Homework answers / question archive / Module 1 - Case WAGE AND SALARY ADMINISTRATION Case Assignment Is There a Maximum Rate of Pay?  Ted Smith, the Total Rewards Manager for Front Appliance Company, was a pretty relaxed and friendly guy—an easy-going manager

Module 1 - Case WAGE AND SALARY ADMINISTRATION Case Assignment Is There a Maximum Rate of Pay?  Ted Smith, the Total Rewards Manager for Front Appliance Company, was a pretty relaxed and friendly guy—an easy-going manager

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Module 1 - Case

Case Assignment

Is There a Maximum Rate of Pay? 

Ted Smith, the Total Rewards Manager for Front Appliance Company, was a pretty relaxed and friendly guy—an easy-going manager. Although he was a no-nonsense, competent executive, Ted was one of the most popular managers in the company. This particular morning, however, Ted was not his usual self. As chair of Front’s job evaluation committee, he had called a late-morning meeting at which several jobs were to be considered for re-evaluation. The jobs had already been rated and assigned to Pay Grade 4. But the office manager, Ortho Janson, was upset that one of his employees was not rated higher. To press the issue, Ortho had taken his case to two executives who were members of the job evaluation committee. The two executives (Production Manager Peter Strong and Marketing Manager Margo Arms) then requested that the job ratings be reviewed. Peter and Margo supported Ortho’s side of the dispute, and Ted was not looking forward to the confrontation that was almost certain to occur. 

The controversial job was that of receptionist. Only one receptionist position existed at Front Appliances and Rebecca Reichart held it. Rebecca had been with the firm 14 years, longer than any of the committee members. She was extremely efficient, and virtually all the executives in the company, including the president, had noticed and commented on her outstanding work. Peter and Margo were particularly pleased with Rebecca because of the cordial manner in which she greeted and accommodated Front’s customers and vendors, who frequently visited the plant. They felt that Rebecca projected a positive image of the company. 

When the meeting began, Ted said, “Good morning. I know that you are busy, so let’s get the show on the road. We have several jobs to evaluate this morning and I suggest we begin…” Before he could finish his sentence, Peter interrupted, “I suggest we start with Rebecca.” Margo nodded in agreement. When Ted regained his composure, he quietly but firmly asserted, “Peter, we are not here today to evaluate Rebecca. Her supervisor does that at performance appraisal time. We are meeting to evaluate jobs based on job content. In order to do this fairly with regard to other jobs in the company, we must leave personalities out of our evaluation.” Ted then proceeded to pass out copies of the receptionist job description to Peter and Margo, who were visibly irritated. 

Please respond to the following in a well-integrated Case Assignment: 

1. In your educated opinion, was Ted justified in insisting that the job, not the person, be evaluated? Discuss. 
2. If you were Ted, what would you do and say next? Why? 
3. As an HR professional, do you think there is a maximum rate of pay for every job in an organization, regardless of how well the job is being performed? Justify your response. 
4. Assume that Rebecca is earning the maximum of the range for her pay grade. In what ways might she be able to obtain a salary increase? 

Bring in at least 5 library sources to help strengthen and support your response.

For instruction on writing papers, citing sources, proper referencing, and so forth, use Trident University's Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper. See the following if additional guidance on APA style is needed:

The Purdue OWL website: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/media/pdf/20090212013008_560.pdf.

APA Formatting: The Basics. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdAfIqRt60c&list=PL8F43A67F38DE3D5D

Submit your paper by the module due date. Paper length: 4-5 pages, not counting the cover and reference pages. 

Assignment Expectations

Your paper will be evaluated using the criteria as stated in the Case rubric. The following is a review of the rubric criteria: 

• Assignment-Driven: Does the paper fully address all aspects of the assignment? Is the assignment addressed accurately and precisely using sound logic? Does the paper meet minimum length requirements?
• Critical Thinking: Does the paper demonstrate graduate-level analysis, in which information derived from multiple sources, expert opinions, and assumptions has been critically evaluated and synthesized in the formulation of a logical set of conclusions? Does the paper address the topic with sufficient depth of discussion and analysis?
• Business Writing: Is the essay logical, well organized and well written? Are the grammar, spelling, and vocabulary appropriate for graduate-level work? Are section headings included? Are paraphrasing and synthesis of concepts the primary means of responding, or is justification/support instead conveyed through excessive use of direct quotations?
• Effective Use of Information: Does the submission demonstrate that the student has read, understood, and can apply the background materials for the module? If required, has the student demonstrated effective research, as evidenced by student’s use of relevant and quality (library?) sources? Do additional sources used provide strong support for conclusions drawn, and do they help in shaping the overall paper?
• Citing Sources: Does the student demonstrate understanding of APA Style of referencing, by inclusion of proper citations (for paraphrased text and direct quotations) as appropriate? Have all sources (e.g., references used from the Background page, the assignment readings, and outside research) been included, and are these properly cited? Have all sources cited in the paper been included on the References page?
• Timeliness: Has the assignment been submitted to TLC (Trident’s learning management system) on or before the module’s due date?