Related Concept Videos
Energy Budgets and Reproductive Strategies
The Anchoring-and-Adjustment Heuristic
Decision Making: P-value Method
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is proposed. The claim is based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to the claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses: a null hypothesis would be a neutral statement while the alternative hypothesis can have a...
Decision Making: Traditional Method
First, a specific claim about the population parameter is decided based on the research question and is stated in a simple form. Further, an opposing statement to this claim is also stated. These statements can act as null and alternative hypotheses, out of which a null hypothesis would be a...
Thermal expansion and Thermal stress: Problem Solving
To solve the problem, first, identify the known and unknown quantities. The initial length (L) of the bridge is 1275 m, the coefficient of linear expansion (α) for steel is 12 x 10-6/°C, and the change in temperature (ΔT) is 55 °C.
Problem-Solving
You might also read
Related Articles
Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.
Promising growth and investment in the cell therapy industry during the first quarter of 2012.
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Measuring the Subjective Value of Risky and Ambiguous Options using Experimental Economics and Functional MRI Methods
Published on: September 19, 2012
Expensing options solves nothing.
1Harvard Business School, Boston, USA.
Expensing stock options for executive compensation won't fix flawed accounting. True solutions lie in ethical management, governance, and disclosure, not just accounting changes.
Area of Science:
- Business
- Economics
- Accounting
Background:
- Executive stock options are a controversial form of compensation.
- Current accounting rules allow companies to exclude option costs from income statements.
- This practice is criticized for potentially overstating earnings and executive gains.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the effectiveness and implications of expensing executive stock options.
- To identify the core issues in executive compensation and corporate governance.
- To propose alternative solutions beyond accounting adjustments.
Main Methods:
- Critical analysis of current accounting regulations regarding stock options.
- Examination of the relationship between executive compensation, corporate performance, and governance.
- Review of potential consequences of mandatory option expensing.
Main Results:
- Expensing stock options does not provide a more accurate view of earnings.
- It fails to address the fundamental issue of whether compensation effectively incentivizes performance.
- Mandatory expensing may mask deeper problems in corporate governance and ethics.
Conclusions:
- Focusing solely on expensing executive stock options is a superficial fix.
- Effective solutions require robust ethical management, sound governance, internal controls, and transparency.
- Addressing the alignment of compensation with genuine value creation is paramount.

