Table:
| Years ended August 31, | 2019 | 2018 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Outstanding, beginning of the year | 133,181 | 115,207 |
| Granted (1) | 45,800 | 65,525 |
| Performance-based additional units granted | 200 | 2,639 |
| Distributed | (43,319) | (41,441) |
| Cancelled | (31,889) | (12,184) |
| Dividend equivalents | 3,578 | 3,435 |
| Outstanding, end of the year | 107,551 | 133,181 |
Paragraphs:
PSU plan
The Corporation also offers a Performance Share Unit ("PSU") Plan for the benefit of its executive officers and designated employees. The objectives of the PSU Plan are to retain executive officers and designated employees, to align their interests with those of the shareholders and to sustain positive corporate performance, as measured by an economic value creation formula, a performance measure used by management.
The number of PSUs is based on the dollar value of the award and the average closing stock price of the Corporation for the previous twelve month period ending August 31. The PSUs vest over a three-year less one day period, based on the level of increase in the economic value of the Corporation or the relevant subsidiary for the preceding three-year period ending August 31, meaning that no vesting will occur if there is no increase in the economic value.
The participants are entitled to receive dividend equivalents in the form of additional PSUs but only with respect to vested PSUs. PSUs are redeemable in case of death, permanent disability, normal retirement or termination of employment not for cause, in which cases, the holder of PSUs is entitled to payment of the PSUs in proportion to the time of employment from the date of the grant to the date of termination versus the three-year less one day vesting period.
A trust was created for the purpose of purchasing these shares on the stock market in order to protect against stock price fluctuation and the Corporation instructed the trustee to purchase subordinate voting shares of the Corporation on the stock market. These shares are purchased and are held in trust for the participants until they are fully vested. The trust, considered as a special purpose entity, is consolidated in the Corporation’s financial statements with the value of the acquired subordinate voting shares held in trust under the PSU Plan presented in reduction of share capital.
Under the PSU Plan, the following PSUs were granted by the Corporation and are outstanding at August 31: Years ended August 31, 2019
(1) For the year ended August 31, 2019, the Corporation granted 14,625 (19,025 in 2018) PSUs to Cogeco's executive officers as executive officers of the Corporation.
A compensation expense of $1,400,000 ($2,198,000 in 2018) was recorded for the year ended August 31, 2019 related to this plan.
Question:
What are the objectives of the PSU plans?
Answer: The objectives of the PSU Plan are to retain executive officers and designated employees, to align their interests with those of the shareholders and to sustain positive corporate performance, as measured by an economic value creation formula, a performance measure used by management.