Poll: CEO Payouts in a Bad Year?

The news is filled with stories of CEOs receiving huge payouts. The news is also filled with stories of companies performing poorly in the fragile economy. When you add the two together, the sum often equals bad P.R. for the CEO.

But is this wrong? Should a CEO accept a huge payout when the company they lead is under-performing? There's nothing wrong with it legally - it's part of their contract - but is their something wrong with it morally? Would a CEO who decides to scale back, or even refuse, their payout be a grand gesture, or a foolish decision?

Your Dilemma: You're the CEO of a large company, and you're due for a large payout despite the fact that your company is having a bad year.[poll id=37]Have some thoughts on CEO compensation? Leave them in our comments section.

Have an ethics dilemma you'd like to see in this poll? Email wherestheline (at) gmail.com

William Baker

William Baker is a freelance writer living in Cambridge, MA. His work has appeared in Popular Science, the Boston Globe Magazine, the New York Daily News, Boston Magazine, The Weekly Dig and a bunch of other places (including Field & Stream, though he doesn't hunt and can't really fish). He is a regular contributor to the Boston Globe, where he writes the weekly column, "Meeting the Minds." He holds a master's degree from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, and is at work on his first book.

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