DEPARTMENT OF ACCOUNTANCY
UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS
MEMORANDUM
DATE: September 14, 2011
SUBJECT: Al Dunlap at Sunbeam analysis
Introduction
This memo will reflect on and analyze the decisions of the Sunbeam Board of Directors during Albert Dunlap’s tenure as CEO. This analysis will include an overview of Sunbeam’s goals, evaluation of 1996 – 1997 and 1998 compensation package, assessment of the firing decision by BOD and the overall governance of the BOD.
Sunbeam’s Goals
Dunlap is famous for his ruthless but seemingly successful turnaround techniques that he has employed: “For much of his career before coming to Sunbeam, Al Dunlap was known as the poster child of corporate restructuring.” Given that the Board was familiar with
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Evaluation of Dunlap’s compensation package
The first compensation package offered to Dunlap (the 1996 – 1997 compensation package) was well designed in the consideration of merely improving the stock prices and the company’s market value in the short term. It consists of a salary of 507,054, no bonus but well over 16 millions in stock options. The package design was obviously shortsighted and focused primarily on the profits and share value as expected and lacked incentive to create long-term value. The company’s other values, such as culture, employees and customers had absolutely no value in this model. Furthermore, the package even encouraged Dunlap to forego long-term initiatives at the expense of employee’s benefits and the company’s social responsibility and long-term profitability in order to drive up the stock price.
The second compensation package doubled his salary to 1 million and increased his stock options as well. It was unnecessary and excessive as his performance was already tied to the huge amount of stock he already owned. The new contract is even more absurd: 2 million in salary and additional stocks, as Graef Crystal – compensation consultant – commented, “He likes to portray himself as swashbuckling CEO, but real men don’t take $2 million salaries and lot s of free stock. He’s a pay wimp, when it comes down to it.” Although Dunlap rationale suggested, “You can’t overpay a great executive,” why did
One of the important aspects of business management is having a proper compensation system. Compensation ensures that the staff of the company obtains the results of their efforts. Compensation is a cost to the enterprise and, therefore, a proper remuneration model must demonstrate its ability to produce returns. Also, since compensation is what the employees get in exchange for their services, the type used must be one that will motivate the employees (Belcourt & McBey, 2015). Henderson printing company is a mid-level company. Therefore, it requires a very critical remuneration system that will help it to survive. This memo explores the compensation models that Henderson printing operates as well as suggests the necessary changes.
In the case presented both AFLAC and L.L. Bean had their own distinctive ways of utilizing their products in order to enhance the total compensation for its employees. The factor that has deterred more employees away from their current employer is that of benefit packages, and reward systems. As stated by () “compensation affects a person economically, sociologically, and psychologically. For this reason, mishandling compensation issues is likely to have a strong negative impact on employees and, ultimately, on the firm’s performance” (p.313). Many felt just a bump in pay wasn’t enough to substantiate their hard work or the efforts that the performance efforts provided to their organization. As stated by () “the right total rewards system a blend of monetary and non-monetary
Compensation systems can take on many forms, all of which have positives and negatives related to it. However, certain components are noted to be determinants of solid compensation plans. One agreement of a solid compensation system is the use of incentives. “Clearly a successful companies set objectives that will provide incentives to increase profitability” (Needles & Powers, 2011). Incentive bonuses should be measures that the company finds important to long-term growth. According to Needles & Powers (2011) the most successful companies long term focused on profitability measures. For large for-profit firms, compensation programs should offer stock options. The interweaving between the market value of a company’s stock and company’s performance both motivate and increase compensation to employees As the market value of the stock goes up, the difference between the option price and the market price grows, which increases the amount of compensation” (Needles & Powers, 2011). Conclusively, a compensation plan should serve all stakeholders, be simple, group employees properly, reflect company culture and values, and be flexible (Davis & Hardy, 1999; The Basics of a Compensation Program).
After reviewing the Wilson Brothers Case Scenario, as Director of Human Resources for the organization, what conclusions can you draw with respect to the status of the company’s compensation strategies that are currently in place? What would you do to begin to address this situation? (3 Marks)
A well-articulated compensation philosophy drives organizational success by aligning pay and other rewards with business strategy. It provides the foundation for plan design and administration and anchors current and future plans to the company's culture and values (Kaplan, 2006, p.32). Recognizing and rewarding achievement is the cornerstone of the company A’s compensation philosophy. The mission of the company is to attract, select, place and promote all individuals based on their qualifications. The company believes that performance-based compensation helps attract, develop and retain talented professionals. In addition to base pay which based upon local market conditions and targeted to be above market, the company provides the following types of potential compensation to reward performance:
3. Was the second compensation package offered to Dunlap well-structured? Was it excessive? Was it necessary?
This company in recent past was floundering under a leadership and management style that had become bloated and unproductive. The board of directors had swelled to more than 50 members with no clear lines of communication between the board, the CEO, and management. This created a void as directives and tasks became poorly understood and remained unfinished. The goals of
Through out his tenure at Sunbeam,Al Dunlap’s advocated profit by firing many employees and shutting down many factories.If we look at it in the short term ,this approach seems very attractive as it brings in quick short term
1. Get the right management team. As Dunlap assumes office, he retained only one senior executive from Sunbeam’s old management team. Dunlap first hire was Russ Kersh, a former employee of Dunlap, as executive vice president of Finance & Admin. The new management team also
From my perspective, Sunbeam’s board made a wise decision in firing Al Dunlap, and it was an example of effective corporate governance as the decision stopped Dunlap to further impair tone at the top in Sunbeam and further generate agency cost within Sunbeam. According to SEC litigation release No. 17001, during Dunlap’s tenure in Sunbeam, Dunlap was involved in applying improper earning management such as channel stuffing and “cookie jar”
Following are the changes that Al Dunlap initiated after being hired by Sunbeam Inc and the probable opportunities that Dunlap used to manage earnings:
When Roger Enrico, Chief Executive Officer for PepsiCo, took over he began to examine the corporation. Going on the belief that if you can't make diversification work, give it up. For nearly three years PepsiCo has been undergoing a major strategic transformation. PepsiCo's chairman, Roger A. Enrico, stated in his letter, "…And while 1998 certainly offered its share of challenges, I'm very pleased to report that our strategy is beginning to payoff."
This report explores the issue of the pay that top executives make, and the reasons why they do. It also suggests improvements that can be made to make the system better. High Pay Seems Small When Compared To Company Profits Many companies pull in profits that are extremely high. When an employee of such a companies salary is compared to the amount of profit that the company earns, it starts to seem reasonable. It only makes sense that if the employee is directly responsible for the success of their company, then they deserve to get their payback. It seems ironic, but many salaries even look small once compared with a companies profits. Top Executives Are Under A Lot Of Pressure Being the CEO of a
Given the effect a CEO can have on a company's success, we can understand why their compensation packages
4. How does this case illustrate how strategic intent needs to be matched by both organizational capability and managerial competence; and show how such