience, since all the books seemed to cost generally the same. In fact, when you think about it, why would any organization like CAI go to the trouble to maintain … Continue reading
Employer Restrictions on Social Media Postings
Rare is the business entity that is completely detached from one form or another of social media. Indeed, a significant portion of businesses today directly utilize the benefits offered by social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. And even when a business does not itself engage in social media postings or tweets, you can rest assured that its employees do and will! So how can a business ensure that the messages posted on its social media platforms, as well as those posted about it by its employees on theirs, help promote the image it desires rather than hurt? How … Continue reading
Meeting Myths
5 Myths About Meetings & Parliamentary Procedure If your association meetings are organized, properly run and stay on track, consider yourself lucky. If not, it’s likely your association is spending time on things it shouldn’t or isn’t doing things it should. There are several reasons why you might be having troubles. Let’s dispel some common meeting myths and explore what it takes to run a good one. yth #1: Parliamentary Procedure Doesn’t Matter. Many associations dictate in their governing documents that a certain parliamentary book will be followed when transacting business. In fact, North Carolina and other states have statutes … Continue reading