← Search

Journal of Accounting and Economics Vol. 49 No. 3 2010

Executive pay and “independent” compensation consultants

Kevin J. Murphy1,2; Tatiana Sandino3,2

1 California Southern University · 2 University of Southern California · 3 College of Accounting

open access

Abstract

Executive compensation consultants face potential conflicts of interest that can lead to higher recommended levels of CEO pay, including the desires to “cross-sell” services and to secure “repeat business.” We find evidence in both the US and Canada that CEO pay is higher in companies where the consultant provides other services, and that pay is higher in Canadian firms when the fees paid to consultants for other services are large relative to the fees for executive-compensation services. Contrary to expectations, we find that pay is higher in US firms where the consultant works for the board rather than for management.

DOI
10.1016/j.jacceco.2009.12.001
Volume
49
Issue
3
Pages
247-262
Language
en
Sources
bibtex:phds-export.bib openalex crossref

Cite