Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits Term Paper

Executive Compensation and Employee Benefits - Term Paper Example A company with a number of products, clear vision and unique ideas stands to lure the most competent candidates in each and every level but to maintain this momentum of better performance, it is imperative that the top executive level secures the best talent. A compensation package which is attractive to ensure these talents are maintained at the top management level of the company since they enjoy significant negotiating power and as such additional incentives up and above the compensation package can be impacting in luring an executive to join an organization. Challenging and unique opportunities do sway employees and thus in addition to an appealing compensation package, employee benefits have been applied so as to supplement it. Employee benefits has been very helpful in enhancing economic security of the employees thus curtailing labor turnover, increasing employees loyalty and improving productivity. Compensation is any kind of remuneration that is received by a person in return for his/her performance of the company's or organizational tasks. There are four common methods of compensation: performance related pay (PRP) such as commission, bonus, time rate and piece rate; fixed basic pay; non-economic benefits such as house, car etc and finally ownership benefits where employees are awarded shares (Reid, 2004). Several factors influence the wage and the salary structure, these include: pressure from trade union, lowest wage rates, existing market rates, supply and demand for a particular job, the employee's qualification and the ability of the organization to pay. Compensation in the form of wages is normally given to a worker while compensation in the form of a salary is normally given to an employee. Executive compensation refers to the way senior executives for the business corporations or firms are paid. Executive compensation comprises of the basic salary, options, shares, b onuses plus additional company benefits (Bagley & Savage, 2006). Forms of Executive compensation There are a number of types of executive compensation which offers numerous performance incentives and tax benefits. They include: Stock options -Refers to the privilege sold by a buyer to a seller that gives the latter a right rather than an obligation either to call(buy) or put(sell) the stock at an agreed price on a particular date or within a specified period (Bagley & Savage, 2006). Stock options ensures the CEOs interests are kept at par with that of shareholders since their value is subject to the price of the stock remaining above the strike price/exercise price (price upon which a stock will be sold or bought upon the exercise of the option) of the option. However stock options are open to abuse through options backdating and excessive risk seeking (Lawrence, 2002). Restricted stock - These are stocks awarded to an executive but can only be sold once a specific conditions are arrived at and it carries a similar value to the stock's market price during time of the grant. Deferred compensation -This is normally applied for taxation purposes and involves postponing compensation up to a certain future date. Executive perks compensation includes travel reimbursements, private jet and extra rewards given to the executives. Retirement packages awarded to executives following their retirement from the organization; this is open to abuse as corrupt executives can attach "golden

E-commerce Marketing Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

E-commerce Marketing Plan - Essay Example Market Summary â€Å"FISH FIELD LLC is a fishing tackle manufacturer, importer and wholesaler in Oregon.† (Fish Field, 2011) The company is a specialist in fishing equipments. Fish Field focuses more on ocean fishing though the company has significant presence in fresh water fishing too. What started as just a small company is now an established fishing equipment brand in the region. Being located in Oregon, the major market of the company is Oregon itself. But the company also has reasonable sales from other major states through its online sales of the equipments. The current customer groups of the company include both professional fishermen as well as hobbyists. But the larger portion consists of professional fishermen. The company has a huge portfolio of products that cater to the various needs of the customers. The products of the company are currently classified under categories such as fly fishing, general fishing, sea fishing, centerpin fishing and outdoor sport. The co mpany sells around sixty three products through these categories. Fish Field is planning to expand its market by targeting more customer groups. In order to increase the sales of the products, the company will have to expand to other markets outside Oregon through its online presence. ... This marketing plan is also intended to target more of students of the age group 10 – 20. This is a very lucrative market segment for the company. Competition Some of the major fishing equipment suppliers in Oregon are Anglers Manufacturing Inc, Bandon Bait & Tackle Sea Food, Caddis Fly Angling Shop, Cascade Anglers, Cascade Crest Tools, Charlton Deep Sea Charters, Dan Craft Enterprises, Englund Marine Supply Company, Fish Rite Inc Boats, and Glenn Struble MFG. Most of these players have fishing boats in their product portfolio compared to that of Fish Filed. Though Fish Field does not have boat among its product categories, the fishing equipment portfolio of Fish Field is very large than most of these players. This is where the company differentiates itself from other major players in the market. Fish Filed also differentiates from its competitors through its sophisticated online sales presence. Most of the products of Fish Field are sold through its online portal. Most of th e competitors maintain their own websites. Some of the competitors’ websites are just informative in nature. Such companies don’t sell products online. Caddis Fly, Bandon Bait, Cascade Anglers, Englund Marine and Fish Rite are the companies that just maintain informative websites. All other players listed above sells their merchandise online. If Fish Field is able to leverage more on its existing online presence, it can generate more sales than that of its competitors. Most of the competitors are not established brands in fishing equipments though there are few companies that have years of experience. Therefore, to generate better sales, Fish Field should first establish its brand name or make its brand name visible to the prospective customers. Since Fish Field

Cool Quest Video and Reflection Essay Example for Free

Cool Quest Video and Reflection Essay Psychology could influence consumer behavior in many ways. Based on the video, I learned that the brain responds accordingly to what one perceives as â€Å"cool†. With that being said, I’m pretty sure that there are studies that gear towards tis feature of the mind. And companies like Apple use these studies when inventing their newest products. For example, technology has evolved immensely in recent years. When Apple began inventing their latest IPhone, I’m pretty sure that they thought about what would appeal to their consumers. And I’m positive that psychology had a huge impact on their decisions. In my opinion, there a lot of other areas of society that could be impacted by psychology. Such areas influenced are career choices, fashion, and social habits like drinking and smoking to name a few. All of these societal aspects described can be influenced by different areas of the mind. And we all know that in general today’s societies seek to be accepted by all. I know for me the nature versus nurture theory is a huge influence on different aspects of my life. I was raised by a single parent in a poverty stricken neighborhood. My mother didn’t graduate high school. So education is big for me, which would lead to a better career choice. What is fashionably acceptable or not can be related to the video because everyone has a different perception of what is cool or not.

Alternative Careers in Law

Alternative Careers in Law Having a law degree offers a world of opportunities. You dont have to be solely a solicitor. One area you can choose to look at is become a barrister. Barrister If youre not too fond of working with the public and just want to specialize and work mostly in the court room, then being a barrister would be a good choice. Barristers are usually hired by solicitors to help them in creating legal arguments that will convince the juries to side with case of the solicitor. The way barristers summarize the reasons why the court should rule in favor of their client can also be a big help in supporting the case of the solicitor they are assisting. Another thing that barristers do is to cross-examine witnesses. Great barristers can sway or influence the courts decision towards their perspective. Another task that barristers do is to do legal research and turn them into opinions, legal documents, and legal briefs that solicitors can use to strengthen their cases. To succeed in being a barrister, youll need to be very detail oriented, highly analytical and logical. These skills will serve you well in building a career in this niche. Paralegal Another field to look at is being a paralegal. Youll be working closely with solicitors and carry out administrative and support work. This includes preparing documents and doing research for the client cases. Depending on the size of the law firm you work with, your responsibilities could vary. In smaller firms, youll play bigger roles such as client interviewing and casework. Being a paralegal can lead you to a training contract if being a solicitor is ultimately you decide to become. So while youre still not sure about being a solicitor, you can start small and be a paralegal first. Legal Information Professional If you love law and books, you can work in the libraries of the solicitors, or specialist libraries that cater to lawyers. You can also choose to work in the libraries of law schools or colleges. You will do legal research and manage the resources of the library. It will also involve training of lawyers who want to understand how to maximize the use of the library. This work will need some technological know-how as libraries of today maximize technology to make research and support services more efficient. This role would also be perfect for you if youre more introverted and dont want to deal too much with the public or the dramas of the court room. Your role as a legal information professional might also include managing the website of the law firm and their social media platforms like Twitter. Tax consultant Another area you could explore would be to become a tax consultant. There are so much rules and legal information about taxes that you could maximize your law degree especially if you specialized in commerce law. The advantage of getting some mastery of taxation in the UK or Europe is that you become more versatile. You can do work related to mergers and acquisitions and wealth management planning. Your skills would also be needed by businesses when they do tax planning structures, especially now that Brexit is on the horizon. You will also become more indispensable as accountancy firms will find your skills attractive and hire you knowing that you have both legal and taxation specializations. Licensed Conveyancer If you like dealing and specializing in properties, then becoming a licensed conveyancer will be ideal for you. As a licensed conveyancer, your work delves in the legal parts of property transactions. Your work will entail giving legal advice to your clients and preparing contracts and leases. In this field of work, you work with other professionals in the property market such as real estate agents, bank lending officers and other lawyers. Your law degree would definitely be useful in the property market as you can work in the legal department of banks, building societies and housing associations. Trade mark attorney This one is perfect for those who who wants to specialize in something very relevant and in demand right now plus being exposed to the broad side of business rather than just strictly focusing on legal matter. As a trade mark attorney, you need to have sufficient knowledge on areas such as copyright, unfair competition, common law and industrial designs. Your work will involve on providing advisory work in the registration of trade marks of your clients. Copyright infringement is so widespread these days that your services will be very important as you can provide advisory on how your clients can prevent infringing the rights of other companies or if other companies are liable for copyright infringement of your clients brands. If there is, you can work with solicitors on pursuing litigation to get some damages from the culprits. Trade mark attorneys can also work in mergers and acquisitions when there are transfers of ownership, licenses, trade marks and brand names involved. Court Clerk If you want to work closely with justices and magistrates, you might want to become a court clerk. They ensure the efficient running of the courts and justice administration. You also need to do court related admin work such as arranging court time and payment of fines. If you persevere in this niche, you can eventually become a justices chief executive. Arbitrator Another field you can explore is arbitration. There are often a lot of industrial and commercial disputes where your services as an arbitrator would be very useful. As an arbitrator, you act as an impartial third party judge to create resolutions that will be accepted by both parties. You will need to be good at interviewing the parties and witnesses so that you can get the necessary facts to create a fair judgment on the dispute. A law degree is indeed a very versatile degree as it offers you many choices for your career. You dont need to be stuck in one area. If you want to grow and explore other niches, a law degree offers you significant opportunities to do so.

Computers and Society :: Technology Essays

Computers and Society More often than not in today’s world you will tend to use computers. Directly or indirectly they have been increasing their influence on our lives from their invention in the 50’s, until the current state of their presence in every aspect of our lives. What before was done on paper, today is done on the same paper, a computer, a copy, and a form to input the data into the computer. The paperless revolution has turned sour. The very purpose of the computer as a business machine -- to reduce clutter, to organize data better and faster, and mostly to reduce the paperwork, has been abandoned for a system dictated to us by the needs of our computers. This is only one way that computers are being misused in our society. Think for example of the regular answer you would get if you call up any beuracratic agency, such as a bank or a government agency, with any problem. The first response would probably involve something like: â€Å"Our computer doesn’t show that record†, or â€Å"The computer doesn’t say you did so and so.† That is also probably as far as you will get to solving that problem. The computer is the perfect cover-up for the clerk on the other end of the phone line. If the computer says so, how can anyone argue? The computer shows no record of such and such a paper, and therefore it must not exist, and that is the end. The clerk need not involve himself in though as to why the record is not in the computer, or how did it get out of the computer, but what the almighty computer tells him is certainly enough. There is not a thing in our lives anymore that is not governed by computers. The computer handles our paperwork, calculates our salaries, grades, our car’s mileage. It is almighty, all-powerful, and definitely not to be argued with. What we do forget in this line of though is that computers and all the information therein is produced and entered by humans, is subject to human mistakes and errors. We do not see it that way. For example, the phrase â€Å"the computer made a mistake,† is commonly used, although everyone knows that computers cannot make mistakes, and the mistake was made by a human. But we believe that the computer is a separate entity, and thus we could say something like â€Å"the computer made a mistake.

The Relevance Today of A Jury of Her Peers Essay -- A Jury of Her Peer

In "A Jury of Her Peers," Susan Glaspell illustrates many social standards women experienced at the turn of the century. She allows the reader to see how a woman's life was completely ruled by social laws, and thus by her husband. Glaspell also reveals the ignorance of the men in the story, in particular the sheriff and the county attorney. I think some examples are rather extreme, but in Glaspell's day, they would have probably been common. Women did not have many rights at the turn of the century. What few rights and freedoms they did have were dominated by social standards. They were expected to cater to their husbands' wishes and commands. I think their society oppressed them more often than their own husbands did. A good example of this in "A Jury of Her Peers" is Martha Hale. Lewis Hale treats his wife as an equal privately, but does not treat her as an equal in public. When Mrs. Hale attempts to interrupt her husband as he tells the county attorney what he experienced in the Wright household she does not treat him as a master, but as an equal (Glaspell 260). Clearly she is not afraid of him. Many women at this time would have never even attempted to distract or interrupt their husband while they talked. Clearly defined gender roles are prevalent throughout "A Jury of Her Peers." Men are supposed to work outside of the home, and women are supposed to work inside the home. Neither the men nor the women seem to appreciate the other's wo...

Chemistry of Coffee Essay

Before coffee is roasted, it is referred to as â€Å"green coffee†. The green coffee is primarily made up of caffeine, lipids, carbohydrates, proteins (amino acids), and organic acids (although inorganic acids exist in coffee as well). These groups are quite stable in the green phase, and it is the carbohydrates, proteins, and acids that will undergo significant reactions during roasting to produce coffee. The important groups of carbohydrates in beans are from the monosaccharides and the polysaccharides found in beans. The disaccharide Sucrose (C12H22O11) also plays a vital role later on in coffee. Generally speaking, Monosaccharides represent the simplest forms of sugars, such as glucose and fructose, and usually follow the formula Cx(H2O)y. These sugars serve as building blocks for polysaccharides like starches and cellulose, which are usually long repeating chains of a basic unit or monosaccharide. All together, carbohydrates represent about 50% of green coffee’s base. Amino acids are present in green coffee at levels of about 10-13% of dry matter. Amino acids are molecules containing an amine, a carboxylic acid group (an organic acid that contains at least one carboxyl group of COOH) , and a side chain (a chemical grouping that is attached to the main group and is specific to each compound). Lipids represent around 11-17% of coffee. They do not play a huge role in the chemical processes of creating coffee- rather, they act as conductors of aroma and taste later on in the coffee process. Caffeine, an astringent stimulant, develops in coffee as a defense mechanism in the coffee plant. Its content remains stable throughout roasting and brewing. It is highly water soluble. Finally, green coffee beans contain numerous acids. Chlorogenic , Citric, Phosphoric, and Quinic Acids represent some of the most important acids in the green coffee bean. A small amount of acetic acid is also present before roasting. It forms when the coffee cherry is fermented to remove the outer pulp. Other than Phosphoric acid, the major acids at work in coffee are organic. Roasting Coffee Overview: In the first phase, the addition of coffee beans drastically drops the temperature of the roaster. The process is endothermic as the beans absorb heat to give off moisture. Around 100 degrees Celsius the temperature stabilizes as water turns into steam. This leads to an increase of pressure. Once the moisture content has been brought down, temperature increases rapidly again, and the reaction goes exothermic as sucrose begins to decompose at around 190-205 degrees C- forming steam and CO2. The increase in pressure from this reaction bursts the cells of the bean as the bean â€Å"cracks†. This crack causes the bean to almost double in volume. The process goes endothermic again until about 225 degrees C and beans â€Å"crack† once again. This increases volume again. Subsequent roasting pushes lipids through the cells to the surface of the bean, and as the bean roasts farther pst the second crack, the volume of the bean decreases due to decomposition. Chemical Processes during Roasting: Caramelization- Caramelization occurs when sucrose begins to decompose and causes the first mechanical crack of the coffee bean. The sugars produce water and carbon dioxide during the reaction, but also color and aromatics like furans (responsible for caramel- like aromas) and HMFs (hydroxymethylfurfural) (responsible for pure, sugar aromas). As the sugar caramelizes further, the aromas increase, but the original taste of sweetness decreases. The Maillard Reaction- The Maillard reaction (discovered in 1912) is the reaction that takes place during the browning of any food. This reaction varies wildly depending on the specific reactants- It happens in seared meat and toasted bread as well as roasted coffee beans. Despite the fact that the reaction comes out with too many variants (and too many unknowns) to go into extreme detail, basic principles govern the reaction for all variants. At its most fundamental form, the Maillard reaction is the reaction that occurs between a reducing sugar and an amino acid. Proteins are all made up of amino acids, so all proteins have the potential to undergo the Maillard reaction. The reducing sugar required for the reaction is any sugar with an aldehyde group. Sucrose is not a reducing sugar, so it’s numerous other sugars like fructose, lactose, and glucose that undergo the process. The sugars and amino acids react to form molecules called melanoidins that have the brown color characteristic of the reaction. The process is complicated because different sugars and different amino acids produce different compounds. Futher complicating the browning process, the new compounds (melanoidins) react even further creating new substances. The Maillard reaction is the cause for many of the volatile aromatic compounds characteristic to coffee, as well as other non-volatile compounds. Strecker Degredation-Strecker Degradation falls under the scope of the Maillard reaction. It is an intermediate step in the overall process, and involves amino acids. Rather than reacting with reducing sugars like the basis of the Maillard reactions, it requires a carbonyl compound as a reactant. The reaction yields CO2, an aldehyde, as well as an amino-ketone. This process is a significant intermediate step because it yields two products that are hugely responsible for the different smells of coffee. The Formation and Decomposition of Acids- From the four predominant acids found in green coffee beans- Chlorogenic, quinic, citric, and phosphoric – two decompose and two increase. Chlorogenic acid (C16H18O9) decomposes by 60% to form caffeic (not to be confused with caffeine- not the same thing! ) and quinic acid. The decomposition of chlorogenic acid in the coffee bean is directly proportional to the length of roasting. It also occurs later on in solution once the coffee has been brewed. Citric acid decreases as a result of the roasting process, it is is unable to withstand the roasting process, however its content does not change after it has been roasted (it doesn’t change with brewing). The acid diminishes quickly as roasting levels pass the light roast stage. Phosphoric acid increases with the length of roasting, however scientists are still unclear as to why the phosphoric acid increases rather than simply remaining stable throughout the process. Other notable acids that are formed when coffee beans are roasted are lactic acid and acetic acid, these acids form due to the decomposition of polysaccharides during and following the first crack stage. Coffee Brewing and Taste. Approximately 28% of the components in roasted coffee beans are water soluble. 72% are insoluble. Brewing a cup of good coffee depends on the balance of extraction of these components. Extraction below 16% is associated with weak, peanuty coffee, while extraction over 24% leads to a bitter brew. Taste of coffee depends on the degree of carmelization the coffee went through during roasting, the acidity of the cup, and the aromatic compounds such as aldehydes, ketones, and furans. As mentioned before, carmelization increases the aroma of the coffee, but lowers the overall sweetness of the cup. The overall â€Å"body† or â€Å"weight† of coffee simply has to do with the number of dissolved particles in the cup. Darker roasts generally have more body to them because the lipids have been brought to the surface of the bean, and are therefore more readily brewed into the coffee. A more â€Å"acidic† brew (not a literal term- it depends on the acids types present in the brew, the pKa, anions species present, and the buffering capacity) lends a â€Å"brightness† to the mouth. Below are some common acids associated with the different flavor notes that accompany an â€Å"acidic† taste in the cup. -Phosphoric acid has been associated with enhancing the brightness of the coffee, although there is still dispute over which acid contributes the most to the overall â€Å"acidity†, especially because the majority of phosphoric acid is neutralized with the presence of potassium once it’s in solution. – Quinic acid provides a cleanness to the brew in low quantities, but in excess leads to bitterness and astringency -Caffeic acid is generally bitter and harsh. -Citric is bright and floral in moderation, but excess is overly sour -Acetic acid can taste fermenty and vinegary in excess but in small amounts give the coffee a â€Å"winey† flavor -Lactic acid is associated with a less prominent â€Å"bright† flavor, but like citric acid, excess tastes sour -Malic acid is a less prominent acid that is known for its apple flavor As for the various volatile aromas in coffee a few of the predominant components include: – Furans which are sweet , nutty, fruity, and caramel smelling -HMFs give off a clean sweet smell. -Ketones are floral, buttery, caramel, vanilla-y, and milky -Phenols in lower levels are spicy, vanilla-y, clove, and anise flavored, excess are associated with a woody, medicinal flavor. Lipids in coffee play a significant role because many of the aromatics in the coffee bean are fat- soluble rather than water soluble. The higher the lipid content, the stronger the taste of the coffee is likely to be. This is why dark roasts generally have a stronger flavor than the light roasts (although it is also due to the increase in overall flavor compounds versus sugars and intact amino acids). Espresso brewed coffee also has a stronger flavor not only due to the increase of dissolved particles relative to the water content, but because it is brewed using emulsion rather than extraction. Emulsion involves pressure as well as water to extract the elements within the bean. The high pressure brewing gets more lipids into the shot than a traditional extraction of pouring water over the coffee grounds would. Finally- caffeine has a mildly astringent flavor. It was not discussed much in this paper because caffeine is relatively stable and doesn’t change from green coffee to roasted coffee. Caffeine level is merely dependent on the caffeine present in the coffee cherry when it was picked and the amount of coffee brewed in ratio to the water. Contrary to popular belief, it is not actually the presence of caffeine that contributes most to the bitter flavor of coffee. Rather, it is a compound called trigonelline (C7 H9NO3), an alkaloid, and its products after degradedation during roasting, that are given the most scientific credit for coffee’s bitterness.