Compensations and Benefits Essay

Introduction When creating a benefit package for their organization, managers must take into consideration an array of conditions that will affect both the organization and the personnel it employs. These conditions range from external factors such as laws mandated by both local and federal agencies to internal factors such as administrative requirements, cost that stem from purchasing and maintaining equipment and employee incentives. By the end of this paper, I will explain the essential role each of these factors play in the establishment of an organization’s benefit package. External Factors One of the biggest, if not the largest, challenge an organization faces when seeking to recruit the best qualified personnel in hopes of building a workforce whose loyalty keeps them from seeking employment elsewhere is to design a benefit’s package that will adhere to all lawful mandates and is perceived as being fair by all employees. As noted by the author or our text, â€Å"companies establish strategic benefit plans on the interpretation of pertinent information in the external and internal environments. †(Martoccio, 2011, p. 19) Lawful mandates, or external factors, are important because failure to follow them will result in stiff penalties for the organization. Federal laws such as the Equal Pay Act of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Social Security Act and the Federal Unemployment Act were designed to ensure employees received fair treatment from employers. The Equal Pay Act (EPA) of 1963 and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 were designed to prevent employers from discriminating against potential employees. â€Å"The EPA was specifically enacted to end gender discrimination in pay†¦the Civil Rights Act of 1964†¦makes it an unlawful employment practice for an employer to discriminate against any individual†¦because of race, color, religion, sex or national origin. † (Greenlaw & Kohl, 1994, p. 240) Two additional external factors to be taken into consideration or the Social Security Act (SSA) and the Federal Unemployment Act (FUA), both were designed to help personnel after they have been hired by an organization. The SSA provides that added security of an income to an employee upon retirement or in the event of being disabled and financial assistance to dependent survivors of a deceased employee. The FUA provides financial security to an employee who was released from his or her job due to no fault of their own. Having knowledge of these laws and being able to incorporate specifics within their benefits package will prove to be cost effective to any employer. Internal Factors While external factors are important, internal factors are just as important when designing a benefit plan for an organization. When implementing a benefit plan, managers must take into consideration any internal factors that might affect the organization administratively. Examples of administrative cost are establishing the pay structure within the organization, conducting wage surveys and implementing the wage structure for positions within the organization. According to Mr. Von Yeast, few people take into consideration the importance of administrative cost. â€Å"I have been in groups of experienced and knowledgeable administrators who give blank stares and refuse to comment on administrative cost. † (Von Yeast, 1994, p. 26) Another small, yet important internal factor that affects an organization’s benefit package are costs associated with purchasing, maintaining and eventually replacing equipment. The last internal factor I will use to support my claim that both external and internal factors must be taken into consideration when creating a benefit packet is the most important one to me and that is employee incentives. Employers that place high value on those with whom they employ stand a better chance of developing a loyal workforce who has a vested interest in the function of the company. The founders of Costo Wholesale Warehouse built their empire on this way of thinking. It’s â€Å"co-founder Jim Sinegal has told MMR in the past that the company’s generosity regarding worker pay and benefits is not just the right thing to do but also produces dividends that benefit the business. † (Costco, 2012, pg 20) Placing the needs of its employees first, hiring from within, and tuition re-imbursement are just a few of the benefits Costco offers its employees and as a result it has survived one of our nation’s worse economic crisis. Research has shown that Costco’s employee turn-over is minimal and customer satisfaction is up as a result of employees who have a vested interest in the organization. Although I believe Costco’s founder’s understood the value of people, they did not come to this conclusion on half-heartedly. Much thought and consideration must be taken when deciding what benefits should be included within a package. Conclusion Providing additional incentives such as educational benefits, health, dental, vision and life insurance along with paid vacation is beneficial to the organization as well as the employee. With hope, the employer will be happy because they would have hired a more educated worker who is skilled in his or her profession resulting in more productivity and the employee will perform better because of the promise of better job security and benefits that protect them and their families. In short a good benefit plan, that takes into consideration both external and internal factors will result in better productivity. Reference Costco Policy of Treating Workers Well Pays Off. (2012). MMR, 29(3), 20. Greenlaw, P. S. ; Kohl, J. P. (1994). Thirty Years of Civil Rights: The EPA/Title VII Sex-Based Wage Discrimination Controversy. Labor Law Journal, 45(4), 240. Martoccio, J. (2011). Employee benefits: A primer for human resource professionals.

Lester B Pearson and the Suez Canal

Canada had many Prime Ministers, some very good and some not so good. Among these members of parliament, there was Lester Bowles Pearson. A Torontonian man who had made many important decisions in the Suez Canal Crisis. Lester B Pearson prevented another world war from occurring with the decisions he made during the Suez Canal Crisis. Pearson prevented the war from occurring by his overall personality, his achievements before the Suez Crisis, and him forming the United Nation Peacekeeping Force. His overall personality helped him mentally prepare for and keep him calm during the Suez Canal Crisis. Pearson had a deep personal reserve that people found difficult to penetrate (Bothwell). It would be hard to persuade him into doing something that he didn’t want to do, in this case anything that might cause a war. Pearson was the most gregarious of men, quick to lighten serious moments with self-deprecating humor and breaking frequently into an irresistible smile (Granatsien and Hillmer). When the Suez Crisis preparation got out of control, all Pearson did was tell a joke or even smile to change the moods of everyone. â€Å"Politics is the skill use of a blunt object. † In his quote Pearson says, to be a politician it takes skill. Pearson’s personality and skill helped him stay calm and relaxed upon making decisions during the Suez Canal Crisis, which in turn helped him think up of the United Nations Emergency Force. Pearson’s achievements before the Suez crisis helped him make decisions toward the Suez Crisis. He helped in stopping the Korean War (Bothwell). Pearson’s dislike of war is shown in the quote, â€Å"the grim fact is that we prepare for war like precautious giants, and for peace like retarded pygmies. † He served on a United Nation commission that helped draw up the plan to cease fire in the Korean War. This gave him experience in handling orld issues. Before he dealt with the UN organization he was involved with the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO (Granatstien and Hillmer). Fearful of the soviet but still skeptical of the American, Pearson contributed patience, tolerance, flexibility, and a sense of preparation to the formation of the NATO (Granatstien and Hill mer). Pearson joined the army in 1915 and served in WWI (Waite. ) He says, â€Å"As a soldier, I survived World War I when most of my comrades did not. † Serving as a soldier taught him how horrible war is, and how if the Suez Canal Crisis turned into a war, man lives would be lost. All of these little problems helped Pearson prepare for the Suez Crisis. Lester B Pearson created the UNEF in 1956, which prevented another world war from occurring. When the Suez Crisis erupted Pearson knew something was going to happen. He immediately started to propose the idea of the UN Peacekeeping Force, UNEF (Antony). When he was going through all the preparation to make this force he says, â€Å"As for promotion of peace congresses we have had out meetings and assemblies, but the promotion through them of the determined and effective will to peace displaying itself in action and policy remains to be achieved. He wanted to convert British and French invading soldiers into peacekeepers at first but then decided to make the UNEF out of the volunteered Canadians. When the Suez Crisis was being debated in the Security Council, Pearson couldn’t do anything because Canada lacked a permanent seat (Antony). Since Canada lacked a seat in the debate, Pearson couldn’t add his input to the situation. He worked closely with all his parties across all division and put together a coalition of support over sleepless days and nights (Antony). In the early hours of November 4th, 1956 the General Assembly overwhelming, supports Pearson’s proposal for the world’s first peacekeeping force. Bowing to the international pressure and the arrival of UNEF, British and French forces complete their withdrawal from Egypt by the end of 1956. Pearson is praised at the UN for his brilliant his brilliant efforts but he is condemned by some at home for betraying the motherland. Even though he was condemned and he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in October 1957. His overall personality and skill, his achievements before the Suez Canal Crisis, and the creation of the United Nation Peacekeeping Force were only three of many reasons that helped Lester B Pearson prevent another world war from occurring during the Suez Canal Crisis. The world today would have been different if the Suez Crisis had started a world war, if what happened in World War II where the atomic bombs were dropped in Japan was to of happened because of the Suez Canal Crisis there would be many different effects on the life that is being lived today.

Benefit Design Report Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Benefit Design Report - Assignment Example The new benefit design will adhere to all legal law constraints governing pay systems such as overtime pay. The common overtime issues to be compensated include compensatory time off, training time, travel time, and non-exempts incentives. In order to ensure fair incentives for performance, the company will be using variable pay system. This means compensation linked to team/group, individual, and organizational performance. Variable pay system will ensure fair compensation because some employees show good working efforts, which are highly productive than others. Therefore, better performing workers should be compensated more. Additionally total compensation need to be linked directly to results and performance. Lastly, certain jobs contribute a lot to the corporation than others and need higher compensation rate. The benefit design avoids use of team/group benefits compensation because rewarding employees in equal rates seems to be â€Å"unfair† since there are employees who work harder or carry out difficult jobs than others. Also team/group members may not be willing to accept co-workers’ incentive decisions. Moreover, most employees expect to receive benefits as per individual

What causes gas prices to fluctuate Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

What causes gas prices to fluctuate - Assignment Example f gas in many industries, there are a myriad of reasons that could be attributed to the constant changes in the price of gas, and the lack of price stability on the commodity (Diewert, Greenlees & Hulten, 2010). This research will seek to explore the fundamental reasons that drive the fluctuation of gas prices. The research will be a descriptive study that will be seeking to provide answers to various questions raised in relation to the problem of fluctuating gas prices. The study will involve collection of information concerning the current state of the problem in seeking to determine the factors that have driven the observed phenomenon of price fluctuation (Creswell, 2009). Although the research might not be able to provide conclusive answers, it will be able to present some of the key elements that could be associated with causing the price fluctuations. The study will be able to yield rich data that can be relied on by policy makers in establishing solutions to the problem. The sources of data will include economic journals and other academic materials providing explanations to causes of price changes. A survey of the industry will also provide information about the operational factors within the industry that could be causing price fluctuations. The collected data will be analyzed using STATA, which is a software that facilitates replicable analysis. Qualitative data analysis approaches will be employed to initially analyze the data collected from the various sources (Tracy, 2013). Logical analysis through inductive reasoning will be utilized in seeking to stratify the data before it can be analyzed using the STATA software. The initial analysis will be able to group the collected data into different categories in order to determine the factors that have been identified from the data collection. The stratification will be used to initially identify the factors that have caused the fluctuations in prices of gas. The factors will further be classified

Food Culture or food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Food Culture or food - Essay Example There are people that say that Africa has the largest range of food. This is attributed to the fact that the continent has many rural areas where people carry out substantial farming to produce different foods, but they have not been able to make it available to the outside regions due to poor infrastructure. Egypt is one of the countries known to have a wide range of foods and most commonly known for a dish known as ful. Countries such as Morocco have a reputation for dishes such as Couscous (Albala 27). This type of food is served with vegetables and to add flavor an individual can add meat to the mixture. Kenya is another country in the African continent that amazes many people. This is because restaurants in the country know how to mix the dishes such that they can get a combination that can leave the visitors wishing to get some more. In a country such as Botswana, sorghum and millet is one combination that has led to the vast acknowledgment of the country’s porridge. How ever, if you compare the Biltong in South America that is their staple meat shows a kind of superiority in South American culture and their cuisine. A continent such as North America is one that is argued to have the least number of dishes, and the reason is the fact that the continent only has three countries and thus limits the number of dishes that the continent can produce. Moreover, it is argued that most of the dishes present in the country are imported and that for the people that cook these meals they have the meals got from different regions in the world and get to mature or rather grow the food with adjusted environments given the continent’s advancement in technology (Albala 32). For example, Corn is one of the most recognized meals in the United States. Researchers have argued that the growth of corn is an aspect that came from Africa and particularly from countries that grow maize. The

Finding Home in Food Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Finding Home in Food - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that since his teenage years, Western food has been a source of great attraction and enjoyment to the author. Fast food like burger and pizza had become his favorite since his teenage days. Eating pizza was one of the most pleasurable activities in his young days. The researcher has remembered going to a pizza joint near his school every weekend. Although it was not considered good by his family to have fast food, he used to love it. The author was discouraged from going to these joints. However, he used to manage going there with his friends on weekends. The researcher’s memories are filled with the fun and enjoyment that he has had while going to the fast food joints. He loved the cheese, different toppings and the starters that were all made in a Western way. Going to pizza joints made him feel that he was ‘modern’ in his outlook. For the author, eating fast food was like being a part of the ‘developed’ w orld. He used to look forward to going to pizza joints and enjoy the pizzas. So when the researcher got a chance to travel to the United States, he thought that he was going to have the greatest time in his life. The author knew that it is the country where burgers and pizzas are found in great varieties and sizes. Moreover, there was no one to stop him from having it. So he thought that his time in the USA will be filled with great entertainment and fun. The author thought that he will not miss his home much. However, his journey to the United States proved his thinking completely wrong.... I had thought that fast food is one thing that I cannot live without. Soon I realized that I was wrong. By the fifth day, I started remembering home food. My mind started dwelling on home made food and beverages. On that day, I told my friends that I will order the pizza. I took the number for nearby pizza joint and called them. I went outside my room to avoid my friends from listening to me. When I became sure that no one was listening, I asked the guy on the other end, â€Å"Do you have pizzas with Asian toppings?† The customer care guy gave a long â€Å"mmmmmmm† and said â€Å"No sir, we don’t.† I was quite disappointed and ordered the usual pizza. By this time, i.e. in just five to six days from the time I arrived, I had lost my enthusiasm towards fast food. I was craving for spices and variety in food. Even then I thought that maybe I am feeling home sick and hence, missing the food. I thought that if I have just one dish of Asian food, I will go back to the fast food with the same enthusiasm. However, my heart was saying something else. Fortunately, the confusion between the mind and the heart was cleared very soon. The next day, one of my distant relatives came to visit me. She brought a big Tiffin box full of Biryani, an Asian dish made of rice, chicken and spices, for me and my friends. She said she thought that home made food will make me feel at home. I said it is nothing like that, and that I am quite used to the Western food. My friends coughed to hide their laughter. After all, there was no strength in my statement. They had realized that I was craving for home made food now. However, as I did not want to lose the challenge, I tried my best to hide the truth.

Selling in Uk Principles and Aspects Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Selling in Uk Principles and Aspects - Essay Example Whatever might be the channel to market, in UK commerce, purchasers have the right to return defective goods for full refund. Besides, if sale is done via direct selling channel, the consumer has cancellation right, irrespective of the goods being defective or not; these rights occur by the virtue of laws relating to relative channel. The UK consumer in direct selling industry has improved rights, if the seller is a part of Direct Selling Association. UK law concerned with direct selling also provides the direct retailer consumer protection rights to terminate the agreement at the start, or to stop it at any time on notice.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ Consumers should get clear information about of the aspects involves in purchase before they decided to purchase anything. These include the seller’s name, the price of the product extra delivery charges and VAT.†¢ To cancel the order within seven days following the receipt of goods and to get back the money even if the consumer has to compe nsate for the return of goods. If the sellers realize later on that they can’t deliver within the time, they must inform the customers earlier to cancel the order or to get refund.  Ã¢â‚¬ ¢ To ensure safety from fraudulent activities when customers pay by credit or debit card which leads to breach payment for no fault of the customer, the card provider should refund all the money to the customers’ account. Unlike in High Street purchase the customer can complain to the Advertising Standards Authority. if anything is seen fraud in the site. The Distance Selling Regulations guard the customers from the deceitful use of customer’s payment card in purchase over internet. The customer’s account should be re-credited with full amount, if any debit is made by the fraudster. Q. 2) The role of Trading Standards in enforcing legislation in the UK The Trading Standards Institute in UK is a professional body, intended for trading with standard professionals working in public and private sectors. Trading Standards Services implement legislations in safeguarding