Most companies offer only about half of their earnings to stockholders as dividends. They often put the rest of their profits back into the operation of the business. A major motivation of executives is to expand their operations faster than their competitors. The important point, however, is that without profit over the long term no firm can survive. For growing firms in competitive markets a major indicator of executive competence is the ability to raise company earnings by increasing sales or productivity. This principle distinguishes the field of business from other fields.