CFA Level I · CFA Level I Exam · Investors and Other Stakeholders
A listed company's managers are paid mostly through annual cash bonuses tied to current-year earnings. Shareholders are most likely to be concerned that managers will:
Managers are most likely to favor short-term profit at the expense of long-term value. Annual bonuses linked to current earnings reward near-term results, so managers may cut valuable investment or take shortcuts, creating an agency conflict with shareholders who care about long-term value.
- Aunderinvest in short-term earnings to protect creditors
- Bfavor short-term profit at the expense of long-term valueCorrect
- Cseek lower pay than is typical for the industry
Explanation
Bonuses tied to current earnings encourage managers to boost near-term results, for example by cutting investment, even if long-term shareholder value falls. This is a principal-agent problem. The other options contradict the incentive created.
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