Regarding the second claim that EVA and residual income better motivate managers to
increase shareholder wealth, independent evidence suggests that firms that adopt residual incomebased
incentives tend to a) improve operating efficiency by increasing asset turnover, b) dispose of
selected assets and reduce new investment (which adds value provided these assets were failing to
earn adequate returns when compared to the firm’s overall cost of capital), and c) repurchase
more shares (consistent with distributing underperforming capital to shareholders). Firms that
adopt RI incentive plans also exhibit increased residual income, confirming the adage that you get
what you measure and reward. These findings support a pre-condition for shareholder wealth
creation by confirming that managers respond to residual income-based incentives.