Employee Ownership Through ESOPs: Implications for the Public Corporation summarizes the large body of literature on employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) and the phenomenon of employee ownership. The author has discovered and reviewed over 700 articles on the subject in academic and professional journals of business, labor, law, and social science since 1973. The study is divided into four parts. The first part examines law, public policy, and regulation; the status of ESOPs in the publicly held corporation; corporate uses and labor-management roles; the impact of the ESOP on labor-management cooperation and the economic performance of firms; and the future of employee ownership. The second part presents selected case studies which illustrate the range of corporate uses and benefits to workers and the difficult issues these raise. The third part presents abstracts of articles or books that are central to understanding the major findings and implications of employee ownership and gaining an ordered introduction to the field. The fourth part includes references to these abstracted materials and to the subjects discussed in the first and second sections. This study emphasizes the significance of employee ownership to corporate officers, middle managers, union officials, and/or local labor representatives and employee leaders who are associated with a publicly held company.

An employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) is a tax-favored employee benefit plan through which employees can become owners in their companies at no cost to themselves, at the same time that the company and its owners receive major tax benefits. An ESOP can be used for many purposes, including to use tax-deductible corporate earnings to buy out the owner(s) of a closely held business; to allow shareholders to sell gradually and ease out of the business; to finance corporate acquisitions through the loan that buys stock for a leveraged ESOP; to enhance corporate performance through creating a corporate culture of ownership; and to reward employees with a benefit tied to corporate performance while providing the company with tax benefits. This book explains the rules, uses, benefits, and other aspects of ESOPs. It is helpful as an introduction to the subject and as a concise reference. The 20th edition was heavily revised and expanded as of 2023, with added material on issues such as fiduciaries and ESOP committees plus changes made by the SECURE 2.0 Act.

A comprehensive yet easy-to-understand guide emphasizing the corporate financial benefits that an employee stock ownership plan can offer as a business financing instrument. Describes COBRA '93 ESOP changes, which permit businesses to reduce taxes by contributing to an ESOP, the availability of ESOPs to S corporations and shareholders and how to defer or avoid tax on sales of ESOP stock. Provides excellent advice to small, closely-held corporations on how to use the ESOP as a tool to design compensation arrangements which motivate, retain and recruit employees.