Respond to the Discussion Questions below: 8-1. Respond to the following statement: "Pay grades limit a company's ability to achieve competitive advantage." Do you agree? Provide rationale for your position. 8-2. Ernie and Bert are two employees who perform the same job, and each received exemplary performance ratings. Is it fair to give Ernie a smaller percentage merit because his pay falls within the third quartile but give a larger percentage merit increase to Bert because his pay falls within the first quartile? Please explain your answer. 8-3. Sammy Swift is a sales professional. Describe some ethical dilemmas he may encounter. How can sales compensation programs be modified to minimize ethical dilemmas? 8-4. React to the statement: "Merit pay grids have the potential to undermine employee motivation." Please discuss your views. 8-5. Compression represents a serious dysfunction of pay structures. Discuss some of the major ramifications of compression. Also, discuss how companies can minimize or avoid these ramifications