shares

[UnhappyGremlin]

Problem with this is, could we really trust the management structure to run the company in a way that would result in us actually getting anything for the shares when the time comes for us to sell them? They would devalue them from their original expected price to a mere fraction in my opinion, possibly on purpose knowing this lot.

And if, they actually manage to maintain or improve their value, in the end, we will probably pay through the nose in terms of job cuts, working conditions and pay freezes/cuts. I for one will not, as is being possibly proposed, buy any extra for myself. If they decide that we can only have them if we buy at a discounted rate, again, not interested.

And if by some miracle, the shares are worth more, I'd be willing to bet that the management will have a higher holding than us and will benefit more than we will. Which would be a shock to the rank and file, obviously.

The share price of a company listed on the stock exchange is not set by the management of that company. Market forces would determine the price. If there are more buyers than sellers, the share price rises, and vice versa. Obviously, disastrous decisions made by senior management could hit profits and thus create a situation where the share price falls. But they would not directly 'control' the daily share price !!

I think you misunderstood what I was attempting to say. I know how share prices work. My point was that they management structure as it stands are useless, and would operate in a way that would result in no profits, and no dividends for us. I would also not put it past them to do this deliberately, in an attempt to intentionally devalue the shares. And as it will be likely that we would only be able to sell the shares back to the company, or to a separate company (possibly owned by a number of senior execs - it wouldn't be the first time this type of thing has happened) and they would want to pay as little as possible. They would then 'improve' the company's profitability, and sell the shares on for a big profit. I don't know where you got the impression of the directly controlling the daily share price.