Sir Christopher Gent may be a great CEO, but he's not worth eight million options.
Philippe Haspeslagh took over last year at Vlerick Leuven Gent Management School in Belgium.
And Mr Gent certainly does not deserve such generosity on the basis of the Mannesmann deal alone.
More damaging still are reports of tactless comments by Chris Gent, Vodafone's boss, over the Christmas break.
About as much as an enigmatic Japanese gent with a Jack Russell terrier has to do with Nissan.
Like a tuxedoed gent with a blackjack in his vest pocket, the wallop is here when you need it.
If this deal leads to Vodafone acquiring both Vivendi and Mannesmann, Mr Gent will probably judge it good value.
Gent, the CEO of Vodafone, was blocked by Vivendi from a controlling stake in Cegetel, France's No. 2 telecom.
Mr Gent is being rewarded for spending money, rather than for making it.
Christian Bale is the placid Bruce Wayne, a swank gent in Armani suits.
Even if Mr Gent does deserve some financial pats on the back for his trouble, the one he has got is poorly structured.
We've been ahead of the pack before in choosing Chris Gent of Vodafone and Jean-Martin Folz of Peugeot as top executives of the year.
Mr Gent's bonus also implies that mergers deserve special rewards that do not apply to other decisions, such as internal reorganisation or organic growth.
The danger is that Mr Gent's type of bonus will catch on, encouraging other managers to do deals irrespective of whether they create value for shareholders.
As the story goes, a lucky gent ordered a Samsung Nexus S on eBay and, upon its arrival, noticed that his new prized possession looked a little... different.
ENGADGET: Ice Cream Sandwich gets a two-minute tour, courtesy of a lucky eBay shopper (video)
Mr Esser won better terms for his shareholders than Mr Gent did for his: Mannesmann makes up almost half of the new company despite having been the smaller of the two firms.
With Terrence Howard as a saddened, philosophical street operator named Harvey Boarden, a gent who barely survives in the urban muck, and Zulay Henao as the vulnerable young single mother the hero falls for.
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