The field of education has long been engaged with the question of how best to bring about social change; both on an individual and macro level. The various movements to improve women’s right to vote, to eliminate child labor, and more recently to gain equal opportunity for same-sex couples in marriage are all examples of how the educational sector has played a crucial role in pushing for social change. The changing nature of social mores and political climate is also important with respect to the private sector. For instance, one of the most important social shifts in recent history has been the emergence of body-worn camera technology which is has enabled law enforcement official to monitor police activity and to hold these individuals accountable for their actions. The devices worn by police officers, which are capable of recording both video and audio, are a sensitive topic both for those wearing them and for civilians on whom they are most likely to work. The issue is a complicated one as there are a number of civil liberties concerns surrounding the issue of privacy which firmly underscore the need for the establishment of strict guidelines surrounding the scope of use of these devices. The primary guideline which is adhered to throughout the United States and beyond is that of transparency. That is, those on whom a police officer sets up a camera must be notified of the intent of the officer to capture their likeness via video. It is with this in mind that a number of educational bodies have sourced the police camera as a tool through which to introduce the issues of civil liberties and privacy.
Teachers in high schools and even elementary school classrooms across the country have taken the movement as an opportunity to broaden students outlook on the role of police in larger society and the ethical and esoteric complexities thereof. From these examples, what can we learn about the role of education in the private sector in terms of structuring social and technical change? Perhaps the best way to appreciate what has happened with the police body camera is to consider businesses which are not closely regulated. A relevant case study here is that of the share purchase agreement format. Somewhat akin to the role of the police with respect to the body camera, the share purchase agreement plays a key role in enabling a company to receive buy in from its advisors and investors in establishing the course which its business takes.
There are a number of business structures which a firm can adopt depending on whether they would prefer limited personal liability or greater tax advantages. When structuring their business, the shareholders will need to agree on the number of shares they wish to structure their business around, as well as, how much equity each shareholder should own. Oftentimes, this is reflected in a share purchase agreement. Such agreements typically detail how much money the shareholder will need to invest in the company, in addition to owning a set percentage of the firm upon which the structure is based. The capital which is raised through a share purchase agreement can be used by the shareholders to reinvest in the firm, or alternatively, to simply keep the company afloat in challenging economic times.
The point of dealing with this share purchase agreement is that it enables a company to get ahead of any potential issues whereby a shareholder may disagree with the direction in which the company is headed, or with some of the important decisions which are made related to it. By outlining the rights and obligations of the shareholders and making use of a effective online legal service such as the one provided at UW3some, businesspeople and shareholders can accomplish two very important goals. One, they can make a clear understanding of their respective duties among themselves. Two, they can provide advisors and other interested parties with a perspective on how they envision the company operating in the future.
The fascinating thing about the share purchase agreement is that it serves to outline a framework for enabling a much needed change, namely whatever the parties agree on among themselves. The structure of the share purchase agreement is one example of how, through education, social change can be enacted over time. In this respect, it is important to emphasize that the ultimate change which can be achieved through education is one whereby individuals begin to adopt a new course or evolve into a new perspective. Given the highly flexible and adaptable nature of humans, change is constant and inevitable. Thus perhaps the most important aspect of the share purchase agreement is that of enabling society to organize itself around a new framework, or structure, and subsequently normalizing this approach in the world around us over time.
For more information on the legal aspects of share purchase agreements, you can visit Wikipedia.