We find the likelihood of forced turnover in the CEO and CFO positions is significantly higher in the aftermath of option backdating than in propensity-score-matched control firms. Forced turnover occurs in about 36 percent of the accused firms. The forced turnover rates for CEOs and CFOs are...

We find the likelihood of turnover in the CEO and CFO positions is significantly higher in the aftermath of option backdating (in comparison to industry-matched and propensity-score-matched control firms). Turnover is particularly high for severe cases of backdating, namely, when a regulatory...

We investigate whether executive stock option repricings are systematically timed to coincide with favorable movements in the company's stock price. For a sample of 236 repricing events, we observe sharp increases in stock price in the 20-day period following the repricing date. In addition,...

We conjecture that golden parachutes are initiated when the agency cost of free cash flow is most severe. We examine the relation between golden parachutes and investment levels in firms that have been successfully acquired. Our results support these three conclusions. First, target firms...

Purpose This paper aims to directly test the assertion by proponents of executive stock option repricing that repricing leads to increased management retention. Previous studies find either no effect or decreased retention following stock price repricing. This paper uses a more precise research...

Two models that attempt to explain the adoption of golden parachutes are examined. The first model views golden parachutes as an optimal contracting response to a takeover, the other perceives them as an outgrowth of severe managerial entrenchment that results in contracts for the benefit of...