Adjournment

Question

A stock proxy form has the phrasenote such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any adjournment thereof.It's obvious what it means, but adjournment to mean the reconvenement of a meeting, instead of its closing, feels a little novel. On reflection, it makes sense etymologically, since the meeting is continued or postponed to a particular day - ad-journed. But viewed that way, the phrase 'adjourned sine die' seems contradictory.john

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]A stock proxy form has the phrase note such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any ... continued or postponed to a particular day - ad-journed. But viewed that way, the phrase 'adjourned sine die' seems contradictory.[/nq]
I'm not sure what your query is how could busines come before a meeting after the meeting has been closed?
A meeting may either be closed (because its busines is completed) or adjourned, meaning that it continues at another time or another day to complete its busines.
But no business can come before it AFTER it has completed its business, surely?

Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/7734/stevesig.htm
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]A stock proxy form has the phrase note such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any ... continued or postponed to a particular day - ad-journed. But viewed that way, the phrase 'adjourned sine die' seems contradictory.[/nq]I applaud your 'It's obvious what it means' because I think it's one of the clumsiest constructions I have seen. 'come before the meeting carries, I take it, the usual sense of 'be presented at the meeting for discussion and / or vote', but it could also mean 'at a time when the meeting itself has not formally begun'. It's not unusual for standing orders to allow some pre-meeting business where, for example, the Chair stands down and a pro-tem Chair oversees a bit of pre-meeting nonsense.

And, as you say 'come before ... any adjournment' is a weird way of describing a session which arises following adjournment of the main meeting, but it makes sense temporally if referring to 'business which may properly be debated before the meeting is adjourned'. Again, this would be a matter for the standing orders of the particular organisation.

John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]A stock proxy form has the phrase note such other ... viewed that way, the phrase 'adjourned sine die' seems contradictory.[/nq]
[nq:1]I'm not sure what your query is how could busines come before a meeting after the meeting has been ... another day to complete its busines. But no business can come before it AFTER it has completed its business, surely?[/nq]
Well, more of a comment than a query - I would have expected an 'adjournment' to mean the action or fact of adjourning the meeting, rather than meaning 'the meeting after it has restarted'.

And then - well, what does 'adjourn sine die' mean? Do they ever come back? Is it actually an ending?

john

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]A stock proxy form has the phrase note such other ... viewed that way, the phrase 'adjourned sine die' seems contradictory.[/nq]
[nq:1]I applaud your 'It's obvious what it means' because I think it's one of the clumsiest constructions I have seen. ... debated before the meeting is adjourned'. Again, this would be a matter for the standing orders of the particular organisation.[/nq]
You've pointed out an ambiguity that hadn't occurred to me. It could mean the time before the meeting, during it, and before and during any - well- restarted meeting. I guess it's alright from their viewpoint, though, since that would say they can do any business they want, whenever they want.

john

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]A stock proxy form has the phrase note such other business as may properly come before the meeting or any ... continued or postponed to a particular day - ad-journed. But viewed that way, the phrase 'adjourned sine die' seems contradictory.[/nq]
Are you sure that that's what it means? You're giving your proxy to vote in the direction you indicate on the specific matters you specify and also to the board (or whoever else you're giving your proxy to) to vote at their discression on any "other busiess as may properly come before the meeting" (that is, any other question officially called) as well as to vote to (or not to) adjourn.
During the HP/Compaq merger, both sides were collecting proxies. While the proxy cards themselves directed how they had to vote on the specific question, the "any other business" was worrisome enough that people had to decide who they trusted more. I can easily see that moving to adjourn (or preventing an adjournment) could well be in the interest of one side in some cases, and so the wording becomes standard.

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >Never ascribe to malice that which
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >can adequately be explained byPalo Alto, CA 94304 >stupidity.
(650)857-7572
http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Are you sure that that's what it means? You're giving your proxy to vote in the direction you indicate on ... whoever else you're giving your proxy to) to vote at their discression on any "other busiess as may properly come[/nq]
Oy! (Not the "busiess" the other thing.)
[nq:1]before the meeting" (that is, any other question officially called) as well as to vote to (or not to) adjourn. [/nq]
Skitt (in Hayward, California)
www.geocities.com/opus731/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]vote at their discression on any "other busiess as may properly come[/nq]
Oy! Oy! (and probably another Oy! I don't see at the moment).

Evan Kirshenbaum + HP Laboratories >Pious Jews have a category of
1501 Page Mill Road, 1U, MS 1141 >questions that can harmlessly bePalo Alto, CA 94304 >allowed to go without an answer

http://www.kirshenbaum.net/

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]I applaud your 'It's obvious what it means' because I think it's one of the clumsiest constructions I have seen.[/nq]
[nq:1]I guess it's alright from their viewpoint, though, since that would say they can do any business they want, whenever they want.[/nq]
Is it Microsoft?

John Dean
Oxford
De-frag to reply

Usenet · Answer

>
>
I am sure you are right about the "come before".
It seems that we can paraphrase this as
note such other business as may properly be presented at the meeting or any continuation of the meeting.
Does anyone have a dictionary with the continuation sense of adjournment? My handy ones don't have it.
Richard Maurer To reply, remove half
Sunnyvale, California of a homonym of a synonym for also.

Usenet · Answer

On 10 Oct 2003 15:06:15 -0700, Evan Kirshenbaum
[nq:2]A stock proxy form has the phrase note such other ... viewed that way, the phrase 'adjourned sine die' seems contradictory.[/nq]
[nq:1]Are you sure that that's what it means? You're giving your proxy to vote in the direction you indicate on ... an adjournment) could well be in the interest of one side in some cases, and so the wording becomes standard.[/nq]
I missed that ambiguity too. It could mean, as you say, "proxy to vote on" (such other business as may be presented) or (any adjournment of the meeting).
Any more, I'm not so sure I know what it means.

john

Adjournment

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions