Marshall Givley
Compensation & Benefits
1/24/16
Assignment 1
Assignment 1 1. I am using Lost Spur Golf Course as my example for mapping compensation strategies. One key point of my company’s strategy is external competiveness. Lost Spur will offer unique deals compared to the other golf courses in the area. Some forms of compensation I received while working is unlimited golf, free golf, and 40% discounts towards the pro shop apparel and food. Another compensation strategy Lost Spur used was internal alignment. Aside from the managers and employees who have been working there for an extended period of time, most employees were paid the same. However, the company did support career growth. If you excelled at your job, there were opportunities for promotions and increased pay. In a sense, they used “working hard” as an incentive for career growth. 2. As I stated in question one, most employees at the golf course were paid the same. This is similar to SAS’s philosophy where “Everyone is part of the SAS family.” So, one key difference between Lost Spur and Microsoft is the internal alignment. The differences in Microsoft’s pay are seen as returns for superior performance whereas Lost Spur does not have a lot of pay differences between its employees. Another key difference between SAS, Microsoft, and Lost Spur is career growth. Lost Spur offers a high amount of career growth although Microsoft and SAS are relatively neutral according to the strategy map. 3. There are many key similarities and differences between the organizations. A couple similarities are internal alignment, competiveness and management. If a company is going to compete in the industry, they will all have to be competitive to succeed. Career growth, technology, and line ownership are more key similarities within the organization. Some key differences include employee contributions, and individual based success. The organization does focus on career growth as an individual, however, their primary goal is to build a solid team foundation to excel within the organization. 4. These similarities and differences occur because each company has different strategies and goals to accomplish. One company might take a different route then another company to achieve their goals. For example, in the compensation strategy map of Microsoft and SAS, Microsoft is very high in individual through employee contributions and hierarchy through internal alignment. SAS happens to be low in those categories but high in work/life balance and share group success. Similarities and differences occur due to the strategies each company desires to be successful. 5. Maps can be used to clarify and communicate compensation strategies to leaders by providing a framework for guidance and giving them an identity. A map offers a picture of a company’s compensation strategy and clarifies the message the company is trying to deliver. Maps can also be useful in analyzing a compensation strategy that can be more clearly understood by employees and managers. They can show you where you are and where you are going. It is important to use maps when attempting to solidify a effective company.