This book answers the question 'Are CEOs overpaid?'

Prodded by economists in the 1970s, corporate directors began adding stock options and bonuses to the already-generous salaries of CEOs with hopes of boosting their companies’ fortunes. Guided by largely unproven assumptions, this trend continues today. So what are companies getting in return for all the extra money? Not much, according to the empirical data. In Indispensable and Other Myths: Why the CEO Pay Experiment Failed and How to Fix It, Michael Dorff explores the consequences of this development. He shows how performance pay has not demonstrably improved corporate performance and offers studies showing that performance pay cannot improve performance on the kind of tasks companies ask of their CEOs. Moreover, CEOs of large established companies do not typically have much impact on their companies’ results. In this eye-opening exposé, Dorff argues that companies should give up on the decades-long experiment to mold compensation into a corporate governance tool and maps out a rationale for returning to the era of guaranteed salaries.

This book answers the question 'Are CEOs overpaid?' with a resounding 'No.' Defying dogma and business myths, it documents the realities of executive pay in the United States and the forces that have shaped pay in recent years. The authors, both expert consultants on the subject, investigate the extent to which pay is related to corporate performance and provide clear guidance for an approach that drives business success and shareholder value. Based on extensive research and decades of direct experience in working with thousands of companies, the book provides provocative insights for executives, analysts, government officials, and shareholders.

Popular perceptions of executive compensation in the United States are now part of a full-blown mythology fueled by critics who have little direct experience with the inner workings of corporations, their boards, and the executive teams who ultimately shoulder the responsibility for business success or failure. This book documents the realities of executive compensation by investigating the extent to which the pay for performance model governs executive pay levels. It also assesses the relative success of this model in creating value for shareholders and robust job growth for U.S. workers and provides detailed, real-world guidance for designing and executing effective executive compensation plans. Based on extensive empirical research and decades of direct experience in the field, Myths and Realities of Executive Pay settles the debate about executive compensation and the role it plays in the broader U.S. economy.

The numerous incentive approaches and combinations and their implications can be dizzying even to the compensation professional. Pay for Results provides a road map for developing and implementing executive incentives that drive business needs and strategy. It is filled with specific analytic tools, including tables, exhibits, forms, checklists. In addition, it uncovers myths in performance measurement strategy and design. Timely and thorough, this book expertly shows businesses how to drive their specific needs and strategy. Human resources and compensation officers will discover how to apply performance metrics that align with shareholder investment.

A powerful critique of executive compensation and corporate governance, "Pay Without Performance" points the way to restoring corporate integrity and improving corporate performance.