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Dividend payout and executive compensation: theory and evidence

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  • Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya
  • Amin Mawani
  • Cameron Morrill

Abstract

Bhattacharyya (2007) develops a model in which compensation contracts motivate high‐quality managers to retain and invest firm earnings, while low‐quality managers are motivated to distribute income to shareholders. In equilibrium, the model shows that there is a positive (negative) relationship between the earnings retention ratio (dividend payout ratio) and managerial compensation. Results of tests of US data show that executive compensation is positively (negatively) associated with earnings retention (dividend payout). Our results indicate that corporate dividend policy is perhaps best understood by considering the payout ratio (dividends divided by earnings), rather than the level of cash dividends alone.

Suggested Citation

  • Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya & Amin Mawani & Cameron Morrill, 2008. "Dividend payout and executive compensation: theory and evidence," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 48(4), pages 521-541, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:acctfi:v:48:y:2008:i:4:p:521-541
    DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-629X.2007.00255.x
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    3. Eisdorfer, Assaf & Giaccotto, Carmelo & White, Reilly, 2015. "Do corporate managers skimp on shareholders' dividends to protect their own retirement funds?," Journal of Corporate Finance, Elsevier, vol. 30(C), pages 257-277.
    4. Athar, Iqbal & Khan, Muhammad Irfan & Ali, Saffar, 2012. "CEO Compensation and Bank Performance," MPRA Paper 42402, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 02 Sep 2012.
    5. Mahmoud Agha, 2016. "Agency costs, executive incentives and corporate financial decisions," Australian Journal of Management, Australian School of Business, vol. 41(3), pages 425-458, August.
    6. Jaehee Gim & SooCheong Jang, 2024. "The determinants of aggressive share buybacks: An empirical examination of U.S. publicly traded restaurant firms," Tourism Economics, , vol. 30(1), pages 132-151, February.
    7. Edmund Nana Kwame Nkrumah & Suxia Liu & David Doe Fiergbor & Linda Serwah Akoto, 2021. "Improving the Safety–Performance Nexus: A Study on the Moderating and Mediating Influence of Work Motivation in the Causal Link between Occupational Health and Safety Management (OHSM) Practices and W," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(10), pages 1-23, May.
    8. Warwick Anderson & Nalinaksha Bhattacharyya & Cameron Morrill & Helen Roberts, 2020. "Dividend payout and executive compensation: theory and evidence from New Zealand," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 60(S1), pages 1007-1022, April.
    9. Mostafa Monzur Hasan & Ashrafee T. Hossain & Takdir Hossain, 2022. "CEO inside debt holdings and trade credit," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(3), pages 3677-3709, September.
    10. Saeed, Abubakr, 2021. "The impact of employee friendly practices on dividend payments: Evidence from emerging economies," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 135(C), pages 592-605.
    11. Asmar Aliyeva, 2020. "Insider Ownership and Dividend Payout Policy: The Role of Business Cycle," Papers 2008.04069, arXiv.org.
    12. Chai, D.H., 2010. "Foreign Corporate Ownership and Dividends," Working Papers wp401, Centre for Business Research, University of Cambridge.
    13. Muhammad Shahzad Ashraf & Hasan M. Mohsin, 2012. "Monetary Policy Restriction and Dividend Behaviour of Pakistani Firms: An Empirical Analysis," The Pakistan Development Review, Pakistan Institute of Development Economics, vol. 51(4), pages 683-693.
    14. Hasan, Mostafa Monzur & Hossain, Ashrafee & Hossain, Takdir, 2023. "CEO inside debt holdings and credit ratings," Journal of Contemporary Accounting and Economics, Elsevier, vol. 19(1).
    15. Hideaki Sakawa & Naoki Watanabel & Noriko Tanahashi, 2017. "Relation between Executive Compensation and Performance: Evidence from Japanese Shinkin Banks," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 37(2), pages 1310-1317.

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