Carrot and stick is a term (idiom) used to refer to the act of simultaneously rewarding good behaviour while punishing bad behaviour. For example, if a worker is slacking off using a company provided privilege or asset, the company may give the worker something similar (usually allowance of use or a certain discount) at home while restricting his access to the privilege at work. Effectiveness generally varies per worker. This usage of the term is sometimes attributed to Winston Churchill, although the earliest citation recorded by the Oxford English Dictionary is to The Economist magazine in 1948. An idiom is an expression (i. ... Look up company in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... A privilege—etymologically private law or law relating to a specific individual—is an honour, or permissive activity granted by another person or a government. ... In business and accounting an asset is anything owned which can produce future economic benefit, whether in possession or by right to take possession, by a person or a group acting together, e. ... The Oxford English Dictionary print set The Oxford English Dictionary (OED) is a dictionary published by the Oxford University Press (OUP), and is generally regarded as the most comprehensive and scholarly dictionary of the English language. ... The Economist is a weekly news and international affairs publication of The Economist Newspaper Ltd edited in London, UK. It has been in continuous publication since September 1843. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The image which spawns the metaphor is a carrot hanging from a stick in front of a mule or other pack animal, which causes the animal to move toward the carrot and therefore move the load.