It could be that managers and workers have a different take on what it means to be a top performer, and so they disagree on who should get the corporate spoils.

Most workers think that if they know what their job is and do it well, hitting all their goals on time and within budget, then they're doing a good job and deserve to have raises and bonuses heaped upon them. That would be true in a pure meritocracy. But in the real world, the politics of compensation are not that simple. Here are five keys to increasing your salary and benefits:

1. The boss's priorities rule

From the boss's perch, the biggest raises and plumpest perks go to the people he values the most and doesn't want to lose. These are the people who help him to get things done, meet his goals, and generally look good. In short, your performance and the raise it garners are less about you and all about him.

This is why leadership expert Rebecca Shambaugh, author of It's Not the Glass Ceiling, It's the Sticky Floor, says that your campaign for a bigger raise starts with finding out what your boss values. Talk to him about it both formally and informally. And talk to people who know the important things happening at your company and your boss's role in them.

"Executives value people who fit in well with them and with the team, who understand the culture and can help them get the results they want," she says. "So find out what's on the top of your boss's mind, and

SEATTLE (AP) -- Web retailer Amazon.com Inc. said Wednesday that its first-quarter profit rose 29 percent, helped by solid sales in the U.S. and abroad.

But a variety of factors, including slower growth in U.S. sales, international margin troubles and lower guidance for the full fiscal year pushed shares down $4.25, or 5.2 percent, to $76.75 in after-hours trading. The stock had closed up $1.40 at $81.

Quarterly earnings climbed to $143 million, or 34 cents per share, from $111 million, or 26 cents per share, in the same period last year.

Those results beat Wall Street's expectations. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial had forecast a profit of 32 cents per share.

Revenue increased 37 percent to $4.14 billion from $3.02 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Sales in North America rose 31 percent to $2.13 billion from a year ago. International sales grew 44 percent to $2.01 billion, and accounted for 49 percent of total revenue, up from 46 percent last year.

Chief Financial Officer Tom Szkutak said in a conference call Wednesday that he did not see evidence in Amazon's results that U.S. shoppers had changed their buying behavior, despite widespread concern

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- Apple Inc.'s fiscal second-quarter profit jumped 36 percent on blistering sales of Macintosh computers -- and beat Wall Street estimates -- but its stock dipped on a lower-than-expected profit forecast.

The Mac and iPod maker is believed to be especially vulnerable to slowing consumer spending in the United States because of its stronger presence here than overseas, a factor that has contributed to a 20 percent decline in Apple's stock price since the start of the year.

Another factor weighing on Apple during the second and third quarters is the company's decision to delay recognizing iPhone sales until a software upgrade for the multimedia gadget is shipped this summer.

But the company has traditionally issued conservative financial forecasts, and sales in the United States were particularly strong in the latest quarter. So many investors were left scratching their heads about how to interpret Apple's guidance.

Apple shares fell $1.18, or less than 1 percent, to $161.71 in after-hours trading, climbing back from a dip of nearly 5 percent right after the close of trading and the release of the earnings report. The shares had closed up $2.69, or 1.7 percent, at $162.89, during the regular session.

"The stock was all over the place, but I thought it was a great quarter," said Jane Snorek, senior analyst of technology stocks at First American Funds.

"The most important part is that the Apple consumer seems to be immune to economic weakness," she