IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jocaae/v14y2018i3p288-306.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Identifying lobbying strategies: An analysis of public responses to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into executive remuneration in Australia

Author

Listed:
  • Beaumont, Stacey
  • Clarkson, Peter
  • Tutticci, Irene

Abstract

This study investigates lobbying behaviour over the two phases of the 2009 Productivity Commission Inquiry into executive remuneration within Australia. Consistent with expectations, behaviours appeared related to preference for change, the costs of regulatory change relative to those of lobbying, and the need for reputational capital. Industry participants, and those from the Representative and Professional bodies emerge as key opponents. Industry presented in a conciliatory manner during the first phase, revealing a preference for the status quo, but then directly targeted specific recommendations of concern, notably the ‘two strike’ and ‘no vacancy’ rules in the second phase. Respondents from the Representative and Professional Bodies were broadly and consistently supportive of change and the Inquiry’s final recommendations. We also find that these recommendations largely align with the views of the Representative Bodies, but conflict with those expressed by Industry in their second phase submissions. Finally, we find no evidence to suggest the motivation behind Industry lobbying related to poor remuneration practices.

Suggested Citation

  • Beaumont, Stacey & Clarkson, Peter & Tutticci, Irene, 2018. "Identifying lobbying strategies: An analysis of public responses to the Productivity Commission Inquiry into executive remuneration in Australia," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 14(3), pages 288-306.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jocaae:v:14:y:2018:i:3:p:288-306
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jcae.2018.07.001
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1815566918301061
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jcae.2018.07.001?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Bryan Howieson, 2011. "GFC or KFC?: How Standard Setters Were Battered and Fried," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 21(1), pages 3-13, March.
    2. Cortese, Corinne L. & Irvine, Helen J. & Kaidonis, Mary A., 2010. "Powerful players: How constituents captured the setting of IFRS 6, an accounting standard for the extractive industries," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 34(2), pages 76-88.
    3. Francis, Jere R., 1987. "Lobbying against proposed accounting standards: The case of employers' pension accounting," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 6(1), pages 35-57.
    4. Corinne L. Cortese & Helen J. Irvine & Mary A. Kaidonis, 2010. "Powerful players: How constituents captured the setting of IFRS 6, an accounting standard for the extractive industries," Accounting Forum, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 34(2), pages 76-88, June.
    5. repec:cup:jfinqa:v:46:y:2011:i:06:p:1865-1891_00 is not listed on IDEAS
    6. Chung, Dennis Y, 1999. "The Informational Effect of Corporate Lobbying against Proposed Accounting Standards," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 12(3), pages 243-269, May.
    7. Verrecchia, Robert E., 2001. "Essays on disclosure," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 32(1-3), pages 97-180, December.
    8. Jones, Jj, 1991. "Earnings Management During Import Relief Investigations," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(2), pages 193-228.
    9. Roland Königsgruber, 2010. "A political economy of accounting standard setting," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 14(4), pages 277-295, November.
    10. Ike Mathur & Manohar Singh, 2011. "Corporate political strategies," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 51(1), pages 252-277, March.
    11. Amershi, Amin H. & Demski, Joel S. & Wolfson, Mark A., 1982. "Strategic behavior and regulation research in accounting," Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Elsevier, vol. 1(1), pages 19-32.
    12. Peter Clarkson & Ami Lammerts Van Bueren & Julie Walker, 2006. "Chief executive officer remuneration disclosure quality: corporate responses to an evolving disclosure environment," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 46(5), pages 771-796, December.
    13. Holder, Anthony D. & Karim, Khondkar E. & Lin, Karen Jingrong & Woods, Maef, 2013. "A content analysis of the comment letters to the FASB and IASB: Accounting for contingencies," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 134-153.
    14. Puro, M, 1984. "Audit Firm Lobbying Before The Financial Accounting Standards Board - An Empirical-Study," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 22(2), pages 624-646.
    15. Yu, Frank & Yu, Xiaoyun, 2011. "Corporate Lobbying and Fraud Detection," Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, Cambridge University Press, vol. 46(6), pages 1865-1891, December.
    16. Monem, Reza & Ng, Chew, 2013. "Australia’s ‘two-strikes’ rule and the pay-performance link: Are shareholders judicious?," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 237-254.
    17. Murphy, Kevin J., 1999. "Executive compensation," Handbook of Labor Economics, in: O. Ashenfelter & D. Card (ed.), Handbook of Labor Economics, edition 1, volume 3, chapter 38, pages 2485-2563, Elsevier.
    18. Christian Leuz & Peter D. Wysocki, 2016. "The Economics of Disclosure and Financial Reporting Regulation: Evidence and Suggestions for Future Research," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(2), pages 525-622, May.
    19. repec:eee:labchp:v:3:y:1999:i:pb:p:2485-2563 is not listed on IDEAS
    20. Dean Katselas & Jacqueline Birt & Xin Hao Kang, 2011. "International Firm Lobbying and ED 8 Operating Segments," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 21(2), pages 154-166, June.
    21. Matthew Grosse & Stephen Kean & Tom Scott & Tom Smith, 2017. "Shareholder say on pay and CEO compensation: three strikes and the board is out," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 57(3), pages 701-725, September.
    22. Lucian Arye Bebchuk & Jesse M. Fried, 2003. "Executive Compensation as an Agency Problem," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 71-92, Summer.
    23. Clarkson, Peter M. & Walker, Julie & Nicholls, Shannon, 2011. "Disclosure, shareholder oversight and the pay–performance link," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 7(2), pages 47-64.
    24. Tim Loughran & Bill Mcdonald, 2016. "Textual Analysis in Accounting and Finance: A Survey," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(4), pages 1187-1230, September.
    25. Renata Stenka & Peter Taylor, 2010. "Setting UK standards on the concept of control: An analysis of lobbying behaviour," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 109-130.
    26. Zoltan Matolcsy & Anna Wright, 2011. "CEO compensation structure and firm performance," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 51(3), pages 745-763, September.
    27. Henry L. Friedman & Mirko S. Heinle, 2016. "Lobbying and Uniform Disclosure Regulation," Journal of Accounting Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 863-893, June.
    28. Robert J. Coombes & Donald J. Stokes, 1985. "Standard-Setters' Responsiveness to Submissions on Exposure Drafts: Australian Evidence," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 10(2), pages 31-45, December.
    29. Sutton, Timothy G., 1984. "Lobbying of accounting standard-setting bodies in the U.K. and the U.S.A.: A Downsian analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 81-95, January.
    30. Georgiou, George & Roberts, Clare B., 2004. "Corporate lobbying in the UK: an analysis of attitudes towards the ASB's 1995 deferred taxation proposals," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 36(4), pages 441-453.
    31. Bebchuk, Lucian A. & Fried, Jesse M., 2003. "Executive Compensation as an Agency Problem," Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics, Working Paper Series qt81q3136r, Berkeley Olin Program in Law & Economics.
    32. Ross L. Watts, 1977. "Corporate Financial Statements, A Product of the Market and Political Processes," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 2(1), pages 53-75, April.
    33. Productivity Commission, 2009. "Executive Remuneration in Australia," Inquiry Reports, Productivity Commission, Government of Australia, number 49.
    34. Bamber, Matthew & McMeeking, Kevin, 2016. "An examination of international accounting standard-setting due process and the implications for legitimacy," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 59-73.
    35. Chalmers, Keryn & Koh, Ping-Sheng & Stapledon, Geof, 2006. "The determinants of CEO compensation: Rent extraction or labour demand?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 38(3), pages 259-275.
    36. George Georgiou, 2004. "Corporate Lobbying on Accounting Standards: Methods, Timing and Perceived Effectiveness," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 40(2), pages 219-237, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Roland Königsgruber, 2013. "Expertise-based lobbying and accounting regulation," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 17(4), pages 1009-1025, November.
    2. Yaowen Shan & Terry Walter, 2016. "Towards a Set of Design Principles for Executive Compensation Contracts," Abacus, Accounting Foundation, University of Sydney, vol. 52(4), pages 619-684, December.
    3. David Procházka, 2015. "Lobbying on the IASB Standards: An analysis of the Lobbyists’ Behaviour over Period 2006–2014," Copernican Journal of Finance & Accounting, Uniwersytet Mikolaja Kopernika, vol. 4(2), pages 129-143.
    4. Bamber, Matthew & McMeeking, Kevin, 2016. "An examination of international accounting standard-setting due process and the implications for legitimacy," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 59-73.
    5. Renata Stenka & Peter Taylor, 2010. "Setting UK standards on the concept of control: An analysis of lobbying behaviour," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(2), pages 109-130.
    6. James Borthwick & Aelee Jun & Shiguang Ma, 2020. "Changing board behaviour: The role of the ‘Two Strikes’ rule in improving the efficacy of Australian Say‐on‐Pay," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(S1), pages 827-876, April.
    7. Hervé Kohler & Anne Le Manh, 2014. "Etude Exploratoire De La Participation Au « Due Processus » De L'Iasb De L'Industrie Des Telecommunications, Dans Le Cadre Du Projet « Revenue Recognition »," Post-Print hal-01899618, HAL.
    8. Pamela Kent & Kim Kercher & James Routledge, 2018. "Remuneration committees, shareholder dissent on CEO pay and the CEO pay–performance link," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 58(2), pages 445-475, June.
    9. Samindi Ishara Hewa & Rajni Mala & Jinhua Chen, 2020. "IASB's independence in the due process: an examination of interest groups’ influence on the development of IFRS 9," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(3), pages 2585-2615, September.
    10. Bugeja, Martin & Matolcsy, Zoltan & Spiropoulos, Helen, 2017. "The CEO pay slice: Managerial power or efficient contracting? Some indirect evidence," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 13(1), pages 69-87.
    11. Rolf Uwe Fülbier & Thorsten Sellhorn, 2023. "Understanding and improving the language of business: How accounting and corporate reporting research can better serve business and society," Journal of Business Economics, Springer, vol. 93(6), pages 1089-1124, August.
    12. Urska Kosi & Antonia Reither, 2014. "Determinants of Corporate Participation in the IFRS 4 (Insurance Contracts) Replacement Process," Accounting in Europe, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(1), pages 89-112, June.
    13. Sun, Sophia Li & Habib, Ahsan & Huang, Hedy Jiaying, 2019. "Tournament incentives and stock price crash risk: Evidence from China," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 54(C), pages 93-117.
    14. Pranil Prasad & Parmod Chand, 2017. "The Changing Face of the Auditor's Report: Implications for Suppliers and Users of Financial Statements," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 27(4), pages 348-367, December.
    15. Karen Benson & Peter M Clarkson & Tom Smith & Irene Tutticci, 2015. "A review of accounting research in the Asia Pacific region," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 40(1), pages 36-88, February.
    16. Matthew Grosse & Nelson Ma & Tom Scott, 2020. "Evidence on compensation consultant fees and CEO pay," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 45(1), pages 15-44, February.
    17. Monem, Reza & Ng, Chew, 2013. "Australia’s ‘two-strikes’ rule and the pay-performance link: Are shareholders judicious?," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 9(2), pages 237-254.
    18. Georgiou, George, 2010. "The IASB standard-setting process: Participation and perceptions of financial statement users," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(2), pages 103-118.
    19. Merridee L. Bujaki & Bruce J. McConomy, 2007. "Income Tax Accounting Policy Choice: Exposure Draft Responses and the Early Adoption Decision by Canadian Companies," Accounting Perspectives, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 6(1), pages 21-53, February.
    20. Katarzyna Cieślak, 2018. "Agency conflicts, executive compensation regulations and CEO pay-performance sensitivity: evidence from Sweden," Journal of Management & Governance, Springer;Accademia Italiana di Economia Aziendale (AIDEA), vol. 22(3), pages 535-563, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Executive remuneration; Lobbying; Remuneration disclosure; Pay performance;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • G14 - Financial Economics - - General Financial Markets - - - Information and Market Efficiency; Event Studies; Insider Trading
    • M41 - Business Administration and Business Economics; Marketing; Accounting; Personnel Economics - - Accounting - - - Accounting

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jocaae:v:14:y:2018:i:3:p:288-306. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-contemporary-accounting-and-economics .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.