Michal Matejka joined the W. P. Carey School of Business as an associate professor of accountancy in 2010.
Professor Matejka’s research interests lie in the area of performance target setting and executive compensation, decentralization, and organizational design. More specifically, he studies performance measurement and incentives for chief financial officers, target setting in loss-making companies, decentralization and the design of the accounting, and the finance function within organizations. In line with his research in executive compensation, he spent six years analyzing a biennial survey of American Institute of Certified Public Accountants members and examined trends in the design and execution of financial-executive pay packages.
Before joining W. P. Carey, Professor Matejka was an assistant professor of accounting at the University of Michigan. He received his bachelor’s degree in economics and MBA from Masaryk University in his native Czech Republic and his PhD in accounting from Tilburg University in the Netherlands.
Professor Matejka was recognized for his contributions in teaching, winning the 2013 W. P. Carey Outstanding Master’s Teaching Award. Additionally, he was awarded the Harvey and Missy Jabara Family Accounting Professorship in 2010. Before launching his academic career, he conducted research and consulting projects for the top 25 companies in the Netherlands and was an auditor and controller at companies in the Czech Republic.
Performance Target Setting and Executive Compensation
Decentralization and Organizational Design
Performance Measurement and Incentives of Chief Financial Officers
Target Ratcheting
Target Setting in Loss-Making Companies
Decentralization and the Design of the Accounting and Finance Function within Organizations
Publications
“Disturbing the Quiet Life? Competition and CEO Incentives,” with Stephan Kramer. Forthcoming in The Accounting Review.
“The Ratchet Effect: Theory and Empirical Evidence,” with Matthias D. Mahlendorf and Utz Schäffer. Forthcoming in Management Science.
“Economic Determinants and Consequences of Performance Target Difficulty,” with Sunyoung Kim and Jongwon Park. The Accounting Review 98(2): 361–387, 2023
“Performance Targets and Ex Post Incentive Plan Adjustments,” with Jeong-Hoon Hyun, Peter SH Oh, and Tae Sik Ahn. Contemporary Accounting Research 39(2): 863–892, 2022
“An Empirical Investigation of Beyond Budgeting Practices,” with Kenneth A. Merchant and Winnie O’Grady. Journal of Management Accounting Research 33(2), 2021
“Bonus Plan Choices During an Economic Downturn,” with Pablo Casas Arce and Raffi Indjejikian. Journal of Management Accounting Research 32(2)., 2021
“Relative Target Setting and Cooperation,” with Martin Holzhacker, Stephan Kramer, and Nick Hoffmeister. Journal of Accounting Research 57, 211-239, 2019
“Relative Performance Evaluation and the Ratchet Effect,” with Pablo Casas-Arce, Martin Holzhacker, and Matthias Mahlendorf. Contemporary Accounting Research 35, 1702-1731, 2018
“Balancing Difficulty of Performance Targets: Theory and Evidence” with Korok Ray. Review of Accounting Studies 22, 1666-1697, 2017
