The Association between Executive Stock Option Plan Changes and Managerial Decision Making

This paper examines the behavior of managerial investment, dividend, and capital structure decisions subsequent to the adoption of stock options as part of the compensation package. Previous studies have documented a positive stock market reaction to changes in incentive compensation plans. The specific changes that such plans induce remain unclear. Surprisingly, firms that increase incentive stock option plans experience earnings declines, on average, relative to their industries. A decline in expenditures on R&D and an increase in selling, general and administrative expenses is also documented.