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The effect of ESOP adoptions on corporate performance: are there really performance changes?

Author

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  • William N. Pugh

    (Department of Finance, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA)

  • Sharon L. Oswald

    (Department of Management, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA)

  • John S. Jahera Jr.

    (Department of Finance, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA)

Abstract

Employee Stock Ownership Programs (ESOPs) have long been promoted as a motivational tool: employees become profit-minded owners. Latterly, however, more ESOPs are being used as part of a takeover defense: here the ESOPs main purpose is to put more company stock in friendly hands-the employees-who, like existing management, could suffer layoffs, etc. in a hostile takeover. We find that, as a group, only the takeover-related ESOPs are associated with increased leverage (itself a takeover defense). Non-target firms show no long-term increase in debt-to-assets. We find little evidence to support the motivation hypothesis: while actual labor costs are lower for ESOP firms, after industry-adjusting they tend to be unaffected or higher. We find that a few measures of firm financial performance [return-on-equity (ROE), return-on-assets (ROA), net profit margin (NPM)] do improve significantly, but this appears to be largely a short-term effect. Industry-adjusted holding period returns appear to be unaffected by the ESOP; however, ESOP firms that leverage show evidence of long-term market underperformance. We conclude that ESOPs provide, at best, only a short-term boost to corporate performance. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Suggested Citation

  • William N. Pugh & Sharon L. Oswald & John S. Jahera Jr., 2000. "The effect of ESOP adoptions on corporate performance: are there really performance changes?," Managerial and Decision Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(5), pages 167-180.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:mgtdec:v:21:y:2000:i:5:p:167-180
    DOI: 10.1002/mde.971
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

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    2. Nien-Chi Liu & Ming-Yuan Chen & Mei-Ling Wang, 2016. "The Effects of Non-Expensed Employee Stock Bonus on Firm Performance: Evidence from Taiwanese High-Tech Firms," British Journal of Industrial Relations, London School of Economics, vol. 54(1), pages 30-54, March.
    3. Miranda Tanjung, 2020. "A cross-firm analysis of corporate governance compliance and performance in Indonesia," Managerial Auditing Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 35(5), pages 621-643, February.
    4. I Putu Sugiartha Sanjaya, 2012. "The Employee Stock Ownership Program Phenomena: Evidence From Indonesia," Review of Business and Finance Studies, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 3(2), pages 9-20.
    5. Geert Braam & Erik Poutsma, 2015. "Broad-Based Financial Participation Plans and Their Impact on Financial Performance: Evidence from a Dutch Longitudinal Panel," De Economist, Springer, vol. 163(2), pages 177-202, June.
    6. Riaz, Fayyaz & Abdul Razzaq, Fiza & Waqar, Ahsan, 2017. "Effect of Employee Stock Ownership Plans (ESOPs) on the performance of Small business in Karachi," MPRA Paper 84322, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 Nov 2017.
    7. Thierry Poulain-Rehm & Xavier Lepers, 2012. "Does Employee Ownership Benefit Value Creation? The Case of France (2001–2005)," Post-Print hal-01382074, HAL.
    8. Hsiang-Lan Chen & Yen-Sheng Huang, 2006. "Employee stock ownership and corporate R&D expenditures: evidence from Taiwan's information-technology industry," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 369-384, September.
    9. Thierry Poulain-Rehm & Xavier Lepers, 2013. "Does Employee Ownership Benefit Value Creation? The Case of France (2001–2005)," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 112(2), pages 325-340, January.
    10. Djaoudath Alidou, 2012. "Employees Equity Issue and Asymmetric Information:Evidence from France - Augmentations de capital réservées aux salariés et Asymétrie d’information:Cas de la France," Working Papers CREGO 1120901, Université de Bourgogne - CREGO EA7317 Centre de recherches en gestion des organisations.
    11. Fabel, Oliver & Kolmar, Martin, 2002. "Management takeover battles and the role of the golden handshake," Discussion Papers, Series I 319, University of Konstanz, Department of Economics.
    12. Feng, Yumei & Yu, Qiang & Nan, Xingheng & Cai, Yongbin, 2022. "Can employee stock ownership plans reduce corporate financialization? Evidence from China," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 73(C), pages 140-151.
    13. Stéphane Trébucq, 2002. "L'actionnariat salarié dans les entreprises familiales du SBF250:un outil de création de valeur ?," Revue Finance Contrôle Stratégie, revues.org, vol. 5(4), pages 107-135, December.
    14. Xu, Xixiong & Duan, Lingling, 2023. "Confucianism and employee stock ownership plans: Evidence from Chinese listed firms," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 78(C), pages 859-872.
    15. Yan Li & Bao Sun & Shangyao Yu, 2019. "Employee stock ownership plan and stock price crash risk," Frontiers of Business Research in China, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 1-33, December.
    16. Djaoudath Alidou, 2011. "Les augmentations de capital réservées aux salariés en France - Employee Equity Issue:Evidence from France," Working Papers CREGO 1110603, Université de Bourgogne - CREGO EA7317 Centre de recherches en gestion des organisations.

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