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Hand in the Cookie Jar: An Experimental Investigation of Equity-Based Compensation and Managerial Fraud

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Author Info
David Bruner () (Department of Economics, Walker College of Business, Raley Hall, 416 Howard Street, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA)
Michael McKee () (Department of Economics, Walker College of Business, Raley Hall, 416 Howard Street, Appalachian State University, Boone, NC 28608, USA)
Rudy Santore () (Department of Economics, College of Business Administration, Stokely Management Center, 1000 Volunteer Boulevard, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996, USA)

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Abstract

The use of equity-based compensation is an increasingly popular means by which to align the incentives of top management with those of the shareholders. However, recent theoretical and empirical research indicates that the use of equity-based compensation has the unintended consequence of creating the incentive to commit managerial fraud of the type being reported in the press. This paper reports experimental evidence that shows that the amount of fraud committed by subjects is positively correlated with the level of equity, as is the level of effort. In addition, the amount of fraud that is committed is negatively correlated with the probability of detection and subjects' risk aversion. The experimental design permits the identification of causal relations in the directions just noted.

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Publisher Info
Article provided by Southern Economic Association in its journal Southern Economic Journal.

Volume (Year): 75 (2008)
Issue (Month): 1 (July)
Pages: 261-278
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Handle: RePEc:sej:ancoec:v:75:1:y:2008:p:261-278

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Find related papers by JEL classification:
G34 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - Mergers; Acquisitions; Restructuring; Corporate Governance
C91 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Design of Experiments - - - Laboratory, Individual Behavior

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  1. repec:att:wimass:19939 is not listed on IDEAS
  2. Ittner, Christopher D. & Lambert, Richard A. & Larcker, David F., 2003. "The structure and performance consequences of equity grants to employees of new economy firms," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 34(1-3), pages 89-127, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Hall, Brian J. & Murphy, Kevin J., 2002. "Stock options for undiversified executives," Journal of Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 33(1), pages 3-42, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  4. Smith, Vernon L & Walker, James M, 1993. "Monetary Rewards and Decision Cost in Experimental Economics," Economic Inquiry, Oxford University Press, vol. 31(2), pages 245-61, April.
  5. Andreas Lange & John A. List & Michael K. Price, 2004. "Auctions with Resale When Private Values Are Uncertain: Theory and Empirical Evidence," NBER Working Papers 10639, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  7. Smith, Vernon L, 1982. "Microeconomic Systems as an Experimental Science," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 72(5), pages 923-55, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Denis, David J. & Hanouna, Paul & Sarin, Atulya, 2006. "Is there a dark side to incentive compensation?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 12(3), pages 467-488, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  9. Rachel Croson & James Sundali, 2005. "The Gambler’s Fallacy and the Hot Hand: Empirical Data from Casinos," Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, Springer, vol. 30(3), pages 195-209, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Galarza, Francisco, 2009. "Choices under Risk in Rural Peru," MPRA Paper 17708, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
  2. André De Palma & Nathalie Picard & Anthony Ziegelmeyer, 2009. "Individual and couple decision behavior under risk: Evidence on the dynamics of power balance," Working Papers hal-00418899_v1, HAL. [Downloadable!]
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