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1 – 10 of over 39000Richard G. Brody, Kimberley E. Frank and Tammy Kowalczyk
Merit pay plans are often used by companies as a way to motivate and reward employees. While several theories of motivation suggest that rewarding employees for individual…
Abstract
Merit pay plans are often used by companies as a way to motivate and reward employees. While several theories of motivation suggest that rewarding employees for individual accomplishments will produce positive results, there are potential threats that may lead to negative outcomes. Research in psychology and organizational behavior suggests that personal involvement in a decision‐making process can influence current and future behavior. This paper reports the results of an experiment examining individuals’ tendencies to overcommit to a previous decision. Results show that when an individual is personally involved in both the hiring and subsequent merit allocation process for an employee, this prior commitment has a significant effect on the amount of money allocated relative to an individual participating in the merit allocation decision but not the hiring process. Personal involvement with an employee leads to an increase in the merit allocation despite evidence that the individual did not meet the standards for merit pay.
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Javier Pinto and Germán R. Scalzo
This study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of poverty salaries and minimum wage in light of virtue ethics and a new natural law perspective on work.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to conduct a comprehensive analysis of poverty salaries and minimum wage in light of virtue ethics and a new natural law perspective on work.
Design/methodology/approach
Existing approaches to poverty wages are critically examined, including the nonworseness claim and legal minimalism. This paper introduces a more nuanced framework, taking into account the concepts of merit and participation in light of virtue ethics.
Findings
We argue that the fairness of minimum wage policies can be assessed as a matter of contributive-distributive justice by considering individual contributions to an organization's outcomes within an approach that provides a robust foundation for reconciling the dignity of work with the operational realities of organizations.
Research limitations/implications
Empirical research is needed to validate the practical application of the proposed conceptual framework for addressing poverty wages.
Practical implications
The paper provides better decisional arguments for employers concerned with poverty salaries in their organizations considering the moral dimensions of wage policies and employee well-being, offering guidance for potential adjustments in compensation practices. It also contributes to the discourse on social and economic justice by emphasizing the moral obligations of organizations in fostering a just and dignified work environment without the employee's participation.
Originality/value
This paper presents a novel approach that blends virtue ethics and new natural law principles, emphasizing the moral responsibilities of employers and organizations in addressing the conditions of the working poor. It also highlights the potential for a “lesser evil” situation, morally acceptable when it serves as a transitional phase aimed at improving working conditions and employee well-being.
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Compensation influences applicants' perceptions of a position's attractiveness, but there has been limited analysis of how different compensation systems might reflect…
Abstract
Purpose
Compensation influences applicants' perceptions of a position's attractiveness, but there has been limited analysis of how different compensation systems might reflect organizational cultures and influence organizational attractiveness. This article seeks to explore these issues.
Design/methodology/approach
An experiment was conducted in which 288 undergraduates reacted to scenarios describing a company that distributed salaries and benefits based on either merit or on seniority. Individual differences were also measured and analyzed. Analysis of variance and moderated regression were used to test the hypotheses.
Findings
Relative to seniority‐based compensation systems, the cultures of organizations relying on merit were perceived to be more aggressive, reward‐oriented, and less decisive. Unexpectedly, the psychological contracts of organizations using merit systems were generally perceived to be more relational and less transactional than those using seniority‐based systems. Individual differences were not related to attraction to the organization regardless of its compensation systems. Finally, individuals were least attracted to organizations that distributed both salaries and benefits based on seniority relative to those using a mixed compensation distribution system or one based entirely on merit.
Research limitations/implications
The sample was composed of undergraduates who responded to a hypothetical job scenario. The scenario only included information about how salary and benefits are allocated. Future research should use more experienced samples that are considering actual positions.
Practical implications
Findings indicate how information about compensation systems might be used in job descriptions to encourage applicants.
Originality/value
This study was the first to find that merit/seniority‐based compensation systems for determining salary and benefits reflect different organizational cultures to job applicants and influence job applicants' attraction to organizations.
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Refai Al-Qarni Mohamed Al-Saba
The paper aimed to identify the extent of the implementation of merit criteria in the selection of senior bureaucratic officials in Egypt.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aimed to identify the extent of the implementation of merit criteria in the selection of senior bureaucratic officials in Egypt.
Design/methodology/approach
The design of the study is both descriptive in the theoretical part and quantitative in the applied one. The study is based on a literature review and adopts an analytical approach to clarify the related concepts. Besides, an empirical study to investigate the correlations in practice, based on a sample of 380 senior officials to obtain the primary data.
Findings
The results of the study reveal that there are no statistically significant differences between the respondents' perspectives towards the implementation of merit criteria in selecting senior officials. This means that merit criteria are not always applied, but sometimes. Moreover, the results showed no statistically significant differences between the respondents' perspectives towards the implementation of merit criteria attributed to gender and age, while there were differences attributed to educational qualification and experience. The study recommended the necessity of adhering to the provisions of the civil service system and reconsidering the procedures of competitive examinations and interviews.
Originality/value
With respect to the Middle East, very limited studies have focused on the implementation of the merit system in recruitment. There is a lack of research and academic articles on this topic (Budhwar and Mellahi, 2016; Afiouni et al., 2014). The study addresses this gap in research and provides several recommendations that may improve the implementation of the merit system in Egypt. Moreover, this study adds to the limited literature on this topic in the Middle East.
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Farzana Aman Tanima and Ken Bates
Two prior survey papers on the use and perceived merit of customer accounting (CA) practices, one in Australia and one in New Zealand (NZ), disclosed contrasting results with…
Abstract
Purpose
Two prior survey papers on the use and perceived merit of customer accounting (CA) practices, one in Australia and one in New Zealand (NZ), disclosed contrasting results with confusing elements. The purpose of this paper is to replicate and extend previous survey research in order to update and clarify our understanding of CA practices in NZ.
Design/methodology/approach
Within a contingency theory framework, a mail questionnaire survey is used to measure the use and perceived merit of CA practices in NZ and investigate their relationship with six contingent factors: competitive strategy, market orientation, environmental uncertainty, costing methodology, company size and industrial sector.
Findings
Mean CA usage and perceived merit scores in NZ in 2009 are much higher than was found in NZ in 2007 and similar to those found in Australia in 2002. A significant gulf between usage rates of historical and forward-looking CA measures is now found in NZ. There is strong evidence for a positive contingent relationship between the marketing concept of marketing management and both the use and perceived merit of historical CA measures. Also found is a significant positive relationship between the customer concept of marketing management and the use and perceived merit of customer profitability analysis at the individual customer level.
Research limitations/implications
The survey method used prevents follow-up questions and clarification of ambiguities, but the survey results do provide new insights and potential avenues for further research.
Originality/value
This survey provides researchers, teachers and firms using or considering using CA practices, with an improved understanding of current usage and perceived merit of CA practices in NZ companies.
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The meaning of merit is complex and ambiguous. Originally defined as personal virtue, merit has evolved through scientific rationality into a measure of production, all the while…
Abstract
The meaning of merit is complex and ambiguous. Originally defined as personal virtue, merit has evolved through scientific rationality into a measure of production, all the while retaining the nuance of moral virtue. The result of this “gospel of merit” is a framework where the value of a human being is derived from organizational performance rather than individual character.
Alan D. Smith and William T. Rupp
Historically, performance appraisals were intended to focus on three areas: development, motivation, and recognition of achievement. One major purpose of performance appraisals is…
Abstract
Historically, performance appraisals were intended to focus on three areas: development, motivation, and recognition of achievement. One major purpose of performance appraisals is to determine individual merit, especially where pay for performance systems are employed. Based upon expectancy theory, high performance ratings should entail high merit increases while low performance ratings result in low merit increases. However, it appears that decoupling performance ratings and merit increases is common practice. This paper explores the effects of receiving a low performance rating and high merit increase or a high performance rating and a low merit increase and empirically investigate its impact on knowledge workers’ motivational and general morale.
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Kevin Steed, John De Nobile and Manjula Waniganayake
This research paper explores the perspectives of Australian school principals in the state of New South Wales (NSW) regarding what they believe constitutes “merit” when selecting…
Abstract
Purpose
This research paper explores the perspectives of Australian school principals in the state of New South Wales (NSW) regarding what they believe constitutes “merit” when selecting deputy principals, assistant principals (primary) and head teachers (secondary).
Design/methodology/approach
An online survey was utilised to collect qualitative and quantitative data from school principals across the state of NSW to investigate their understanding of, and approach to, the merit selection of their respective school leadership cadres.
Findings
Study findings indicated a statewide variance in the perceptions of principals when identifying merit for the purposes of recruiting school leadership teams. These findings question the widely held view that candidates compete for school leadership positions on a level playing field.
Practical implications
In practical terms, the findings indicate that NSW school principals would benefit from more intensive professional learning opportunities designed to enhance their ability to objectively identify and assess merit when selecting school leaders.
Originality/value
This study contributes to an enhanced understanding in an area where there is a paucity of research-based evidence focusing upon the perspectives of school principals regarding their understanding of meritocratic theory and its influence on their school leadership selection practice.
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This paper aims to draw on Ashcraft’s (2013) metaphor of the “glass slipper” (which highlights the need for alignment between occupational identity and embodied social identities…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to draw on Ashcraft’s (2013) metaphor of the “glass slipper” (which highlights the need for alignment between occupational identity and embodied social identities of workers) to show how merit may not adhere to individuals when social identity in the form of gender, race or class fails to fit the definition and perceived characteristics of the job.
Design/methodology/approach
This is a conceptual paper.
Findings
This study develops the notion of the Teflon effect to describe the way merit may go unrecognised and may therefore not “stick” to the bodies of women in management and leadership roles.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides an explanation for the persistence of the glass ceiling and the barriers women face as they undertake or aspire to management and/or leadership positions in organisations.
Practical implications
This study introduces a more embodied notion of merit which relies on both performance and recognition to “take effect”. Professionals must see beyond “objective” measures of merit in performance reviews and/or in recruitment and promotion decisions to include reflection on the significance of merit’s subjective, “performed” dimensions.
Social implications
This study adds to understandings of women’s positioning in organisations.
Originality/value
This study develops the notion of the Teflon effect. This highlights the significance of the recognition, performance and embodiment of merit and how merit may fail to adhere to the bodies of women in management and leadership roles.
Vivian J. Hajnal and Dennis J. Dibski
Emphasizes the need for coherence between the reward structure andthe organizational culture of effective schools. Provides a frameworkfor discussion which includes a typology of…
Abstract
Emphasizes the need for coherence between the reward structure and the organizational culture of effective schools. Provides a framework for discussion which includes a typology of rewards, including pecuniary, non‐pecuniary extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. Analyses several pay‐for‐performance strategies, classified by permanency of increases (merit or incentive) and mode of distribution (individual or group). Explores the perceived advantages and disadvantages of various merit and incentive plans in support of effective schools. Suggests that more attention to a closer fit between compensation strategies, organizational strategies, and workforce behaviours is required to increase the positive effects of reward structures.
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