Commpensation and Benefits Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Commpensation and Benefits - Essay Example Employees should be allowed to join unions while a security of tenure should be provided to all full-time employees. Proposed compensation and benefits of Wal-Mart Introduction Wal-Mart is one of the organizations among the largest employers in North America. Wal-Mart business operations have increased rapidly compared with similar organizations. Although Wal-Mart offers its employees with various benefits and compensations like â€Å"health plan benefits†, â€Å"profit sharing plans† and â€Å" stock purchase plan†, there are certain challenges facing the organization since compensation procedures have not addressed the numerous employee complains (Wal-Mart Watch, 2007). A recent case happened in Oklahoma in 2007 when employees complained of compensation policies that included â€Å"cutting hours† and not hiring the employees in designations where they have proved competent and skilled (Wal-Mart Watch, 2007). The employees also complained that a number of them had been fired without any apparent reason. The above reasons are just some of the challenges which Wal-Mart employees. The employees are currently unsatisfied thus lowering their work productivity in the organization. The management should establish compensation and benefit policies that maximize employee productivity and motivation in the organization (Wall Mart, 2008). ... Wal-Mart contributes 2 percent of all eligible Associate’s annual salary or wages to the 401 (k) Plan after a one year waiting periods. Wal-Mart also contributes about 2 percent of each eligible Associate’s wages to the profit sharing plan provided they have worked in the company for at least 12 months. In the stock purchase plan, the company contributes only 15 cents for each dollar of the company stock purchased by the employees through deductions in the payroll up to $ 1,800 of stock purchases in each plan year (Wall Mart, 2008). Wal-Mart compensation and benefits policies are inadequate since the company has engaged in â€Å"cutting hours† and employees are not hired in designations where they are talented. The company has also fired numerous employees without any apparent reason and explanation. Employee work motivation and productivity has declined thus leading to poor job performance and total productivity of the organization. Wal-Mart Stores Inc which is the largest private employer in North America has been accused of scaling down the health benefits offered to part-time employees and increasing the premiums deducted from most of the full-time employees’ salaries. Wal-Mart has engaged in cost cutting measures to offset the slowdown in consumer spending which has affected the company revenues in the last few years (Wal-Mart Watch, 2007). The company has reversed the eligibility of part-time workers by requiring them to cover their children healthcare and reduced the co-payments for prescription drugs. Wal-Mart has denied most of its employees from working full-time thus reducing the health care benefits to the employees. The company has also been accused of discriminative working policies against women and employees from minority

Porter forces five Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Porter forces five - Essay Example However, several forces shape the competition within the business industry. Porter identifies five distinct forces that affect the competition involving industries. These involve the bargaining power of suppliers, bargaining power of buyers and the threat of new entrants in to the market (Hill and Jones, 2010). In addition, the threat of substitute products as well as the rivalry between the existing competitors also forms the key factors that shape the industry. It is significant to note that new entrants may bring several changes in the market. These entrants may come up with good products that favorably compete the already existing ones. This follows that such entries always follow an up to date research. The entry of such new industries can pose major challenges to the already existing industries offering the same products (Hill and Jones, 2010). As such, the entry can lead to fluctuation in prices of goods thereby minimizing the profits made by the other industries. Such new entrants may also command a large customer base following their improved products sold at low prices, thus posing greater risks to the other rival industries. The rivalry amongst the existing competitors can also shape the business industry in many ways. Such rivalries may lead to price fluctuations (Ahlstrom and Bruton, 2010). This makes the consumers purchase goods at very low prices at the expense of the industry. In this case, the industry generally makes losses since they are forced to lower their prices to suit the current state of the market. Again, if such rivals compete on price, it presents a good opportunity for entry of new entrepreneurs in to the market, thereby flooding the market with well-researched goods (Henry, 2011). This leads to reduction in profits to such industries. The bargaining power of buyers also affects the industries in several perspectives. When the bargaining power of the buyers is very high, it means several goods will be bought at a