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Do executive compensation contracts maximize firm value? Indications from a quasi-natural experiment

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  • Abudy, Menachem (Meni)
  • Amiram, Dan
  • Rozenbaum, Oded
  • Shust, Efrat

Abstract

We find significant positive abnormal returns surrounding a surprising and quick enactment of a law that restricts executive pay to a binding upper limit in a few industries. We find that the effect is concentrated only for firms in which the restriction is binding. We also find that the increase in value is greater for firms with weaker corporate governance and smaller for firms that grant a greater portion of equity-based compensation to their executives. These results provide indications that, on average, compensation contracts can be set in a way that does not maximize firm value.

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  • Abudy, Menachem (Meni) & Amiram, Dan & Rozenbaum, Oded & Shust, Efrat, 2020. "Do executive compensation contracts maximize firm value? Indications from a quasi-natural experiment," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbfina:v:114:y:2020:i:c:s0378426620300558
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbankfin.2020.105787
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    Cited by:

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    2. Clement Olalekan Olaniyi & Olaolu Richard Olayeni, 2020. "A new perspective into the relationship between CEO pay and firm performance: evidence from Nigeria’s listed firms," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 22(2), pages 250-277, December.
    3. Meital Graham Rozen, 2024. "Effectiveness of Executive Compensation Cap Law: Evidence from Israel," Bank of Israel Working Papers 2024.07, Bank of Israel.
    4. Meni Abudy, Menachem & Mugerman, Yevgeny & Shust, Efrat, 2023. "National pride, investor sentiment, and stock markets," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 89(C).
    5. Jiao Xue & Heng Fan & Zhanxun Dong, 2020. "Compensations of Top Executives and M&A Behaviors: An Empirical Study of Listed Companies," IJFS, MDPI, vol. 8(4), pages 1-13, October.
    6. Abudy, Menachem (Meni) & Mugerman, Yevgeny & Shust, Efrat, 2022. "The Winner Takes It All: Investor Sentiment and the Eurovision Song Contest," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 137(C).
    7. Abudy, Menachem (Meni) & Mugerman, Yevgeny & Wiener, Zvi, 2021. "Stock markets and female participation in the labor force," Journal of International Financial Markets, Institutions and Money, Elsevier, vol. 74(C).
    8. Colonnello, Stefano & Koetter, Michael & Wagner, Konstantin, 2023. "Compensation regulation in banking: Executive director behavior and bank performance after the EU bonus cap," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 76(1).
    9. Meital Graham Rozen, 2024. "Executive Compensation in Publicly Traded Companies in Israel," Bank of Israel Working Papers 2024.06, Bank of Israel.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Executive compensation; Governance; Optimal contracts;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • G38 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • M12 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Business Administration - - - Personnel Management; Executives; Executive Compensation
    • M48 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Government Policy and Regulation
    • M52 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Personnel Economics - - - Compensation and Compensation Methods and Their Effects

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