Comment

We need to get principle based on many issues this being one. The shareholders can and should vote. Media has the spotlight. 

Name_Initials: BH
Title: Secretary
Company: Clutter Doctor

Comment

Now that they have publicly stated that they will take action on this issue, failure to act will cause a decrease in investor confidence. Any action taken will be viewed positively and cause an increase in investor confidence. This becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy by the regulators.

Name_Initials: William Bradely
Title: Controller/CIO
Company: Armstrong Garden Center, Inc

Comment

Excessive pay and excessive 'perks' errode confidence in the invester. Excessive in my opinion are the million dollar salaries and perks.

Name_Initials: M. Marwood
Title: President & COO
Company: 

Comment

Supposedly, we live in a free-enterprise economy. That should mean that the owners of a company should be free express their satisfaction or disatisfaction with the pay rates of its leaders. They do that simply with their investment dollars. If they do not like the leadership, its compensation or the Board overseeing the leaders then they can sell their shares. There is no more justification for the government to determine a "fair" rate of pay for the executives than for the production workers. When that happens, free-enterprise goes out the window, and the leaders and/or workers become slaves of the state to some degree. It is interesting to note that most people complaining about executive pay are not even shareholders/owners of the company. If one is not an owner, the pay rates are irrelavent and none of their business. I am of the opinion that lots of executive pay is unrelated to performance. That is just plain stupid, and indicates the Board is not fulfilling their duties. However, it is not the role of government to regulate stupidity. Unfortunately, high executive pay is often assumed to be related to fraud. It almost never is. Fraudulent behavior by executives should be handled promptly and severely using the laws that are already on the books. The bottom line is that government should stay out of economic regulation. They are already far to involved in trying to control economic activity and usually screw it up. Witness the Federal Reserve and its foolishness related to messing with interest rates during the last three years.

Name_Initials: alkovach
Title: vp hr ans shd svs
Company: 

Comment

Excessive executive pay is not what is eroding confidence---the greed and less than honest deals are the reason.

Name_Initials: RJK
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Investors are best served when their interests are completely aligned with management of the company. Regulated managers result in regulated investors ... unintended consequence but the plain truth.

Name_Initials: BK
Title: Director
Company: 

Comment

It is not so much that I think CEO's make too much money, its the fact that total compendation packages are obscurred. Pay should be better tied to performance. Obscene parachute packages are insulting after a CEO runs a firm into the ground. We need accountability.

Name_Initials: ATP
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Let business behave like business

Name_Initials: Arthur E. Simpson, Jr
Title: Director Operations
Company: 

Comment

Executive pay is for the board and shareholders to decide -not the gov't. The BOD needs to be more independent and throw out the "bums" that don't create shareholder VALUE.

Name_Initials: JCR
Title: PRESIDENT
Company: IAAPA

Comment

Executive pay should not be regulated by the federal government. It borders on the rediculous and goes far beyond the role of government.

Name_Initials: Don Anderson
Title: Vice President, Human Resources
Company: CoxHealth

Comment

The market already regulates how public firms deal with operational issues.....it's called the stock price.

Name_Initials: blg
Title: vp
Company: 

Comment

I think investors (& regulators) are simple-minded enough to think that regulating compensation will make a difference. Look at all the other snake oil they've bought into...

Name_Initials: David Gimpelevich
Title: Partner
Company: CZG Capital

Comment

I hardly think that paying management less is likely to increase their performance. I am sure that this thinking is reflective of the general sentiment. We have done enough to punish the loose canons, let's not go overboard.

Name_Initials: DRB
Title: Sales
Company: Delta Systems

Comment

Given contempory greed that is intended to be the province of the few, statutory restraint would be a welcome indication that people other than the "big" would stand a fair chance at market. 

Name_Initials: Antony Francis
Title: Founder / CEO
Company: Commerce Chain Consulting, Inc.

Comment

I believe that, if the Compensation Committees did their job properly, then the issue on excessive executive pay would not arise. So, let's inform, train, coerce (?!) the compensation committee to do the right thing for the shareholders and ensure that there is pay for performace and limit the executive perks. Antony Francis

Name_Initials: JF
Title: Marketing Director
Company: 

Comment

Regulating excessive and exorbitant Executive Compensation will not only help restore investor confidence, it will help restore employee confidence. Contrary to what Gordon Gekko once quoted, "Greed is NOT good." Greed leads to corruption, which leads to investors and employees being cheated of what is rightfully theirs.

Name_Initials: David Hope
Title: President
Company: American Red Ball International

Comment

Executive integrity not regulation will increase investor confidence. Executives lacking integrity will find a way around any regulation and further reduce investor confidence.

Name_Initials: EAJC
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

No -while there are certianly some excessive pay packages that the Cmopany Boards sohuld re-evalaute, I do not think this is the key investor issues, corporate performance was the central issue.

Name_Initials: D H C
Title: VP Mktg and Sales
Company: 

Comment

It takes away the notion that the CEO is immune to other issues with respect to compensation. Similarly, there is no correlation between performance and pay across the board. Many well run corporations don't have excessive compensation, and the converse is also true. Many poorly run corporations or those that have "soft" years still get healthy compensation. There is no need for this and it sends a solid message to investors.

Name_Initials: W. G. C. Mitchell
Title: President
Company: 

Comment

While it will not improve performance nor have any long-term positive effect, it is likely to be played in the media as a "fundamental reform" and give small investors some momentary sense of "control" being established. The main beneficiaries will be compensation consultants and lawyers, not investors. 

Name_Initials: Frank Schab
Title: CEO
Company: Six Degrees

Comment

Compensation of executive management should be performance based. Regulation is too inflexible a tool for companies. Boards should have the ability to determine executive management compensation considering the company's sector, the economy, the company's condition and other relevant factors. Investor confidence is drive more by company performance and the media than executive compensation, unless the latter is grossly misaligned. 

Name_Initials: fa
Title: ceo
Company: 

Comment

Why would investors care about anything but corporate earnings?

Name_Initials: Michael P. Haydock
Title: President & CEO
Company: Data & Optimization Sciences, Inc.

Comment

Lot's of people make an executive look good - spread the money around to the employees. 

Name_Initials: JG
Title: Advertising Executive
Company: 

Comment

The restoration of growth in Corporate Profits will increase confidence rather than the salaries of executives.

Name_Initials: David P Berman
Title: President
Company: 

Comment

Corporate performance is the only thing that matters. Compensation out of line with corporate performance is a clear indication that the Board is not doing its job.

Name_Initials: Geoff Roberts
Title: CFO
Company: RTM Media LP

Comment

At the end of the day, it is up to the Board of Directors and the shareholders to approve what is appropriate compensation for the executives of a company. Government should not be in the middle of this process, except to the extent of requiring a transparent communication of the details of the historical and proposed compensation amounts in communication to shareholders.

Name_Initials: Don A Quartiere
Title: Executive Consultant
Company: 

Comment

The regulation of executive compensation will increase investor confidence, at least at the onset of such an undertaking. The perception of some is that a certain number of senior managers in publicly held companies focus more on personal exit strategies than long-term building of shareholder value. If true, unsustainable and at times questionable activities could be used to maximize ‘stock value’ within an ‘exit window’ as opposed to shareholder value based on a defensible strategy and effective execution. Only one provides a foundation for tomorrow’s executives to build upon. 

Maximizing long-term shareholder value takes ingenuity, innovation, and integrity in today’s global economy. Simply discussing the need for federal regulation of executive compensation packages makes a statement about the confidence investors have in themselves, corporate boardrooms, and the fiducial interaction between these two bodies.

Name_Initials: GS
Title: Partner
Company: 

Comment

It is a recipe for mediocrity and the lowest common denominator.

Name_Initials: Jay W. Freeland
Title: President
Company: Freeland Solutions, LLC

Comment

The solution to restoring investor confidence doesn't lie anywhere near the executive compensation sandbox. Investor confidence is driven by three simple parameters: 1) a strong economy; 2) strong corporate financials; and 3) strong growth potential. To think that regulating executive pay will have a controlling impact on any of these drivers is akin to assuming that regulating the price of 'Cracker Jacks' will restore fan confidence in Major League Baseball.

Name_Initials: KBR
Title: SVP and CFO
Company: 

Comment

The market is the best determinate of shareholder value and the value of a company's executives. When has a bureaucracy ever been able to outperform the market. Let's not politicize executive compensation. Let the shareholders and Boards decide. It's their responsibility!

Name_Initials: JOR
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

I believe shareholder confidence comes from knowing that they (shareholders) can rely on expected company performance and that the individuals are trustworthy. At the end of the day, a lower paid CEO that is not reliable does not breed sharehlder confidence. What has made corporate America work, is that the best a brightest are attracted to top positions - this is driven mostly by compensation. If this risk/reward evelope were to change substantially, we would soon see the flight of talent from board and officer positions at public US firms. This would greatly change our GDP performance in the long-run, and would represent tragic results for our way of life.

Name_Initials: JGH
Title: Consultant
Company: 

Comment

I do think it is an area in need of reform, despite the lack of tight linkage with investory confidence.

Name_Initials: Kevin kruse
Title: Sales manager
Company: 

Comment

Executive pay is a matter for individual corporate boards to determine. Reform should hit squarely on the issue of having independent board members, preferably those not currently serving as executives in other companies. The regulation, or better voluntary guidelines, should come through a combination of the SEC, major stock exchanges, ratings services, accounting board and perhaps others.

Name_Initials: David Blanc
Title: President
Company: SupplyTrust, Inc.

Comment

boards especially less-independant ones should be restrained from enriching managers in grossly non-competitive ways and grossly out of proportion to business results. Examples abound of CEOs paid well in spite of business debalcess and competitive failures, largely where boards are stagnant, ineffectual, co-opted by personalities and packed with managers themselves. 

Name_Initials: Jamie Blair
Title: Pres. & CEO
Company: 

Comment

Provided that the regulation influences Boards to manage executive pay in a more prudent (responsible) fashion.

Name_Initials: Janet McAllister
Title: Managing Principal
Company: HERON ADVISORY GROUP

Comment

The "imperial" stature of large corporate CEO's needs to change. They are employees of the corporation, and should be treated as such. A control on executive compensation is a good step toward closing the class division between executive and non executive employees.

Name_Initials: Janet McAllister
Title: Managing Principal
Company: HERON ADVISORY GROUP

Comment

The "imperial" stature of large corporate CEO's needs to change. They are employees of the corporation, and should be treated as such. A control on executive compensation is a good step toward closing the class division between executive and non executive employees.

Name_Initials: D. Linn Wiley
Title: President
Company: 

Comment

Sarbanes-Oxley is gross overkill. It punishes the masses for the crimes of a few. As far as I am concerned, the politicians took advantage of it for their own benefit. You cannot legislate honesty and ethics.

Name_Initials: LF
Title: President/Consultant
Company: 

Comment

Hopefully compensation will move more towards a pay for performance approach which is typically applied at the lower levels. Look at the excessive amounts given out over the last two years in spite of dismal operating results and stock performance.

Name_Initials: rwm
Title: not available
Company: 

Comment

Pay linked to performance and shareholder interest will drive confidence...not regulation !

Name_Initials: KRH
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Shareholders and Boards need to take a more active role in executive compensation. It has been my experience that they just bless whatever is presented to them without question or comment.

Name_Initials: DS
Title: CFO
Company: 

Comment

The world needs boards that will take accountability for properly designed executive compensation plans, not bureaucratic rules designed around formulas that can be manipulated to achieve a desired outcome anyway (witness GAAP accounting). 

Name_Initials: Gary Kephart
Title: President
Company: 

Comment

While ordinarily most investors may not have had much concern over executive pay per se, the recent scandals and publicity surrounding corporate misdeeds only add fuel to this debate.

Name_Initials: jd
Title: Dr.
Company: Sylvan Learning

Comment

definitely - this is a major problem of trust...

Name_Initials: JH Schneider
Title: Consultant
Company: 

Comment

The AMOUNT of executive compensation should not effect investor confidence one way or another, so long as it is within reason for the business in question. The compensation issue that should effect investor confidence is the STRUCTURE of the compensation package. If the executive can trade-off long-term company health for short-term gains which increase personal compensation, then there might be good reason for investor concern.

Name_Initials: Jim Cannavino
Title: Chairman/CEO
Company: 

Comment

Pay needs to be fair The Board needs to administer it as long as it is public let it be

Name_Initials: George Murphy
Title: VP HR
Company: The Scotts Company

Comment

We should not let a few bad apples be the reason for regulations. Boards need to have the same level of understanding of compensation practices that we now demand of the audit committees with finance. 

Name_Initials: HLB
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

I think there is no connection between the two. At best there might be a negative correllation as shareholders worry that they might not be able to attract world class players.

Name_Initials: Lauch Hines
Title: Consultant
Company: LH Consulting

Comment

Regulation is not what's needed. What's needed is for the Boards of these companies to change their compnesation plan for executives and have it become a much longer-term situation. Any idiot can hack a $zillion from jobs and other costs to make the company look good for a year, fetch a fat bonus, then leave and watch their work destroy a company.

Name_Initials: PDG
Title: Assistant Administrator
Company: 

Comment

I believe that there is general perception that executives are far more interested in feathering their own nest to the detriment of shareholders and company interests. Reigning in extravegant compensation should help investors feel more comfortable.

Name_Initials: cg
Title: Chairman
Company: 

Comment

It is highly unlikely that this would pass any legal body. The objective should be to hold those on the compensation committee more accountable for their actions in allowing exhorbitant bonuses to be paid out.

Name_Initials: Marty Dorio
Title: CEO Chairman Director (retired)
Company: CLARK Material Handling Company

Comment

Regulation of executive pay will just make them find other ways to gouge the other constituencies. Look at the fiasco of options! The executives and their boards gave away tens of millions when the execs were really justified in getting lots less. I say these as a former CEO of a top 250 privately held company. The boards and the exective comp has to be brought into line but wiothout scams that get aroudn the bigger issue of too much pay for too little performance!

Name_Initials: CEM
Title: Vice President & Chief Security Officer
Company: 

Comment

Quite simply, you get what you pay for. Government regulating of executive pay will negatively effect high performers and bring mediocrity into play.

Name_Initials: DJP
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Excessive executive compensation is one of the causes of the stock market crash. And I speak as the CEO of a start up company

Name_Initials: Leslie Wollin
Title: Indenpendent Consultant
Company: 

Comment

I think there are too many items that comprise compensation and too many other things that executives need to focus on to gain investor confidence. 

Regulating exec comp will only increase the cost of regulation.

Name_Initials: Dr. Marc B. Cooper
Title: Chairman
Company: onPARC

Comment

Yes, investor confidence will be restored if CEO compensation is controlled. But "regulated" is dangerous because it means CEO compensation will be politically driven not performance driven. Now tha's a lot more scarry. 

I think the solution is based on designing a "performance based pay model" that can be generated and executed by industry. Can industry come to agreement? Yes, they've done it before on lots of other issues. But it would need to be CEO led and therein lies a problem - ego. But there are enough great CEOs out there that could put this together.

Name_Initials: JL
Title: Consultant
Company: 

Comment

Shortsighted "magic bullets" play well to the public. The problems reach beyond that narrow red herring into the very legislative arena that proposes to create the remedy.

Name_Initials: J. Kolinski
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Regulating compensation will not improve individual integrity but it may keep qualified people from becoming interested in the pressure, challenges and time commitment of senior management.

Name_Initials: JLZ
Title: President & CEO
Company: 

Comment

Investors believe in true pay for performance remuneration.

Name_Initials: RAD
Title: Management Consultant
Company: 

Comment

Unless Board of Directors of a corporation are independant of the executive management, it allows unhealthy and unwarranted executive pay plans to be executed.

Name_Initials: Mark Wittenberg
Title: Director
Company: SC Johnson

Comment

I think excecutive pay has gone out of control leading to one of the many issues we face in the corporate world. People are willing lie,cheat and steal to get to these positions of power and MONEY.

Name_Initials: Michael J. Giannini 
Title: VP Business Operations
Company: Voyager Pharmaceutical

Comment

As long as exec comp is tied to shareholder value and captial appreciation and is in with top performing companies, I do not see an issue. 

I believe exec comp should be tied to the best interests of shareholders through stock options or restricted stock. Either way, long term interests are considered and decisions should be made to reflect such. We are a start up pharma, we plan to use options and expense them along the way. It is easier for us to take that position, starting from the beginning and moving forward. 

Restricted stock may be a better way to go for more established companies. However, I hope that all firms still see value to employees and shareholders in linking employee interests to those of shareholders via options on a regular basis. I believe history shows those companies who make all employees shareholders still outperform those who only make them available to top exectutives. It may be an issue of size of grants more than access that we need to focus on. The long term strategy of stock ownership has proven to work in driving long term results. 

Name_Initials: JJH
Title: CFO
Company: Northland Associates

Comment

Pay regulation smacks of (Nixon most recently) wage and price controls which was not good for investors (we remember )

Name_Initials: Peter J. Sweeney III
Title: Managing Partner
Company: Came|Sweeney

Comment

The regulation (reduction) of outrageous executive pay must come from the boards, not the government. If the government gets involved, the markets will get nervous unsure what it may lead to.

Name_Initials: Dale Hecht
Title: President
Company: Intelliden, Inc.

Comment

That is crazy. You can't legislate investor confidence. If investors don't like what their CEO is doing or getting paid, they should put their money elsewhere or hire a new board of directors...

Name_Initials: edb
Title: CPE
Company: 

Comment

Confidence grows out of the awareness that results are generated now and certainly in the future by the leader with a vision of success that is not primarily egocentric.

Name_Initials: MF
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

The government has no right to regulate this aspect of a business..A board of directors is charged with this responsibility

Name_Initials: Bob Gray
Title: Partner
Company: 

Comment

The market place, not government, should determine executive compensation.

Name_Initials: Dr. John P. Kasik
Title: President and CEO
Company: ATLASwerks

Comment

The level of executive compensation should be left to the Board of Directors who are representing interests of a company stockholders, and not to outsider bureaucrats! 

Name_Initials: Ravi
Title: CFO
Company: 

Comment

Unregulated executive pay has attracted every conceivable trickery imaginable and thus lost all credibility and contact with reality. The fat pigs had their chance and blew it - it's time they got regulated.

Name_Initials: Jim Surbey
Title: VP Corp Dev
Company: Case Resources Inc.

Comment

I think it is a more complex issue than that. The amount perople were paid did nothing to assist in the dishonest conduct they engaged in. It is likely however, that the public will view thecapping or resticting of executive salaries as a positive move because they don't get to consider all the relevant factors. I think it is a political sop to attack executive pay because George Bush knows the ordinary person likes to see successful people being pulled down. "If they are clipping the wings of someone doing better than me then thats got to be good." The pay scale approved by the board is either appropriate because it was done in the best onterrests of the zCorporation or it is not and if not then the Board members who approve it should be accountable for approving it for reasons other than the best interests of the corporation. For Donaldson to think he can substitute his judgement on a blanket prospective basis as to what the best intersts of the Corporation require, without the particular corporate circumstances in mind, for the judgement of a Board of Directors who can take into account all relevant factors, is patently ridiculous. The SEC did nothing to address the dishonesty at Enron and elsewhere and now they want to make it appear that they are actively protecting the shareholders's interest. All they ever had to do was be a little more vigilant and root out the crooks and punish them when fould.

Name_Initials: bjk
Title: CFO
Company: 

Comment

Reducing corporate executive pay, seems contrary to the trend of increasing personal accountability and standards of fidiciuary responsibility.

Name_Initials: MJ
Title: CFO
Company: 

Comment

Regulation of business in any form is not the desirable solution. However, directors and executives have lost touch with shareholders and employees on this issue and the threat of regulation may be needed to stimulate change.

Name_Initials: SF
Title: Assistant to CFO
Company: 

Comment

The rush to regulate has gone too far. The market understands that too much regulation harms rather than improves business.

Name_Initials: Ronald L. Gibbs
Title: President & CEO
Company: 

Comment

While some progress has been made, much more work is needed. The investor community has yet to see real accountability of the corporate crooks. They should allow an accelerated program to bring the culprits to trial sooner. The investors have lost billions, they want to see justice. Justice will equate to some of these major players doing serious jail time rther than a slap on the wrist.

Name_Initials: Ronald L. Gibbs
Title: President & CEO
Company: 

Comment

While some progress has been made, much more work is needed. The investor community has yet to see real accountability of the corporate crooks. They should allow an accelerated program to bring the culprits to trial sooner. The investors have lost billions, they want to see justice. Justice will equate to some of these major players doing serious jail time rther than a slap on the wrist.

Name_Initials: CH
Title: Consultant
Company: 

Comment

regulated is the key - I do think executive pay has gotten out of hand and that some reform is needed but not regulated.

Name_Initials: RC
Title: President/CEO
Company: 

Comment

This is the job of the Board and cannot be done in isolation of other aspects of corporate governance. A board of directors that cannot effectively oversee this function is just as likely to have difficulty with other more crucial elements of oversight - the kind of difficulties that lead to the big name financial meltdowns.

Name_Initials: LK ##
Title: Founder and Managing Partner
Company: 

Comment

I don't believe compensation is a viable metric for evaluating whether company behavior/practices inspire confidence in investors.

Name_Initials: Jack Zenger
Title: CEO
Company: Provant

Comment

We appear to be unfettered pigs in a trough of our own making. Correcting that would go a long way to improving investor confidence.

Name_Initials: sm
Title: COO
Company: 

Comment

I believe that executive compensation should be tied to the performance of the firm including customer and employee satisfaction and product quality

Name_Initials: DRR
Title: Retired
Company: 

Comment

I think Exec Comp, like other forms of celebrity comp,has gotten out of hand in the recent past. If not regulation then certainly a set of principles needs to be imposed.

Name_Initials: BSB
Title: General Manager
Company: 

Comment

Such regulation MIGHT reduce the greed factor but, it could also reduce the motivation to rapidly implement business improvements that would normally fatten executive paychecks as well.

Name_Initials: ICH
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Investor confidence will increase when open and honest communication is in place and when they know that the incentives of management, the board and the investors are in alignment, and that there are no perverse incentives

Name_Initials: Stephen Atamanchuk
Title: VP HR
Company: Sithe Energies

Comment

if we keep associating CEO's pay to Stock options and price consumer will continue to see big Golden Parc. this will only leave their concern primary and not the companies or the people who work for them.

Name_Initials: SPR
Title: Vice President
Company: Non-profit association

Comment

Certainly executives should receive a sizable salary and benefits package. However, the numbers we are seeing for CEOs are excessive and, in my mind, immoral as lower-level employees struggle to make ends meet.

Name_Initials: Tom Adams
Title: CEO
Company: Assoc. of Clinical research Professionals

Comment

However, There needs to be voluntary effort to link pay to performance that is communicated to shareholders.

Name_Initials: Rajesh Jolly
Title: Vice President
Company: 

Comment

There is already a regulatory body governing executive compensation. It's called the Board of Directors. We should let it and market forces do their job.

Name_Initials: JS
Title: VP Product Marketing
Company: 

Comment

regulation of executive pay will not suffice to reinstaure investor confidence. 

Name_Initials: Mark VanDover
Title: President
Company: 

Comment

At present the main driver that people want is to insure that the execs are not cheating or driving business in a direction that will hurt their investment. Controls are an important step in regaining investor confidence

Name_Initials: Roy Smitshoek
Title: Managing Partner
Company: Moneta Capital Partners Ltd

Comment

Investors want to know that the Senior Executives that are ultimately responsible for their money (ownership) in the company are compensated (motivated) in a manner that is consistent with the shareholders interests and is directly related to whether or not they are looking after the shareholders long term interests.

Name_Initials: Bob Trento
Title: Retired
Company: 

Comment

Sarbanes Oxley is a bill that would never have happened if we didn't have the corporate scandels, that actually took care of themselves without this legislation. WE would be better off without the bill, the free market works, all this does is add cost to the system and will not create confidence in the markets.

Name_Initials: Shel Horowitz
Title: Vice Chairman
Company: U S Optical Disc

Comment

However, the compensation should be tied to more favorable expanded goals...not just stock price, but rather company profit performance (hard issues) and corporate culture performance (soft side issues). 

Name_Initials: Bruce Waterman
Title: SVP and CFO
Company: Agrium Inc

Comment

Attempts to distort the free market for any good or service, including personal service, have never worked over any extended period of time. Market reaction to executive compensation is sufficient to provide control.

Name_Initials: MJH
Title: President & CEO
Company: 

Comment

Executive responsibilities have become exceedingly difficult and risky to the individual in light of the potential for personal liability. The positions will require levels of expertise and competence not necessarily required in the past. Reducing the level of executive compensation will not attract and retain the type of people needed for such a difficult and complex job.

Name_Initials: rw
Title: owner
Company: 

Comment

The Sec needs to focus on accounting abuses and the relationships between the independent auditors, consultants and management.

Name_Initials: jap
Title: president
Company: 

Comment

Most investors know the market "controls" business behavior better than politicians can or will.

Name_Initials: MH
Title: Senior Manager
Company: 

Comment

has any new governmental regulation inspired anyone's confidence?

Name_Initials: Vince Lutheran
Title: President
Company: IILLC

Comment

It is not the amount of compensation that is the issue. The issue is unjustified compensation in the face of poor performance. Problem is determining performance can be difficult. It's easier to regulate compensation. Thus, once again, taking the easy way out will lead to more problems. 

Name_Initials: patrick quinlan
Title: ceo
Company: ochsner clinic foundation

Comment

Any "regulation" should convey some sense of openenss as to the purpose and the process for the determination of compensation. The basis of confidence is understanding.

Name_Initials: Onesimo Alvarez-Moro
Title: Managing Partner
Company: BoardNexus

Comment

Senior managers and Board Directors need to improve their overall corporate governance, professionalism and, in some cases, their ethics. Compensation policy should be related to performance not be limited within a legal straightjacket.

Name_Initials: compensation professional
Title: VP-Compensation & Benefits
Company: 

Comment

While executive pay has its issues of excessiveness and it should be addressed in some form, regulating it alone will not directly increase investor confidence -- there are too many other factors that determine whether or not the organization is effective and successful and inspiring of a level of confidence. A track record of success, appropriate business actions, accurate financial reporting goes a lot further than any level of pay -- and if the organization is highly successful then a high level of executive pay is warranted. It's when there is a disconnect between organization success and individual pay that is the issue.

Name_Initials: James Jackson
Title: Owner
Company: Jackson Consulting

Comment

Investors will feel Senior Executives and their Board Buddies won't stack the deck dragging down earnings with excessive compensation for either mediocre results or a failed tenure.

Name_Initials: PABLO
Title: VP
Company: 

Comment

IT IS WAY OVERDUE, WE NEED GUIDELINES , WE NEED TO KNOW BEFORE THE YEAR START HOW EACH EXECUTIVE WILL BE COMPENSATED IE. BASED ON STOCK PRICE INCREASE OR EARNINGS INCREASE OR POSITIVE CASH FLOW ETC..

Name_Initials: Mike Muhlenfeld
Title: Health Care Consultant
Company: 

Comment

Regulate the life out of everything and you will have no more life in anything

Name_Initials: KS
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

I can't imagine that it would even be legal. While it is true that some executives are overcompensated, it is up to the shareholders of the company to "weigh in" as they've done at GlaxoSmithKline.

Name_Initials: SLM
Title: CEO / President
Company: 

Comment

What ever happened to free markets? This is a mockery of the American Free Enterprise system! I suppose the gov't agencies should begin approving companies budget as well...seeings that they are such experts at cost control and efficiencies! This is an absurd notion and a gross over reaction! The investors decide by determining where they are willing to invest their dollars thus allowing businesses to invest in their businesses.

Name_Initials: RF
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Regulating executive compensation demonstrates to shareholders that the organization is carefully managing an important administrative cost. Further, executive compensation should be tied to organizational success/performance; the CEO should be rewarded for leading excellent organizational performance, but NOT rewarded if the organization fails to achieve its goals.

Name_Initials: susan rodriguez/kirkham
Title: retired SVP
Company: 

Comment

Corporate Board of Directors should approve and have accountability for compensation of senior executives. Financial goals should be stretched to gain the best business plans. Stockholders need to be involved. They should have input and/or voting approval on their CEO's compensation guidelines.

Name_Initials: BA
Title: SVP,Human Resources
Company: 

Comment

Investors can already regulate pay through the judicious use of shareholder resolutions.

Name_Initials: R, Whiting
Title: Partner
Company: 

Comment

Its really a double edged sword. For some novice investors that are driven by media hype, this may give them a false sense of security feeling that the "CEO" won't be able to take advantage of the company with an outragous salary. The flip side is that savy investors look deeper and know that this kind of legislation is windowdressing or just politics at work. Good companies tie salary to performance and limiting that will drive more of the really good ones to privately held businesses. Heck with sarbanes-Oxley, what smart CEO wouldn't consider a successful privately held company with no salary cap?

Name_Initials: KB Mullen
Title: CEO
Company: 

Comment

Executive pay has nothing to do with any of the violations the SEC or similar bodies have experienced over the past year. Most executives are not ridiculously compensated for their postion, risk, stress and knowledge. Those that would cheat investors and break the law (strict or moral) will simply find another way of accomplishing their means. Actually punishing known offenders would serve to enhance investor confidence to a far greater degree (and might make those considering liberties think twice. Finally, if the assumption is that greed drives malfeasance by executives, wouldn't forced controls over their compensation actually entice them to cheat more elsewhere to gain the same advantage?

Name_Initials: PP
Title: President
Company:

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