The Complete Guide to Executive Compensation

by Bruce R. Ellig

ANSWERS TO EXCESSIVE EXECUTIVE PAY

Charges of excessive executive compensation have filled the business press for a number of years, yet few understand why pay plans trigger such results.This desktop reference book is an easy-to-access, invaluable guide to structuring appropriate executive pay plans. Properly used, it will help avoid excessive executive pay resulting from poorly designed plans.

Written by renowned compensation expert Bruce Ellig, this book is a must read for the designers, approvers, and recipients of executive compensation, as well as those who write about the subject. Consultants and in-house pay designers will find detailed examples (supplemented with over 400 figures and tables) to trigger their own creativity. Compensation committees and other approvers of executive pay plans will value the definitions and descriptions of various pay plans and the conditions under which they would be appropriate. Executives themselves will find the book useful. Not only in better understanding their own plans, but learning more about other plans, both those they may only have heard about, as well as many that have not yet caught their attention. And those who write about the subject will be able to put their comments in a better perspective..

The Complete Guide to Executive Compensation takes an in-depth look at each of the executive pay salary, executive benefits and incentives (both short and long term). This review also includes the role of the board of directors (and its compensation committee) along with the influence of the major stakeholders (most notably the shareholder). And a complete chapter is devoted to various measurements of executive performance.

This book also contains a compendium of selected key information on executive compensation, including laws, Internal Revenue Code sections, IRS revenue rulings, accounting interpretations, and SEC actions. No other book has such a complete resource section. In addition, it includes both a historical review of key developments and a look ahead, as well as a glossary with more than 2,000 definitions.

736 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 19, 2001

About the author

Bruce R. Ellig is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate from the University of Wisconsin with a BBA and MBA. He worked for the pharmaceutical company Pfizer for over 35 years in the human resources division.

For the last third of his career with Pfizer, Mr. Ellig was the worldwide head of human resources, reporting to Pfizer’s chief executive officer. Mr. Ellig was also responsible for the company’s executive compensation programs and was secretary to the board’s committee on executive compensation.

Bruce Ellig has written and published twelve books and over 150 articles. His most notable works include four editions of The Complete Guide to Executive Compensation and two books on the influence of the U.S. Presidents on the evolution of employee pay. He has spoken before audiences of over 5,000 attendees. Ellig has also appeared on national television a number of times.

Mr. Ellig was Chairman of the National Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resources and is the recipient of many awards and honors including a lifetime membership to the National Academy of Human Resources and inclusion in Who’s Who in America and Who’s Who in the World. In 2024, Who’s Who identified Mr. Ellig as the most distinguished professional among the over 300 named.

Reviews

[Eric F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dry and poorly edited. I read this for the last of three compensation courses toward a CEBS designation, and the other two books on HR and general comp were engaging and thought provoking. Thrilled to be done with this one.

[Chris Lyons McKinley]

excellent - highly recommend