Coursework- Human Resources Management
UNIT 5 QUESTIONS Chapter 15-18
Below you will see the questions for each chapter within Unit 5. You will see a summary for each chapter along with the questions on this paper. I have also attached to the portal for my request each of the chapters to help out. If you have any questions, please give me a call. Thank you so very much for all your help!
If on the paper you do not type the questions out. On the format of the paper just have
Chapter 15
Q1 (then type your answer)
Q2 (then type your answer)
Chapter 16
Q1 (then type your answer)
This has save on paper space.
Unit 5 Questions
Chapter 15: Union Role in Salary and Wage Administration
Review Questions 2, 3, and 4, page 547
Below is a summary, then you will find the questions that need to be answered.
Summary
Other countries continue to make inroads in product areas traditionally the sole domain of American companies. The impact of this increased competition has been most pronounced in the compensation area. Labor costs must be cut to improve our competitive stance. Alternative compensation systems to achieve this end are regularly being devised. Unions face a difficult situation. How should they respond to these attacks on traditional compensation systems? Many unions believe that the crisis demands changing attitudes from both management and unions. Labor and management identify compensation packages that both parties can abide. Sometimes these packages include cuts in traditional forms of wages in exchange for compensation tied more closely to the success of the firm. We expect the beginning of the 21st century to be dominated by more innovation in compensation design and increased exploration between unions and management for ways to improve the competitive stance of American business
2. Why don’t many public sector unions have the right to strike, a weapon almost universally guaranteed in the private sector? Make your explanation based on compensation.
3. If merit pay is supposed to increase individual equity and unions are very concerned about equity, why do unions frequently oppose merit pay for their membership?
4. It is probably true that, if given a choice, unions would prefer to implement a skill-based pay system rather than some form of gain-sharing plan. Why?
Chapter 16: International Pay Systems
Review Questions 2 and 4, page 597
Below is a summary, then you will find the questions that need to be answered.
Summary
Studying employee compensation only in your neighborhood, city, or country is like being a horse with blinders. Removing the blinders by adopting an international perspective deepens your understanding of local issues. Anyone interested in compensation must adopt a worldwide perspective. The globalization of businesses, financial markets, trade agreements, and even labor markets is affecting every workplace and every employment relationship. And employee compensation, so central to the workplace, is embedded in the different political-socioeconomic arrangements found around the world. Examining employee compensation with the factors in the global pay model offers insights into managing total compensation internationally.
The basic premise of this book is that compensation systems have a profound impact on individual behavior, organization success, and social well-being. We believe this holds true within and across all national boundaries
2. Distinguish between nationwide and industrywide pay determination. How do they compare to a business strategy–market approach?
4. Distinguish between global workers, expatriates, local nationals, and third-country nationals
Chapter 17: Government and Legal Issues in Compensation
Review Questions 1, 2, and 3, page 655
Below is a summary, then you will find the questions that need to be answered.
Summary
Governments around the world play varying roles in the workplace. Legislation in any society reflects people’s expectations about the role of government. Beyond direct regulation, government affects compensation through policies and purchases that affect labor supply and demand.
In the United States, legislation reflects the changing nature of work and the workforce. In the 1930s, legislation was concerned with correcting the harsh conditions and arbitrary treatment facing employees, including children. In the 1960s, legislation turned to the issue of equal opportunity. Such legislation has had a profound impact on all of U.S. society. Nevertheless, more progress to eliminate
655
discrimination in the workplace, including pay discrimination, is required. Contemporary issues include treatment of the recent waves of immigrants. Recent attention has shifted to increasing the transparency of compensation for executives and accounting for stock options.
Pay discrimination laws require special attention for several reasons. First, these laws regulate the design and administration of pay systems. Second, the definition of pay discrimination and thus the approaches used to defend pay practices are in a state of flux, especially as employers increase their international operations. Many of the provisions of these laws simply require sound pay practices that should have been employed in the first place. Sound practices are those with three basic features:
1. They are work-related.
2. They are related to the mission of the enterprise.
3. They include an appeals process for employees who disagree with the results.
Achieving compliance with these laws rests in large measure on the shoulders of managers of compensation. It is their responsibility to ensure that the pay system is properly designed and managed.
The earnings gaps among various ethnic and racial groups for both women and men are attributable to many factors. The sources of the gender gap appear to center on differences in work/occupational attainment and work-life challenges. The sources for blacks and Hispanics center on differences in educational levels, work-related experience, occupational attainment, and qualifications. Discrimination, whether access or valuation, is another factor. Others include market forces, industry and employer differences, and union bargaining priorities. Compensation managers need to constantly monitor pay practices to be sure that they are complying with regulations and are not discriminatory.
Is all this detail on interpretation of pay discrimination really necessary? Yes. Without understanding the interpretation of pay discrimination legislation, compensation managers risk violating the law, exposing their employers to considerable liability and expense, and losing the confidence and respect of all employees when a few are forced to turn to the courts to gain nondiscriminatory treatment.
Review Questions
1. What is the nature of government’s role in compensation?
2. Explain why changes in minimum wage can affect higher-paid employees as well.
3. What is the difference between access discrimination and valuation discrimination?
Chapter 18: Management: Making it Work
Review Questions 1, 2, and 5, page 696
Below is a summary, then you will find the questions that need to be answered.
Summary
We have now completed the discussion of the pay management process. Management includes control: control of the way managers decide individual employees’ pay as well as control of overall costs of labor. As we noted, some controls are designed into the fabric of the pay system (embedded controls). The salary budgeting and forecasting processes impose additional controls. The formal budgeting process focuses on controlling labor costs and generating the financial plan for the pay system. The budget sets the limits within which the rest of the system operates.
We also noted that with the continuous change in organizations, compensation managers must understand how to manage change and be knowledgeable business partners. They are responsible for communicating information about pay in a way that treats employees fairly and honestly. The basic point is that pay systems are tools, and like any tools they need to be evaluated in terms of usefulness in achieving an organization’s objectives.
Review Questions
1. How can employers control labor costs?
2. How does the management of the pay system affect pay objectives?
5. What activities in managing the pay system are likely candidates to be outsourced? Why?
