Stock Option Plans Give Employees the Option to Purchase (A)

question 112

Essay

Stock option plans give employees the option to purchase (a) a specified number of shares of the firm's stock, (b) at a specified price, (c) during a specified period of time. One of the most heated controversies in standard-setting history has been the debate over the amount of compensation to be recognized as expense for stock options. At issue is how the value of stock options is measured, which for most options determines whether any expense at all is recognized. The opposition included corporate executives, auditors, members of Congress, and the SEC.
Required:
Describe the primary objections of critics of the FASB's eventually successful attempt to require expensing of the fair value of the options.

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Definitions:

Factory Work

Employment in manufacturing settings, typically characterized by assembly-line production and specialization of tasks.

Productivity

A measure of the efficiency of production, often quantified as the ratio of outputs produced to inputs used in the production process.

Hour Worked

A measure of the amount of time spent performing tasks or duties for an employer during a specified period.

Goods

Tangible products or commodities that can be bought, sold, or traded and are typically used to satisfy wants or needs.