Statutes
Name and Seat
Article 1
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An association with a scientific and pedagogical objective called "The European Group for Organizational Studies", in abbreviation EGOS".
This association is governed under the Belgian law of 25 October 1919, modified by the law of 6 December 1954 and 30 June 2000.
The legal seat is in Brussels, Belgium. It can be moved to other addresses in Belgium if decided by the Association's Board, such decision being published in the Annexes to the Belgian Moniteur.?
Purpose
Article 2
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The purpose of EGOS, which is not for profit, is to provide a society for persons of all nationalities professionally concerned with or interested in organizational theory and research.
More specifically, EGOS has the purpose to:
- provide an international network in the field of organizational theory and research;
- provide a forum for research presentations and discussions, provide a platform for starting up and running autonomous working groups;
- provide publication outlets for high quality research;
- support young researchers in the field of organization studies;
- foster a broad variety of approaches and research issues in organizational studies and encourage debate across traditional academic disciplines and boundaries in organizational analysis as well as across the cultural traditions in which they are embedded;
- facilitate the interaction of its members;
- generate new thinking in the teaching of organizational theory and research including comparative international practices.
Membership
Article 3
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1. The number of members of the Association is unlimited. There are regular and honorary members.
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2. Any individual professionally concerned with or interested in organizational theory and research is eligible for regular membership of EGOS.
Applications for regular membership should be made to the Association in writing and in such form and containing information as prescribed by the Board; such applications shall be approved by the Board. Honorary members are appointed by the General Assembly, they have all rights of regular members.
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3. A member of the Association shall cease to be a member:
a) upon request of the member, three months after notice is given to the Board in writing;
b) automatically when membership fees remain outstanding in the six months following their due date and after two requests for payment, unless the Board considers there to be extenuating circumstances;
c) if s/he otherwise ceases to qualify for membership. Any member can be excluded by the Board and by two thirds of the votes. The member is to be given an opportunity to present his/her arguments of defense before a final decision is taken. The exclusion is subject to the ratification by the General Assembly.
Members who cease to be part of the association shall have no rights over its assets.
Association's Journal
Article 4
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Organization Studies is the journal of the Association. It contains a regular EGOS section for news and notes. The association holds the copyright (intellectual property) of Organization Studies.
General Assembly
Article 5
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1. A General Assembly of the members of EGOS is convened by the Board annually. Extraordinary General Assemblies may be called by the Board as circumstances require as well as when so requested by at least 20 percent of the Associations members. In all cases, notice of the meeting together with the agenda shall be sent by the Board at least 30 days before the date of the meeting.
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2. The General Assembly is the supreme authority of the Association. It has jurisdiction in the following matters:
a) The definition of the general policy of the association;
b) The amendment of the statutes;
c) The election and dismissal of the members of the Board;
d) The approval of the annual report of the Board (in particular, the budget and the financial statement);
e) The voluntary dissolution of the Association;
f) The appointment of a commissioner who decides about the membership;
g) The appointment of honorary members;
h) The ratification of membership exclusion decisions taken by the Board.
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3. The General Assembly is composed of all EGOS members. It is chaired by the Chairperson or, in his/her absence, by another member of the Board. No decision can be taken at a General Assembly unless a quorum of one tenth of the members or 25 members (whichever the lesser) is present. The decisions are made by a simple majority of votes cast. Unless the General Assembly so decides, voting shall be by show of hands.
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4. If the prescribed in article 5.3. number of members present is not attained, the following General Assembly will settle the question regardless the number of members present.
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5. The Minutes of the meeting of the General Assembly shall be certified by the person who drafted them and by the Chairperson of the Assembly.
They are to be sent to all members in due time. The Minutes are kept at the seat of the Association and are at the disposal of the members.
Board
Article 6
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1. EGOS is managed by a Board that consists of seven members. If the number of candidates exceeds the number of vacant seats, the Board members shall be elected by the EGOS members by on-line secret ballot via the EGOS website in December the year before seats on the Board become vacant. The ballots will be decided on the basis of the highest number of votes.
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2. Only members of the association are eligible as members of the Board. No more than two members of the Board should come from the same country. All nominations shall be sent to the Board no later than November 1 the year before seats become vacant. All nominations shall have the written consent of the person nominated.
3. The Board elects the Chairperson and a Vice-Chair.
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4. The Board is assisted by ex-officio observers: Editors-in-Chief of Organization Studies, Executive Secretary, and Treasurer, who is appointed and dismissed by the Board and is in charge of keeping the records and accounts of the Association.
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5. The term of appointment is of three years. If a Board member fails to complete his/her term of appointment, then the Board appoints his/her successor to serve the remaining period set out above. Board members are eligible for reelection.
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6. The Board shall meet as and when it is deemed necessary, but no less than once a year at a meeting convened by the Chairperson. It has a quorum only if one third of its members are present. Decisions are made by simple majority of votes and written down in the Minutes of the Board Meeting.
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7. The Association is governed by the Board. It directs the Association and has all powers to manage it. It can in particular accept any donations or subsidies, give away any rights and confer any powers to agents of its choice.
The Board can delegate the day-to-day management of the Association to one of its members or to a third party.
When contracting with third parties the signatures of at least two members of the Board are both necessary and sufficient (except in case of special mandates), third parties being authorized to rely fully on such double signatures.
Actions in court, whether as plaintiff or defendant, are pursued by the Board represented by the Chairperson or another member of the Board designated by the Chairperson.
Board Chairperson
Article 7
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The Chairperson ensures the representation of EGOS. S/he chairs the Board, and presides all meetings of the General Assembly and of the Board. During his/her term of office, s/he may appoint committees as necessary for the activities of EGOS. S/he shall serve or appoint others to serve as liaison between EGOS and all other professional organizations. S/he is an ex-officio member of the Advisory Committee to the Association's journal Organization Studies.
The Chairperson can be dismissed by decision made by two thirds of the Board members, after having had the opportunity to exercise his/her right to defend herself/himself. The Chairperson has a right of appeal to the General Assembly.
Finance and Administration
Article 8
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1. Regular members pay an annual membership fee, which is reviewed annually by the Board. Honorary members do not pay a fee. Any change of membership fees is subject to ratification by the General Assembly.
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2. The Board draws up the Financial Statement and accounts of the Association for the financial year, as well as the budget for the next year.
The financial year begins on the 1st of January and ends 31st of December.
The Financial Statement for the past year and the budget for the next year are posted on the EGOS website in the member area. The budget is posted in early February and the Financial Statement for the past year in May. Members are informed by email about the online voting period for the two documents.
Admendments to Statutes
Article 9
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Amendments to the Statutes shall be in accordance with the following rules:
a) Proposals for amendments can be submitted by the Board or by a group of at least fifty members.
b) The Board will bring the proposed amendment to the attention of the members not less than three months before the date of the annual General Assembly called to approve of it.
c) At least two thirds of the membership is required to be present to pass a resolution involving an amendment of the Statutes. If such a quorum is not attained, a new invitation may be sent out. The following General Assembly will settle the question regardless of the number of members present.
d) The resolution and any amendments thereto, shall require a three quarters majority of those present; such changes will not take effect until made public as required by Article 3 of the Law of 25 October 1919.
Dissolution
Article 10
The General Assembly can decide to dissolve the association, under the conditions provided for the amendment of the statutes. If the dissolution is accepted, the General Assembly will designate the liquidator, determine her/his powers and indicate the use to which the net assets of the association should be put, provided that the beneficiary(ies) should pursue goals similar to those of the association.
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Article 11
Anything that is not considered by the bylaws shall be governed by the law of 25 October 1919, as amended by the laws of 6 December 1954 and 30 June 2000.
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