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Compensating Employees Below the Executive Ranks: A Comparison of Options, Restricted Stock, and Cash

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  • Paul Oyer
  • Scott Schaefer

Abstract

Using a detailed data set of employee stock option grants, we compare observed stock-option-based pay plans to hypothetical cash-only or restricted-stock-based plans. We make a variety of assumptions regarding the possible benefits of options relative to cash or stock, and then use observed option grants to make inferences regarding firms' decisions to issue options to lower-level employees. If the favorable accounting treatment is the sole reason underlying firms' choices of options over cash-only compensation, then we estimate that the median firm in our data set incurs $0.64 in real costs in order to increase reported pre-tax income by $1. This figure is several times larger than the willingness-to-pay for earnings reported by Erickson, Hanlon, and Maydew (2002), who study firms that (allegedly) commit fraud in order to boost earnings. If, on the other hand, firms' option-granting decisions are driven by economic-profit maximization then observed stock option grants are most consistent with explanations involving attraction and retention of employees.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Oyer & Scott Schaefer, 2004. "Compensating Employees Below the Executive Ranks: A Comparison of Options, Restricted Stock, and Cash," NBER Working Papers 10221, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    • Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:10221
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Yeongjoon Yoon & Sukanya Sengupta, 2019. "The effect of employee share ownership on employee commitment and turnover: comparing the cases in Britain and South Korea and the role of the economy," Industrial Relations Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 50(5-6), pages 486-516, November.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J31 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Wage Level and Structure; Wage Differentials
    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods

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