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Many businesses and organizations large enough to require human resource management (HRM) will need someone that not only understands core human resource (HR) responsibilities, but also understands the vision and mission of the organization.  To align the core HR requirements of an organization with its strategic plan, you will conduct an HRM review of the organization in the Moller-Maersk case study located in the Harvard Business Review Coursepack. Be creative in assembling each of the individual components or HR tools to the HRM review so that they would be consistent with and add value to the organization. Complete the HRM review that illustrates how each of the HR tools plays a role in an organization’s overall strategic plan.  The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Three, Four, and Five. Your comprehensive proposal will be submitted in Module Seven.  This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:   Explain core concepts of human resource management common in today’s global workplace for promoting shared values throughout an organization   Describe human resource management practices and theories that align to and promote the organization’s vision, mission, and business   Illustrate the functions of a human resource manager for ensuring alignment with the organization’s strategic plan   Explain modern human resource concepts and principles that are essential in a changing work environment  Prompt  In this assessment, you will review the human resource management (HRM) of the organization within the case study. This case study will give you the opportunity to explore various roles and processes within the human resources profession. A key skill for any professional working in human resources is the ability to develop and implement processes that align with a company’s strategic plan and mission.  I. HRM Functions and Practices A. Explain why the human resource (HR) function should be aligned with an organization’s strategic plan. [OL-211-03] B. Explain how current global conditions in this industry impact human resource management (HRM) practices within organizations. [OL-211-01]  II. Staffing A. Describe a process to recruit and select new employees who are aligned with the organization’s vision and goals from the case study. [OL-211- 02] B. Compare and contrast recruitment and selection of internal versus external candidates using best practices from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) website. Refer to the Research and Metrics page for helpful resources. You may want to consider which method of recruitment would be most beneficial to this organization. [OL-211-01]  III. Training A. Describe the components of a needs assessment used to determine the training requirements of the organization. [OL-211-01] B. Explain the importance of developing learning activities. Be sure to incorporate adult learning principles and methods of experiential learning from this course. [OL-211-03] C. Illustrate the value of a training needs assessment in an organization. Support your response. [OL-211-01] D. Describe the importance of creating SMART objectives for a training plan. [OL-211-02]  IV. Evaluation A. Determine the HRM’s role in the performance management process. How can you ensure the process aligns with the organization’s strategic plan? [OL-211-03] B. Differentiate between various performance appraisal systems. Provide an example where one would be more applicable. [OL-211-02] C. How do you identify best-suited appraisals for employee job duties? Support your response with an example. [OL-211-04] D. Identify a variety of performance rating scales that can be used in organizations that includes graphical scales, letter scales, and numeric scales. Describe each scale. [OL-211-02]  V. Compensation A. Describe the compensation philosophy. How does the market influence this philosophy? [OL-211-04] B. Determine the value of salary surveys and describe the advantages of discretionary benefits. [OL-211-04]  Milestones  Milestone One: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives—Functions and Practices/Staffing In Module Two, you will write a short paper that addresses Sections I and II of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.  Milestone Two: Employee Development Processes In Module Three, you will write a short paper that addresses Section III of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.  Milestone Three: Performance Management In Module Four, you will write a short paper that addresses Section IV of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.  Milestone Four: Compensation In Module Five, you will write a short paper that addresses Section V of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Four Rubric.  Final Submission: Human Resources Management review In Module Seven, you will finalize and submit a paper that is comprised of all the milestone submissions with edits based on instructor feedback.   Guidelines for Submission: Submit your human resource management review adhering to the following guidelines: minimum of 7 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font and following APA 6th edition format. Submit journal assignment as a Word document. OL 211 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric Overview Many businesses and organizations large enough to require human resource management (HRM) will need someone that not only understands core human resource (HR) responsibilities, but also understands the vision and mission of the organization. To align the core HR requirements of an organization with its strategic plan, you will conduct an HRM review of the organization in the Moller-Maersk case study located in the Harvard Business Review Coursepack. Be creative in assembling each of the individual components or HR tools to the HRM review so that they would be consistent with and add value to the organization. Complete the HRM review that illustrates how each of the HR tools plays a role in an organization’s overall strategic plan. The project is divided into four milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Two, Three, Four, and Five. Your comprehensive proposal will be submitted in Module Seven. This assessment addresses the following course outcomes:  Explain core concepts of human resource management common in today’s global workplace for promoting shared values throughout an organization  Describe human resource management practices and theories that align to and promote the organization’s vision, mission, and business  Illustrate the functions of a human resource manager for ensuring alignment with the organization’s strategic plan  Explain modern human resource concepts and principles that are essential in a changing work environment Prompt In this assessment, you will review the human resource management (HRM) of the organization within the case study. This case study will give you the opportunity to explore various roles and processes within the human resources profession. A key skill for any professional working in human resources is the ability to develop and implement processes that align with a company’s strategic plan and mission. I. HRM Functions and Practices A. Explain why the human resource (HR) function should be aligned with an organization’s strategic plan. [OL-211-03] B. Explain how current global conditions in this industry impact human resource management (HRM) practices within organizations. [OL-211-01] II. Staffing A. Describe a process to recruit and select new employees who are aligned with the organization’s vision and goals from the case study. [OL-211- 02] B. Compare and contrast recruitment and selection of internal versus external candidates using best practices from the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) website. Refer to the Research and Metrics page for helpful resources. You may want to consider which method of recruitment would be most beneficial to this organization. [OL-211-01] III. Training A. Describe the components of a needs assessment used to determine the training requirements of the organization. [OL-211-01] B. Explain the importance of developing learning activities. Be sure to incorporate adult learning principles and methods of experiential learning from this course. [OL-211-03] C. Illustrate the value of a training needs assessment in an organization. Support your response. [OL-211-01] D. Describe the importance of creating SMART objectives for a training plan. [OL-211-02] IV. Evaluation A. Determine the HRM’s role in the performance management process. How can you ensure the process aligns with the organization’s strategic plan? [OL-211-03] B. Differentiate between various performance appraisal systems. Provide an example where one would be more applicable. [OL-211-02] C. How do you identify best-suited appraisals for employee job duties? Support your response with an example. [OL-211-04] D. Identify a variety of performance rating scales that can be used in organizations that includes graphical scales, letter scales, and numeric scales. Describe each scale. [OL-211-02] V. Compensation A. Describe the compensation philosophy. How does the market influence this philosophy? [OL-211-04] B. Determine the value of salary surveys and describe the advantages of discretionary benefits. [OL-211-04] Milestones Milestone One: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives—Functions and Practices/Staffing In Module Two, you will write a short paper that addresses Sections I and II of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric. Milestone Two: Employee Development Processes In Module Three, you will write a short paper that addresses Section III of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric. Milestone Three: Performance Management In Module Four, you will write a short paper that addresses Section IV of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric. Milestone Four: Compensation In Module Five, you will write a short paper that addresses Section V of the Final Project document. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Four Rubric. Final Submission: Human Resources Management review In Module Seven, you will finalize and submit a paper that is comprised of all the milestone submissions with edits based on instructor feedback. This milestone will be graded with the Final Project Rubric below. Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading 1 Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives—Functions and Practices/Staffing Two Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric 2 Employee Development Processes Three Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric 3 Performance Management Four Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric 4 Compensation Five Graded separately; Milestone Four Rubric Final Submission: HRM review Seven Graded separately; Final Project Rubric (below) Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Submit your human resource management review adhering to the following guidelines: minimum of 7 pages, double-spaced, using 12-point Times New Roman font and following APA 6th edition format. Submit journal assignment as a Word document. Instructor Feedback: This activity uses an integrated rubric in Brightspace. Students can view instructor feedback in the Grade Center. Critical Elements Exemplary (100\%) Proficient (85\%) Needs Improvement (55\%) Not Evident (0\%) Value HRM Functions and Practices: Function Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation is supported with evidence Explains why the human resource function should be aligned with an organization’s strategic plan Explains why the human resource function should be aligned with an organization’s strategic plan, but explanation is cursory or inaccurate Does not explain why the human resource function should be aligned with an organization’s strategic plan 8 HRM Functions and Practices: Global Conditions Meets “Proficient” criteria and explanation is clear and detailed Explains how current global conditions in the industry impact human resource management practices within organizations Explains how current global conditions in the industry impact human resource management practices within organizations, but explanation is cursory or has gaps in accuracy Does not explain how current global conditions impact human resource management practices within organizations 6 Staffing: Recruiting Meets “Proficient” criteria and description demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the relationship between recruiting and the organization’s vision and goals Describes a process to recruit and select new employees who are aligned with the organization’s vision and goals Describes a process to recruit and select new employees who are aligned with the organization’s vision and goals, but description is cursory or inaccurate Does not describe a process to recruit and select new employees who are aligned with the organization’s vision and goals 6 Staffing: Candidates Meets “Proficient” criteria and establishes which method would be more beneficial for an organization based on the research Compares and contrasts recruitment and selection of internal versus external candidates using the Society for Human Resource Management website as resource Compares and contrasts recruitment and selection of internal versus external candidates but does not utilize the Society for Human Resource Management website as resource Does not compare and contrast recruitment and selection of internal versus external candidates using the Society for Human Resource Management website as resource 6 Training: Needs Assessment Meets “Proficient” criteria and description is clear and detailed Describes the components of a needs assessment used to determine the training requirements of the organization Describes the components of a needs assessment used to determine the training requirements of the organization, but description is cursory or inaccurate Does not describe the components of a needs assessment used to determine the training requirements of the organization 6 Training: Learning Activities Meets “Proficient” criteria and exhibits keen insight into the needs of adult learners Explains the importance of developing learning activities, and incorporates adult learning principles and methods of experiential learning Explains the importance of developing learning activities, but does not incorporate adult learning principles and methods of experiential learning Does not explain the importance of developing learning activities 8 Training: Training Needs Assessment Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses scholarly research to contextualize claims Illustrates the value of a training needs assessment in an organization, and supports response Illustrates the value of a training needs assessment in an organization, but does not support response Does not illustrate the value of a training needs assessment 6 Training: SMART Meets “Proficient” criteria and description is clear and detailed Describes the importance of creating SMART objectives for a training plan Describes the importance of creating SMART objectives for a training plan, but description is cursory or inaccurate Does not describe the importance of creating SMART objectives for a training plan 6 Evaluation: Performance Management Meets “Proficient” criteria and description is well supported and plausible Determines HRM’s role in the performance management process including how the process aligns with the organization’s strategic plan Determines HRM’s role in the performance management process, but does not include how the process aligns with the organization’s strategic plan Does not determine HRM’s role in the performance management process 8 Evaluation: Performance Appraisal Meets “Proficient” criteria and example is well supported and contextualized Differentiates between the trait, behavioral, and results-based performance appraisal systems, and provides an example where each would be most applicable Differentiates between the trait, behavioral, and results-based performance appraisal systems, but does not provide an example where each would be most applicable Does not differentiate between the trait, behavioral, and results- based performance appraisal systems 6 Evaluation: Best-Suited Appraisals Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses scholarly research to substantiate claims Determines how to identify best- suited appraisals for employee job duties, and supports response with an example Determines how to identify best- suited appraisals for employee job duties, but does not support response with an example Does not determine how to identify best-suited appraisals for employee job duties 8 Evaluation: Performance Rating Scales Meets “Proficient” criteria and description is clear and contextualized Identifies a variety of performance scales that can be used in organizations and describes each Identifies a variety of performance scales that can be used in organizations, but does not describe each scale Does not identify a variety of performance scales that can be used in organizations 6 Compensation: Compensation Meets “Proficient” criteria and description is clear and detailed Describes the compensation philosophy and describes how the market influences this philosophy Describes the compensation philosophy and describes how the market influences this philosophy, but description is cursory or inaccurate Does not describe compensation philosophy 8 Compensation: Salary Surveys Meets “Proficient” criteria and uses evidence to substantiate claims Determines the value of salary surveys, and describes the advantages of discretionary benefits Determines the value of salary surveys but does not describe the advantages of discretionary benefits Does not determine the value of salary surveys 8 Articulation of Response Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 4 Earned Total 100\% Final Project Milestone One OL- 211 2 Final Project Milestone One OL- 211 5 Final Project Milestone One OL-211 Jennifer Moore Southern New Hampshire University Final Project Milestone One HRM In todays business environment, businesses move faster due to technological advancements in the industries. Consumers are continuously getting involved in digital markets forcing companies to shift their strategic plans to meet the pace. Changes in an organizational culture impact people because each business decision has real-life impacts on the organization and stakeholders. Therefore, human resource managers should be equipped to inform strategies and help employees navigate through the changes. Thus, HR functions should align with the organizations strategic planning because it helps the company and stakeholders move in lockstep, making it easier to achieve organizational goals. Aligning with the organizations strategic plan also give HRs initiative a strategic focus. We live in a changing economy; therefore, aligning with organizational strategic plans helps HRs prioritize goals and objectives. The Moller-Maersk Group quickly globalized its business. This prompted the company to make changes in its human capital. Being a large oil company, Maersk faced a lot of challenges within its HR practices. In 2008, the company experienced a decline in oil, forcing HR to shift focus towards new markets while maintaining the old ones (Groysberg & Abott, 2013). The company changed its hiring practices, which later negatively impacted the entire business. The HR practices should be flexible to adapt to global conditions. For instance, the case study illustrates that Maersk hired young and untrained employees and allowed the company to train them; however, the company had to change its strategies within the global environment due to the increased turnover. Generally, internal, and external recruitments have pros and cons. internal recruitment refers to sourcing or hiring employees from within the company. This is beneficial to the company because the candidates have already attained knowledge about the company goals and objectives. Another advantage of internal recruitment is peer acceptance. Colleagues can readily accept one of their own as compared to an outsider. This works best during succession planning and employee motivation (Snell & Morris, 2019). However, for global businesses, internal recruitment can be disadvantageous due to cultural differences and diversity. On the other hand, external recruitment refers to hiring employees from outside the organization. It brings fresh and new talents into the company. It also provides broader opportunities for HRs to find the best fit for the positions. However, it is more costly because of the need to train them; some have higher salary demands, and others are likely to increase turnovers. Over the years, Maersk recruited young and untrained candidates and allowed the company to train the selected candidates for two years to meet the companys requirements. The company also integrated its internal recruitment with external hires (Groysberg & Abott, 2013). The HR practices haunted the company because they led to increased employee turnovers over the years. Therefore, the company realized that it was losing its competitive advantage in the oil market. It resolved to change its HR practices to align with the company’s strategic objectives. Maersk has made several hiring and selection mistakes over the years. However, currently, it has made several improvements to counter the lost opportunities. Today, the company has new leadership which recognized the setbacks that prevailed in the previous practices and has come up with new techniques to handle all the issues. Since the company had become a global entity, it had new demands that needed to be met (Groysberg & Abott, 2013). Therefore, Maersk had a new and more challenging structure which required the company to change its HR demands and issues. The previous recruitment and selection processes could not work in a global business because the employee base had expanded into a more diverse community. Thus, reconstruction of the HR practices and strategies helped the company recover and attain its competitive nature. The HR allowed the best-fit candidates to fill in advised positions regardless of whether they were from within the company or out of the company. References Snell, S. A., & Morris, S. S. (2019). Managing Human Resources 18th ed. Groysberg, B., & Abott, S. (2013). A.P. Moller - Maersk Group: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives. Harvard Business School, 1-20. Final Project Milestone Two OL-211 1 Final Project Milestone Two OL-211 2 Final Project Milestone Two OL-211 Jennifer Moore Southern New Hampshire University Final Project Milestone Two HRM In an organizational setting, training employees plays an important for organizational development and success. Organizational managers should have a way to meet and satisfy employee training needs because they are paramount and relevant in organizations. More so, Organizations should create SNART aspects in their organizations for effective training plans. Based on the case study provided for the Maersk organization, incorporating adult learning principles and methods plays a key role in ensuring positive organizational outcomes. There is value in training needs assessment in organizations. They help HRMs to know and picture essential methods to improve production and performance. These aspects help companies be stronger and competitive in the current business environment (Snell & Morris, 2019). Assessing the right training ensures that the company recruits and retains good talents essential in creating a strong competitive advantage and successful companies. Therefore, HRMs look at the training needs within the organization assesses the areas that need training, the type of training needed, and the people in need of the training. After carrying out all the assessments, the HRMs plan on how to implement and execute the training. For a business partner at Maersk, there are various components of a needs assessment vital in determining a Customer Service-CARE training requirements. The first is identifying specific activities to be performed in given organizational tasks. This is where the HRMs and responsible managers must understand and assess the employees knowledge, skills, attributes, and abilities because they are essential in the perfect performance of the specific jobs. That implies that Maersk had a chance to conduct a task analysis and highlight Customer Service-CARE business partners (Snell & Morris, 2019). More so, carrying out a personal analysis helps HRMs to establish whether an employee needs training. Based on the job posting at Customer Service-CARE business partner, there are personal attributes required by employees to handle their job responsibilities. Some of the attributes include handling direct calls, skills in conflict resolution, effective communication skills, and 1-2 years of experience. Creating SMART objectives for a training program is essential in organizations. Developed by Peter Drucker, the SMART objectives help managers to ensure that employee training needs align with organizational goals to effectively utilize organizational resources. That implies that Maersk should have utilized SMART objectives in its training needs to ensure that the hired employees possessed the right skills for their job positions (Groysberg & Abott, 2013). According to the case study, the group HR changed its primary functions from administrators to strategic management. This led to downsizing in the organization. More so, it led to a shift in talent management within the organization. It is important to develop learning activities for Maersk Customer Service-CARE Business Partner training program because its position in Maersk Company is paramount for its success. Having key responsibilities and required talents within Maersk would have been a primary consideration for the assessment. For instance, for the job description of direct call handling, the required talent should possess effective communication skills because this is a paramount position in the Customer Service Company (Groysberg & Abott, 2013). Experiential learning methods play a crucial role in a companys training process since currently, many organizations are resolving towards the use of technology. Technology is ever-changing; therefore, companies should also expect that the training methods will also change. Therefore, HRMs and organizations should help their employees quickly learn and adapt to the changes to ensure they perform optimally and effectively. Incorporating adult learning and experiential learning methods into Maersk Customer Service-CARE business partner training program is essential for the success of Maersk. With the current shifts in technology, job positions and responsibilities are also changing. Therefore, to incorporate adult learning into the Maersk Customer Service-CARE, I intend to tailor the materials for learning into the learning style available to ensure that the audience learns and applies the concepts as quickly as possible (Groysberg & Abott, 2013). This means that it is primary to learn how to engage workers. In adult learning, the attention span is shorter since their technological influence comes from smartphones, among other devices. In conclusion, having a training assessment at Maersk helps identify the areas of need for the employees or the employees who need help to optimally perform. Therefore, the company should conduct a training assessment, implement the SMART objectives, consider employees learning styles, and develop training methods that benefit the company and the employees. References Snell, S. A., & Morris, S. S. (2019). Managing Human Resources 18th ed. Groysberg, B., & Abott, S. (2013). A.P. Moller - Maersk Group: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives. Harvard Business School, 1-20. Final Project Milestone Three OL-211 2 Final Project Milestone Three OL-211 Jennifer Moore Southern New Hampshire University Final Project Milestone Three HRM The Achilles heel of human resources management is performance management systems, which usually involve performance appraisal and staff development. In many businesses, they have problems, with employees and management frequently lamenting their inefficiency. According to a recent Watson Wyatt survey, only three out of ten employees feel that their companys performance management system helps them enhance performance. Less than 40\% of employees stated their systems set clear performance goals, provided honest feedback, or used technology to make the process more efficient (Hee & Jing, 2018). For fear of retaliation or ruining relationships with the very people they rely on to get work done, managers are hesitant to deliver genuine feedback and have open dialogues with staff. Employees believe that their bosses are inept at discussing their performance and advising them on improving their abilities (Sharma and Sharma, 2017). Many people claim that performance management systems are inefficient, bureaucratic, and time-demanding compared to the value they offer. Performance appraisals are designed and implemented in part by the human resource department. HR department serves as a liaison between the employee and the functional heads or reviewing authorities. It is the responsibility of the human resource personnel to guarantee that the appraisal process runs smoothly. The HR teams first and most important task is to plan the entire appraisal procedure (Hee & Jing, 2018). They make sure the procedure is straightforward and does not take too long. To establish and design a system where their overall achievements may be graded concerning their major responsibility areas, the HR team has to know the obligations given to each employee. A member of the MIS team cannot grade themselves against a marketing professionals KRAs. As an HR professional, you must meet with the functional leaders of all departments to determine which team members have been assigned specific tasks. The approach used to measure performance is crucial when developing your organizations performance management (PM) system. According to organizational researcher Herman Aguinis (2009), there are three categories of criteria: behaviours, results, and attributes. The behaviour approach to performance management focuses on an employees individual habits (Wang et al., 2019). When there is no clear link between actions and results, performance outcomes are far in the future, and results are out of the employees control, a behavioural approach is appropriate. Only the end effect of employee actions is considered in the results to approach such as mistakes made, machine parts produced, and sales per month. A third option is to assess personnel characteristics throughout the review process. Characteristics of a relatively unchanging individual, such as personality or intelligence, are referred to as traits. The theory speculates that some personality traits, such as extraversion and leadership ability, link to performance (Wang et al., 2019). John works for a pharmaceutical business in the Midwest as a human resource specialist. Hes been assigned the task of reviewing and revising the companys performance evaluation system. John can use trait appraisals as a standard to assess attitude, initiative work, loyalty, and adaptability. John can also use behavioural as a criterion for performance appraisals. Traits are characters, while behaviours are actions. He can use behaviours that demonstrate cooperation and teamwork when developing team appraisals. One of the behavioural appraisal methodologies would be an ideal fit for Maersk Customer Service - Care Business Partner. This position necessitates business development through actively maintaining and following up on potential opportunities (Borman, 2017). The BARS (Behaviourally Anchored Ratio Scale) was used to assess the situation. Being aware of the key point of contact for this customer service position. The behaviour method appraisal might reveal what the employee should or should not do. In performance management systems, rating scales reflect an employees degree of performance or achievement. These scales are widely used because they provide quantitative assessments, are generally simple to administer, and aid in employee differentiation. Rating scales can be numerical (e.g., 3, 4, 5) or alphabetical (e.g., a, b, c), with numbers or letters correlating to adjectives like 5 = excellent or c = satisfactory. (Borman, 2017). Narrative rating schemes are also possible. For example, unacceptable performance, defined as fails to achieve basic goals and objectives, could be one of the scales elements. In the literature, HRM is defined in various ways. Just like HR, Performance is another construct that is assessed using a variety of techniques. References Borman, W. C. (2017). Implications of personality theory and research for the rating of work performance in organizations. In Performance measurement and theory (pp. 127-172). Routledge. Hee, O. C., & Jing, K. R. (2018). The Influence of human resource management practices on employee performance in the manufacturing sector in Malaysia. International Journal of Human Resource Studies, 8(2), 129. Sharma, A., & Sharma, T. (2017). HR analytics and performance appraisal system: A conceptual framework for employee performance improvement. Management Research Review. Wang, M., Zhu, C. J., Mayson, S., & Chen, W. (2019). Contextualizing performance appraisal practices in Chinese public sector organizations: the importance of context and areas for future study. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 30(5), 902-919. Final Project Milestone Four OL-211 1 Final Project Milestone Four OL-211 3 Final Project Milestone Four OL-211 Jennifer Moore Southern New Hampshire University Final Project Milestone Four HRM Employee compensation is an essential aspect of organizational success. Through compensation, employers provide payments to their employees for meeting set targets or completing specific tasks. Different companies have different approaches towards employee compensation because it all depends on the industrial circumstances of the company, financial status, and culture. Maersk has a simple but effective compensation approach which has helped the company to stay competitive and relevant in the business market. It uses the industrial approach when designing its compensation plan (Maersk, 2017). Jobs are clustered in job groups depending on the employees experience, knowledge and skills, and demands of the workstation. That implies that the workers are paid concerning their job group and job demands. Maersks approach to compensation is challenging, especially when it comes to a time when the company needs to increase or reduce individual salaries. In such a case, the company will be forced to perform a performance appraisal, whereby the performance of the individual set to have their salaries increase or reduced will be reviewed within a given time frame. This review is always in line with individual objectives and targets before assuming their duties and job positions. Suppose the individual has not met their set targets and objectives. In that case, the company might opt to decrease their salaries due to underperformance or stop salary increment in case it was set to increase salaries. Salary surveys are essential in organizations. These are processes whereby a company undertakes research within its industry or across regions to determine the salary ranges paid by other employers in the same industry and region. Companies tend to project how much to pay their employees because salary surveys provide them with the knowledge on the minimum and maximum amount they can pay their employees in a specific locality (Groysberg, 2013). Therefore, it should be noted that salary surveys are valuable to organizations. Notably, successful organizations offer fair salaries to their employees because of salary surveys. Besides helping organizations have a clue of the maximum and minimum salaries to offer their employees, salary surveys also help organizations set a salary target that is attractive and fosters employee retention. If a company offers a slightly higher salary than their competitors, workers will more likely get attracted to the organization because of better pays. More so, there will be fewer turnovers because no one would want to leave a better-paying company and join a less-paying company if all factors are held constant. Discretionary benefits are whereby an organization benefits from empowering its employees. Maersk provides health benefits to its employees. This ensures that the employees are always at their optimum health state to stay productive in the company. The health benefits have also significantly reduced cases on payable health leaves within the company; hence, helping the company managers to ensure productivity is sustained (Maersk, 2017). More so, Maersk offers education reimbursements to its employees to ensure that they are always improving on their skills and knowledge to perform their tasks. That is how the company has maintained a team of experienced and talented employees. Moreover, Maersk has continually offered its employees additional privileges to ensure that the employees feel a sense of belonging. This has also improved employees’ trust levels and reduced turnovers in the organization. References Groysberg, B, S.L., (2013). A.P. Moller-Maersk Group: Evaluating Strategic Talent Management Initiatives. Boston: Havard Business School Publishing. Maersk. (2017). Incentives Pay Guidelines. Retrieved from: https://investor.maersk.com/guidelines.cfx