B-school prof and expert on corporate governance can speak to backdating options issue

As the media pays increasing attention to the issue of the growing scandals surrounding the issue of backdating of options, I thought you might be interested in the thoughts of Chris Robertson, professor of international business at the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University. One of his areas of expertise is corporate governance:


"One major cost related to backdating exercise dates on tax returns by executives will clearly be a drop in confidence by rank and file employees. With resentment of high stock payouts to executives on the rise this scandal will no doubt trigger angst at the middle management and staff levels. Time and again board of directors and top management team members underestimate the value of a strong corporate culture, and the potential negative implications of what are perceived as behind the scenes deals. To maintain a sustainable level of motivation in the workplace strong leaders must do everything possible to avoid misconduct, or even the slightest perception of unethical behavior. Skepticism is at an all time high and executives must endeavor to steer clear of scandalous situations."


Below is Prof. Robertson’s bio:


Christopher Robertson, Associate Professor, International Business; McCarthy Family Research Fellow. Professor Robertson has a BS in Business Administration from the University of Rhode Island and an MBA and PhD from Florida State University. Prior to joining the Northeastern University faculty, Professor Robertson taught at James Madison University, La Universidad de Salamanca in Spain, Florida State University, and La Universidad San Francisco de Quito in Ecuador. He has also lectured in Israel, Hong Kong and Chile. His professional experience includes work with toy giant Hasbro, Inc. and a number of small businesses, primarily in the restaurant industry. Professor Robertson's primary research stream is cross-cultural management. Specifically, he is interested in ethical, behavioral, and strategic differences across cultures. His work has been published in journals such as Strategic Management Journal, Journal of World Business, Journal of Business Ethics, Management International Review, Journal of Managerial Issues, Journal of International Management, Organizational Dynamics, Journal of Business Research, Business Horizons and the Thunderbird International Business Review. Professor Robertson is a member of the Academy of International Business, the Academy of Management, and the IberoAmerican Academy of Management. In addition, he serves on the editorial boards of the International Journal of Public Administration and the International Journal of Organization Theory and Behavior.