The design and management of remuneration programs in organisations of varying scale and style have become extremely complex. The influences include prevailing economic conditions, the perceptions of society, competition for scarce skills and changing theories and fashions in the marketplace. The relationships between these often conflicting elements can be confusing and, for many organisations, threatening.

In this book, John Shields teases out the principal frameworks and objectives of remuneration policy, the challenges that organisations face in the context of contemporary theories of remuneration structuring and the alignment to performance. He identifies how they fit into the overall process and how changes at one level affect the process at other levels. This he does with careful and comprehensive referencing of the sources of his proposals and by offering guidance towards understanding the prevailing practices. Useful comparisons are drawn between Australian and overseas practice, particularly that of the United States.

Unlike much that is currently written in this area, this book treats remuneration of executives as part of the overall reward pattern of the whole organisation, addressing the motivational and organisational challenges in formulating pay structures that can apply to individual entities, business groups and teams within them. It provides valuable insights into the effect of different incentive plans when used in concert and how these effects can be used or guarded against depending on prevailing circumstances.

The book addresses the following essential information:

• a clear analysis of the scope of remuneration theory

• useful research findings on market practice in the area

• a structure for the design of remuneration programs in widely differing circumstances.