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 GE.com - 2003 Annual Report |
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  Related ContentDownload Adobe® Reader®  Downloads2004 Proxy Statement (714K PDF) |
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 Shareowner Proposals for Inclusion in Next Year’s Proxy Statement To be considered for inclusion in next year’s proxy statement, shareowner proposals must be received at our principal executive offices no later than the close of business on November 9, 2004. Proposals should be addressed to Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., Secretary, General Electric Company, Fairfield, Connecticut 06828. Other Shareowner Proposals for Presentation at Next Year’s Annual Meeting For any proposal that is not submitted for inclusion in next year’s proxy statement, but is instead sought to be presented directly at the 2005 Annual Meeting, SEC rules permit management to vote proxies in its discretion if we: (1) receive notice of the proposal before the close of business on January 23, 2005, and advise shareowners in the 2005 proxy statement about the nature of the matter and how management intends to vote on such matter; or (2) do not receive notice of the proposal prior to the close of business on January 23, 2005. Notices of intention to present proposals at the 2005 Annual Meeting should be addressed to Benjamin W. Heineman, Jr., Secretary, General Electric Company, Fairfield, Connecticut 06828. Voting Securities Shareowners of record at the close of business on March 1, 2004, will be eligible to vote at the meeting. Our voting securities consist of our $0.06 par value common stock, of which 10,078,668,998 shares were outstanding on February 13, 2004. Each share outstanding on the record date will be entitled to one vote. Treasury shares are not voted. Individual votes of shareowners are kept private, except as appropriate to meet legal requirements. Access to proxies and other individual shareowner voting records is limited to the independent inspectors of election and certain employees of GE and its agents who must acknowledge in writing their responsibility to comply with this policy of confidentiality. Vote Required for Approval The 15 nominees for director receiving a plurality of the votes cast at the meeting in person or by proxy shall be elected. All other matters require for approval the favorable vote of a majority of shares voted at the meeting in person or by proxy. Under New York law, abstentions and broker non-votes, if any, will not be counted as votes cast. Therefore, they will have no effect on the outcome of the other matters to be voted on at the meeting. Manner for Voting Proxies The shares represented by all valid proxies received by phone, by Internet or by mail will be voted in the manner specified. Where specific choices are not indicated, the shares represented by all valid proxies received will be voted: (1) for the nominees for director named earlier in this proxy statement; (2) for ratification of the selection of the independent auditor; (3) for the addition of a revenue measurement to executive officer performance goals for long-term performance rewards; and (4) against the shareowner proposals described in this proxy statement. Pursuant to SEC rules, shares represented by valid proxies will also be voted against a proposal that we have received from a shareowner who submitted the proposal too late for inclusion in this proxy statement but has given us notice that her representative will present it at the annual meeting. The shareowner is an employee of NBC who filed a discrimination suit that was dismissed by the federal courts more than six years ago. At last year’s annual meeting, the shareowner’s representative made certain allegations about the company’s conduct relating to the dismissed suit. This year’s proposal requests the CEO to reconcile his supposed acquiescence in those allegations of improper conduct by the company relating to the discrimination suit and the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. It is the company’s position that the shareowner’s discrimination claims and allegations regarding past legal proceedings are meritless and that, if she wishes to pursue them, she should do so through the courts. Should any matter not described above be properly presented at the meeting, the persons named in the proxy form will vote in accordance with their judgment. Except for shareowner proposals properly omitted from this proxy statement under SEC rules, the board knows of no other matters which may be presented to the meeting. Solicitation of Proxies Proxies will be solicited on behalf of the board of directors by mail, telephone, other electronic means or in person, and we will pay the solicitation costs. Copies of proxy materials and of the annual report for 2003 will be supplied to brokers, dealers, banks and voting trustees, or their nominees, for the purpose of soliciting proxies from beneficial owners, and we will reimburse such record holders for their reasonable expenses. Morrow & Co. has been retained to assist in soliciting proxies at a fee of $30,000 plus distribution costs and other costs and expenses. Shareowners of Record with Multiple Accounts Shareowners who hold their shares directly with us and who previously have elected not to receive an annual report for a specific account may request that we promptly mail our 2003 annual report to that account by writing to GE Shareowner Services, c/o The Bank of New York, P.O. Box 11402, New York, NY 10286-1402 or calling (800) 786-2543 (800-STOCK-GE) or (610) 382-7838. In addition, participants in GE’s Savings and Security Program may request copies of our 2003 annual report by calling GE’s Transaction Processing Center at (800) 432-4313. Electronic Access to Proxy Statement and Annual Report This proxy statement and our 2003 annual report may be viewed online at www.ge.com/annual03. If you are a shareowner of record, you can elect to receive future annual reports and proxy statements electronically by marking the appropriate box on your proxy form or by following the instructions provided if you vote by Internet or by telephone. If you choose this option, you will receive a proxy form in mid-March listing the website locations and your choice will remain in effect until you notify us by mail that you wish to resume mail delivery of these documents. If you hold your GE stock through a bank, broker or another holder of record, refer to the information provided by that entity for instructions on how to elect this option. March 9, 2004
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| Copyright General Electric Company 2004 |