Doctoral thesis of Philosophy: CEO remuneration: Australian evidence of the influence of reputation, performance and governance

The renewed interest in executive remuneration, particularly CEO remuneration, in light of the recent global financial crisis (GFC) leads to the question: Is CEO remuneration excessive or can it be justified on grounds of the established reputation of individual CEOs, the performance of the company, the quality of the internal governance structures and the ability of shareholders to have an influence? This question provides the impetus for this study. To answer this question, an understanding of the multiple drivers of executive remuneration is required.