Week Three Team “C” Business Equal Pay Paper
RES/351
October 12, 2013
Instructor: Fredrick Ohanesian

Business Equal Pay Paper
Many years in the pass, it has always been known that the pay scales or opportunity for men and women have been unequal in favor of men. There have been many reasons for the indifferences but none of them have been proven to be true. It is only now that it has become an issue for business due to the government regulations have now made it an ethical issue that has to be addressed or a business can be fined or shutdown if found not to be within the government standards. So the research question then becomes why management or companies continue to try to justify the need not to be regulated when it continues to be a problem within many organizations.
Based on the history of this nation it was determined back in the 60’s that there were evidence that pay and benefits differences for women in similar jobs was not equal. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 and reinforced later with the Lilly Ledbetter Act of 2009 which has given the government the tools to address the problems for businesses for now and the future. It stated that if male or female or in a similar job with the same set of skills required to perform it the pay and benefits must be the same. If there is evidence of sex based wage discrimination within the same company or organization the employee or government can open an investigation to see if any equal opportunity laws have been violated. Once it has been proven the company or establishment will be fined and order to pay all back pay the differences in pay and compensation.
The next question to be answered is why try to pay different scales. The educated guess as to why business sometimes get this so wrong? Maybe because they sometimes just choice not to follow the laws, based on maybe one or two people in a position to do this. Secondly, it is just that people are told not to disgust there pay or benefits with follow employees which works until someone see a document or a rumor starts about the pay scale or certain employees who do similar jobs. This is sometimes controlled with certain company policies to not disgust pay between employees are there could be treats made against a person job. If the company is following the laws they are required to post the salary scales for certain job positions and that creates the transparency that is needed to ensure that equal pay for equal work policies are being upheld with in a company or organization.
The two main variables that are measured within the equal pay and opportunity laws is discrimination and compensation. These are both to be considered as ethical and professional standards of controversy. This law applies to all claims of discriminatory compensation regarding a gender pay gap of women’s equality. The Lilly Ledbetter Act has had a massive impact on equal right for the future of Americans. Although there are many factors that are well-thought out before deciding discrimination has occurred in the work place. Some people believe occupational segregation happens every day that men dominate certain jobs and women dominate others. And when a woman wants to be employed in a male dominating job, can she do the job just as well and should she receive the same pay? Many people are bias toward gender equality and stereotype certain occupations.
Countless variables are used to determine whether or not discrimination has ever occurred. Respectable decisions are based on proper research for a solution to appease all parties involved in a discrimination case. There needs to be a measurement of questions in attempt to construct validity.
The ethical considerations that are taken into account Under the Lilly Ledbetter Act are what is currently socially accepted and what is not. Equal rights and opportunities have been a main focus as the nation evolves and progresses.
“Researchers often work independently and have significant latitude in designing and executing projects a research design that includes safeguards against causing mental or physical harm to participants and makes data integrity a first priority should be highly valued. Ethical issues in research reflect important moral concerns about the practice of responsible behavior in society.
Researchers frequently find themselves precariously balancing the rights of their subjects against the scientific dictates of their chosen method. When this occurs, they have a responsibility to guard the welfare of the participants in the studies and also the organizations to which they belong, their clients, their colleagues, and themselves. Careful consideration must be given to those research situations in which there is a possibility for physical or psychological harm, exploitation, invasion of privacy, and/or loss of dignity. The research need must be weighed against the potential for these adverse effects” p. 14 (The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2011).
In conclusion, there is a well-defined process to solving research questions in business. The steps include first having a defined questions, than forming a hypotheses or model, consider the variables and last take ethics into account while conducting the research. Once all the steps are completed it should give management the options to make an informed decision.

Reference List
Cooper, D., Schindler, P. (2011). Business Research Methods (11th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Retrieved on October 8, 2013, University of Phoenix website.
The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. 2011 retrieved from: Business Research Methods 11e Entire eBook.
US Department of Equal Opportunity Commission. Equal Pay Compensation. Webpage. (2013). http://www.eeoc.gov/laws/types/equalcompensation.cfm.
National Women Law Center. Equal Pay & Wage Gap. Webpage. (2013). http://www.nwlc.org/our-issues/employment/equal-pay-and-the-wage-gap.