Fair play/fair pay.

The disparity between executive compensation and worker salaries has long been a source of tension in the business world. The abrupt departure of Barry Munitz from his post as head of the Getty Trust--following disclosures of allegedly lavish perks--brings the issue into the spotlight again. So the Business Journal asks:

Are today's levels of executive compensation fair?

Tim Tennant

Chairman and CEO Conductor

Executive compensation should be directly in line with shareholder growth and profitability. I am against executives who cash out and haven't returned value to a company, which includes its employees. The health of a business comes first. Executives are accountable for that and should be compensated accordingly. If a public company is hiring a known executive, that individual knows that by his name being associated with the company it is going to cause stock value to go up. He is compensated in advance for that. If a non-public company hires a very talented person, his compensation is directly proportional to the revenue he can generate. If that doesn't happen, he is being overcompensated. Then that should be brought in line with the reality.

James McCluskey

Managing Director

Marsh Risk and Insurance Services

There should be increasing wages with responsibility. Generally speaking there are going to exceptions where some people get paid too much. But executive salaries are often based on the risks. stress, demands and compromises they undertake that are often misunderstood by workforces as exceptionally high salary. Executives need to be accessible virtually 24/7 and 365 days a year. Stakeholder hands are constantly upon them and they have to deal with constant conflict besides constant Wall Street expectations.

Jeff Arnaz

Director, Production

Phone-On-Hold Marketing Systems

Salary should depend on what you put in and what you get back for the company. It is much like in sports. A lot of people think Shaquille O'Neal does not deserve the kind of money he gets, but look at the crowd and response he brings in. If an executive brings in a lot of business that is beneficial to the company, then high pay is definitely justified.

John Hancock

Executive Director

The Pasadena Pops Orchestra 

Companies, especially non-profits have a particular role to play in public trust and deserve and receive particular scrutiny. Trust is a very priceless commodity and companies cannot squander their resources, no matter how big these companies are. The basis for this is the trust in leadership. If a leader has earned trust, then what he has earned will not be a big problem. If the perception is that pay is too much then it is harmful for the person. Executives should not even accept pay if it is too high overall. The overall disparity in pay with big corporations is way more than with non-profits.

Carlos Alberini

President and Chief Operating Officer 

Guess Inc.

Anyone's compensation should be commensurate with their level of responsibility. I believe strongly in alignment between compensation and contribution. I believe in variable pay in line with that. Especially for executives, pay should be in line with their goals and how they have contributed to the financial growth of the unit they are responsible for. The system should always try to avoid paying executives significant amounts of money when units they represent are not performing as expected by shareholders. In those cases it is not fair for them to get a high salary.