While the day-to-day management of the company is the responsibility of the company's board of directors, the shareholders may exert a significant indirect influence by exercising the rights and powers available to them. These include:
passing resolutions at shareholder meetings
voting out directors
electing to sell their shares
exercising minority buy-out rights (this is where dissenting shareholders require the company to buy their shares: the right can give significant protection to disaffected shareholders wanting to sell and preserve their capital)
requesting the company in writing to provide information held by the company (with a right to appeal to the court if the company refuses)
requiring the company to provide the shareholder with a statement of the shares that he or she holds, and of the various rights, privileges, conditions and limitations that attach to those shares