3 discussion questions (2 foe COMP Managment and 1 for HIS)

DO NOT NEED IN ANY FORMAT WITH TITLE PAGE, JUST THE DISCUSSION  

Comp discussion 1

·         evaluate how well the company you researched leverages its discretionary benefits to both attract and keep employees.

·         Assume the company you researched must drop 25% of the discretionary benefits it currently offers. Determine which benefits it should drop. Provide your rationale.

EXAMPLE FROM DISCUSSION

From the e-Activity, evaluate how well the company you researched leverages its discretionary benefits to both attract and keep employees.

            Verizon offers a wide range of discretionary benefits. These include 401K, disaster relief assistance, adoption assistance, discounts on a number of products and services, child and adult care assistance, gym membership discounts (some centers have onsite gyms), paid time off and tuition assistance. Verizon understands that there is a need for work life balance and offers many opportunities to assist employees with working and taking care of their families and themselves. The added benefits that start day one of employment do attract qualified candidates. Candidates are attracted to the immediate benefits and maintain their employment because of the flexibility they have when working at Verizon. Verizon attempts to cover all aspects of the employees' lives personal and work.

Assume the company you researched must drop 25% of the discretionary benefits it currently offers. Determine which benefits it should drop. Provide your rationale.

            If discretionary benefits needed to be reduced, I would remove the onsite gyms and reduce tuition assistance amounts, and reduce adoption assistance amounts. Onsite gyms require staff and equipment, as well as insurance to cover incidences. This can be a huge cost save, The company can still offer discounts for offsite gyms which will still encourage healthy living while reducing the cost to run facilities onsite. Cutting tuition assistance by one class per year per employee will also reduce the cost to the company and still allow employees to seek higher education while reducing costs. Also reducing adoption assistance will reduce funds to the company. Assisting the employee for adoptions will still help with the expense.

http://www.verizon.com/about/careers/benefits

Comp Discussion 2

"A Health Savings Account at Frontline PR" Please respond to the following:

·         From the case study in Chapter 10, determine the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the health savings account (HSA) option and recommend at least one alternative to offering the HAS option.

·         Recommend what Susan should do. Provide the rationale behind your recommendation

EXAMPLE FROM DISCUSSION

From the case study in Chapter 10, determine the advantages and disadvantages of implementing the health savings account (HSA) option and recommend at least one alternative to offering the HAS option.

            Health savings accounts are a good option. The advantage is the savings account covers more, over the counter medicine and supplies are all covered. The option would give Frontline employees more coverage because they can use the savings account to buy a wide variety of medical items along with paying deductibles. The disadvantages are the reaction to the higher deductibles. Allison had the immediate concern for her out of pocket costs; if management has this concern then employees will be concerned as well. Education is going to be the determining factor. Allowing employees to understand that the savings account gives more flexibility and covers more because really all they may here is higher deductible and discount the option. The company could allow a blending option. Allow employees to choice the HSA over the flex spending for a period and allow them to return if not satisfied after a six-month period.

Recommend what Susan should do. Provide the rationale behind your recommendation.

            Susan should have a small niche of employees use the HSA before rolling it out as a company. Allow the management team to change then review their experiences. The managers can talk to the employees about what they liked and disliked as well as give personal experience to using the HSA. If the management niche test is successful over a year then provide it as an option along with the current plan. If the response is successful  then the current plan can be eliminated the next year and move everyone to the new plan.

HIS 105

"Civil Rights Breakthroughs" Please respond to the following: (Note: Please respond to one [1] of the following two [2] bulleted items in a primary posting of at least 125 words. In addition, please make a substantive comment to one [1] of your classmates.)

·         The 15th Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed the right to vote for all citizens regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." If the 15th Amendment already guaranteed the right to vote for all races, why did Congress pass the Voting Rights Act? Why didn't the government just enforce the 15th Amendment?

·         Why did Martin Luther King promote non-violence? How was his policy of non-violence effective?

EXAMPLE FROM DISCUSSION

"Civil Rights Breakthroughs"

•Why did Martin Luther King promote non-violence? How was his policy of non-violence effective?

Martin Luther King was committed to a non-violence approach to reform. In his first book (Stride Toward Freedom) MLK tells the story of his transformation to pacifism. King wrote, “a courageous confrontation of evil by the power of love” (King, Stride, 80). MLK was committed to non-violence.

Mohandas K. Gandhi had successfully fought for Indian rights in their struggle with the English. King wrote of Gandhi, as the first person to transform Christian love into a powerful force for social change. MLK referred to this non-violent approach as ‘‘the method for social reform that I had been seeking’’ (King, Stride, 79).

MLK outlined six principles for Non-violent social change. 1) Respect everyone-including yourself; 2) Always include a “constructive program”; 3) Be aware of the long term; 4) Look for “win/win” solutions; 5) Use power carefully; and 6) Claim a Legacy.

http://mettacenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Nepal-articlePDF.pdf

We are witnessing history in the making on the very principles of racial equality Dr. King spent his life on. The “Black Lives Matter” movement (http://blacklivesmatter.com/) has a valid argument concerning the treatment of Black Americans with regard to confrontation with law enforcement. However, the methodology used has not helped their cause in my opinion.  Regardless of the reality of your position, how you ultimately achieve your goal depends on the method you use to get there. Some people (a small minority) within the movement have taken to violence and the promotion of violent acts. This hijacks the original message of the cause.

Martin Luther King had similar groups operating outside his principles of non-violence. History shows those groups (the ones who used violence as a weapon), did very little to change the hearts and minds of the people who were practicing the racism and bigotry the civil rights movement was fighting to overcome.  

There is still racism in America. We are far from the days of “Jim Crowe” laws or the sins of slavery. While we have made progress and hopefully are making progress still, the method used to address this has an impact and not always a positive impact.

To answer the question directly, YES, Martin Luther King’s methods were effective and live as an example of what is needed today (in my opinion).

Work Cited:

King, M. L. (1958). Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story.

http://kingencyclopedia.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/encyclopedia/enc_nonviolent_resistance/