Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file. Includes bibliographical references (p. 95-101).

Increasing competition within the freight transportation market in South Africa has intensified the need for rail industries to identify ways in which to enhance their competitiveness within this market. One of the most important challenges for organisations’ operating in this market is to deliver goods on time, while meeting the needs of customers, at the lowest possible cost. If such organisations are to remain competitive, it may be required of them to shift their focus to their employees. Research has shown that employees render organisations’ with sustainable competitive advantage, more specifically, it has shown that engaged employees surpass disengaged employees. The distinguishing factor for organisations’ in the search of competitive advantage would therefore be an engaged workforce. The primary research objective of this study was to investigate contribution of reward systems to enhanced employee engagement within Transnet Engineering (TE) in Swartkops, Port Elizabeth. A theoretical overview was conducted to evaluate different definitions, engagement theories and factors of reward systems which contribute to enhanced employee engagement. An empirical study was conducted by means of a survey with a questionnaire as data collecting tool. The purpose of the structured questionnaire was to validate the findings obtained from the theoretical overview and to assess employees’ perceptions of reward systems and engagement. Recommendations were made based on the findings of the literature and empirical study. These recommendations will assist the organisation in understanding how reward systems can be used to enhance employee engagement, so that a competitive advantage can be achieved within the freight transportation market.

M.B.A. / Many organisations have approached employee remuneration in new ways in recent years. Most of these new approaches are based on the principles of aligning a portion of individual or team remuneration to achievement against specific goals. Such systems are most commonly referred to as performance based remuneration systems. Alpha (Pty) Ltd has very recently introduced a performance based remuneration system aimed at individuals within the organisation. It is evident that there is no single system that can be applied across the infinite number of organisations globally, and that developing any ideal performance related system requires careful consideration of many variables. To develop and implement an effective system within any organisation, requires custom tailoring the system to best suit that organisation. This research paper aims to analyse what impact the introduction of an individual performance based remuneration system has had within the cement business unit of Alpha (Pty) Ltd, how the findings of the research compare to the theoretical reference on the subject, and whether there is room for improvement to the existing system.

Most organisations depend on their sales consultants to generate revenue. Sales consultants across industries normally work for commission, determined by the amount of business they bring in. A group of security companies are currently spending a considerable amount of money and other resources on the recruitment, selection and development of sales consultants. In the past 18 months, 39 sales consultants left the company after being employed on average for no longer than five months. Keeping the above in mind, it was necessary to establish exactly what caused the high turnover rate among sales consultants. By identifying these factors it would be possible for the organisation to eliminate the causes for high employee turnover and work towards promoting factors which would retain the sales consultants. An overview of different motivation theories was considered. Most of the theories consider motivation from a personal need satisfaction perspective, while Herzberg also considers the motivation through restructuring of the work environment. For this reason, Herzberg’s theory was found to be the more appropriate one for this study . Herzberg’s Motivation Hygiene (MH) Theory and other current literature on employee retention were used as a basis to investigate the high turnover rate of sales consultants at a group of security companies. ii The nominal group technique was used to determine whether certain intrinsic and extrinsic factors are influencing the retention of sales consultants. A study of the relevant literature revealed that employee motivation is at the heart of retention. Literature on employee retention state that retention should be seen as a process, which starts even before an employee joins the organisation. Organisations need to focus on scientific recruitment and selection in order to employ the right person for the position. Retention should then be managed by developing employees and by introducing the intrinsic and extrinsic factors as formulated in the Herzberg MH theory. The outcome of such an employee retention process will result in cost savings over a wide spectrum. The literature on retention is summarised in an employee retention model, which was used to make recommendations to the organisation. The findings indicate that various factors such as company policies on remuneration, and administration, remuneration structure, working conditions and job security are playing a role in the retention of the sales consultant. Based on the results of the empirical study, recommendations are made to the organisation in terms of retaining their sales consultants. This includes a commitment to retention from top management, creating attractive sales positions; improve opportunities for training and development and a revised remuneration structure for sales consultants. The problem areas were identified and should be addressed satisfactorily by following the proposed recommendations. / Prof. W. Backer

To gain workforce support and commitment, organisations should offer remuneration and rewards that are internally and externally equitable, as inequity in remuneration is the source of employee discontent and turnover. To succeed, organisations have to communicate the total value of rewards allocated to employees. Communication is the foundation of reward management and organisational success. Communication helps employees to understand that the rewards they receive are worth having. Remuneration and rewards communicate the value that organisations place on their employees. To deliver the proper messages, remuneration objectives and strategies should be aligned with the overall business strategy of the organisation. Alignment enables organisations to deliver the right type of rewards to the right people, at the right time, and for the right reasons. The only way the organisation can deliver the correct reward and remuneration, is to implement a total reward system together with a total pay system. Effective total pay system covers base pay, skills and competency pay, variable performance pay, recognition, and benefits. Total reward system cover investment in people, development and training, performance management, and career management. To motivate and retain employees, and to improve organisation’s profitability, a right mix of total pay and total rewards should be made available to employees as employees’ needs differ. With this information, an empirical study was developed and conducted at Lobels Bread in Zimbabwe. The results of this survey indicated that Lobels Bread uses traditional base pay system and benefits as a way of motivating and retaining its employees. This pay system seems to be insufficient to motivate and retain employees. To motivate and retain employees, the company should implement a total reward system, which includes total pay system, investment in people, career enhancement, open communications, involvement, and performance management.

This study is intended to analyze employee acceptance of an alternative reward system that reinforces continuous learning, teamwork, major expansion of individual capabilities, business knowledge application, and business unit (team) performance. This system is in contrast with traditional pay systems that reward seniority and individual performance determined by the subjective ratings of a direct supervisor, with pay increases based mainly on current job grade (and the availability of higher job grades within the company) and comparison with market value of the job. Individuals from three areas of a major electronics manufacturing company in the southwestern part of the United States served as subjects.

Identifying the determinants of compensation is important from employee and firm financial perspectives. This analysis examines the compensation of three different skill level categories - managerial, specialized, and general. The types of compensation examined include salaries, bonuses, benefits, and total compensation. Neoclassical theory is represented in the models by net return, managerialist theory by annual sales volume and form of ownership, and human capital theory by both education after high school and agribusiness work experience. Also controlled for in the models are the potential effect of salary on bonuses and benefits. Major findings include that annual sales volume, education after high school, and agribusiness work experience are the important determinants of salaries and total compensation. Bonuses for managers tend to increase with annual sales volume, and bonuses for employees in specialized and general skill level categories tend to be lower for those employed by cooperatives. Benefits tend to increase with salary. From the employee’s perspective, these findings indicate that, in order to maximize salary and total compensation, employees should seek employment in larger firms, attend college, and gain work experience. To decrease the variability of compensation associated with a high reliance on bonuses, specialized and general skill level employees may want to seek employment in a cooperative. Employees should realize that increases in benefits are linked to increases in salaries. From the firm’s perspective, smaller firms need to recognize that larger firms provide higher compensation. Hence, smaller firms may have to offer other amenities to attract, retain, and motivate employees. To attain more educated and experienced employees, firms will have to provide higher compensation. Cooperatives desiring performance oriented employees may have to alter their compensation packages to include higher bonuses. / Master of Science

by Tong Shing, Steve. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1988. / Bibliography: leaves 91-92.

Thesis (Ph. D. in Management)--Vanderbilt University, Dec. 2005. / Title from title screen. Includes bibliographical references.

To be competitive, organisations need to ensure that all their resources are functioning at optimal level. The most important of these resources being its employees. This is because their commitment can guarantee the attainment of organisational goals. Commitment can be attained by an organisation through the payment of internally and externally competitive remuneration and reward packages, that communicate the value of the employees to the organisation. Remuneration and reward strategies are a critical tool for organisations, as they can motivate, attract and retain high performing employees. The theories of motivation, such as, the equity theory, state that employees compare their compensation with that of others and that if they perceive inequity, can be de-motivated or leave an organisation. Therefore, it is imperative for an organisation to ensure that its remuneration and reward strategy is aligned with its business strategy, to ensure clear communication of goals. In order to prevent labour turnover and to ensure commitment and retention, the employer needs to offer total rewards, which include base pay, benefits, variable performance pay, recognition and an enabling work environment. These can be effective as they meet all employee needs as in Maslow‟s hierarchy of needs and ensure the satisfaction of the organisation‟s need for goal attainment. To gain more insight, an empirical study was conducted at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. The results of the survey indicated that the NMMU‟s remuneration and reward strategy contained certain elements of the total rewards strategy. These are variable pay in the form of a service bonus and benefits plus based pay. This strategy seems to be ineffective to motivate and retain employees due to lack of clear communication and recognition. To motivate and retain its employees, the NMMU should improve its communication and engage employees and unions in defining remuneration and reward strategies through collaboration.