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Executive pay in Japan: the role of bank-appointed monitors and the Main Bank relationship

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  • Abe, Naohito
  • Gaston, Noel
  • Kubo, Katsuyuki

Abstract

The tournament model has the feature that executive compensation depends on the wages paid to workers at lower levels of the corporate hierarchy. The agency model shows that compensation based on firm performance is a means by which incentives can be provided to executives once a promotion tournament has been resolved. In this paper, we combine aspects of both models and show that the existence of an outsider who monitors the firm's activities will lower the sensitivity of pay to firm performance for top executives and reduce the importance of tournament-based incentives. Using panel data for 56 Japanese electronics firms, we find support for the notion that bank-appointed Board members help monitor top executives and that tournament considerations are a particularly important feature of executive compensation in Japan.
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  • Abe, Naohito & Gaston, Noel & Kubo, Katsuyuki, 2005. "Executive pay in Japan: the role of bank-appointed monitors and the Main Bank relationship," Japan and the World Economy, Elsevier, vol. 17(3), pages 371-394, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:japwor:v:17:y:2005:i:3:p:371-394
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    Cited by:

    1. Naohito Abe & Taehun Jung, 2004. "Cross-Shareholdings, Outside Directors, and Managerial Turnover: The Case of Japan," Hi-Stat Discussion Paper Series d04-38, Institute of Economic Research, Hitotsubashi University.
    2. Waldenberger Franz, 2013. "“Company heroes” versus “superstars”: executive pay in Japan in comparative perspective," Contemporary Japan, De Gruyter, vol. 25(2), pages 189-213, August.
    3. Unite, Angelo A. & Sullivan, Michael J. & Brookman, Jeffrey & Majadillas, Mary Anne & Taningco, Angelo, 2008. "Executive pay and firm performance in the Philippines," Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, Elsevier, vol. 16(5), pages 606-623, November.
    4. Moriguchi, Chiaki, 2010. "Top wage incomes in Japan, 1951-2005," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 24(3), pages 301-333, September.
    5. Bigus, Jochen & Weicker, Marina, 2024. "Relationship banking and firms’ earnings quality – Does it matter whether banks are creditors or owners?," Journal of Banking & Finance, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    6. Toru Yoshikawa & Jean McGuire, 2008. "Change and continuity in Japanese corporate governance," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 5-24, January.
    7. Hearn, Bruce, 2013. "The determinants of director remuneration, executive tenure and individual executive disclosure in North African IPO firms," Research in International Business and Finance, Elsevier, vol. 27(1), pages 162-182.
    8. Hearn, Bruce & Strange, Roger & Piesse, Jenifer, 2017. "Social elites on the board and executive pay in developing countries: Evidence from Africa," Journal of World Business, Elsevier, vol. 52(2), pages 230-243.
    9. Sunny Sun & Xia Zhao & Haibin Yang, 2010. "Executive compensation in Asia: A critical review and outlook," Asia Pacific Journal of Management, Springer, vol. 27(4), pages 775-802, December.
    10. Jye-Shyan Wang & Chih-Fu Cheng & Wen-Jhan Jane, 2014. "Buying success or redistributing payment: bidirectional causality in Korean Professional Baseball League," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 4(2), pages 247-260, December.
    11. Intan Oviantari Author_Email: ioviantari@yahoo.com, 2011. "Directors And Commissioners Remuneration And Firm Performance: Indonesian Evidence," 2nd International Conference on Business and Economic Research (2nd ICBER 2011) Proceeding 2011-287, Conference Master Resources.

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    More about this item

    JEL classification:

    • J33 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Wages, Compensation, and Labor Costs - - - Compensation Packages; Payment Methods
    • G30 - Financial Economics - - Corporate Finance and Governance - - - General
    • J44 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Particular Labor Markets - - - Professional Labor Markets and Occupations
    • L63 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Manufacturing - - - Microelectronics; Computers; Communications Equipment

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