“…As stated by Barrena‐Martinez et al (, p. 17), compensation and benefits “play a key role in HRM as a driver controlling the conduct of employees.” We identify three typologies of studies related to compensation policies in previous literature. First, there are studies focusing on the relationship between corporate governance or board characteristics and compensation policies (Lewellen et al, ; Zajac & Westphal, ; Conyon & Peck, ; Ryan & Wiggins, ; Hartzell & Starks, ; Conyon & He, ; Conyon, ; Ozkan, ; Laksmana, ; Petra & Dorata, ; Chhaochharia & Grinstein, ; Ozdemir & Upneja, .). Second, there are studies focusing on the relationship between compensation policies/incentives and firm performance, in both directions (Balafas & Florackis, ; Brick, Palmon, & Wald, ; Brown, Sturman, & Simmering, ; Cai, Jo, & Pan, ; Callan & Thomas, ; Coughlan & Schmidt, ; Kubo, ; Li, Yang, & Yu, ; Loomis, ; Mahoney & Thorne, ; McGuire, Dow, & Argheyd, ; Mehran, ; Raithatha & Komera, ).…”