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Influence of CEOs Power on Their Compensation

Received: 11 November 2020    Accepted: 23 November 2020    Published: 30 November 2020
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Abstract

There is growing concern that over recent decades CEOs tend to earn overwhelmingly more than the average worker. This throws the researchers to question the economic benefit of paying CEOs huge amount of money while we have discouraged workers who may become less productive and therefore lowering the firm profitability. Researchers have taken positions on both sides of the debate over whether the level of CEO’s pay is economically justified or is the result of managerial power. This study sought to establish the extent of power that CEO’s possess among Kenya firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. CEO’s power was measured in terms of structural power, ownership power, CEO tenure and Board composition. The study used secondary data. Data was collected from 60 firms listed at the NSE. Using a cross sectional design, a regression model was fitted to show the relationship between CEO’s power and CEO’s compensation. Descriptive and inferential results were obtained. The findings revealed that in the Kenyan context CEO’s power does not significantly influence CEO’s compensation. CEO’s pay is market-determined and reflects the bidding by firms for scarce executive talent. The increase in CEO’s pay is due to the rise in incentive compensation that links pay to firm performance and aligns the incentives of managers with those of shareholders.

Published in European Business & Management (Volume 6, Issue 6)
DOI 10.11648/j.ebm.20200606.12
Page(s) 136-142
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2024. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

CEOs Power, CEOs Compensation, Profitability, Firms, Nairobi Securities Exchange

References
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    Omamo Anne, Peter K’obonyo, Florence Muind Florence Muind. (2020). Influence of CEOs Power on Their Compensation. European Business & Management, 6(6), 136-142. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ebm.20200606.12

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    ACS Style

    Omamo Anne; Peter K’obonyo; Florence Muind Florence Muind. Influence of CEOs Power on Their Compensation. Eur. Bus. Manag. 2020, 6(6), 136-142. doi: 10.11648/j.ebm.20200606.12

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    AMA Style

    Omamo Anne, Peter K’obonyo, Florence Muind Florence Muind. Influence of CEOs Power on Their Compensation. Eur Bus Manag. 2020;6(6):136-142. doi: 10.11648/j.ebm.20200606.12

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ebm.20200606.12,
      author = {Omamo Anne and Peter K’obonyo and Florence Muind Florence Muind},
      title = {Influence of CEOs Power on Their Compensation},
      journal = {European Business & Management},
      volume = {6},
      number = {6},
      pages = {136-142},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ebm.20200606.12},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ebm.20200606.12},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ebm.20200606.12},
      abstract = {There is growing concern that over recent decades CEOs tend to earn overwhelmingly more than the average worker. This throws the researchers to question the economic benefit of paying CEOs huge amount of money while we have discouraged workers who may become less productive and therefore lowering the firm profitability. Researchers have taken positions on both sides of the debate over whether the level of CEO’s pay is economically justified or is the result of managerial power. This study sought to establish the extent of power that CEO’s possess among Kenya firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. CEO’s power was measured in terms of structural power, ownership power, CEO tenure and Board composition. The study used secondary data. Data was collected from 60 firms listed at the NSE. Using a cross sectional design, a regression model was fitted to show the relationship between CEO’s power and CEO’s compensation. Descriptive and inferential results were obtained. The findings revealed that in the Kenyan context CEO’s power does not significantly influence CEO’s compensation. CEO’s pay is market-determined and reflects the bidding by firms for scarce executive talent. The increase in CEO’s pay is due to the rise in incentive compensation that links pay to firm performance and aligns the incentives of managers with those of shareholders.},
     year = {2020}
    }
    

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    AU  - Florence Muind Florence Muind
    Y1  - 2020/11/30
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    JF  - European Business & Management
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    AB  - There is growing concern that over recent decades CEOs tend to earn overwhelmingly more than the average worker. This throws the researchers to question the economic benefit of paying CEOs huge amount of money while we have discouraged workers who may become less productive and therefore lowering the firm profitability. Researchers have taken positions on both sides of the debate over whether the level of CEO’s pay is economically justified or is the result of managerial power. This study sought to establish the extent of power that CEO’s possess among Kenya firms listed at the Nairobi Securities Exchange. CEO’s power was measured in terms of structural power, ownership power, CEO tenure and Board composition. The study used secondary data. Data was collected from 60 firms listed at the NSE. Using a cross sectional design, a regression model was fitted to show the relationship between CEO’s power and CEO’s compensation. Descriptive and inferential results were obtained. The findings revealed that in the Kenyan context CEO’s power does not significantly influence CEO’s compensation. CEO’s pay is market-determined and reflects the bidding by firms for scarce executive talent. The increase in CEO’s pay is due to the rise in incentive compensation that links pay to firm performance and aligns the incentives of managers with those of shareholders.
    VL  - 6
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Author Information
  • School of Business, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya

  • School of Business, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

  • School of Business, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya

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