Corporate governance, and the role of executive pay in particular, has received increased attention from the media, government, and the business arena in recent years. The study reported in this thesis adds to our understanding of both the components and determinants of Australian remuneration packages for the top management team. It does so in four main ways: 1. The study examines the determinants of compensation of a range of senior executives within the organisation, in addition to the CEO. No Australian research, to date, explores the structure and determinants of remuneration beyond the CEO; 2. The research is conducted in a contemporary setting and timeframe, where corporations are subject to expanded disclosure requirements, when compared to the subjects of prior Australian research; 3. It examines an expanded range of factors documented in overseas research as likely to relate to remuneration, some of which have not been previously examined in Australian work; 4. Finally, in developing hypotheses concerning factors expected to relate to remuneration, the study reconciles the perspectives provided by both agency and managerial power theories in terms of how they present similar and differing propositions. The research examines both cash and incentive components of executive compensation disclosed by a sample of top 300 Australian companies in 2005. The model incorporates measures of firm performance, economic characteristics, board monitoring and governance characteristics, and ownership characteristics in an attempt to explain the level of executive compensation. The study extends analysis beyond the CEO to incorporate an investigation of both the structure and determinants of compensation of the top five executives, in addition to the CEO. Results indicate that the structure of CEO compensation has changed since prior Australian research was conducted, to include a more heavy reliance on incentive pay. In contrast to the US, the structure of CEO remuneration differs from that of non-CEO executives. As managers move progressively up the senior executive hierarchy, short-term cash bonus and share-based incentive pay both become more important as components of remuneration. There is also a greater reliance on performance hurdles than has been documented in prior Australian and international research. The expectation that remuneration is now more strongly tied to firm performance is supported. The size and complexity of the firm are also considered to be important in determining the level of various components of both CEO and non-CEO executive compensation. This supports the view that larger, more complex entities attract higher quality executives, and pay for such quality and expertise. Growth firms are more likely to pay higher levels of incentive pay and total compensation to CEOs than non-growth firms. Executive remuneration also relates to the strength of various monitoring and governance mechanisms, although to a greater extent for CEOs than for other senior executives. Managers are able to influence the remuneration-setting process where governance structures are weak, or where they have greater influence. In some cases factors relating to CEO compensation differ from those associated with compensation of lower-level executives.

Thesis (M. P. A.)--University of Hong Kong, 2007. / Title proper from title frame. Also available in printed format.

<p>Under de senaste åren har frågor kring bolagsstyrning blivit allt mer aktuella, vilket har förorsakats av olika redovisningsskandaler. Som en konsekvens av detta har det i många länder införts s.k. bolagskoder. Hittills har bara ett fåtal studier undersökt bolagskodernas tillämpning och den institutionella miljö i vilken de har införts. För att undersöka hur bolagskoderna tillämpas och hur den institutionella miljön inverkar på kodernas tillämpning har två länder valts, Sverige och Tjeckien. Det kan förväntas att ländernas skilda institutionella uppsättningar kommer att påverka bolagskodernas tillämpning. Vidare är det av intresse att studera vilka faktorer som kan förklara bolagens val att följa bolagskoden.</p><p>För att uppfylla uppsatsens syfte har ett positivistiskt synsätt med en deduktiv ansats antagits. Utifrån två befintliga teorier, agentteorin och den institutionella teorin, har att antal förklarande variabler tagits fram. Våra data insamlades i en kvantitativ dokumentundersökning, i vilken 100 svenska och 39 tjeckiska bolag ingick.</p><p>Slutsatsen blev att bolagskoden tillämpas i en högre utsträckning bland de svenska bolagen än de tjeckiska bolagen, i synnerhet vad det gäller de svenska bolag som åläggs att tillämpa bolagskoden. Storlek, hemlandets påverkan, antal styrelseledamöter, korsnotering samt lönsamhet var de förklarande variablerna vars statistiska samband med följsamhet gentemot koden inte kunde förkastas.</p>

<p>Bakgrund: Styrelseskandaler som orsakat oroligheter i affärsvärlden har skapat ett behov av ett tydligt regelverk för bolagsstyrning, den skulle förstärka svenska noterade bolags och svenska börsplatsers konkurrenskraft på den internationella kapitalmarknaden. Den svenska koden för bolagsstyrning har kommit att bli en viktig del av regelsystemet på den svenska kapitalmarknaden. Den kräver att svenska börsnoterade bolag skall presentera bolagsstyrningsrapporter. Rapporternas kvalité är viktig för intressenterna som använder sig av bolagsstyrningsinformation.</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera utvecklingen av tillämpningen av den svenska koden för bolagsstyrningen. Författarna vill undersöka rapporternas kvalité och se hur den har förändrats mellan åren. Författarna vill vidare utreda om informationen som presenteras i bolagsstyrningsrapporter har blivit mer användbar för intressenterna som nyttjar den.</p><p>Teori: Den teoretiska referensramen utgår ifrån Corporate Governance, agent-teorin, den svenska koden för bolagsstyrning och värderingskriterier som används för att bedöma bolagsstyrningsrapporternas kvalité.</p><p>Metod: Författarna använder sig av den kvantitativa metoden där 36 bolagsstyrningsrapporter jämförs mellan åren 2005 och 2006. Rapporterna granskas med hjälp av de tre värderingskriterierna. Resultatet presenteras i löpande text, tabeller och diagram.</p><p>Analys: Resultatet av granskade rapporter visar att de flesta bolag har utformat sin bolagsstyrningsrapportering enligt Kodens föreskrifter. De analyserade bolagen har generellt förbättrat sina bolagsstyrningsrapporter. Detta påvisar bolagsledningens vilja att ge en ärlig bild av bolaget och skapa en transparens gentemot aktieägare och övriga intressenter. Författarna tror att det leder till ökat förtroende mellan bolaget och deras intressenter.</p> / <p>Background: Board scandals that caused disturbances in the business world created a need for a clear regulation system for corporate governance. This system was created to reinforce Swedish-listed companies and their ability to compete on the international capital market. The Swedish Code for Corporate Governance is an important part of the regulation system on the Swedish capital market. It prescribes that Swedish-listed companies should present reports of corporate governance. The quality of the reports is important for stakeholders who use this information.</p><p>Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to analyse the development of the companies’ applications of the Swedish Code for Corporate Governance. The writers want to examine the quality of the reports and observe how it has changed over the years. Furthermore, the writers want to investigate if the information which is presented in the reports of corporate governance has become more applicable for stakeholders who use it.</p><p>Theory: The theoretical frame of reference is corporate governance, agent theory, the Swedish Code for Corporate Governance, and valuation standards, which are used to evaluate the quality of the reports for corporate governance.</p><p>Method: The writers use the quantitative scientific method to evaluate 36 reports of corporate governance between the years 2005 and 2006. The reports are studied on the basis of the three valuation standards. The results are presented in the text, and in tables and diagrams.</p><p>Analysis: The results of the studied reports show that most of the companies have shaped their reports of corporate governance according to the regulations of the Swedish Code for Corporate Governance. The analysed companies have generally improved their reports of corporate governance. This shows the willingness of the boards to give an honest image of the corporations in order to create a transparency towards shareholders and stakeholders. The writers believe that this will lead to a higher level of trust between the corporations and their stakeholders.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--West Virginia University, 2006. / Title from document title page. Document formatted into pages; contains v, 163 p. : ill. (some col.). Includes abstract. Includes bibliographical references.

I examine the market reaction to merger announcements and the long-term post-merger stock price performance of newly merged firms. For a sample of 484 acquiring firms completing mergers between 1993 and 2000, the average value-weighted abnormal announcement date return (market-adjusted) is a statistically significant -1.02%. On average, this reaction is more negative for firms with "good governance." Specifically, a governance index comprised of three governance variables is significantly negative in a multivariate regression of announcement date abnormal returns. Comp is the percentage of CEO salary consisting of equity incentives (including stock options and restricted stock grants), InsideOwn is the percentage of the firm owned by officers and directors, and InstOwn is the percentage of the firm owned by large outside block shareholders. Value-weighted calendar-time portfolios consisting of the full sample of acquirers exhibit significant abnormal returns of 9.12%, 33.84% and 55.8% for the 12, 36 and 60 months following the merger, respectively. This overperformance is limited to the value-weighted portfolios. There is calendar-time evidence of abnormal performance for some subsamples on a risk adjusted basis. However, when compared to a control group, abnormal performance is limited to large glamour acquirers on a 12-month horizon, large cash acquirers on a 36 and 60-month horizon, and small focusing acquirers on a 60-month horizon. Multivariate analysis of long-run returns reveals that use of equity and corporate diversification are associated with lower post-merger performance. With regard to governance and long-run stock returns, there is also evidence that suggests higher levels of incentive compensation for CEOs is associated with more successful merger transactions for long-term investors.

Bakgrund: Styrelseskandaler som orsakat oroligheter i affärsvärlden har skapat ett behov av ett tydligt regelverk för bolagsstyrning, den skulle förstärka svenska noterade bolags och svenska börsplatsers konkurrenskraft på den internationella kapitalmarknaden. Den svenska koden för bolagsstyrning har kommit att bli en viktig del av regelsystemet på den svenska kapitalmarknaden. Den kräver att svenska börsnoterade bolag skall presentera bolagsstyrningsrapporter. Rapporternas kvalité är viktig för intressenterna som använder sig av bolagsstyrningsinformation. Syfte: Syftet med uppsatsen är att analysera utvecklingen av tillämpningen av den svenska koden för bolagsstyrningen. Författarna vill undersöka rapporternas kvalité och se hur den har förändrats mellan åren. Författarna vill vidare utreda om informationen som presenteras i bolagsstyrningsrapporter har blivit mer användbar för intressenterna som nyttjar den. Teori: Den teoretiska referensramen utgår ifrån Corporate Governance, agent-teorin, den svenska koden för bolagsstyrning och värderingskriterier som används för att bedöma bolagsstyrningsrapporternas kvalité. Metod: Författarna använder sig av den kvantitativa metoden där 36 bolagsstyrningsrapporter jämförs mellan åren 2005 och 2006. Rapporterna granskas med hjälp av de tre värderingskriterierna. Resultatet presenteras i löpande text, tabeller och diagram. Analys: Resultatet av granskade rapporter visar att de flesta bolag har utformat sin bolagsstyrningsrapportering enligt Kodens föreskrifter. De analyserade bolagen har generellt förbättrat sina bolagsstyrningsrapporter. Detta påvisar bolagsledningens vilja att ge en ärlig bild av bolaget och skapa en transparens gentemot aktieägare och övriga intressenter. Författarna tror att det leder till ökat förtroende mellan bolaget och deras intressenter. / Background: Board scandals that caused disturbances in the business world created a need for a clear regulation system for corporate governance. This system was created to reinforce Swedish-listed companies and their ability to compete on the international capital market. The Swedish Code for Corporate Governance is an important part of the regulation system on the Swedish capital market. It prescribes that Swedish-listed companies should present reports of corporate governance. The quality of the reports is important for stakeholders who use this information. Purpose: The purpose of this essay is to analyse the development of the companies’ applications of the Swedish Code for Corporate Governance. The writers want to examine the quality of the reports and observe how it has changed over the years. Furthermore, the writers want to investigate if the information which is presented in the reports of corporate governance has become more applicable for stakeholders who use it. Theory: The theoretical frame of reference is corporate governance, agent theory, the Swedish Code for Corporate Governance, and valuation standards, which are used to evaluate the quality of the reports for corporate governance. Method: The writers use the quantitative scientific method to evaluate 36 reports of corporate governance between the years 2005 and 2006. The reports are studied on the basis of the three valuation standards. The results are presented in the text, and in tables and diagrams. Analysis: The results of the studied reports show that most of the companies have shaped their reports of corporate governance according to the regulations of the Swedish Code for Corporate Governance. The analysed companies have generally improved their reports of corporate governance. This shows the willingness of the boards to give an honest image of the corporations in order to create a transparency towards shareholders and stakeholders. The writers believe that this will lead to a higher level of trust between the corporations and their stakeholders.

Under de senaste åren har frågor kring bolagsstyrning blivit allt mer aktuella, vilket har förorsakats av olika redovisningsskandaler. Som en konsekvens av detta har det i många länder införts s.k. bolagskoder. Hittills har bara ett fåtal studier undersökt bolagskodernas tillämpning och den institutionella miljö i vilken de har införts. För att undersöka hur bolagskoderna tillämpas och hur den institutionella miljön inverkar på kodernas tillämpning har två länder valts, Sverige och Tjeckien. Det kan förväntas att ländernas skilda institutionella uppsättningar kommer att påverka bolagskodernas tillämpning. Vidare är det av intresse att studera vilka faktorer som kan förklara bolagens val att följa bolagskoden. För att uppfylla uppsatsens syfte har ett positivistiskt synsätt med en deduktiv ansats antagits. Utifrån två befintliga teorier, agentteorin och den institutionella teorin, har att antal förklarande variabler tagits fram. Våra data insamlades i en kvantitativ dokumentundersökning, i vilken 100 svenska och 39 tjeckiska bolag ingick. Slutsatsen blev att bolagskoden tillämpas i en högre utsträckning bland de svenska bolagen än de tjeckiska bolagen, i synnerhet vad det gäller de svenska bolag som åläggs att tillämpa bolagskoden. Storlek, hemlandets påverkan, antal styrelseledamöter, korsnotering samt lönsamhet var de förklarande variablerna vars statistiska samband med följsamhet gentemot koden inte kunde förkastas.

This study investigates the relationships among corporate governance mechanism, firm performance, and executive compensation within Chinese publicly listed firms. The corporate governance structure in China is a unique combination of the Anglo-American model and the German system by including a board of director and a supervisory board simultaneously, and has two monitoring organs, independent directors and supervisory board, co-existing. One of the special features of the Chinese publicly listed firms is their close relationship with the government because most of them were converted from state-owned enterprises at the beginning of the market-oriented economic reform in China. Therefore, we attempt to explore the effects of political connections of their ultimate controllers on corporate governance mechanism, on firm performance, and on executive compensation in China. Our findings indicate a dysfunctional corporate governance system in China, which cannot bring improved firm performance but grant executives high compensations. While we take into consideration the political connections, our results show that they deteriorate corporate governance mechanism, but do not result in inferior firm performance. Robustness tests demonstrate a non-linear effect of corporate governance on executive compensation, jointly depending on the status of a firms political connection and its ownership structure.

This study investigates the relationships among corporate governance mechanism, firm performance, and executive compensation within Chinese publicly listed firms. The corporate governance structure in China is a unique combination of the Anglo-American model and the German system by including a board of director and a supervisory board simultaneously, and has two monitoring organs, independent directors and supervisory board, co-existing. One of the special features of the Chinese publicly listed firms is their close relationship with the government because most of them were converted from state-owned enterprises at the beginning of the market-oriented economic reform in China. Therefore, we attempt to explore the effects of political connections of their ultimate controllers on corporate governance mechanism, on firm performance, and on executive compensation in China. Our findings indicate a dysfunctional corporate governance system in China, which cannot bring improved firm performance but grant executives high compensations. While we take into consideration the political connections, our results show that they deteriorate corporate governance mechanism, but do not result in inferior firm performance. Robustness tests demonstrate a non-linear effect of corporate governance on executive compensation, jointly depending on the status of a firms political connection and its ownership structure.