ABSTRACT
Employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs) are designed to distribute the ownership of a corporation into the hands of employees. There are estimated to be more than 10,000 ESOPs in the U.S., involving more than 10 million employees. ESOPs grew largely from the observation that having a stake in ownership of a company serves as a strong motivator for the employees. Why are employees motivated by ESOPs? An employee with an average income may be able to acquire hundreds of thousands of dollars in stock!
