Sustainable Bonuses: Sign of Corporate Responsibility or Window Dressing?

Despite a strong plea for integrating sustainability goals into traditional corporate bonus schemes, a comprehensive implementation of these systems has been lacking until recently. This article explores four illustrative cases from the Netherlands, where several multinationals started to pioneer with sustainable bonuses in the past few years. The article examines the setups and the different elements of bonus programmes used, in terms of performance criteria (focusing in particular on external vs. internal benchmarking), their link to specific stakeholders, type and size of bonuses, target levels and transparency. While sustainable bonuses signal corporate awareness of responsibility vis-à-vis society and stakeholders, credibility varies considerably depending on these elements. Our case evidence sheds some light on the extent to which sustainable bonuses may be a credible sign of corporate responsibility or rather just another perverse mechanism meant to keep up bonus levels (window dressing). A definite assessment is hampered by the emergent state and lack of full transparency—while ‘justified’ by companies for competitive reasons, this raises questions. Insights are offered to appraise current and future systems and provide directions for further research.     

Perceived Legitimacy of Executives Bonuses in Time of Global Crisis: A Mapping of Portuguese People’s Views

The present study aimed to explore and map the views of Portuguese laypersons regarding the legitimacy of bonuses for senior executives. Two hundred eight participants, with various levels of training in economics, were presented with a number of concrete scenarios depicting the circumstances in which senior executives have received bonuses of variable amounts, and they were asked to indicate the extent to which such bonuses may be considered as legitimate. The scenarios were created by varying four factors likely to have an impact on people’s views: (a) the extent to which the objectives fixed by the company have been met or not, (b) the global economic context in which the company has performed, (c) the availability of experienced senior executives in the sector under consideration, and (d) the amount of money that has been awarded, in terms of both the euros and multiples of the average worker’s pay. Five qualitatively different personal positions were found. The most common positions were that executive bonuses were either never legitimate (30 %) or not very legitimate (25 %). People without any background in economics were more likely to hold these views than people with a background in economics. The remaining 45 % of the participants supported the awarding of bonus, but their support was conditional, and the main condition was the extent to which the company’s objectives were met. Thus for most participants, the practice of awarding extra pay to senior executives was either (a) never legitimate, or (b) legitimate only when the company’s objectives have been attained, or (c) legitimate only when, even in a time of economic crisis, the company’s objectives have been surpassed.     

Does performance appraisal work?: Common set of goals needed

The need for better managers in the rapidly shrinking world o f multinational business justifies the executive performance appraisal effort. The very best European companies, the author believes, are doing a better job than the average U.S. company. When we appraise the manager's performance, we are really discussing the management of the enterprise. Companies making a conscious effort in this area have benefited greatly; when targets are set for individual executives, it does not take top management long to recognize the need for company objectives. When these are set, the executive team has a common set of goals that sharpen the focus of each individual's efforts. As a result, the competitive effectiveness of the group action is multiplied.     

组织内信任对任务绩效的影响效应

We studies the relationship between organizational trust and work performance through questionnaire method. By establishing six nested models and two non-nested models and comparing them with the hypotheses model, we find that an employee’s trust in his/her immediate superior, co-workers, and the top manager all exert positive influences upon his/her work performance and these influences are independent and supplementary to one another. We also discuss the complex effects of an individual’s perception of different organizational members upon their behaviors. It is found that the influence of an employee’s trust in top manager upon individuals’ job performance is partially mediated by his/her trust in immediate superiors. __________ Translated from Xinli Xuebao 心理学报 (Acta Psychological Sinica), 2006, 38(5): 770–777     

The case for merit bonuses

Many organizations use merit increases to reward performance, but few use merit bonuses. Yet a merit bonus system may be the sounder way to reward performance.     

上市公司再融资行为存在的问题及对策

我国的上市公司再融资行为目前存在着观念上的误区,偏好股权融资,资金使用效率低等问题。应以完善公司治理结构,规范再融资主体的资格和条件,并将现金分红作为再融资必要条件,以全面解决上市公司再融资问题。要加快发展债券市场,加强再融资资金的使用过程的监管,促使企业按自身发展需要和资金需要状况进行融资。     

公司属性、经营绩效与经营管理团队薪酬——基于沪市上市公司的实证分析

以沪市上市公司为样本,采用逐步回归、聚类分析等方法对公司属性、经营绩效与公司经营管理团队薪酬之间的关系进行系统的实证分析。结果表明,公司经营管理团队薪酬水平与行业平均水平、地区平均水平、股权制衡度以及经营绩效呈现显著的正相关关系,与第一大股东持股比例呈负相关关系;公司在制定经营管理团队薪酬政策时,对行业平均水平的关注程度明显高于对地区平均水平的关注;公司股权相对集中时,经营绩效对经营管理团队薪酬水平的决定作用明显增强,而且此时用表征新财富创造的指标(每元净资产实现EVA)衡量公司经营绩效更为科学有效。     

Ethics at the workplace

Are facts the only criteria that should determine an arbitrator's decision but are there other ethical criteria that ought to be used? Arbitrators are often faced with deciding issues like whether a person discharged already by a company for arson, should be reinstated or not to his old job. The problem, however, may not be the facts but that the company has discharged him to get rid of him so that it no longer has a problem while society does with the arsonist at work elsewhere. Another problem involves the teaching of human resources management. Most of the current literature dealing with modern management reflects the belief that participatory management is good for management. Most of the evidence supporting such a claim is weak; there surely is very little evidence that such participation should include nonsupervisory employees. The discussion concerning the issue of participatory management could be raised if the participants stopped talking about the increased productivity that is supposed to result, but rather deal instead with the issue that such participation is a form of industrial democracy and therefore is good or bad depending upon a person's ethical judgments concerning such an issue.     

Corporate Social Responsibility and Employee–Company Identification

This study proposes two identification cuing factors (i.e., CSR associations and CSR participation) to understand how corporate social responsibility (CSR) relates to employees’ identification with their firm. The results reveal that a firm’s CSR initiatives increase employee–company identification (E–C identification). E–C identification, in turn, influences employees’ commitment to their company. However, CSR associations do not directly influence employees’ identification with a firm, but rather influence their identification through perceived external prestige (PEP). Compared to CSR associations, CSR participation has a direct influence on E–C identification. On the basis of these findings, it is argued that CSR performance can be an effective way for companies to maintain a positive relationship with their employees.     

企业营销人员薪酬管理体系研究

调动营销人员的积极性是企业人力资源开发的一个重要课题,而建立科学的薪酬管理体系,则是调动员工工作积极性的有效途径。我国现行的企业营销人员薪酬管理体系缺乏系统性和整体规划及激励作用,缺少应有的职位评估和绩效考核基础。提升企业营销人员薪酬管理体系的效能,应更加注重利用薪酬和福利管理对员工内在价值和创造潜力的挖掘;基于KPI理论,确定营销人员的岗位考核指标系列和绩效考核指标系列;建立多通道生涯发展路径;建立特薪制,导入更柔性的薪酬计量方法;拟定营销人员全面薪酬体系方案;运用“差别感觉阈限”进行薪酬设计和调整。     

Employee attitudes toward advertising

The attitudes and opinions of a group of bank employees toward a recent advertising campaign run by the bank which stressed employee service were studied via factor analysis. The analysis revealed three clearly defined dimensions underlying the attitude-opinion items: general attitude toward the campaign, relevance of the campaign to the respondent's job, and changes in the respondent's job behavior caused by the campaign. Relationships among factor scores on these three dimensions with job satisfaction, job involvement, degree of customer contact, and degree of contact with other employees were investigated using multiple regressions and canonical correlation analysis. Employee attitudes toward the campaign were significantly related to all four of the job characteristic variables, as was perceived relevance of the campaign to the employee's job. Changes in job behavior were related only to involvement and satisfaction. The relationships found here suggest that in some cases, employee attitudes should be considered in evaluating the effects of advertising campaigns. Close coordination between marketing and general managerial functions is required in situations where advertisements relate to employees as well as customers.     

Compensating corporate venture managers

This article reports the results of a questionnaire survey addressed to CEOs of Fortune 500 companies concerning incentive practices for venture managers. Data was also collected for venture performance history in these companies.Highlights of the results are:Most companies are not providing different incentives for venture managers than for other managers.Companies that do and companies that do not provide special incentives seem to agree on the types of incentives which would promote improved venture performance, which include milestone bonuses, equity, and/or options in the new venture, variable bonuses based on venture ROI.The primary obstacle to installing such incentives is reported by firms without special incentives in place to be concern about internal equity.Firms with special incentives already in place have less concern with this problem. A moderate problem to such firms is difficulty in defining venture objectives.There is no evidence, from this study, that special incentives for venture managers affected the outcome in venture performance, when such performance was measured by the percentage of “successes” and “failures.” About 50% success rate was reported by each group.The article deals with these questions:Are performance incentives essential?Certainly not, from the data in this sample, but this was a “head count” of successes and failures—a study of overall economic performance might yield a different result. One expensive failure can wipe out the gains from many small successes.Are the incentives reported effective?Obviously not enough to show a difference between those who use them and those who don't. Analysis of the incentive elements used and the earnings limits imposed suggest that the special incentives are not particularly special, nor very much of an incentive. Further, the most common incentive reported, based on venture ROI, fails to consider the time period usually required to achieve a positive ROI, and the many changes of management which occur during that period.What criteria should be used for designing an incentive program for venture managers?Recognition of the probability of management change, incentives which promote early identification of need for change of direction or to abort, focus on event completion milestones rather than the calendar, the relationship of reward potential to risk potential including job security and actual financial risk by the venture manager, achievability, and simplicity are factors to be considered.What kind of financial incentives might be included in incentive design?Depending on the life cycle stage of the venture, fixed and variable bonuses, options for equity or shadow equity in the venture itself, actual equity in the new venture, and to a lesser extent, salary increases and equity or equity options in the parent are suggested. How can the obstacles to installation of performance incentives for venture managers be reduced?To reduce perception of internal inequity, relating potential risk to potential reward and extending performance incentives to other managers is suggested. The problem of defining venture objectives as an obstacle is instantly solved as an incentive issue by making ownership possibility a reality for venture management, especially with financial investment required by venture management.     

Executive Compensation and Earnings Persistence

Governing boards utilize executive compensation contracts in an attempt to align executive actions with corporate goals. The objective is to ensure that executive performance provides value to the organization in terms of successful outcomes. A key performance criteria typically specified in CEO compensation contracts is earnings targets. However, using earnings as a performance evaluation may be problematic because some firms exhibit robust and sustained earnings over time (high earnings persistence), and other firms, such as high growth oriented firms, exhibit weak or sometimes negative earnings over time (low earnings persistence). Our study reveals that the effect of high earnings persistence results in firms that focus more heavily on cash compensation (salary and bonus) rather than on equity compensation (stock options, etc.) to compensate executive performance. Additionally, for firms characterized by low earnings persistence, our study indicates that cash flows from operations act as a supplementary performance measure to accounting earnings, and become increasingly important as a means to justify executive cash compensation.     

The Ethics of Corporate Social Responsibility and Philanthropic Venturesl

Andrew Carnegie popularized the principles of charity and stewardship in 1899 when he published The Gospel of Wealth. At the time, Carnegie's ideas were the exception rather than the rule. He believed that businesses and wealthy individuals were the caretakers or stewards of their property holding it in trust for the benefit of society as a whole.One of the most visible ways a business can help a community is through corporate philanthropy. While the courts have ruled that charitable contributions fall within the legal and fiduciary powers of the corporation's policymakers, some critics have argued that corporate managers have no right to give away company money that does not belong to them and any income earned by the company should be either reinvested in the company or distributed to the stockholders.     

The performance appraisal: A critique and an alternative

Performance appraisals are a standard ingredient in the employer-employee relationship. How else is a manager to deal honestly with a subordinate regarding his shortcomings and his strengths, its adherents would ask. Most would agree, nonetheless, that undue anxiety is generated-both for the manager and the employee-by the appraisal interview. Is this anxiety constructive or destructive? The author describes the dynamics of the evaluation system. Beginning with some studies which conclude that the appraisal system is counterproductive of its stated goals, he illustrates how man's fundamental psychological processes operate against this procedure. He recommends, instead, management by objectives as a technique which releases each individual's potential and emphasizes his contribution to the working environment.     

A note on ‘trade pattern reversals’

Samuelson's 1975 paper investigating the possibilities of immiserizing trade reversals stemming from autonomous variations of the rate of profit strongly criticizes Emmanuel's Unequal Exchange treatment of that issue. The author of the present note believes that the Samuelson theorems are both inconsistent in themselves and irrelevant to his treatment. This note, however, is confined to the second contention: showing the main points of misrepresentation of the Emmanuel analysis.     

The six phases of cost reduction: Effective use can increase profits

The success of cost reduction (CR) is as tied to the commitment of top management as it is to the sophisticated analysis of problem areas. It is necessary that management prepare the organization for any changes that introducing a CR program might bring about. Management also must provide the impetus for the continuation o f such a project after it has been initiated. Effective use of CR can significantly increase a company's profits. This particular approach includes two basic methods of attacking the problem of cutting costs: prevention and cure. The author delineates six phases of a CR plan for a company to follow in order to achieve tangible results.     

Global performance management systems: The role of trust as perceived by country managers

This study focuses on a critical mechanism of the international human resource management process: performance management. The study specifically explores how the process of global performance management is perceived by the country managers of multinational corporations' subsidiaries in Australia. The study reveals that a multinational corporation's systemic demand for short-term profit has the potential for inhibiting employee–supervisor relationships and perceived effectiveness of performance management appears to be dependent on the relationship and level of trust between the country manager and her/his supervisor. On the basis of the research findings, relational communication and psychosocial factors such as trust play an important role in the functioning of a country manager vis-à-vis their perceptions of the performance management process. The study suggests that, with the current approach to global performance management for country managers, despite the expense involved in the process, many of the potential benefits may not be realized. Social exchange theory is proposed as the foundation for developing more effective and fluent global relationships based on trust.     

The anatomy of the Korean general trading company

The historical development of Japanese trading companies is reviewed. The concept of “trading company” is developed along three dimensions: product diversification, area diversification, and functional diversification. The seven year history of Korean General Trading Companies is analyzed with regard to their historical background, modus operandi, and current problems. The analysis reveals that most of the Korean GTCs, in spite of their impressive performance in terms of trade volume, have experienced severe deterioration of profitability. Finally, the paper states the change of the Korean Government's policy on the GTCs and contemplates its implication for GTCs' future direction within the context of the definition of trading company.     

The Effect of Ethical Fund Portfolio Inclusion on Executive Compensation

This paper divides firms in the Standard and Poor’s 500 (S&P 500) into two groups based on inclusion in or exclusion from the Domini Social Index (DSI). Inclusion in the DSI is interpreted as a positive indicator of ethical status. Using data for the 1992–2003 period, I provide evidence that chief executive officer (CEO) compensation, other executive compensation, and director compensation tend to be lower in DSI firms than in other firms in the S&P 500. This applies to the unconditional group averages (and medians) and is particularly striking given that DSI firms as a group had better financial performance than the other firms. This finding is also true in a regression framework that controls for other influences on compensation, including firm size and financial performance. In a regression context, the estimated discount for CEOs of DSI firms is approximately 12% for both current compensation (salary and bonuses) and total compensation (including the value of options). These results are consistent with the expectation that some senior executives require a “compensating differential” to accept positions in firms with less attractive ethical status. It is also consistent with the expectation that some firms with positive ethical status might use more restraint in setting executive compensation.James Brander is the Asia-Pacific Professor of International Business in the Sauder School of Business at the University of British Columbia. An economist, his research areas include international trade, industrial organization and finance. He is a former editor of the Canadian Journal of Economics and has published widely, including the textbook “Government Policy Toward Business”.