ASSIGNMENT 1 -
1. How do differing perspectives (society, managers and employees) affect the views of compensation? (11 marks)
Differing perspectives certainly do affect the view of compensation. Our textbook discusses in pages 2-5 (Milkovich et al) that society in general may "view pay as measure of justice" (pg. 2). The example used in our textbook refers to the pay gap between men and women in society. It is stated that the pay gap is narrowing but it still persists compared to various other OECD countries. Economists have concluded that various factors may have contributed to this gap. For example: human capital, demographic characteristics, and job characteristics. What this may mean is that "women are more likely to study health and education, whereas men are more likely to study engineering and other technology fields" (Mikovich et al, pg. 3) Women are also more willing than men to adjust their work location and hours in order to take care of young children and elderly parents, and to do most, if not all, of the "unpaid" housework. From the manager's point of view, compensation directly influences their success in two ways. According to Milkovich et al on page 4, it is a "major expense." Managers need to think of and be aware of both global and local competitive pressures when making compensation decisions. Moreover, managers need to either minimize or optimize pay in a way to influence employee behaviour and to improve organization performance. This is the second way that compensation influences their success. As Milkovich et al states "The amount and the way people are paid affects the quality of their work, their attitude toward customers, their willingness to be flexible or learn new skills or suggest innovations, and even their interest in unions or pursuing legal action against their employer" (pg. 4). For employees, compensation