The main reason that American executives are paid so much is: Pay is set by the Compensation Committee of the board, largely comprised of other CEOs who have an interest in pushing compensation up.
The mission of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is to: Protect shareholders rights by making sure that stock markets are run fairly. Reports filed with the SEC provide informational on the company's: Sales and earnings, depreciation by line of business, details of foreign operations. All of the above.