employees and encourage them to stay with the company, though many argued that the repricing program initiatives rewards employees for poor performance (p.424). I agree that for the companies or executive the advantages surpass the disadvantage on stock option compensation package grant tied to company performance, however for average or lower level employees who are in the mercy of the key executive’s business decisions. Employee stock option provide advantages to companies such as ability to attract highly motivated and entrepreneurial executives and the capacity to hire and fulfill incentive without draining earnings or company’s equity or spending cash. Obviously, employee stock option benefit companies at it provides tax benefit and no accounting cost, while encourages executives to act in shareholder’s interest and risk taking or aggressive business decision for substantial return and favorable stock price. However, the risk cause by executives manipulating stock price and making wrongful investment decision can’t be ignored as well, as executives could manipulate stock price through fraudulent earnings to deceive investors and the market, then when stock price is at peak, executives exercise their stocks option leaving the company stocks underwater, which I do think what happen with Cendant Corp. Weld et al. (2004) research titled “Anatomy of a Financial Fraud” regarding a forensic examination of HealthSouth (p.44). Weld summarized that according to
From a total rewards perspective, the reorganization allowed the company to develop ways to improve the satisfaction of its employees. Linking pay to performance and other compensation incentives was an asset when recruiting talented technology professionals to come in and build
Professional auditing standards discuss the three key “conditions” that are typically present when a financial fraud occurs and identify a lengthy list of “fraud risk factors.”
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).
Fraud and abuse encompasses the actions of fraud, abuse, and waste in the health care system (McWay, 2014). It is a nationwide problem that affects all of us and can be committed by anyone. Schemes can be committed by a single person or a by an institution or group. The National Health Care Anti-Fraud Association (NHCAA) estimates that
According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) “health care fraud costs the country an estimated $80 billion dollars a year” ("Health Care Fraud," n.d., p. 1). Because health care costs continue to rise more rapidly than the rate of inflation the threat of health care fraud continues to rise. The Affordable Health Care Act has put new policies in place to identify and stop health care fraud. The FBI along with other government, insurance, and public agencies have joined together to combat fraud at every level. New rules in identifying, investigating, and prosecuting fraud before payments are made to medical providers could save billions of
7. Option compensation will continue to be a critical component of compensation for executives as it simplistically aligns the executives’ pay to shareholder value in its simplest sense. I don’t believe that options compensation is the primary driver of behavior when things shift from the legal to the illegal. As with most senior executives in industry, ego is a huge driver in individual behavior. Compensation is important, but the recognition of your performance is sometimes even more important. We have created a performance driven culture without the necessary control framework for people to operate within. One minute you are doing a great job, the next you have crossed an imaginary line. The frameworks don’t do enough to quantify behavior as legal and illegal leaving inconsistent rules for organizations to operate within. How does Enron compare to the subprime mortgage debacle, or to Steve Jobs backdating options. There remains too much room for interpretation.
Pay and Rewards – pay and rewards attract, motivate and retain staff. The employment contract which lists rewards, whether it be pay, bonus or benefits, can remove animosity amongst employees and employers. However, recent research reveals that employees are no longer motivated by a financial reward alone, but
In-job standards and practices can drive motivation, authority, and influence. However, it is rewards that can serve as the primary motivation lever. The profit centers established to accomplish this must be mutually reinforcing, or frustration and undermining of the culture will occur.
Over the last 77 years, Morgan Stanley has been at the forefront of the financial industry. This is from the firm focusing on creating customizable investment products that are sold to retail and institutional clients. ("Company History," 2012) However, a problem is that many competitors are entering a period of flat growth that is at the top of S Curve. This is when a company will grow so big that it becomes difficult to continue increasing profit margins. (Nunes, 2011, pp. 1 5) In the case of Morgan Stanley, the recent financial crisis has made it more difficult for the firm to improve earnings. As a result, a new strategy must be developed that will motivate the sales force to do more. To determine the most effective approach requires examining six features of a total rewards program, the specific behaviors that will be targeted, assessing the value proposition and how to attract registered representatives.
Stock options are often used to increase motivation for the high level managers and executives to improve a company's growth. There are some problems with stock options though. One of the roots of these problems is a practice of backdating option grants. This is done to present a stock price at a lower level than it actually was on a date of granting. The article "On the Use (and Abuse) of Stock Option Grants" has some interesting information about how backdating practices led to the interest explosion back in 2006. SEC was and is working hard to fix the problem. The companies must expense stock options at the "fair" value and there are additional disclosures required. It doesn't fix the problem altogether though. There are still many loopholes
“While Mangers complain about lack of motivation in their workers, they might as well consider the possibility that the reward systems they’ve installed are paying off for the opposite”.
that employees remain motivated if they are rewarded to achieve goals of a company. And when they are
A recent survey by The Society for Human Resource Management ranked tuition reimbursement programs and vacation/holiday time as the top two retention initiatives being offered by employers. In addition, instant recognition programs, such as spot bonuses, are being used to reward excellence in performance as it occurs. Such programs give employees immediate gratification for their efforts rather than delaying it until annual reviews. Also, flexible work hours and telecommuting programs that allow employees to better balance their work commitments with their family duties are becoming more common. According to Ceridian Employer Services (2004), "90 percent of companies with more than 5,000 employees allow telecommuting.... And ... 52 percent of large companies use virtual teams." Organizations must continually search for innovative ways to retain their best employees. Fortunately, the costs of these efforts are low in comparison to the high costs of turnover.
Pay and rewards attract and retain employees. Having the right pay and benefit for employees motivate them. This helps employees feel valued and can remove animosity between employee and employer. Training and development has a positive impact on employees, this shows investment from the employer and enhances career progression.
Stock options provide a financial incentive to employees. If the company does well, then the employees benefit financially. Providing this benefit has the effect of the employee having a vested interest in how the company performs; therefore, the employee will work hard, do their best work, and stay