Final answer:
The minimum number of investors required to change The Darkroom Windowshade Company's top management is three, combining investors 1, 2, and 3. Investors 1 and 2, with their 38,000 shares, do not have a majority and thus need additional support to ensure control over the company decisions.
Step-by-step explanation:
Understanding Corporate Shareholder Voting Power
To determine the minimum number of investors required to change the top management of The Darkroom Windowshade Company, one must understand the concept of majority control in shareholder voting. Since the company has 100,000 shares of stock outstanding, control would require over 50% of the voting power, which in this case is more than 50,000 shares.
To calculate the minimum number of investors needed to achieve this, we add the share possessions in descending order until we exceed 50,000 shares. Starting with investor 1 who has 20,000 shares, then adding investor 2 with 18,000 shares, and so on. Investors 1 and 2 together have 38,000 shares. Adding investor 3 with 15,000 shares brings the total to 53,000 shares, which is sufficient for a majority. Hence, the minimum number of investors needed would be three.
Regarding whether investors 1 and 2 hold always decisive control, when they combine their shares (20,000 + 18,000), they hold 38,000 shares, which is less than a majority. Consequently, they cannot be certain of always getting their way in how the company is run without the support of additional investors.