Absent government regulations to guard against fraud, why might top managers deceive investors about the true financial condition of their firms? top managers might want to deceive investors about the true financial condition of their firms

Which of the following actions would be most likely to reduce potential conflicts of interest between stockholders and managers? a. change the corporation's formal documents to make it easier for outside investors to acquire a controlling interest in the firm through a hostile takeover. b. eliminate a requirement that members of the board of directors must hold a high percentage of their personal wealth in the firm's stock. c. for a firm that compensates managers with stock options, reduce the time before options are vested, i.e., the time before options can be exercised and the shares that are received can be sold. d. pay managers large cash salaries and give them no stock options. e. beef up the restrictive covenants in the firm's debt agreements.