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CEO pay cuts and forced turnover: Their causes and consequences

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  • Gao, Huasheng
  • Harford, Jarrad
  • Li, Kai

Abstract

We study large discrete decreases in CEO pay and compare them to CEO forced turnover. The determinants are similar, as are the performance improvements after the action. After the pay cut, the CEO pay-for-performance sensitivity is abnormally high, such that the CEO can restore his pay level by reversing the poor performance. After either a pay cut or forced turnover, CEOs reduce investment and leverage, and improve performance, on average. Together, our results show that the possibility of these large compensation cuts provides ex ante incentives for CEOs to exert effort to avoid poor performance and that CEOs take actions to improve poor performance once pay is cut. The similarity of the causes and outcomes of large pay cuts compared to forced turnover suggests that large pay cuts are used as a substitute for forced turnover, helping to explain why forced turnover is rare.

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  • Gao, Huasheng & Harford, Jarrad & Li, Kai, 2012. "CEO pay cuts and forced turnover: Their causes and consequences," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 18(2), pages 291-310.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:corfin:v:18:y:2012:i:2:p:291-310
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2012.01.001
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    2. IZUMI Atsuko & KWON Hyeog Ug, 2015. "Change in Corporate Performance after Forcing Out CEOs: Comparison between the United States and Japan (Japanese)," Discussion Papers (Japanese) 15032, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    3. Evangelos C. Charalambakis, 2014. "On corporate financial distress prediction: what can we learn from private firms in a small open economy?," Working Papers 188, Bank of Greece.
    4. Bedford, Anna & Bugeja, Martin & Ghannam, Samir & Jeganathan, Davina & Ma, Nelson, 2023. "Were CEO pay cuts during the COVID-19 pandemic merely symbolic? Shareholders' reaction and outrage," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    5. Hornstein, Abigail S., 2013. "Corporate capital budgeting and CEO turnover," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 20(C), pages 41-58.
    6. Stanton, Christopher T. & Sandvik, Jason & Saouma, Richard & Seegert, Nathan, 2018. "Analyzing the Aftermath of a Compensation Reduction," CEPR Discussion Papers 13242, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    7. Frank Ranganai Matenda & Mabutho Sibanda & Eriyoti Chikodza & Victor Gumbo, 2021. "Determinants of corporate exposure at default under distressed economic and financial conditions in a developing economy: the case of Zimbabwe," Risk Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 23(1), pages 123-149, June.
    8. Kou, Zonglai & Tang, Yue & Wu, Hong & Zhou, Min, 2023. "Ownership, volatility, and equity incentives: Theory and evidence from listed companies in China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    9. Brown, Kareen & Pacharn, Parunchana & Patterson, Evelyn, 2022. "Managerial replacement strategies and severance pay," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    10. Gao, Huasheng & Li, Kai, 2015. "A comparison of CEO pay–performance sensitivity in privately-held and public firms," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 370-388.
    11. Ho, Hillbun & Kim, Namwoon & Reza, Sadat, 2022. "CSR and CEO pay: Does CEO reputation matter?," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 1034-1049.
    12. Çolak, Gönül & Korkeamäki, Timo, 2021. "CEO mobility and corporate policy risk," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 69(C).
    13. Pieter de Jong & Lakshmi Goel, 2016. "The influence of security analysts on CEO pay cuts," International Journal of Disclosure and Governance, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 13(1), pages 26-52, February.
    14. Ciaran Driver & Maria João Coelho Guedes, 2017. "R&D and CEO departure date: do financial incentives make CEOs more opportunistic?," Industrial and Corporate Change, Oxford University Press and the Associazione ICC, vol. 26(5), pages 801-820.
    15. Evangelos C. Charalambakis & Ian Garrett, 2019. "On corporate financial distress prediction: What can we learn from private firms in a developing economy? Evidence from Greece," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 52(2), pages 467-491, February.
    16. Bryan, David B. & Mason, Terry W., 2016. "Extreme CEO pay cuts and audit fees," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 1-10.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Corporate governance; Executive compensation; Pay cuts; Forced turnover; Pay-for-performance sensitivity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance

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