C8 Sample Questions Answers

The employee

A concerned co-worker

The employee’s manager

The employee’s department head

Start-up

Growth

Mature

Decline

The change in working capital over a specific period of time, typically one year

A company’s efficiency in converting short-term capital into cash

A company’s mean capital expenditure per employee

The amount of cash needed to meet the company’s short-term obligations

Recognize possible issues and concerns that will drive budget planning

Prepare quarterly and annual reports and their associated statements

Withhold payroll taxes for all elements of compensation

Anticipate future capital needs by determining when the organization will enter the next phase of the business lifecycle

Possess a high level of education and competency in accounting principles

Determine which programs are crucial to the enterprise and which programs are expendable

Partner with multiple departments and external consultants and vendors

Demonstrate broad understanding of principles of financial management and business expertise

They aren’t. Managers are concerned about their compensation also.

They are also responsible for merit increases, incentives and hiring so they have greater information needs.

They tend to have more influence, so it is important to resolve any concerns they have quickly and efficiently.

They have more duties and responsibilities and are less likely to have the time to discuss compensation issues.

They typically have the greatest effect on net income and operating results of any organizational expense or program

Their success or failure is closely tied to the success or failure of organizationwide goals and objectives

They have very little effect as long as they are managed effectively and efficiently

They affect the organization’s overall financial status and impact multiple stakeholders across most, if not all, business units

The current value of holdings

The current value of holdings and how much it will grow over time at a given rate of return

The desired value in the future and what needs to be invested today to realize that amount

The difference between the desired value in the future and the current value as a percentage of the desired value

Pricing your products appropriately

Understanding your business and its competitive strengths and weaknesses

Forecasting profit, growth and investment performance to develop realistic budgets

Evaluating prior year performance for the narrative portion of annual financial reports

The previous quarter

The budget

The same quarter in the previous year, plus the current six-month or nine-month cumulative comparables

The aggregate performance of the same quarter in the previous three years

Procurement

Recruiting

Setting priorities

Plan administration

Assessing how well the business is running

Determining employee satisfaction levels

Measuring the financial success of the business

Evaluating customer perceptions of products or services

Demonstrate how it is aligned to the rewards philosophy, principles and organizational business strategy

Provide details on the plan design and measures and how they will be administered to employees at different levels

Make the case that a self-funded plan poses no risk to the organization while creating the potential for significant gains

Identify in advance the priorities of the various stakeholders and design your presentation to address any objections or perceptions they may have

Because legal compliance with compensation-related regulations is the responsibility of the compensation department

Because the compensation professional has a fiduciary responsibility to ensure that the financial resources of their organization are spent in a prudent manner

Because it is possible to pay significantly less for talent in different countries and compensation should advise management on when and where to locate various jobs within the company

They shouldn’t. Due to the complexities of global regulations and practices, compensation administration outside of the home country should be outsourced.

Variable pay costs as a percent of total compensation

Total compensation expense for the business, including base pay and variable pay

Reward costs as a percent of total operating costs

The organization’s market compa-ratio

By using cash from other segments of the business

By using its high credit rating from prior years to receive a line of credit until the strategy begins to work

By selling its products and services at a loss until revenue increases and slowly raising prices until it begins to break even

By identifying and duplicating the strategy used by its main competitor.

To differentiate company financial data from industry competitors to prevent loss of proprietary information

To provide subjective information to key constituents that reflects the company’s performance in the most favorable manner depending on stakeholder priorities

To create a historical record of financial performance and identify trends that may justify changes in strategy

To promote consistency of communication regarding company performance and value

Financial Management

HR Management

Resource Management

Policy Management

A Star

A Question Mark

A Market Leader

A Cash Cow

Operational excellence

Product/service leadership

Customer intimacy

Brand loyalty