Information technology: 2. Using personal computers to increase the productivity of compensation specialists

Primarily intended for the computer novice, this article includes information that may be helpful to compensation specialists who already have access to a personal computer. No novice himself, author Henry L. Russ, Jr. is manager, compensation policies & practices, for R. J. Reynolds industries, Inc. Pointing to the greater versatility and lower cost of personal computers (in comparison with terminals), he describes how their prowess at recordkeeping/word processing, and performing "what if" calculations in compensation analysis frees those working with compensation to address objectives that previously went unmet because no one had time for them. Compensation programs that provide this "what if" capability are sometimes referred to as a spreadsheet: a combination electronic scratch pad and calculator. Russ shows precisely how such spreadsheets are used to manipulate compensation data, cites available spreadsheet software and functions, and points to survey results showing the many ways in which personal computers are being used by the compensation departments of major consumer product companies.