Research Center Events

Leading Minds Convene in Italy to Examine Performance Evaluation and Executive Compensation

The Journal of Accounting Auditing and Finance (JAAF), sponsored by NYU Stern’s Vincent C. Ross Institute of Accounting Research, held its 2009 JAAF-Bocconi research symposium this fall, convening selected scholars from around the world in Italy to discuss performance evaluation and executive compensation.

“The debate about compensation for today’s top business leaders continues to make headlines after the economic upheaval of the last year,” says NYU Stern Professor Bala K.R. Balachandran, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance and the co-organizer of the symposium along with Andrea Dossi of the SDA Bocconi School of Management. “And bringing together some of the foremost academics conducting research in this arena is critical to finding the right formula for future executive compensation.”

Hosted at the SDA Bocconi School of Management in Milan, Italy, the event featured researchers from prominent business schools including NYU Stern, Erasmus University, Helsinki School of Business, IESE-Spain, London School of Economics and Political Science, University of Siena, University of Southern California Marshall School of Business and University of Toronto Rotman School of Management.

Andrea Dossi and Laura Zoni of the SDA Bocconi School of Management delivered opening remarks on the missing link between CEO incentives and corporate performance measurement. Following on this topic, Kenneth Merchant of the University of California Marshall School of Business discussed the challenges facing performance-dependent incentives. A keynote speech outlining the challenges in CEO pay differentials across Europe and the USA was delivered by Enor Signorotto, a leading practitioner from the Hay Group.

Symposium participants presented some of latest field research on topics including attitudes toward executive compensation in Malaysia, the UK, Spain, Italy, Netherlands, US and Europe; layoffs and post-layoff firm performance; CEO compensation and performance in family firms; and incentives for managers to improve efficiency in public organizations.

The 2009 symposium represented the first Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance event to convene field experts outside the US to comparatively study accounting issues related to several countries.

Find out more about the 2009 Journal of Accounting Auditing and Finance Symposium