Contents

  1. Summary
  2. Agency Problem 
  3. Understanding Agency Problems 
  4. Causes of Agency Problem
  5. Real- World illustration of an Agency Problem 
  6. Mitigate Agency Problems

Summary

A conflict of interest occurs when reality or an individual becomes unreliable because of a clash between particular (or tone-serving) interests and professional duties or liabilities. Such a conflict occurs when a company or person has a vested interest, similar to a plutocrat, status, knowledge, connections, or character which puts into question whether their conduct, judgment, or decision- timber can be unprejudiced.  Some exemplifications of a conflict of interest could be 

  • Representing a family member in court 
  • Principal business that competes with your full-time employer 
  • Advising a customer to invest in a company possessed by your partner
  • Hiring an unqualified relative or friend When such a situation arises, the party with the conflict of interest is generally asked to remove themselves, and it’s frequently fairly needed of them. Let’s see about the agency problem 

Agency Problem 

An agency problem is a conflict of interest essential in any relationship where one party is anticipated to act in another’s stylish interests. In commercial finance, an agency problem generally refers to a conflict of interest between a company’s operation and the company’s stockholders. The director, acting as the agent for the shareholders, or headliners, is supposed to make opinions that will maximize shareholder wealth indeed though it’s in the director’s stylish interest to maximize their wealth. 

Understanding Agency Problems 

Agency problems are common in fiduciary connections, similar to those between trustees and heirs; board members and shareholders; and attorneys and guests. A fiduciary is an agent that acts in the principal’s or customer’s stylish interest. These connections can be strict in a legal sense, as is the case in the relationship between attorneys and their guests due to the U.S. Supreme Court’s assertion that an attorney must act in complete fairness, fidelity, and dedication to their guests. 

Causes of Agency Problem

Agency problems arise during a relationship between a principal and an agent. Agents are generally engaged by headliners due to different skill situations, different employment positions, or restrictions on time and access. The agency problem arises due to an issue with impulses and the presence of discretion in task completion. An agent may be motivated to act in a manner that isn’t favourable for the principal if the agent is presented with incitement to act in this way.  

Real- World illustration of an Agency Problem 

In 2001, energy mammoth Enron filed for bankruptcy. Account reports had been fabricated to make the company appear to have further plutocrat than what was earned. The company’s directors used fraudulent account styles to hide debt in Enron’s accessories and overdo profit. These falsifications allowed the company’s stock price to increase during a time when directors were dealing with portions of their stock effects. In the four times leading up to Enron’s bankruptcy form, shareholders lost an estimated$ 74 billion in value.5 Enron came to the largest U.S.  bankruptcy at that time with its$ 63 billion in means. Although Enron’s operation had the responsibility to watch for the shareholder’s stylish interests, the agency’s problem redounded in operation amusement in their stylish interest.   In 2001, energy mammoth Enron filed for bankruptcy. Account reports had been fabricated to make the company appear to have further plutocrat than what was earned. These falsifications allowed the company’s stock price to increase during a time when directors were dealing with portions of their stock effects. When Enron declared bankruptcy, it was the largest U.S.  bankruptcy at that time. Although Enron’s operation had the responsibility to watch for the shareholder’s stylish interests, the agency’s problem redounded in operation amusement in their stylish interest.  

Mitigate Agency Problems While it isn’t possible to exclude the agency problem, headliners can take a way to minimize the threat, known as agency cost, associated with it. principal-agent connections can be regulated, and frequently are, by contracts, or laws in the case of fiduciary settings. Another system is to incentivize an agent to act in better agreement with the principal’s stylish interests. For illustration, if an agent is paid not on an hourly base but by the completion of a design, there’s lower incitement to not act in the principal’s stylish interest.