Quote:
Originally Posted by madslug
One thing that nags at the back of my head is this:
The company which is getting into behavioural targeted (B.T.) advertising is BT Retail. This is part of the BT Retail Division which also includes BT Business.
The AGM is being conducted by a business called BT plc for its shareholders.
OK, just words, you may say. However, the differences in the words is like addressing 2 people from different sides of the world.
Unless I have missed something, the management of BT plc is not the same as the management of BT Retail. BT plc will, as the major shareholder, have appointed the board/management for BT Retail and be relying on reports from that management board to have any grasp of how the business is doing. Most of this will be in the format of financial reports. Something like 'advertising revenue' is probably so small as to be lost under Sundry Revenue.
The average shareholder will have even less chance of knowing anything about what BT Retail is proposing.
Because it has to be assumed that everyone attending the AGM, other than a small handful, have no idea about any of this, they should be treated the same as any other innocent member of the public who is hearing about BT Retail's proposed usage of DPI Systems for B.T. advertising (rather than the usual usage of DPI for service management) for the first time.
In other words, the protesters need to come across as a group of people who are looking for the help of the shareholders and main Board of BT plc to right an earlier wrong and to make them aware of and to prevent the further spread of corruption within their midst.
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Yes - it is important to remember that BT is very fragmented nowadays and the shareholders will generally not have a clue. BT plc is a very big company and it has a worldwide reach - the BT Retail ISP is not a very big cheese in comparison wih BT Global.
You can certainly TRY and get questions asked - even unsuccessful attempts can be newsworthy - the press will pick up on any controversy inside the meeting even if it seems to get nowhere, and will make the link with the protest outside.
It's a question of trying to think - what will make the press interested but not damage your reputation or allow BT to portray the anti-Phorm campaign as loony?
Let's face it - the BT directors aren't going to be interested except in not wanting bad publicity. So its the publicity that counts. Even a failed question followed by a minor disturbance from the floor will attract attention. If someone is bounced out, for disturbing the meeting it might be best if others kept quiet and then made their own attempt at a question a bit later - then they could be bounced out separately - twice as much interest. Inside the meeting I would imagine T shirts should be kept covered up until you are IN or perhaps on the way out again - otherwise you could find yourself corralled or hustled out immediately. think in terms of the Labour party conference where that old concentration camp veteran got hustled out by the bouncers for asking an awkward question. It is likely to happen but you can turn it to your advantage.
Try very hard to make sure that YOU are not unreasonable or violent or disreputable. Let the BT people come across as unreasonable.
Even a series of refusals for questions from the chair will sound unreasonable and embarrassing if timed carefully and spaced through the meeting.
Expect chairman to use tactics - he has control of the agenda and timing so expect to be controlled, gagged, and ambushed by procedural devices. Don't use all your assets at once.
Best of luck you guys. work commitments prevent me from getting to London on the day but I will be there in spirit.
---------- Post added at 23:38 ---------- Previous post was at 23:36 ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by Florence
Done  Also posting it on ISpreview to remind people there. |
Whoops Florence - bumped into you over on BT Beta - we were both posting at the same time. Never mind, twice the value for money now.