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Stocks 207: Weighing Management Quality

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1.
A great way to reward managers for building a successful business is to _______.
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Pay them a reasonable salary and a bonus tied to company profits. We like to see executive pay, in any form, tied to the operating and financial performance of the company. The best way to motivate executives is to pay them a reasonable salary (maybe even a "low" salary) and give them the opportunity to earn a significantly higher amount in the form of a bonus. Tying executive compensation to the stock price creates a perverse, short-term incentive for managers to say good things in public about the company rather than focus on making the company run better.
2.
You can get information on the backgrounds and qualifications of the managers of companies you are interested in from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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True. Companies include information on their managers in their shareholder statements, which are filed with the SEC.
3.
The chief executive officer is accountable to _______.
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The board of directors. The chief executive officer is accountable to the board of directors, who, in turn, represent (and are elected by) the shareholders of the company. This is the primary reason we object to companies in which the CEO and chairman of the board are the same person--we believe it may lead to situations in which the CEO wields undue influence over the affairs of the board, which should be primarily independent and provide oversight of the CEO.
4.
Should an investor look with suspicion on companies whose employees do not have a clear separation between business and personal relationships?
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Yes. Lack of a boundary can be very bad for business.
5.
In terms of financial transparency, investors should prefer companies that _______.
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Disclose the minimum information, plus useful information that helps investors understand the business. Certainly every company should disclose all the information required by the SEC and other regulators. Above and beyond that, we think investors should favor companies that are forthright about their businesses, in good times and bad, and provide information that helps investors understand operations.