Benefit Plan Design Analysis
Select and profile an organization for the benefit plan
Extraordinary and above average people are recruited by ABC. Their task force possesses a number of exceptional skills and many of them are graduates of top universities or possess professional qualifications. One of the most interesting things about ABC is that it is continually trying to make the organization host to an increasingly global platform that employs people coming from various nationalities and cultures. This way, it makes sure that the creme de la creme of the task force is employed in the organization that is not afraid of taking on challenges. Also, the organization then comes up to their expectation by providing a healthy and competitive corporate culture.
Staff that is new to the ABC organization undergoes a series of sessions whose themes range from personal mentoring to formal training. The training is imparted by their colleagues who have…...
mlaReferences
Fronstin, Paul. "Sources of Health Insurance and Characteristics of the Uninsured: Updated Analysis of the March 2008 Current Population Survey." EBRI Issue Brief, no. 321 (Employee Benefit Research Institute, September 2008).
Qualified Benefit Plans
Why company set qualify benefit plans tax benefits company employees maintaining qualify plans. Also, company comply benefit laws regulations order maintain qualify status plan.
Employers sometimes offer their employees and other beneficiaries within the organization retirement plans which they sponsor. These are often referred to as qualified plans. These qualified plans are either established as defined benefit plans or defined contribution plans. When established as defined benefit plans, the employee receives benefits on a formula that factors in personal factors such as the employee's salary history and the duration of contract or employment. In these plans, the risk of investment and management of the portfolio is run by the employer. In these schemes, the employer sometimes has to find funds from alternative sources such as the company's profits in order to fund employee's retirement when there is a shortfall in funding. The other type of qualified plans is the…...
mlaReferences
Brown, J.R., Mitchell, O.S., Poterba, J.M., & Warshawsky, M.J. (1999). Taxing Retirement Income: Nonqualified Annuities and Distributions from Qualified Accounts. National Tax Journal, 52(3), 563-591. doi: 10.2307/41789742
Huberman, G., & Jiang, W. (2006). Offering vs. Choice in 401(k) Plans: Equity Exposure and Number of Funds. The Journal of Finance, 61(2), 763-801. doi: 10.2307/3699357
Lipman, J.H. (1983). Valuing Defined Contribution Plans. Family Advocate, 5(4), 19-21. doi: 10.2307/25806070
Lisa Meulbroek. (2005). Company Stock in Pension Plans: How Costly Is It? Journal of Law and Economics, 48(2), 443-474. doi: 10.1086/430807
Wal-Mart is also deemed to be a company that greatly mistreats and discriminates against its employees but there has apparently been no reliable empirical data to back that up (Van iper, 2008).
The article concludes by conceding to some Wal-Mart critics. First, Wal-Mart cites Ohio University professor ichard Vedder, who points out that Bureau of Labor Statistics Data holds that Wal-Mart's wage structure lags behind the retail sector as a whole (Van iper, 2008)
elative to what Wal-Mart pays its employee and the benefits they bestow, a third source was widely condemnatory of Wal-Mart and insisted that it could and should be paying its employees more…a lot more. The average associate at Wal-Mart, per this story, makes an average of not quite twelve dollars an hour. If annualized, that would be below the United States poverty line. The story's author insists that wages and benefits are not higher simply because Wal-Mart…...
mlaReferences
Blodget, H. (2012, February 16). Walmart Should Pay Its Employees More - Business Insider. Featured Articles From the Business Insider. Retrieved September 28, 2012, from http://articles.businessinsider.com/2012-02-16/news/31065802_1_manufacturing-jobs-middle-class-jobs-low-wage-service
Evaluating Wal-Mart's health insurance. (2012, September 28)
http://reclaimdemocracy.org/walmart/health_insurance_program.php
Edwards J (July 20, 2009) UPDATED: Wal-Mart Axes Half the Drug Brands Covered in Employee Health Benefit Plan http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505123_162 -
Function of a benefit plan and a pension plan is to provide income for an individual after he or she retires from work. There are plans that provide more benefits than mere pension and these are called benefit plans. There are for example the vested termination benefits, disability benefits, and they can be defined plans or defined benefits based on the type of the plan that is being chosen. The defined contribution plan defines the method and type of benefit that accrues to the employee over the years. (Winklevoss, 1993) In other words it has a defined amount or quantity that may be fixed. Benefits on the other hand are extra given to a person opting for a plan. The benefit plans are protected by federal insurance of the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation -- PBGC.
Define the purpose and function of a contribution plan
The contribution plan is not based on any…...
mlaReferences
Ellig, Bruce. R. (2004) "The Complete Guide To Executive Compensation" Tata
McGraw-Hill Education.
Graham, Avy D. (1998) "How has vesting changed since passage of Employee
Retirement Income Security Act?" BLS, vol. 111, no. 8, pp: 15-21.
Crafting a Compensation and Benefits Plan
Description
Fishers is a mid-sized manufacturing company out to maintain market leadership through the development and implementation of a compensation plan that meets the needs of the owners, clients, as well as employees. Compensation programs are critical to the effectiveness of the organization as they play a fundamental role in employee motivation, satisfaction, and productivity. The company seeks to achieve two crucial objectives from the implementation of this compensation and benefits plan; i) to reduce turnover, which has been an imminent problem over the last couple of years; and ii) to attract new talent, while retaining and improving the existing one.
Executive Summary
The company is at a critical juncture; it can no longer offer the perks of a small entrepreneurial enterprise since it has exceeded the employee threshold for such categorization. Employees have been complaining over what they think is below-market compensation, and noticeably, their morale appears…...
mlaReferences
Basset-Jones, N. & Lloyd, G.C. (2005). Does Herzberg's Motivation Theory have Staying Power? Journal of Management Development, 24(10), 929-943.
Beam, B.T. & McFadden, J.J. (2012). Employee Benefits (6th ed.). Chicago, IL: Dearborn Trade Publishing.
Cappelli, P. (2011). Why Good People can't Get Jobs: the Skills Gap and What Companies do about It. Pennsylvania, PA: Wharton Digital Press.
Miner, J.B. (2007). Organizational Behavior 4: From Theory to Practice. New York M.E. Sharpe.
Employer Healthcare Benefit Plans
More than half of the American population is covered by a comprehensive health plan of one type or another. That's approximately 160 million people. The programs that come under the above mentioned coverage include the likes of employer sponsored plans and other government initiatives for instance Medicaid and Medicare, a small proportion of health insurance which is purchased on individual basis may also be included in this. If we proceed to explain employer sponsored health programs, government initiatives and individual healthcare benefits individually, then briefly we can say that the employer benefit plans mostly comprise of group plans and are called "the employee welfare benefit plans"
Table of Contents
Introduction
Literature eview
Discussion
The Estimated Effects of PPACA on Coverage
The Number of Uninsured Decreases by 53%
Four Million Children Will Gain Coverage
The Individual Mandate Contributes Most to educing the Number of Uninsured
Premiums in the Non-group Market Also Decline
5. Conclusion 8
6. ecommendations 9
7. eferences…...
mlaReferences
Manning W. And Marquis S, "Health Insurance: The Tradeoff Between Risk Pooling and Moral Hazard," Journal of Health Economics, Vol. 15, No. 5, October 1996, pp. 609 -- 639.
Manning WG, Newhouse JP, Duan N, Keeler EB, Leibowitz A, and Marquis MS, "Health Insurance and the Demand for Medical Care: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment,"
American Economic Review, Vol. 77, No. 3, June 1987, pp. 251 -- 277.
Pauly MV and Herring BJ, "An Efficient Employer Strategy for Dealing with Adverse Selection in Multiple-Plan Offerings: An MSA Example," Journal of Health Economics, Vol. 19,
Employee Benefits
There are several issues with the current benefits plan, but first the overall benefits strategy needs to be addressed. There is ample literature to support taking a strategic HM approach, whereby the human resources management strategy closely aligns with the overall strategy of the company (Wright & Nishii, 2007). At present, there appears to be misalignment. HG Enterprises is a graphic design and photography service provider. The organizational chart indicates only two people who might be considered to be creatives, however, the design technicians. This firm is all senior management and clerical staff. How is this company even making money, when there is nobody to actually do the work they supposedly do? How are there three FTEs on the phone, not including the sales staff, and to whom are they talking? Why is a consultant being hired when there is already a VP of benefits on staff at $120K.…...
mlaReferences
Wright, P. & Nishii, L. (2007). Strategic HRM and organizational behavior: Integrating multiple levels of analysis. Digital Commons. Retrieved November 17, 2015 from http://digitalcommons.ilr.cornell.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1469&context=cahrswp
Compensation Strategy for a Limo Service
The compensation strategy and benefits strategy for a limousine service in Austin, Texas will represent an essential component to the overall business strategy. The projected annual net revenue for the first years of the business is a negative fifty thousand dollars. Therefore any potential savings in employee compensation might represent something that could reduce this financial burden. Furthermore, any amount of compensation that would go beyond the planned amount would increase the company's loss. Creating an efficient strategy for compensation and benefits will be exceedingly important in the company's first year because it is expected to operate at a loss.
The compensation and benefits strategy will also be important because it will largely influence the quality of the candidate pool that the company will have to select its employees from. Higher wages will draw more qualified candidates and a lower compensation package might reduce the amount…...
mlaReferences
CCLAustin.com. (2015, July 25). Limousine Driver. Retrieved from Indeed: http://www.indeed.com/cmp/1821,-LLC/jobs/Limousine-Driver-caa563266df09236?sjdu=QwrRXKrqZ3CNX5W-O9jEvc_0arWZVL8kBZq_BJ55IeacX4zQS5v9EEfHtSBIrvbSgRNqfatL5qHmPK9ugjQ-5w
Pay Scale. (2015, July 2). Limousine Driver Salary. Retrieved from Pay Scale: http://www.payscale.com/research/U.S./Job=Limousine_Driver/Hourly_Rate
Golf Course Designer
Job Description
Golf has grown to be one of the most recreational and enjoyed activities in the United States. Even with all of the golf courses out there, new ones are designed, created and sculpted every day. Indeed, all of the populated continents and most of the countries in the world have at least one golf course. Even plain and average-looking golf courses require a lot of planning, pre-design and preparation. This is where an adept gold course designer comes in and that is what Acme Golf Course Consulting Services is looking for.
Acme Golf Course Consulting Services is in need of a golf course designer that is forward thinking, able to design the golf courses that our clients dream of and desire and at a price point that is agreeable to everyone involved. Of course, no single golf course is going to be easy to design and implement. However,…...
mlaReferences
ACP,. (2014). Golf Course Design Career | Education | Information. TheArtCareerProject.com. Retrieved 25 May 2015, from http://www.theartcareerproject.com/golf-course-design/650/
Reed, S., & Bogardus, A. (2015). PHR/SPHR Professional in Human Resources Certification deluxe study guide.
SHRM,. (2015). SHRM Online - Society for Human Resource Management. SHRM.org. Retrieved 25 May 2015, from http://www.shrm.org
Human Resources: Legal Environment -- Total Rewards
modern HRM consultant must be aware of the array of possible employee benefits. The modern trend is away from traditional notions of benefits and toward benefits that enhance the lives of employees and their productivity for the company. Two of the many possible modern benefits are training and educational opportunities and wellness programs. s specific examples will show, despite the several challenges of implementing such benefits, the reward for both the employees and the company are clear.
Two Employee Benefits That Provide Great Opportunities to Increase Employee Productivity
fter decades of research and practical experience, Human Resources specialists have moved away from traditional notions of employee benefits to a more holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously attracts talent, enhances employee growth, and motivates meaningful employee contributions to the company's goals. Competitive local and global forces have made measures once deemed extraordinary now highly strategic (Chen…...
mlaAfter decades of research and practical experience, Human Resources specialists have moved away from traditional notions of employee benefits to a more holistic and integrated approach that simultaneously attracts talent, enhances employee growth, and motivates meaningful employee contributions to the company's goals. Competitive local and global forces have made measures once deemed extraordinary now highly strategic (Chen & Hsieh, 2006). While the modern approach to employee benefits ideally encompasses multiple options far beyond the parameters of this report, two intelligent employee benefits in the "war for talent" are: training and educational opportunities; and wellness programs.
Training and educational opportunities for employees both reward employees for their contributions and trains employees to expand their skill sets, ultimately contributing even more to the company's goals (Chen & Hsieh, 2006). Starbucks Corporation, for example, offers a college achievement plan to its employees/partners (Starbucks Corporation, 2014). According to this plan, eligible Starbucks employees receive partial or total tuition reimbursement and individually tailored support including an enrollment coach, financial aid counselor and academic advisor (Starbucks Corporation, 2014). In this way, Starbucks not only rewards willing and capable employees but also increases the skills and motivation and loyalty of its workforce (Chen & Hsieh, 2006), all to Starbucks' advantage. The more knowledgeable and skilled the employee, the more productive he/she can be for Starbucks. As with any widespread program, Starbucks faces special challenges of nondiscriminatory application of the plan, along with the time, expense and legal requirements of record-keeping, evaluation and reimbursement. Despite the outlay of resources for the college achievement plan, Starbucks is wise to invest in higher education of its human assets, as this will attract talented employees, enhance their loyalty to Starbucks and motivate them to develop skills that will ultimately serve Starbucks' own corporate goals.
Wellness programs increase employees' control over and responsibility for their own physical and mental well-being while reducing health care expenses and losses to employers through employee illness (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). The offer of low-cost, attractive wellness programs helps a company attract talent, increase employee loyalty to the company and motivate employees to higher productivity (Chen & Hsieh, 2006); furthermore, the healthier an employee is, the more capable he/she is of being productive for the company (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). Consequently, the Affordable Care Act offers new incentives for wellness programs and increases employers' flexibility in offering those programs (U.S. Department of Labor, 2014). The Verizon Corporation, for example, offers a "Health and Wellness" program for its employees (Quick, 2013). Offering fitness centers at 44 Verizon office buildings across the nation, Verizon charges merely $15/month in membership fees for: use of the fitness facilities; the services of personal trainers; fitness assessments; and annual medical checkups (Quick, 2013). The provision of all those wellness-related benefits for a mere $15/month shows Verizon's understanding of the program's benefit to the company as well as the employees. Challenges to such a program are
Countering this argument of ethical responsibility is the fact that many companies mentioned in the article have intensive pricing, product development, service and support pressures on them. Yet, given the efforts placed in planning their businesses and the intensive processes in place for financial forecasting, the costs of fulfilling these financial commitments to employees must be included in all strategic plans. To not pay these benefits is comparable to not paying for a factory or production center once created, or in the case of United Airlines, reneging on paying for a new commercial jet from Boeing. If United had done that, Boeing would repossess the jet. Yet the workers promised these benefits cannot repossess years of effort and commitment; therefore it is the ethical and one could argue legal responsibility of these companies to pay the pensions and healthcare costs promised....
Benefit Packages
What are some of the key issues facing businesses today in terms of continuing to offer a competitive benefits package?
Health care has emerged as one of the most important issues in contemporary American business in relation to competitive benefits packages. That is because under the current health care framework in the U.S., employer health care plans are the most common source of health insurance access (eid, 2009). Before the enactment of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), only businesses employing at least 50 employees were required by law to provide group health insurance to their employees. That meant that smaller companies often were at a competitive disadvantage in attracting the best talent because employees value health insurance so much. Since the enactment of the ACA, smaller companies will also be required to provide health insurance plans to avoid tax penalties for choosing not to do so (Pickert, 2012).
What are companies…...
mlaReferences
Halbert, T. And Ingulli, E. (2009). Law & Ethics in the Business Environment.
Cincinnati: West Legal Studies.
Miller, S. "Employers Weigh Health Care Strategies: A growing number do more to mitigate costs and improve employee health." Society for Human Resource
Management (March 18, 2010).
It also lists goals and objectives, which are used to measure a student's progress and determine whether the program and placement are appropriate" ("The IEP Cycle," DREF, 2007). Each student's IEP must be developed by a team of people who are knowledgeable and concerned about the student and must be at least reviewed annually. The team may include the child's teacher, the parents, the child, and agency representatives. "If parents disagree with the proposed IEP, they can request a due process hearing and a review from the State educational agency if applicable in that state" ("Guide to Disability Rights Laws," U.S. Dept. Of Justice, 2005).
IDEA lists 13 categories under which a student can qualify for special education services, including autism, deaf-blindness, deafness, hearing impairment, mental retardation, multiple disabilities, orthopedic impairment, other health impairment, serious emotional disturbance, specific learning disability, speech or, language impairment, traumatic brain Injury and visual impairment,…...
mlaWorks Cited
Guide to Disability Rights Laws." U.S. Dept. Of Justice. (Sept 2005). Retrieved 18 Jun
2007 at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/cguide.htm#anchor65310
The IEP Cycle." DREF: Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund. Retrieved 18 Jun
2007 at http://www.dredf.org/special_education/iep_cycle.shtml
Ensuring the that the organization is allocating its resources effectively and achieving the goals and objectives to which it is purposed not only keeps the organization effectively on course, but in addition the greater efficacy with which the organization is able to demonstrate its success, the greater its ability to attract donors and donations. Because of this, evaluation questions should be directed primarily at determining the degree to which an organization has achieved its goals and has proven itself to be cost effective in its achievements. This will present an attraction to donors as well as maintaining tight control over the operations of any given organization. The use of an outside consultant is not necessary for most evaluation purposes and would most likely result in an additional cash burden to any organization, and is therefore not recommended. Internal evaluations can be published in full, including the methodologies and raw…...
mlaReference
Fritz, J. (2010). Planned Giving. About.com. Accessed 11 November 2010.
Company's Compensation And Benefit Package
A number of factors determine how a company compensates its employees. These factors may include economics, psychology and even sociology. To an economist compensation is viewed as a labor market determinant (Filer, Hammermesh, & ees, 1996). As a human resource manager for Vanguard Industries I have been entrusted with the responsibility of explaining to the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) that guided my development of the company's compensation and benefit plan. I will specify economic factors I considered while coming up with the company's compensation and benefit packages, the manner in which they do so and the relative and absolute importance of each. Before coming up with a compensation and benefit scheme, it is imperative that matters pertaining employees' skill level, age, gender and minority and majority status are factored as they affect an individual's reward preferences and their view on what they contribute to an organization.
In…...
mlaReferences List
Filer, R., Hammermesh, D., & Rees, A. (1996). The Economics of Work and Pay 6th ED., New
York: Harper Collins.
Landes, W.M. (1968). The Economics of Fair Employment Laws. Journal of Political
Economy, 76: 507-52.
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