CEO Compensation and Corporate Risk-Taking: Evidence from a Natural Experiment

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd A. Gormley ◽  
David A. Matsa ◽  
Todd T. Milbourn
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Ceo Compensation ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Corporate Risk

Accounting Performance Goals in CEO Compensation Contracts and Corporate Risk Taking

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clara Xiaoling Chen ◽  
Minjeong (MJ) Kim ◽  
Laura Yue Li ◽  
Wei Zhu
Keyword(s):  
Risk Taking ◽  
Ceo Compensation ◽  
Performance Goals ◽  
Target Setting ◽  
Public Companies ◽  
Compensation Contracts ◽  
Accounting Performance ◽  
Corporate Risk ◽  
The Impact ◽  
D Investment

This study provides the first large-sample archival evidence on the impact of three commonly used accounting performance goals (thresholds, targets, and maximums) in CEO compensation contracts on corporate risk taking. Using proxy statement disclosure on performance goals for CEOs of U.S. public companies, we find that lower thresholds and higher maximums are associated with greater corporate risk taking, and these results are more pronounced when CEOs have greater incentives to achieve accounting performance goals or have lower innate risk aversion. In addition, we find that target difficulty is not significantly associated with corporate risk taking after controlling for thresholds and maximums. Finally, we find that CEO compensation contracts are more likely to have lower thresholds and higher maximums when risk taking is more value-enhancing or when R&D investment is more profitable, consistent with boards setting performance goals to induce an appropriate amount of corporate risk taking. Our study contributes to the accounting literature on target setting and corporate risk taking by identifying accounting performance goals as a tool in executive compensation contract design to influence risk taking. This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting.

scholarly journals CEO compensation and corporate risk: Evidence from a natural experiment

2013 ◽  
Vol 56 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 79-101 ◽  
Author(s):  
Todd A. Gormley ◽  
David A. Matsa ◽  
Todd Milbourn
Keyword(s):  
Ceo Compensation ◽  
Natural Experiment ◽  
Corporate Risk

Cultural Values and Corporate Risk-Taking

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dale W. Griffin ◽  
Kai Li ◽  
Heng Yue ◽  
Longkai Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Cultural Values ◽  
Risk Taking ◽  
Corporate Risk
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