Week 3 Assignment – OnboardingInstructions

The first written assignment for this course is due in Week 3 and requires you to draw upon what you have learned in the first 3 weeks of class to analyze the total rewards system offered by two well-known organizations, L.L. Bean and Aflac.

To complete the assignment, you will need to read the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) case study,Benefits and Business at Aflac and L.L. Bean, that is posted at the bottom of this page. After reading the case study, you are to answer the questions below. Be sure to incorporate appropriate scholarly and practitioner references to support your key ideas. The total length of your assignment should be no more than 5-6 pages, not including the cover page and reference list. The assignment is worth 100 points and 20% of your total grade. It will be scored according to the corresponding grading rubric that is posted at the end of this page.

Case Study Questions. Pick of the companies presented in the SHRM case study, either Aflac or L.L. Bean, and answer the following:

1. Think about the internal strengths and weaknesses of the company. How, if at all, did the firm respond to these factors from a total rewards perspective? 25 points
2. Consider the external opportunities and threats of the company. How, if at all, did the firm respond to these factors from a total rewards perspective? 25 points
3. Given the corporate values of the organization, what revisions would you make to its benefits program in order to better align it with the accomplishment of the company’s organizational goals and values? 50 points

1st Assignment Benefits at AFLAC and LLBean.pdf

rubric:

Written Assignment Grading Rubric

A

B

C

F

Response Quality

50 points/50% 

Student directly addresses main question or issue, and   adds new insight to the subject not provided in lectures, readings, or class   discussions. Student has retained   nearly all of the knowledge presented in class, and is able to synthesize   this knowledge in new ways and relate to material not covered in the course.

Student competently addresses main question or issue, but   does not add much new insight into the subject. That said, it is clear that the student has   learned a great deal and is able to communicate this knowledge to   others. 

Student attempts to address main question or issue, but   fails. The student has retained some   information from the course, but does not fully understand its meaning or   context and cannot clearly convey it to others. 

Student does not address main question or issue, and it is   obvious that the student has not retained pertinent information from the   course or is not able to clearly convey that information to others.

Evidence

20 points/20%

Provides compelling and accurate evidence that convinces   reader to accept main argument (s). The importance/relevance of all pieces of evidence is clearly   stated. There are no gaps in   reasoning—i.e., the reader does not need to assume anything or do additional   research to accept main argument. 

Provides necessary evidence to convince reader of most   aspects of the main argument(s) but not all. The importance/ relevance of some evidence presented may not be   totally clear. Reader must make a few mental leaps or do some additional   research to fully accept all aspects of main argument. 

Not enough evidence is provided to support student’s   argument(s), or evidence is incomplete, incorrect, or oversimplified. Information from reference material is not   effectively used. 

Either no evidence is provided, or there are numerous   factual mistakes, omissions or oversimplifications. There is little or no mention of   information from reference material. 

Sources

10 points/10%

Evidence is used from a wide range of sources, including   scholarly material, appropriate websites, professional articles, etc. not   explicitly discussed in class.

Evidence is used from many sources, but student relies   heavily on a more limited set of sources. Some effort is made to go beyond material presented in class when   required, but not much. If outside   sources are used, they are primarily non-scholarly (i.e., intended for a   general audience) and/or web-based.

Does not go beyond the material that has been provided by   professor.

Only minimally uses sources provided by instructor, or   relies exclusively on non-scholarly outside sources.

A

B

C

F

Citations

10 points/10%

All sources are properly cited according to APA format.

All evidence is cited, but there are some minor problems   with completeness or APA format of some citations.

Some pieces of the assignment are unreferenced or   inaccurately referenced, and there are problems with completeness and APA   format of citations.

No attempt is made to cite evidence. 

Clarity and Style

10 points/10%

All sentences are grammatically correct and clearly   written. No words are misused or   unnecessarily verbose. Technical   terms, words from other languages, and words from other historical periods are   always explained. All information is   accurate and up-to-date. 

All sentences are grammatically correct and clearly   written. An occasional word is misused   or unnecessary. Technical terms, words   from other languages, and words from other historical periods are usually,   but not always, explained. All   information is accurate and up-to-date. Paper contains no more than a few minor errors, which do not adversely   affect the reader’s ability to understand the student’s writing.

A few sentences are grammatically incorrect or not clearly   written. Several words are   misused. Technical terms, words from   other languages, and words from other historical periods are rarely   explained. Paper contains several   errors that impair the reader’s ability to understand what is written.

Paper is full of grammatical errors and bad writing. Several words are misused. Technical terms, words from other   languages, and words from other historical periods are rarely explained. Paper contains numerous errors that make it   difficult for the reader to understand the writing.