Exploring the Association Between Chief Executive Remuneration and Financial Performance: A South African Banking Perspective

Authors

  • Lesley Netshituka Vaal University of Technology
  • Natasha Robbetze Vaal University of Technology
  • Ronel Cassim Vaal University of Technology

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.33423/jaf.v24i4.7301

Keywords:

accounting, finance, banking sector, CEO remuneration, financial performance, corporate governance, chief executive officers

Abstract

This research aimed to determine whether there is an association between financial performance and chief executive officer (CEO) remuneration when South African banks are sampled. A quantitative research approach was applied using a descriptive research design. The research included a data range spanning over 10 years. Financial data were collected through the Integrated Real-time Equity System (IRESS). Multiple regression testing was performed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS). Correlation coefficients were measured, and multiple regression models were constructed. This study found that cashflow per share, market price per share and liquidity ratios were often identified as predictors of CEO remuneration. This research contributed to the body of existing knowledge by demonstrating that the remuneration paid to South African bank CEOs can be predicted by means of selected financial ratios. Limitations included that the census was small and only consisted of eight banks in total. This limitation was accommodated by expanding the time frame for data collection.

References

Bebchuk, L., Cohen, A., & Ferrell, A. (2019). What matters in corporate governance? The Review of Financial Studies, 22(2), 783–827. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.593423

Bell, B., & Van Reenen, J. (2012). Firm performance and wages: Evidence from across the corporate hierarchy [Working paper]. London: London School of Economics.

Bhunia, A., Mukhuti, S.S., & Roy, S.G. (2022). Financial performance analysis – A case study. Current Research Journal of Social Sciences, 3(3), 269–275. https://doi.org/10.1108/AJAR-05-2019-0037

Businesstech. (2022). Salaries report. Retrieved from https://businesstech.co.za/news/finance/573086/this-is-the-average-salary-in-south-africa-right-now-6/#:~:text=The%20average%20worker%20gets%20paid,salary%2Fwages%20increased% 20by%20R46

Bussin, M., & Modau, M.F. (2015). The relationship between Chief Executive Officer remuneration and financial performance in South Africa between 2006 and 2012. South African Journal of Human Resource Management, 13(1), 1–18. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v13i1.668

Chang, Y.Y., Dasgupta, S., & Hilary, G. (2010). CEO ability, pay, and firm performance. Management Science, 56(10), 1633–1650. http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1100.1205

Chatterjee, B., Jia, J., Nguyen, M., Taylor, G., & Duong, L. (2023). CEO remuneration, financial distress, and firm life cycle. Pacific-Basin Finance Journal, 80(1), 57–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pacfin.2023.102050

Cooper, M., Gulen, H., & Rau, P.R. (2010). Performance for pay? The relation between CEO incentive compensation and future stock price performance. Review of Financial Economics, 9(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.1572085

Crawford, S.S., Nelson, K.K., & Rountree, B.R. (2014). The CEO-employee pay ratio [Working paper]. University of Houston.

Creswell, J.W. (2014). A concise introduction to mixed methodology research. United Kingdom, UK: Sage.

Dincer, H., Yuksel, S., & Martinez, L. (2019). Balanced scorecard-based analysis about European energy investment policies: A hybrid hesitant fuzzy decision-making approach with quality function deployment. Expert Systems with Applications, 115, 152–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eswa.2018.07.072

Emuron, A.S.O., & Yixiang, T. (2020). Financial distress and non‐executive director compensation: Evidence from state‐owned enterprises in South Africa post King III. African Development Review, 32(2), 228–239. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8268.12430

Faleye, O., Reis, E., & Venkateswaran, A. (2012). The determinants and effects of CEO-employee relative pay [Working paper]. Boston, Massachusetts.

Foggitt, G.M., Heymans, A., Van Vuuren, G.W., & Pretorius, A. (2017). Measuring the systemic risk in the South African banking sector. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 20(1), a1619. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v20i1.1619

Handa, R. (2019). Does corporate governance affect financial performance? A study of select Indian banks. Asian Economic and Financial Review, 8(4), 478–486. https://doi.org/10.18488/journal.aefr.2018.84.478.486

Hansen, E.G., & Schaltegger, S. (2018). Sustainability balanced scorecards and their architectures: Irrelevant or misunderstood? Journal of Business Ethics, 150(4), 937–952. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-017-3531-5

Ibrahim, N.A., Zin, N.N.M., Kassim, A.A.M., & Tamsir, F. (2019). How does directors’ remuneration and board structure impact firm performance in Malaysia telecommunication industry? European Journal of Business and Management Research, 4(4), 1–7. https://doi.org/10.24018/ejbmr.2019.4.4.96

Illowsky, B., & Dean, S. (2017). Introductory statistics. United States of America, USA: Samurai Media Limited.

Jayaraman, S., & Milbourn, T.T. (2012). The role of stock liquidity in executive compensation. The Accounting Review, 87(2), 537–563. https://doi.org/10.2308/accr-10204

JSE. (2022). Listing on the JSE. Retrieved from https://www.jse.co.za/regulation/companies-issuer-regulation/listing-requirements/listing-jse

Kearney, B. (2021). Remuneration for executives and management. London: Routledge.

Keller, G. (2013). Examining if there is a relationship between CEO compensation and the stock price and net income of publicly traded corporations in the state of Wisconsin, USA. Journal on Business Review, 2(4), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10672-007-9035-1

Khan, A. (2023). Remuneration committees, CEO compensation, skills and retention. Retrieved from https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/MEDAR-08-2021-1420/full/html

King III Report. (2009). Summary of report on corporate governance. Retrieved from http://thehda.co.za/pdf/uploads/tenders/KING_III_Summary_of_Report_on_Governance

Kirsten, E., & Du Toit, E. (2019). The relationship between remuneration and financial performance for companies listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 21(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajems.v21i1.2004

Kostyuk, A., & Barros, V. (2018). Corporate governance and company performance: Exploring the challenging issues. Corporate Governance and Organizational Behavior Review, 2(2), 25–31. https://doi.org/10.22495/cgobr_v2_i2_p3

Mapalane, M. (2020). Evaluating the relationship between firm size and financial performance [Dissertation]. Vaal University of Technology, South Africa.

Mckinsey & Company. (2018). Africa’s banking sector the second most profitable in the world. Retrieved from https://www.consultancy.africa/news/366/africas-banking-sector-the-second-most-profitable-in-the-world-says-mckinsey

Meher, K., & Getaneh, H. (2019). Impact of determinants of the financial distress on financial sustainability of Ethiopian commercial banks. Banks and Bank Systems, 14(3), 187–201. https://doi.org/10.21511/bbs.14(3).2019.16

Molina-Azorin, J.F., Claver-Corles, E., Lopez-Garnero, M.D., & Tari, J.J. (2020). Green management and financial performance: A literature review. Management Decision, 47(7), 1080–1100. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251740910978313

Mouton, J. (2014). Understanding social research. Pretoria: Van Schaik.

Naciti, V., Cesaroni, F., & Pulejo, L. (2021). Corporate governance and sustainability: A review of the existing literature. Journal of Management and Governance, pp. 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10997-020-09554-6

Noja, G.G., Jurcut, C.N., Buglea, A., & Lala-Popa, I. (2020). Management financial incentives and firm performance in a sustainable development framework: Empirical evidence from European companies. Sustainability, 12(18), 7247. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12187247

Nuber, C., Velte, P., & Horisch, J. (2020). The curvilinear and time-lagging impact of sustainability performance on financial performance: Evidence from Germany. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 27(1), 232–243. https://doi.org/10.1002/csr.1795

Pallant, J. (2013). SPSS: Survival manual: A step by step guide to data analysis using IBM SPSS (5th Ed.). Berkshire: McGraw-Hill.

Posner, R.A. (2008). Are American CEOs overpaid and if so, what if anything should be done about it? Duke Law Journal, 58(1), 1014–1047. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMP.2008.32739755

Prebing, D., Southey, G., & Laing, G. (2013). Relationship between CEO salaries and performance of banks in Australia and Germany. Journal of Social & Behavioural Research in Business, 4(1), 12–19. https://doi.org/10.4102/jef.v6i3.247

PWC. (2022). SA major banks analysis. Retrieved from https://www.pwc.co.za/en/press-room/sa-major-bank-analysis-march-2022.html

Reid, H.M. (2013). Introduction to statistics: Fundamental concepts and procedures of data analysis. USA: Sage.

Roman, R.M., Hayibor, S., & Agle, B.R. (2019). The relationship between social and financial performance: Repainting a portrait. Business & Society, 38(1), 109–125. https://doi.org/10.1177/000765039903800105

Ruparelia, R.V., & Njuguna, A.G. (2016). Relationship between board remuneration and financial performance in the Kenyan financial services industry. International Journal of Financial Research, 7(2), 247–255. https://doi.org/10.5430/ijfr.v7n2p247

Shin, J.Y., Kang, S.C., & Hyun, J.H. (2014). Determinants and performance effect of executive pay multiples: Evidence from Korea. ILR Review, 68(1), 53–78. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2037744

Silingiene, V., Stukaite, D., & Radvila, G. (2015). The remuneration determinants of chief executive officers: A theoretical approach. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 213(2015), 848–854. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2015.11.494

South African Reserve Bank. (2020). Registered banks report. Retrieved from https://www.resbank.co.za/en/home/what-we-do/Prudential-regulation/sa-registered-banks-and-representative-offices

Van Wyk, L., & Wesson, N. (2021). Alignment of executive long-term remuneration and company key performance indicators: An exploratory study. Journal of Economic and Financial Sciences, 14(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.4102/jef.v14i1.564

Waddock, S.A., & Graves, S.B. (2019). The corporate social performance–financial performance link. Strategic Management Journal, 18(4), 303–319. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199704)18:4<303

Downloads

Published

2024-10-25

How to Cite

Netshituka, L., Robbetze, N., & Cassim, R. (2024). Exploring the Association Between Chief Executive Remuneration and Financial Performance: A South African Banking Perspective. Journal of Accounting and Finance, 24(4). https://doi.org/10.33423/jaf.v24i4.7301

Issue

Section

Articles