We study changes in the number of CEO stock option grants. Motivated by evidence of rigidity in stock option grants, we first provide a detailed description of the main aggregate trends in CEO stock option grants. We then consider the cross-sectional heterogeneity in option-granting activity and...

We examine the sorting role of broad-based equity pay using detailed employee-level data. We propose trust in management as an important and beneficial characteristic over which equity pay sorts employees, as such pay typically leaves employees with concentrated positions in employer stock and...

We hypothesize that one way accounting practices spread is through law firm connections. We investigate this prediction by examining companies that avoided reporting compensation expense by engaging in stock option backdating. We hypothesize that executives engaged in backdating because they...

Given a standard moral hazard problem, the agent's optimal compensation can be cast as a function of either (i) the gross outcome, or (ii) the net outcome, which is the gross outcome net of the agent's compensation. Contracts based on the net outcome are important in practice because (i)...

The incentive effect of CEO portfolio delta (i.e., the sensitivity of CEO wealth to changes in stock price) on financial misreporting is inconclusive given a complex reward-risk tradeoff faced by CEOs (e.g., a positive “reward effect” versus a negative “risk effect”). We propose that the...

This study examines the role of media coverage on meritorious shareholder litigation. Asserting a causal effect of the media on litigation is normally difficult due to the endogenous nature of media coverage. However, we use the Wall Street Journal’s backdating coverage to overcome these...

The percentage of S&P 500 firms using multi-year accounting-based performance (MAP) incentives to CEOs increased from 16.5% in 1996 to 43.3% in 2008. The use and design of MAP incentives depend on the signal quality of accounting vs. stock performance, shareholder horizons, strategic...

We examine whether and how firm characteristics, including firm size and liquidity and the implementation of a new share-based compensation recognition rule affect the relation between the employee stock option (ESO) grants (as proxied by the disclosed ESO expenses) and firm value. Prior studies...

This study examines whether CEO equity incentives have an impact on audit pricing. Prior studies investigate whether CEO equity incentives motivate executives to manage earnings for personal financial gains. Our focus is on whether auditors perceive CEO equity incentives to be associated with...