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A path analysis investigation of the relationships between CEO pay ratios and firm performance mediated by employee satisfaction

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  • Bao, May Xiaoyan
  • Cheng, Xiaoyan
  • Smith, David

Abstract

We posit that information about CEO pay ratios is important to investors because employees' perceived fairness of their firm’s CEO pay ratio has consequences for firm performance. We use path analysis to examine the association between firm performance and (1) the predicted CEO pay ratio as determined by economic factors (the fair component of CEO pay ratio) and (2) the predicted CEO pay ratio as determined by non-economic factors (the unfair component of CEO pay ratio). We test for the existence and relative importance of direct and indirect paths using two measures of employee satisfaction and two measures of firm performance. We find that pay equity, a larger CEO pay ratio driven by economic factors, is associated with employee contributions to better firm performance. Conversely, we show that pay inequity, a larger CEO pay ratio driven by non-economic factors, is associated with employees' contributions to poorer firm performance. Consistent with the view that managerial entrenchment may amplify the negative effects of the CEO pay ratio, we find that the negative indirect path between pay inequity and firm performance, mediated by employee satisfaction, is more pronounced in firms with entrenched CEOs. Our findings contribute to the accounting compensation literature because they are consistent with CEO pay ratio information having economic consequences.

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  • Bao, May Xiaoyan & Cheng, Xiaoyan & Smith, David, 2020. "A path analysis investigation of the relationships between CEO pay ratios and firm performance mediated by employee satisfaction," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 48(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:advacc:v:48:y:2020:i:c:s0882611020300274
    DOI: 10.1016/j.adiac.2020.100457
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    Cited by:

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    2. Li, John, 2022. "The effect of employee satisfaction on effective corporate tax planning: Evidence from Glassdoor," Advances in accounting, Elsevier, vol. 57(C).
    3. Ye, Miaomiao & Li, Mengzhe & Zeng, Qiannan, 2022. "Former CEO director and executive-employee pay gap," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    4. Clement Olalekan Olaniyi & Olaolu Richard Olayeni, 2020. "A new perspective into the relationship between CEO pay and firm performance: evidence from Nigeria’s listed firms," Journal of Social and Economic Development, Springer;Institute for Social and Economic Change, vol. 22(2), pages 250-277, December.
    5. Li, Rui & Xu, Shoufu & Zhang, Yun, 2023. "Can digital transformation reduce within-firm pay inequality? Evidence from China," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 129(C).
    6. Lim, Raymond, 2020. "Moderating Effect and Mediating Effect Toward Firm Performance Varying Across Different Organizational Orientations," OSF Preprints mjbzs, Center for Open Science.
    7. Denise Rousseau & Byeong Jo Kim & Ryan Splenda & Sarah Young & Jangbum Lee & Donna Beck, 2023. "Does chief executive compensation predict financial performance or inaccurate financial reporting in listed companies: A systematic review," Campbell Systematic Reviews, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 19(4), December.
    8. Winatha, Arvin, 2020. "Pendekatan dalam Pengukuran Firm Performance," OSF Preprints 7c3dz, Center for Open Science.
    9. Byrka-Kita Katarzyna & Bulasiński Karol, 2024. "CEO pay ratio versus financial performance in Polish public companies," Economics and Business Review, Sciendo, vol. 10(3), pages 197-215.
    10. Ali Besharat & Kimberly A. Whitler & Saim Kashmiri, 2024. "When CEO Pay Becomes a Brand Problem," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 190(4), pages 941-973, April.

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