Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-22T19:56:07.445Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Executive Remuneration Developments in Australia: Responses and Reactions

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2023

Savo Kovačević*
Affiliation:
Department of Management, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Rewards for Australian executives continue to stir debate. A recent Australian government response to pay concerns was to call on the Productivity Commission (PC) to investigate the oversight, accountability and transparency of remuneration practices. At least two PC-related outcomes were controversial: the ‘two strikes’ and ‘clawback’ proposals. This article considers the reactions of two key stakeholders, namely the Australian Institute of Company Directors and the Business Council of Australia. The views of these two organisations reflect an ongoing evaluation of rules- and principles-based governance structures. Asserting the need to consider alternate analytical models when studying executive pay, the present article concludes with several questions about the intent(s) driving remuneration reforms and their possible consequences.

Type
Symposium
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2012

References

ACSI (Australian Council of Superannuation Investors) (2009) A Guide for Superannuation Trustees to Monitor Listed Australian Companies, Australian Council of Super Investors, Melbourne.Google Scholar
ACSI (2011) CEO Pay in the Top 100 Companies: 2010, Australian Council of Super Investors, Melbourne.Google Scholar
AICD (Australian Institute of Company Directors) (2010) Position Paper No. 15: Remuneration Reports, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Sydney.Google Scholar
AICD (2011a) Flawed executive pay laws passed by Parliament (media release) from http://www.companydirectors.com.au/General/Header/Media/Media-Releases/2011/Flawed-executive-pay-laws-passed-by-Parliament [accessed 23 April 2012].Google Scholar
AICD (2011b) ‘Getting ready for the new pay laws’, The Boardroom Report, 9(16), p. 5.Google Scholar
AICD (2011c) Submission to Federal Treasury on Discussion Paper ‘The Clawback of Executive Remuneration where Financial Statements are Materially Misstated’, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Sydney.Google Scholar
AICD (2011d) ‘The sway in executive pay’, The Boardroom Report, 9(20), p. 3.Google Scholar
AICD (2012) ‘Government to implement more executive pay changes’, The Boardroom Report, 7 March, 10(4), p. 4.Google Scholar
APRA (Australian Prudential Regulation Authority) (2010) Prudential Standard CPS 510: Governance (No. CPS 510), Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, Canberra.Google Scholar
ASX (Australian Stock Exchange) Corporate Governance Council (2003) Principles of Good Corporate Governance and Best Practice Recommendations, Australian Stock Exchange.Google Scholar
ASX Corporate Governance Council (2007) Corporate Governance Principles and Recommendations, Second edition, Australian Securities Exchange.Google Scholar
Australian Accounting Standards Board (2004) AASB 1046: Director and executive disclosures by disclosing entities, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Australian Securities Exchange (2010) 2010 Australian Share Ownership Study, Australian Securities Exchange.Google Scholar
Barringer, B. R., Harrison, J. S. (2000) ‘Walking a tightrope: Creating value through interorganisational relationships’, Journal of Management, 26(3), pp. 367403.Google Scholar
Bartholomeusz, S. (2011) ‘Executive pay report on the money’, Business Spectator 25 May 2011, available: http://www.businessspectator.com.au/bs.nsf/Article/Executive-pay-report-on-the-money-pd20110525-H7ANW?OpenDocumentandsrc=sph [accessed 27 May 2011].Google Scholar
BCA (Business Council of Australia) (2009) Submission to the Productivity Commission Discussion Draft on Executive Remuneration in Australia, Business Council of Australia, Melbourne.Google Scholar
BCA (2010) ‘Government response pays sound attention to executive remuneration recommendations’, (media release 16 April), available: http://www.bca.com.au/Content/101673.aspx [accessed 23 April 2012].Google Scholar
BCA (2011) Submission to the Treasury regarding the Clawback of Executive Remuneration where Financial Statements Are Materially Misstated, Business Council of Australia, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Bebchuk, L. A., Fried, J. M. (2005) ‘Pay without performance: Overview of the issues’, Journal of Corporation Law, 30(4), pp. 647672.Google Scholar
Bender, R. (2004) ‘Why do companies use performance-related pay for their executive directors?’, Corporate Governance: An International Review, 12(4), pp. 521533.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bhagat, S., Black, B. (1999) ‘The uncertain relationship between board composition and firm performance’, The Business Lawyer, 54(3), pp. 921963.Google Scholar
Bosch, H. (1995) Corporate Practices and Conduct, Third edition, FT Pitman Publishing, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Bowen, C. (2010) Government responds to the Productivity Commission report on executive remuneration’, (media release 16 April), available: http://www.chris-bowen.net/media-centre/media-releases.do?newsId=3060 [accessed 23 April 2012].Google Scholar
Bradbury, D. (2012) ‘Reforms to further enhance Australia’s executive remuneration framework’ (media release 21 February), available: http://www.treasurer.gov.au/DisplayDocs.aspx?doc=pressreleases/2012/007.htmandpageID=003andmin=djbandYear=andDocType [accessed 23 April 2012].Google Scholar
CAMAC (2011) Executive Remuneration: Report, Corporations and Markets Advisory Committee, Canberra.Google Scholar
Capezio, A., Shields, J., O’Donnell, M. (2011) ‘Too good to be true: Board structural independence as a moderator of CEO pay-for-firm-performance’, Journal of Management Studies, 48(3), pp. 487513.Google Scholar
Colvin, J. H. C. (2011) ‘More red tape for directors’, Company Director, 27, May, p. 4.Google Scholar
Commonwealth of Australia (2010) The Clawback of Executive Remuneration where Financial Statements are Materially Misstated, Federal Treasury, Australia, Canberra.Google Scholar
Company Director (2009) ‘Q and A with John H. C. Colvin’, Company Director, 25, December, pp. 2023.Google Scholar
Cooper, J., Moule, A., Mason, R. (2010) ‘Final Productivity Commission Report released’, 12 January, available: http://www.freehills.com/5694.aspx [accessed 20 January 2010].Google Scholar
Daily, C. M., Dalton, D. R., Cannella, A. A. (2003) ‘Corporate governance: Decades of dialogue and data’, Academy of Management Review, 28(3), pp. 371383.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Efrat, Z. (2008) ‘Picking the next trifecta’, Company Director, 24, April, pp. 2628.Google Scholar
Efrat, Z. (2009) ‘Q and A with Chris Bowen’, Company Director, 25, December, pp. 1417.Google Scholar
Faulkender, M., Kadyrzhanova, D., Prabhala, N., Senbet, L. (2010) ‘Executive compensation: An overview of research on corporate practices and proposed reforms’, Journal of Applied Corporate Finance, 22(1), pp. 107118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Featherstone, T. (2010) ‘The growing Rem headache’, Company Director, 26, May, p. 10.Google Scholar
Featherstone, T. (2012) ‘Two strikes health check’, Company Director, 28, February, pp. 1823.Google Scholar
Fels, A. (2010) ‘Executive remuneration in Australia, Australian Accounting Review, 20(1), pp. 7682.Google Scholar
Gordon, J. N. (2005) ‘Executive compensation: If there’s a problem, what’s the remedy— The case for compensation discussion and analysis’, Journal of Corporation Law, 30(4), pp. 675702.Google Scholar
Greenbury, R. (1995) Directors’ Remuneration: Report of a Study Group Chaired by Sir Richard Greenbury, Gee Publishing, London.Google Scholar
Hampel, R. (1998) Committee on Corporate Governance —Final Report, Gee Publishing, London.Google Scholar
Hilmer, F. G. (1993) Strictly Boardroom: Improving Governance to Enhance Company Performance, The Business Library, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Keeves, J. (2010) 2010 JWS AGM Season Survey Results, Johnson Winter and Slattery, Sydney.Google Scholar
Kovacevic, S. (2009) ‘Disclosed: An exploration of board remuneration committee challenges’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 47(2), pp. 201218.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Larcker, D., Richardson, S. A., Tuna, I. (2007) ‘Corporate governance, accounting outcomes, and organizational performance’, The Accounting Review, 82(4), pp. 9631008.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Maiden, S. (2010) ‘Kevin Rudd’s crackdown on executive pay watered down’, The Australian, 4 January, available: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/kevin-rudds-crackdown-on-executive-pay-watered-down/story-e6frg8zx-1225815764009 [accessed 23 April 2012].Google Scholar
Main, B. G. M., O’Reilly, C. A. I., Wade, J. (1995) ‘The CEO, the board of directors and executive compensation: Economic and psychological perspectives’, Industrial and Corporate Change, 4(2), pp. 293332.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Nelson, J., Gallery, G., Reza, P. (2011) The impact of corporate governance on CEO remuneration structures in the aftermath of the GFC, Paper presented at the 2011 Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand Conference, available: http://www.afaanz.org/openconf/2011/modules/request.php?module=oc_proceedingsandaction=view.phpanda=Accept+as+Paperandid=220 [accessed 23 April 2012].Google Scholar
O’Reilly, C. A. I C. III, Main, B. G. M. (2010) ‘Economic and psychological perspectives on CEO compensation: A review and synthesis’, Industrial and Corporate Change, 19(3), pp. 675712.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
OECD (2009) Annual Projections for OECD Countries, Economic Outlook No 85, available: http://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=EO85_MAIN [accessed 12 September 2009].Google Scholar
Peetz, D. (1999) ‘Nearly the year of living dangerously: In the emerging worlds of Australian industrial relations’, Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 37(2), pp. 323.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pepper, A., Gore, J. (2011) Towards a behavioural agency theory: New micro-foundations for theorising about senior executive reward, Paper presented at the Third European Reward Management Conference.Google Scholar
Productivity Commission (2009) Executive Remuneration in Australia, Productivity Commission, Melbourne.Google Scholar
Rankin, M. (2010) ‘Structure and level of remuneration across the top executive Team’, Australian Accounting Review, 20(3), pp. 241255.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Saulwick, J., Coorey, P. (2009) ‘Rudd takes action on bosses’ pay’, The Sydney Morning Herald, 19 March, p. 1.Google Scholar
Sheehan, K. M. (2009) ‘The regulatory framework for executive remuneration in Australia’, Sydney Law Review, 31(2), pp. 273308.Google Scholar
Sheehan, K. M. (2010) ‘Say on pay and the outrage constraint’, SSRN Working Paper Series, 20 September, available: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1679622 [accessed 1 March 2011].CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Shields, J. (2005) ‘Setting the double standard: Chief executive pay the BCA way’, Journal of Australian Political Economy, (56), pp. 299325.Google Scholar
van Ees, H., Gabrielsson, J., Huse, M. (2009) ‘Toward a behavioral theory of boards and corporate governance’, Corporate Governance: An International Review, 17(3), pp. 307319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar