Are Directors Remunerated for Corporate Performance?

Abstract

Key corporate stakeholders in Zimbabwe contest the directors' remuneration and incentive systems. The study sought to find out if directors’ remuneration is aligned to corporate performance as reflected by corporate share prices. Secondary data was gathered from detailed annual reports of the companies listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange whose directors’ remuneration data information could be accessed. Samples of nine companies in 2009 and thirteen companies in 2010 were used. Correlation Coefficients, Regression Analysis, Chi Square Tests and Averages were used to analyse data for discussion. Results indicated a weakening positive correlation between directors’ remuneration and corporate performance over the two years. The research concluded that Directors’ remuneration in Zimbabwe is not linked to corporate performance and that good corporate governance is lacking in most of these companies as suggested by the dearth of information on directors’ remuneration. The research recommended the central determination of directors’ remuneration based on agreed corporate performance measures / indicators. Individual directors’ fees need to be disclosed in the ZSE Handbooks. Further research with an increased sample size is encouraged. Keywords: Directors’ remuneration, firm performance, share price