Corporations in Indiana have bylaws because they provide structure and guidance and the law usually requires them to. A corporation’s articles of incorporation define its basic structure, and its corporate bylaws provide a framework for its management and operation. Corporate bylaws are a formally adopted set of provisions that establish how a business will conduct its affairs. These provisions deal with matters including the duties and responsibilities of the company’s officers, the procedures for calling and holding meetings of directors and stockholders, the corporate records that must be kept and the rules for selling or transferring stock in the company.
Statement of purpose
Corporate bylaws should include a statement that outlines the company’s purpose. The statement of purpose does not have to be lengthy and detailed, but it should make clear why the company is in business and what it hopes to achieve. This part of the corporate bylaws is basically a mission statement that helps officers, employees and potential investors to understand the company’s goals and corporate culture. Statements of purpose may be amended from time to time when goals or priorities change.
Amending corporate bylaws
Corporate bylaws are drafted during a company’s nascent stages, so the provisions they contain may be based on convention and perception rather than experience. Their provisions should establish clear rules and procedures, but these rules may have to be amended from time to time to allow the company to change course when market conditions evolve. Corporate bylaws must be consistent with business law, which means they may have to be amended when these laws change. To amend corporate bylaws, a three-fourths or two-thirds majority vote of the company’s members is typically required.
Guidance and clarity
Corporate bylaws are a written set of rules that provide guidance and clarity to a company’s officers, employees and investors. They outline how a business will be run, and they establish rules for matters including transferring stock, appointing or removing directors and holding shareholder meetings. When corporate bylaws must be amended, approval by a super majority of the company’s members is usually required.