Corporate Governance Vocabulary

verb an action word that indicates bringing something or someone to a particular place or person

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence, in this case indicating the direction of the action of bringing

• The lawyer will bring before the court all the necessary evidence.
• I will bring before the committee my proposal for the project.
• I'm gonna bring before the squad the idea of a road trip this weekend.
• The artist will bring before the audience a masterpiece that will leave them in awe.

noun a rule made by a company or society to control the actions of its members

• The bylaw prohibits smoking in all public parks.
• Hey, did you hear about the new bylaw against loud music after 10 pm?
• I don't care about that stupid bylaw, I'm gonna do what I want.
• The unwritten bylaw of office etiquette dictates that you should not microwave fish in the break room.

noun a situation where someone is excluded or ignored

verb to exclude or ignore someone, especially in a social or business setting

• The company attempted to freeze out their competitor by offering lower prices.
• I heard they're trying to freeze out the new guy from the group.
• Don't freeze me out, I want to join in on the fun!
• The cold weather seemed to freeze out all motivation to go outside.

noun A mock court in which the principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted

• The defendant's lawyer argued that the trial was nothing more than a kangaroo court, lacking any semblance of due process.
• I can't believe they're making us go through this kangaroo court just to get a parking ticket dismissed.
• The whole trial felt like a total kangaroo court, with the judge clearly biased against the defendant.
• The disciplinary committee was accused of running a kangaroo court, where decisions were made without fairness or proper procedures.

noun a government official who investigates complaints by private citizens against government agencies or officials

• The ombudsman is responsible for investigating complaints and ensuring fair treatment.
• If you have any issues, you can always reach out to the ombudsman for help.
• The ombudsman is like the problem-solver in the office.
• In a way, the ombudsman acts as the guardian of justice in the organization.

noun a minimum number of members required for a group to conduct business or hold a meeting

adjective related to or constituting a quorum

• The meeting cannot proceed without a quorum of at least 50% of the members present.
• We need at least half of the group to show up for the meeting to start.
• We can't start the meeting until we have enough people here.
• In order for the decision to be valid, we must have a sufficient number of participants present, known as a quorum.

noun a company controlled by a holding company

adjective of or relating to a subsidiary company

• The company decided to establish a subsidiary in Europe to expand its operations globally.
• My dad works for a subsidiary of a big tech company.
• I heard that new startup is the subsidiary of that famous app.
• The new regulations act as a subsidiary to the main law, providing additional details and clarifications.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality

• Understanding procurement law is essential for government agencies to ensure transparency and fairness in the bidding process.
• If you want to win a government contract, you better brush up on procurement law.
• Knowing the ins and outs of procurement law can give you a leg up in snagging that government deal.
• Procurement law acts as the referee in the game of government contracts, ensuring a level playing field for all parties involved.

noun A person who appoints or has the power to appoint someone to a position or role

• The appointor has the authority to select a trustee for the trust.
• The appointor gets to choose who will be in charge of the trust.
• The appointor calls the shots when it comes to picking the trustee.
• Like a puppeteer, the appointor pulls the strings to determine the trustee of the trust.

noun the legal right of ownership that provides the holder with the benefits of ownership without the actual title or possession of the property

• Beneficial ownership refers to the legal right of ownership even if the title is in another person's name.
• Having beneficial ownership means you still own something even if someone else holds the title.
• If you have beneficial ownership, it's like you're the real boss even if someone else is in charge.
• In the world of business, beneficial ownership is like holding the keys to the kingdom even if you're not sitting on the throne.

noun a sum of money paid to an employee as compensation in the event of a sudden termination or change in ownership of a company

• The executive received a large parachute payment upon leaving the company.
• When the CEO got fired, he got a huge parachute payment as a severance package.
• The boss scored a fat parachute payment when he got the boot.
• Receiving a parachute payment can soften the blow of losing a job.

noun a word that refers to a person, place, thing, event, substance, or quality

preposition a word that shows the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and other words in a sentence

article a word that is used to point out or refer to a noun

• The act of insolvency occurs when a company is unable to pay its debts.
• When a company can't pay its bills, that's considered an act of insolvency.
• If a business is broke and can't settle its debts, it's in the act of insolvency.
• His reckless spending was the final act of insolvency that led to his financial downfall.