1.1 Statement of the Problem
Payment to the employees – Salary, wage and bonus – always receives great concern because of its social-economic significance. For the employees, these payments are important because they could be their sole incomes, to support their whole families’ lives. For every business, it accumulates in the expense account that takes up a great proportion in total costs. It can be the driving force behind the increase of labor productivity, if it is paid in accordance with the employees’ contribution; or otherwise if it is not. Therefore, how to construct a sound payroll account and how to select an appropriate payment form – so that a payment could be both the mental and physical reward for an employee, his or her real strong motivation to do a better job, and also one of the reasonable expenses for business – are very essential.
Payroll issue is not new; however many deficiencies still need to be addressed now to perfect the work of paying salary, wage and bonus in enterprises – especially in State-owned enterprises – to ensure that the payments are equitable and reasonable for the employees, thus drive up profits for the business.
1.2 Objectives
The dissertation has three objectives:
First, it is to contribute to the background theory of payroll, which is done by clarifying the concept of salary, wage and bonus, their determinants, their efficiencies in different payment systems.
Second, it is to illustrate how State companies in Vietnam make payments to their employees, taking the scenario at Ho Chi Minh Museum Construction JSC as a case for study, and reviewing its achievements and limitations in payroll.
Third, it is to suggest possible solutions to improve the payment regime at Ho Chi Mnh Museum Construction JSC, some of which could be applied nationwide in other State companies.
1.3 Subjects
Subjects of the Study: Salary, wage, and bonus – their definitions, impacts, constructions, and reflections in different payment systems.
1.4 Scope
The Study provides analysis and evaluation of the payrolling at Ho Chi Minh Museum Construction JSC, a State construction company.
1.5 Structure of the Study
The Study will be divided into five parts: Introduction to the subject, general theoretic background of payroll in State construction companies, data methodology, founded results, and conclusion of the Study.
In the first part, brief introduction will be provided to explain the importance of salary, wage, and bonus payment, the objectives of this Study, and how its contents will be elaborated.
The second part: Literature review will present theories about salary, wage and bonus, their payment models in State-owned enterprises and particularly in the construction field. It will present both academic and practical approaches: perspectives from socialist or traditional economist, also from entrepreneurs and employees. Formulas to calculate payments will also be provided, as they summarize and illustrate the logic behind the monetary value itself.
Data methodology, how research is conducted and how its results are looked into will be explained in part three. It will clarify the empirical findings described in the fourth part of the Study.
Part four, empirical findings, will give the answers to the objective questions in section 1.2 of this Study. It practically invests in the case study of Ho Chi Minh Museum Construction Company, a long-standing State company in Vietnam.
Finally, in the last chapter, recommendations will be given, together with a conclusion for the Study.
