Background
A share option is a financial instrument and a type of employee benefit that companies sometimes offer to their employees or directors. Specifically, it is an option granted by a company to buy shares at a predetermined price. The primary purpose of share options is to incentivize employees and align their interests with the company’s performance and growth.
Historical Context
Share options became particularly popular in corporate America during the latter half of the 20th century. Initially, they were more prominent in high-risk industries such as technology, where fluctuating share prices promised significant potential gains. Over time, they found their way into broader corporate remuneration strategies as businesses saw their potential in driving performance improvements.
Definitions and Concepts
A share option is an option granted by a company to buy shares at a pre-arranged price, known as the “strike price” or “option price.” Typically, these options are exercisable only if the company’s share price at the time (the “market price”) exceeds the strike price, thereby offering potential gains to the share option holder. These financial tools are used as performance-based incentives: the rationale is that if the company performs well, the share price will increase, allowing holders to purchase shares at a price below the current market rate and consequently make a profit.
Major Analytical Frameworks
Classical Economics
Classical economic theories primarily assume that markets are efficient and that incentives like share options align individual efforts with broader market outcomes, thereby optimizing resource allocation and company performance.
Neoclassical Economics
In neoclassical economics, share options are seen as aligning the interests of employees with shareholders, resulting in maximized utility and efficiency. The rational behavior assumptions play a critical role in explaining why share options can be effective retention tools.
Keynesian Economics
Keynesian perspectives might focus on how share options influence aggregate demand, especially by impacting consumption patterns of employees who benefit from these options. If successful, these incentives can spur increased consumer spending.
Marxian Economics
From a Marxian viewpoint, share options might be critiqued as mechanisms to co-opt labor into capitalist structures, giving workers a stake in the company’s profit while potentially also increasing corporate exploitation.
Institutional Economics
Institutionalists would analyze share options as part of broader corporate governance strategies, looking at how institutional frameworks and company policies affect the effectiveness and fairness of such incentive schemes.
Behavioral Economics
Behavioral economists might delve into how cognitive biases and perception of long-term versus short-term gains influence the exercising of share options. They might also study the impact of share options on employee morale and productivity.
Post-Keynesian Economics
Post-Keynesian analysts could critique whether share options exacerbate income inequality or whether they truly incentivize long-term growth and stability within firms, often emphasizing different aspects than the financial incentives.
Austrian Economics
Austrian economists might focus on the entrepreneurial aspects of share options, viewing them as a means for companies to harness creative energies and risk-taking behaviors of their employees.
Development Economics
In developing economies, share options can serve as a crucial tool for attracting and retaining qualified talent, thus fostering better corporate growth and, by implication, contributing to economic development.
Monetarism
Monetarists might analyze the potential inflationary effects of widespread adoption of share options and their impact on monetary aggregates through induced increases in consumption.
Comparative Analysis
While share options are nearly universally aimed at synchronizing employee interests with those of shareholders, their effectiveness and adoption can vary widely across different economic systems, cultures, and market structures. Neoclassical and behavioral frameworks generally agree on their potential for aligning incentives, though critiques from Marxian and post-Keynesian views highlight potential issues in equity and longer-term implications.
Case Studies
Research into technological corporations such as Amazon, Google, and Facebook exemplifies how share options have been used effectively to drive innovation and growth. In contrast, the burst of the dot-com bubble provides cautionary tales on the limitations and pitfalls of excessive dependence on share options.
Suggested Books for Further Studies
- “Options as a Strategic Investment” by Lawrence G. McMillan
- “McMillan on Options” by Lawrence G. McMillan
- “Share Options: Trading and Strategies for Total Growth” by Ben Tyers
Related Terms with Definitions
- Strike Price: The fixed price at which a share option can be exercised.
- Market Price: The current trading price of a company’s shares.
- Exercising an Option: The act of invoking the right to buy shares at the predetermined strike price.
- Employee Stock Options (ESOs): A subset of share options specifically offered to employees as part of their compensation package.
- **Incentive Alignments
