Exhibit 10(j)

               THE BLACK & DECKER EXECUTIVE ANNUAL INCENTIVE PLAN



 1.      Purpose

         The  purpose  of  The  Black  &  Decker  Corporation  Executive  Annual
         Incentive  Plan  is to make a part of the  annual  compensation  of the
         Corporation's  officers dependent on the Corporation's  performance and
         to provide rewards for performance as a competitive  incentive to their
         efforts on the Corporation's  behalf, and thus to enhance and reinforce
         the  Corporation's  ability to achieve its  business  goals.  It is the
         intention of the Board of Directors of the  Corporation in adopting the
         Plan that amounts  paid to  Participants  under the Plan be  "qualified
         performance-based compensation" within the meaning of Section 162(m) of
         the Code and the Section 162(m) Regulations.

 2.      Definitions

         Whenever used for purposes of the Plan,  the  following  terms have the
         meanings defined below,  and when the defined meaning is intended,  the
         term is capitalized:

         (a)      "Award" means a grant to a Participant of incentive
                  compensation under the Plan.

         (b)      "CEO" means the Chief Executive Officer of the
                  Corporation.

         (c)      "Code" means the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as
                  amended from time to time.

         (d)      "Committee"  means the Organization  Committee of the Board of
                  Directors  of  the   Corporation,   or  any  other   committee
                  consisting solely of two or more "outside  directors"  (within
                  the meaning of the Section 162(m)  Regulations)  designated as
                  such by the Board of Directors of the Corporation.

         (e)      "Corporation" means The Black & Decker Corporation.

         (f)      "Maximum   Participant   Award"  means,   with  respect  to  a
                  particular  Participant,  the  maximum  Award  payable to such
                  Participant  as  determined  in  accordance  with Section 6(c)
                  under the Plan.

         (g)      "Participant" means an employee who is an officer of the
                  Corporation who has been designated to participate in the
                  Plan.

         (h)      "Performance Period" means the fiscal year in respect of
                  which an Award is to be paid under the Plan.

         (i)      "Plan"  means The Black & Decker  Executive  Annual  Incentive
                  Plan, as amended from time to time.

         (j)      "Section  162(m)  Regulations"  mean the  regulations  adopted
                  pursuant to Section  162(m) of the Code,  as amended from time
                  to time.

         (k)      "Subsidiary"  means any  domestic or foreign  corporation,  at
                  least 50% of the  outstanding  voting stock or voting power of
                  which is beneficially  owned,  directly or indirectly,  by the
                  Corporation.

 3.      Administration

         (a)      The Committee shall determine who shall be a Participant,
                  the applicable performance goals for each Performance
                  Period and the amount of any Awards paid under the Plan,
                  shall construe, interpret and administer the Plan, and
                  shall adopt such rules and regulations and take such
                  other action as it deems appropriate.  All decisions by
                  the Committee shall be final, conclusive and binding on
                  the Corporation and each Participant, former Participant,
                  beneficiary and every other interested person.  The
                  Committee may condition participation in the Plan by an
                  employee upon the employee agreeing to certain terms and
                  conditions of employment (including, without limitation,
                  noncompete, confidentiality or similar provisions).
                  Prior to the payment of any Awards under the Plan the
                  Committee shall certify, in accordance with the Section
                  162(m) Regulations, that the performance goals in respect
                  of the applicable Performance Period have been satisfied.
                  The Committee will report annually to the Board of
                  Directors of the Corporation all action taken under the
                  Plan, including Awards paid.

         (b)      Within 90 days of the beginning of each Performance
                  Period (or, if earlier, before 25% of the period of
                  service to which the performance goals relate has
                  elapsed), the Committee shall establish or approve
                  performance goals for the Performance Period.  The
                  performance goals established by the Committee shall be
                  stated in terms of an objective formula or standard and
                  shall be based on one of, or a combination of, the
                  following factors:  the market price of the Corporation's
                  Common Stock at the close of business on the last
                  business day of the Performance Period, increases in the
                  market price of the Corporation's Common Stock during the
                  Performance Period, the earnings for the Performance
                  Period (either before taxes, before interest and taxes,
                  before depreciation, amortization, interest and taxes, or
                  after all of the foregoing), the earnings per share for
                  the Performance Period, or, as to the Corporation or any
                  business unit thereof, the return on equity or net assets
                  for the Performance Period, the gross margin or cost of
                  goods sold for the Performance Period,  or the cash flow from
                  operations or free cash flow for the Performance Period.

         (c)      The Committee shall administer the Plan in a manner consistent
                  with  the  terms  and   conditions   of  the  Section   162(m)
                  Regulations  to  enable  Awards  paid  under  the  Plan  to be
                  "qualified performance-based  compensation" within the meaning
                  of  Section   162(m)  of  the  Code  and  the  Section  162(m)
                  Regulations.

 4.      Participation

         (a)      Participation in the Plan shall be limited to selected
                  officers of the Corporation who the Committee has
                  determined have a significant influence on the
                  Corporation's annual corporate performance.  The
                  selection of Participants shall be made by the Committee
                  within 90 days of the beginning of a Performance Period
                  (or, if earlier, before 25% of the period of service to
                  which the performance goals relate has elapsed) and
                  communicated to the Participants as soon thereafter as
                  practicable.

         (b)      At any time  during a  Performance  Period the  Committee  may
                  designate   new   Participants   or   remove   officers   from
                  participation,   in  its   sole   discretion.   An   officer's
                  participation in the Plan in any prior year or years shall not
                  give  the  officer  the  right  to  be a  Participant  in  any
                  subsequent year.

 5.      Awards

         (a)      At the end of each Performance  Period, the CEO shall submit a
                  written report to the Committee  describing the performance of
                  the Corporation (or, if applicable,  a business unit) relative
                  to  those  performance  goals  previously  established  by the
                  Committee for the Performance Period.

         (b)      Awards  shall  be  made  annually  in   accordance   with  the
                  respective   performance   against   the   performance   goals
                  established  by the Committee for the  respective  Performance
                  Period.

         (c)      The decision to pay or not to pay an Award and the amount
                  of the Award to be paid shall be made by the Committee
                  based on the performance goals established in respect of
                  the applicable Performance Period and in accordance with
                  the Section 162(m) Regulations.  Under no circumstances
                  may the Committee make an Award to a Participant that
                  exceeds the applicable Maximum Participant Award for the
                  respective Performance Period.  The Committee in its sole
                  discretion may reduce the amount of any Award paid to a
                  Participant below the amount of the Award that otherwise would
                  be  payable  to  the  Participant   upon  application  of  the
                  performance goals for the applicable Performance Period or may
                  decide  not to pay an Award  when  performance  goals  for the
                  applicable Performance Periods have been satisfied,  but under
                  no circumstances may the Committee  increase the amount of any
                  Award that otherwise would be payable to the Participant  upon
                  application  of  the  performance  goals  for  the  applicable
                  Performance Period.

         (d)      With  respect to each  Participant,  the  Maximum  Participant
                  Award for a  Performance  Period shall be equal to 200% of his
                  or  her  annual  base   salary  on  the  date  the   Committee
                  establishes   the   performance   goals  for  the   applicable
                  Performance Period.  Notwithstanding  the foregoing,  under no
                  circumstances  may  the  Maximum  Participant  Award  for  any
                  Performance Period exceed $4 million.

 6.      Payment of Awards

         (a)      Awards shall be paid as soon as practicable after the end of a
                  Performance Period,  after audited results for the Performance
                  Period are  available,  and after the  Committee has certified
                  that the applicable performance goals have been satisfied.

         (b)      Awards shall be paid in cash and shall be paid in the currency
                  in which each Participant's base salary is paid.

 7.      Termination of Employment

         If before an Award is actually paid to a Participant  with respect to a
         Performance  Period the Participant  ceases to be a regular,  full-time
         employee of the  Corporation  or any of its  Subsidiaries  for a reason
         other than retirement with a right to an immediate  retirement benefit,
         the  Participant's  eligibility  under the Plan shall  terminate and no
         Award will be made. If a Participant's  employment terminates at a time
         when the  Participant  has a right to receive an  immediate  retirement
         benefit from the Corporation or any of its Subsidiaries,  the Committee
         may make such Award as it deems  appropriate  under the  circumstances;
         provided,  however,  that the  Award  shall  not  exceed  the Award the
         Participant would have been entitled to receive upon application of the
         performance  goals  for  the  applicable   Performance  Period  if  the
         Participant had been employed for the entire Performance Period times a
         fraction  the  numerator  of which  shall  equal the number of days the
         Participant was employed by the Corporation and its Subsidiaries during
         the  Performance  Period and the  denominator  of which shall equal the
         number of days in the Performance Period.

 8.      Claim to Awards and Employment Rights

         No officer or other  person shall have any claim or right to be granted
         an  Award  under  the  Plan.  Neither  the Plan  nor any  action  taken
         hereunder  shall be  construed  as giving  any  person  any right to be
         retained in the employ of the  Corporation or a Subsidiary or affecting
         the right of the  Corporation  and its  Subsidiaries  to terminate  the
         employment  of any  person  at any  time,  for any  reason  and with or
         without notice.

 9.      Tax Withholding

         The Corporation or a Subsidiary,  as appropriate,  shall have the right
         to deduct from all Award payments for any Federal, State or local taxes
         or other similar  payments  required by law to be withheld with respect
         to such payments.

10.      Expenses of Plan

         The  expenses  of  administering   the  Plan  shall  be  borne  by  the
         Corporation and its Subsidiaries.

11.      Amendment and Termination

         The Corporation may, in its discretion, terminate, amend or modify this
         Plan at any time and from time to time.

12.      Effective Date of the Plan

         The Plan shall be  effective as of January 1, 1996,  provided  that the
         Plan is approved by the  stockholders  of the  Corporation  at the 1996
         Annual Meeting of Stockholders or any adjournment thereof. In the event
         the Plan is not approved by the  stockholders of the Corporation at the
         1996 Annual Meeting of  Stockholders or any  adjournment  thereof,  the
         Plan shall  terminate  and be of no force and  effect  and no  benefits
         shall be payable hereunder.