Shareholder activism and executive compensation: the influence of say-on-pay on Spanish listed companies
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51302/rtss.2023.3359Keywords:
say-on-pay, SOP, shareholder activism, executive compensation, aligned compensation, corporate governance, Spanish listed companiesAbstract
This paper has won a runner-up prize in the Financial Studies 2022 Award in the Human Resources category.
The say-on-pay (SOP) is a voting held at the annual general meeting that allows shareholders to express their views –by voting in favor, against or by abstaining– on executive compensation. This voting, originally implemented by the United Kingdom in 2002, has been implemented in many countries with different typologies. There is still controversy about the effectiveness of this voting, with the Spanish context being of special interest due to its corporate governance particularities. Based on a sample of Spanish listed companies from 2013 to 2020, the aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of SOP on CEO compensation designs by analyzing the degree of shareholder activism existing as well as the impact of voting results on CEO compensation designs. Our results state that the SOP stimulates the participation of shareholders in corporate governance matters related to pay issues, in addition to encouraging CEO compensation more aligned with firm performance.
Downloads
References
Alissa, W. (2015). Boards' response to shareholders' dissatisfaction: The case of shareholders' say on pay in the UK. European Accounting Review, 24(4), 727-752. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2015.1058719
Armstrong, C. S., Gow, I. D. y Larcker, D. F. (2013). The efficacy of shareholder voting: Evidence from equity compensation plans. Journal of Accounting Research, 51(5), 909-950. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12023
Bainbridge, S. M. (2009). Is "say on pay" justified? Regulation, 32(1), 42-47.
Baixauli Soler, J. S., Lozano Reina, G. y Sánchez Marín, G. (2021). Managerial discretion, say on pay, and CEO compensation. Management Decision, 59(6), 1.333-1.362. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-03-2020-0242
Baixauli Soler, J. S. y Sánchez Marín, G. (2011). Organizational governance and TMT pay level adjustment. Journal of Business Research, 64(8), 862-870. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2010.09.011
Baixauli Soler, J. S. y Sánchez Marín, G. (2015). Executive compensation and corporate governance in Spanish listed firms: A principal-principal perspective. Review of Managerial Science, 9(1), 115-140. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11846-014-0122-z
Balsam, S., Boone, J., Liu, H. y Yin, J. (2016). The impact of say-on-pay on executive compensation. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 35(2), 162-191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2015.11.004
Bebchuk, L. A. y Fried, J. M. (2004). Pay without performance: The unfulfilled promise of executive compensation. Harvard University Press.
Brunarski, K. R., Campbell, T. C. y Harman, Y. S. (2015). Evidence on the outcome of say-on-pay votes: How managers, directors, and shareholders respond. Journal of Corporate Finance, 30, 132-149. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcorpfin.2014.12.007
Cai, J. y Walkling, R. A. (2011). Shareholders' say on pay: Does it create value? Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis, 46(2), 299-339. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0022109010000803
CNMV. (2006). Código unificado de buen gobierno de las sociedades cotizadas. https://www.cnmv.es/DocPortal/Publicaciones/CodigoGov/Codigo_unificado_Esp_04.pdf
CNMV. (2015). Código de buen gobierno de las sociedades cotizadas. http://www.cnmv.es/DocPortal/Publicaciones/CodigoGov/Codigo_buen_gobierno.pdf
Conyon, M. y Sadler, G. (2010). Shareholder voting and Directors' Remuneration Report legislation: Say on pay in the UK. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 18(4), 296-312. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2010.00802.x
Core, J. E., Holthausen, R. W. y Larcker, D. F. (1999). Corporate governance, chief executive officer compensation, and firm performance. Journal of Financial Economics, 51(3), 371-406. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0304-405X(98)00058-0
Correa, R. y Lel, U. (2016). Say on pay laws, executive compensation, pay slice, and firm valuation around the world. Journal of Financial Economics, 122(3), 500-520. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfineco.2016.09.003
Dalton, D. R. y Dalton, C. M. (2011). Integration of micro and macro studies in governance research: CEO duality, board composition, and financial performance. Journal of Management, 37(2), 404-411.
De Andrés, P., Azofra, V. y López, F. (2005). Corporate boards in OECD countries: Size, composition, functioning and effectiveness. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 13(2), 197-210. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-8683.2005.00418.x
Ertimur, Y., Ferri, F. y Oesch, D. (2013). Shareholder votes and proxy advisors: Evidence from say on pay. Journal of Accounting Research, 51(5), 951-996. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-679X.12024
Ferri, F. y Maber, D. A. (2013). Say on pay votes and CEO compensation: Evidence from the UK. Review of Finance, 17(2), 527-563. https://doi.org/10.1093/rof/rfs003
Franks, J. y Mayer, C. (1992). Corporate control: A synthesis of the international evidence. IFA Working Paper.
Gregory-Smith, I., Thompson, S. y Wright, P. W. (2014). CEO pay and voting dissent before and after the crisis. Economic Journal, 124(574). https://doi.org/10.1111/ecoj.12108
Jensen, M. C. y Meckling, W. H. (1976). Theory of the firm: Managerial behavior, agency costs and ownership structure. Journal of Financial Economics, 3(4), 305-360. https://doi.org/10.1016/0304-405X(76)90026-X
Jensen, M. C. y Murphy, K. J. (1990). Performance pay and top-management incentives. Journal of Political Economy, 98(2), 225-264. https://doi.org/10.1086/261677
Johnson, S., La Porta, R., López de Silanes, F. y Shleifer, A. (2000). Tunneling. American Economic Review, 90(2), 22-27. https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.90.2.22
Kimbro, M. B. y Xu, D. (2016). Shareholders have a say in executive compensation: Evidence from say-on-pay in the United States. Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, 35(1), 19-42. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaccpubpol.2015.08.003
La Porta, R., López de Silanes, F. y Shleifer, A. (1999). Corporate ownership around the world. The Journal of Finance, 54(2), 471-517. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-1082.00115
Levit, D. y Malenko, N. (2011). Nonbinding voting for shareholder proposals. Journal of Finance, 66(5), 1.579-1.614. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2011.01682.x
Lozano Reina, G. y Sánchez Marín, G. (2020). Say on pay and executive compensation: A systematic review and suggestions for developing the field. Human Resource Management Review, 30(2), 100683. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2019.01.004
Lozano Reina, G., Sánchez Marín, G. y Baixauli Soler, J. S. (2019). Influence of say-on-pay as a corporate governance mechanism in Spanish listed firms. UCJC Business and Society Review, 16(4), 68-131. https://journals.ucjc.edu/ubr/article/view/4129
Mangen, C. y Magnan, M. (2012). Say on pay: A wolf in sheep's clothing? Academy of Management Perspectives, 26(2), 86-104. https://doi.org/10.5465/amp.2010.0098
Morck, R., Wolfenzon, D. y Yeung, B. (2005). Corporate governance, economic entrenchment, and growth. Journal of Economic Literature, 43(3), 655-720. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4129473
Murphy, K. J. (2013). Executive compensation: Where we are, and how we got there. En G. Constantinides, M. Harris y R. Stulz (Eds.), Handbook of the economics of finance (2.ª ed.). Elsevier Science North Holland.
Obermann, J. y Velte, P. (2018). Determinants and consequences of executive compensation-related shareholder activism and say-on-pay votes: A literature review and research agenda. Journal of Accounting Literature, 40, 116-151. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acclit.2018.02.001
Ooghe, H. y De Langhe, T. (2002). The Anglo-American versus the Continental European corporate governance model: Empirical evidence of board composition in Belgium. European Business Review, 14(6), 437-449. https://doi.org/10.1108/09555340210448794
Ortín, A. (25 de marzo de 2022). BBVA recibe un rechazo histórico de sus accionistas a la remuneración del Consejo. OK Diario. https://okdiario.com/economia/bbva-recibe-rechazo-historico-sus-accionistas-remuneracion-del-consejo-8795444
Sánchez Marín, G., Baixauli Soler, J. S. y Lucas Pérez, M. E. (2011). Ownership structure and board effectiveness as determinants of TMT compensation in Spanish listed firms. Journal of Business Economics and Management, 12(1), 92-109. https://doi.org/10.3846/16111699.2011.555371
Sánchez Marín, G., Lozano Reina, G., Baixauli Soler, J. S. y Lucas Pérez, M. E. (2017). Say on pay effectiveness, corporate governance mechanisms, and CEO compensation alignment. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 20(4), 226-239. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brq.2017.07.001
Sánchez Marín, G., Lucas Pérez, M. E., Baixauli Soler, J. S., Main, B. y Mínguez Vera, A. (2022). Excess executive compensation and corporate governance in the United Kingdom and Spain: A comparative analysis. Managerial and Decision Economics (in press). https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1002/mde.3564
Stathopoulos, K. y Voulgaris, G. (2016). The importance of shareholder activism: The case of say-on-pay. Corporate Governance: An International Review, 24(3), 359-370. https://doi.org/10.1111/corg.12147
Young, M. N., Peng, M. W., Ahlstrom, D., Bruton, G. D. y Jiang, Y. (2008). Corporate governance in emerging economies: A review of the principal-principal perspective. Journal of Management Studies, 45(1), 196-220. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2007.00752.x
Zajac, E. J. y Westphal, J. D. (1995). Accounting for the explanations of CEO compensation: Substance and symbolism. Administrative Science Quarterly, 40(2), 283-308. https://doi.org/10.2307/2393639
Downloads
Published
Versions
- 2023-01-04 (2)
- 2022-12-15 (1)