Summary of Main Points of Executive Compensation: Research and Practical Implications Introduction
As a significant impact on the organizational strategy, employee behaviors, and firm performance, executive compensation program is designed and determined through many policies and approaches, and many leading theories are explained and related empirical studies are conducted. The theories that will be introduced include marginal productivity theory, governance theories of managerialism and agency theory, structural theory, human capital theory, and the symbolism theories of tournament winnings and political strategist appointments.
Leading Theories of Executive Compensation
Marginal Productivity Theory insists that it is used as an indicator of predicting pay level of executives related to profit generation and productivity output. When a firm has a sole owner, the owner’s desire to maximize the return on investment can be realized through the situation where the marginal cost of production is the same as the market price of the product. This gives the firm a chance to maximize its profits which is the maximized compensation for the sole owner. However, in a case where an executive is hired by a firm, the firm’s profitability depends on his or her contribution and productivity which determines his or her pay-level. Thus, there is a correlation between executive pay and firm’s net profit.
In Governance theories, the goal of those listed firms which have a
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Also, company pay philosophy and management style are affecting factors. When the inflation was relatively high, the base salary tended to increase to recognize market movement and individual merit. However, those decrease in management levels, lower inflation, performance-based pay have made the low increase in the executives’ base
This paper will discuss the reasons why CEOs are not being overpaid. It will apply the utilitarian ethical principle to many a few aspects to CEO compensation and whether or not it is justifiable for such pay. The paper will look at whether or not their performance is justifiable for the pay because they play such a big role in the livelihood of the company along with the principle agency theory and how it is being addressed for the benefit of the shareholders and others involved with the company, the supply and demand of the CEOs, and the paper will describe the comparison of other professions to help link the idea of CEOs being fairly compensated.
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).
The challenges of an organization can influence the performance of an organization from a satisfaction with pay (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, & Cardy, 2016, p. 296). The employee salary within an organization is a huge cause for turnover of employees (p. 296). First, the topic of employee salary is of great importance for the current and potential workforce (Lee & Lin, 2014, p. 1577). In addition, employees that have the perception on receiving lower compensation that others within their market will lack in performance and have a desire to leave the organization (p. 1577). In retrospect, the regular evaluation of compensation within the organization is vital to the reduction of employee turnover (p. 1577).
The CEO’s compensation should be set on how well the firm performs and should be awarded based on the performance of the stocks in the long run. It is easier to measure performance by the growth rate in the profits that have been reported since intrinsic value cannot be fully
The financial or economic interest is an important motivating factor for employees; however, when the gap in salaries is high, it could result in dissatisfaction and affect the business economically.
With the constant change in today’s business world, to have a competitive advantage makes it difficult for employers to attract and retain the most talented employees. Identifying the company’s compensation strategy ensures the organization offers the right pay and manages the pay increases to retain top talents. When we hear the word compensation we think about compensating an employee for their work performed, but there
In Peter Eavis’ article “Executive Pay: The Invasion of Supersalaries” the conflict of CEOs and top executives outrageous pay grade is discussed. Even though the “compensation machine” of Corporate America is running smoothly, there are multiple negative and dark undertones. In fact, many people believe that these shocking salaries are the roots of inequality within America. Currently, some CEOs are being compensated millions and millions of dollars as their normal annual salary. Even though the current executive compensation system focuses on performance and can “theoretically constrain pay,” there is nothing stopping the companies from giving their CEOs more. According to the Equilar 100 C.E.O Pay Study, “the median compensation of a
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:
While these citizen protests and legislative actions could be an overreaction to a few isolated cases of executive compensation excess, the data suggests otherwise. According to the AFL-CIO (2013), executive pay has increased dramatically over the past several decades compared to worker compensation. In 1982, the pay ratio between executives and workers was 42:1, but by 2012 it had increased to 354:1. This 8.4-fold differential in compensation suggests that the productivity of executives has also increased 8.4-fold relative to productivity of workers. If executive pay is positively correlated with a firm's bottom line, then higher pay should predict success. Unfortunately, researchers have found the opposite to be true.
The challenges of an organization can influence the performance of an organization from a satisfaction with pay (Gomez-Mejia, Balkin, & Cardy, 2016, p. 296). The employee salary within an organization is a huge cause for turnover of employees (p. 296). First, the topic of employee salary is of great importance for the current and potential workforce (Lee & Lin, 2014, p. 1577). In addition, employees that have the perception on receiving lower compensation that others within their market will lack in performance and have a desire to leave the organization (p. 1577). In retrospect, the regular evaluation of compensation within the organization is vital to the reduction of employee turnover (p. 1577).
The practice over overpaying company CEOs in contrast to the general employee population is not considered a valid reward distribution system. As reported in the “The State of Working America”, the ratio between CEO salaries and average company wages was approximately 19.2 to 1 in 1965. In 2011, this ratio was nearly 220.2 to 1 (Mishel, Bivens, Gould, and Shierholz, 2012). Per Mishel, Bivens, Gould, and Shierholz (2012), this ratio has experienced a 177.15-point decrease from the year 2000, when the
This paper will examine setting the stage for strategic compensation and bases for pay. There are three main goals of compensation departments: internal consistency, market competitiveness, and recognition of individual contributions. Internally consistent compensation systems define the relative value of each job among all jobs within a company. (Martocchio, pg. 22, 2011) With this system companies want employees to be paid more based on their qualifications and responsibilities. They believe someone with less experience should be paid differently. To determine such evaluation companies use job analysis in order to provide job descriptions. The job evaluation is to determine pay according to a particular position. Market-competitive
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
In today’s competitive workforce, compensation and benefit packages plays a crucial role on recruitment and retention for both the organization and the employee. Bumpbie finds itself in a situation where it could positively affect its employee’s morale, turnover rate and longevity; by making a strategic decision to implement compensation and benefit packages that will encourage current workers to stay and entice new applicants. Money is not always the inherent reason businesses experience high turnover rate, the constant shifting in the job market will always be a contributing factor as well as employee’s moral. Mayhew, R. (2016), explains that an “employee compensation plan” refers to all the components offered as well as the way in which they are paid, and the reason behind the employees getting the compensation case bonuses, salary increases and incentives. The fact that there are voluntary and mandatory benefits that organization provides to their employees give employees the freedom of choice, as well as the option to make the whether to stay with or leave an organization based on the benefits it provides. Variable Pay is also an option that some employers offer their employee which is performance based or results oriented. Whether it is profit sharing, merit based programs or incentive bonuses; it all comes down to which organization can provide employees with the compensation or benefits packages that best satisfy their needs.