2. Agency conflicts between managers and shareholders

Remember, an agency relationship can degenerate into an agency conflict when an agent acts in a manner that is not in the best interest of his or her principal. In large corporations, these conflicts most frequently involve the enrichment of the firms executives or managers (in the form of money and perquisites or power and prestige) at the expense of the companys shareholders. This usurping and reallocation of shareholder wealth is most likely to occur when shareholders do not have sufficient information about the decisions and actions being made by the firms management.

Consider the following scenario and determine whether an agency conflict exists:

Daniel owns Daniels Tantalizing Tees, a T-shirt shop in a small college town in Kansas. With a staff of three part-time employees, Daniel operates the business in accordance with his personal goals, dreams, and capabilities.

Does Daniel have an agency conflict to deal with?

Yes; as both the owner and operator of Daniels Tantalizing Tees, Daniel has created the necessary agency relationship through which an agency conflict can exist.

Yes; there is always an inherent conflict of interest between owners and operators (managers).

No; by having part-time, as opposed to full-time, employees, Daniel is prevented from experiencing an agency conflict.

No; as both the owner and operator of Daniels Tantalizing Tees, Daniel has not created the necessary agency relationship through which an agency conflict can exist.

Consider the following scenario and determine whether an agency conflict exists:

Five years ago, Li created a plant-care business that grew, stocked, and maintained fresh plants in office buildings throughout Denver. Over time, The Green Zone Inc. (TGZ) has grown from a proprietorship into a corporation, now reaching far beyond Denver. To finance and support this growth, TGZ issued shares that were sold to TGZ employees, Lis family members, and selected outsiders. Li is TGZs chairman of the board of directors and CEO, but he is no longer the largest shareholder.

At the latest annual meeting, two mutually exclusive proposals were placed on the ballot for discussion and vote. The first was put forth by Li and TGZs management team, and the second was proposed by a small group of other shareholders. Both groups are adamantly opposed to the other groups proposal, even though both proposals would likely have the same effect on TGZs value and riskiness.

Does an agency conflict exist between TGZs management and the small group of opposing shareholders?

Yes; any conflict or disagreement between the firms managers and its shareholders constitutes an agency conflict.

No; Li was the original owner of TGZ, so he would always be sensitive to the concerns of the firms current owners (shareholders) and would not engage in an agency conflict.

Yes; an agency relationship exists, and an agency relationship always gives rise to agency conflicts, regardless of the actual behavior of the participants.

No; although an agency relationship exists between TGZs managementincluding Li as TGZs chairman and CEO and the firms shareholdersthere is no agency conflict, because no expropriation or wasting of the shareholders wealth has occurred.

For the past 40 years, companies have attempted to attract, retain, and encourage managers by developing attractive compensation packages. These compensation packages have also been intended to reduce potential agency conflicts between these managers and the firms shareholders.

In the best interest of shareholders, compensation packages should be structured in a way such that managers have an incentive to maximize the value of the companys common stock price.

Edinburgh Industrials stockholders are mostly individual investors, and there is relatively little institutional ownership. If several pension and mutual funds were to take large positions in Edinburgh Industrials stock, direct shareholder intervention would be likely to motivate the firms management.

Echo Farm Supplys stock price is currently trading at $20 per share. The consensus among market analysts is that the stock should trade for $27.5 per share, given the amount, timing, and riskiness of the companys dividends. Is Echo Farm Supply more or less likely to receive a hostile takeover bid?

More likely

Less likely