PBU 470 Human Resource Management | 1

Department of Business Management - Cincinnati Christian University
PBU 470 01 Human Resource Management (3 credits)
August 24, 2009 thru December 17, 2009


Instructor: Aaron Burgess Class Meetings: MWF 10-10.50am
Email: Final Exam is week of Dec. 17
Office: 1st Floor Presidents Hall (CALL Offices)
Phone: 513. 244.8677

Course Description

A study of an organization's effort to find, evaluate and retain effective workers who demonstrate a commitment to being part of a team which accomplishes the organizational mission and maintains competitive advantage.

Course Rationale

In the current business environment, managers commonly face changes in workforce size, duties and worker motivation. The way in which managers address these changes has a critical impact on organizational goals and outcomes. This course is designed to prepare you for these decisions by familiarizing you with the terms, trends and methods to address strategic management of human resources. The focus of this course is to provide a wide range of practical information and tools to help you make better-informed decisions about the use of your workforce.
Learning Outcomes

  1. Students will understand the responsibilities of a human resource director and examine how a company ought to align its strategic needs with its human capital needs.
  2. Students will be able to evaluate various aspects of employment regulations such as the EEO and articulate ways in which HR can assist a company in being proactive to prevent workplace discrimination.
  3. Students will be able to evaluate workflow and staffing needs based on a strategic approach and complete a task inventory as a part of a job analysis.
  4. Students will understand the legal implications of a job title and be able to write general job descriptions, making them clear and specific.
  5. Students will be able to prepare a well-written and effective job advertisement, evaluate a resume for any trouble spots or gaps in information, and set up guidelines for avoiding common interviewing mistakes.
  6. Students will understand the benefits of using a performance appraisal system and assess the effectiveness of a performance appraisal.
  7. Students will become familiar with the types of compensation philosophies and be able to identify the areas of HR affected by the FLSA.
  8. Students will understand the role of employee benefits and differentiate between several employee retirement benefit options.
  9. Students will comprehend effective measures that can be taken to avoid legal issues in matters of employee discipline.
  10. Students will learn the three employer requirements of OSHA and be able to evaluate a workplace for potential environmental health hazards.
  11. Students will understand the importance of creating a positive work environment that not only makes work more enjoyable for people but results in more efficient and effective work.
  12. Students will also understand the three elements that make work fulfilling-- relevance, measurability, and recognition – and understand the keys to making the work environment more meaningful.

Required Texts:

  1. Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright. Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage. McGraw-Hill Irwin Publishers 2008 (New York, NY) ISBN: 978-0-0-07-353020-8.

Note to Student: You must purchase this textbook for this class. I know it is expensive. But many of the weekly assignments are found in the textbook. Also, all exams will come entirely from information found in the textbook.

Student Evaluation and Grading

Students in this course will be evaluated by the university standard grading system. You should refer to Academic College Catalog for further details. The criteria for determining that grade will be as follows:

Business Week – “Managing People”
assignments from textbook 25%
Mid-Term Exam (October 21)20%
Final Exam (Week of December 17)20%
HR Topic Research Paper30%
Participation and Attendance05%

Disclaimer

The course outline provides a general flow of the content. The instructor reserves the right to modify the schedule or content as necessary.

Attendance

Attendance is mandatory. Refer to the college catalog for the official attendance policies

for this class. Regular tardiness or absences will affect your grade and the instructor

reserves the right to reduce grades due to regular absences.

Explanation of Assignments

  1. Business Week “Managing People” Case Study Discussion Questions from Textbook. You will be required to read these articles at the end of the chapters. These are essentially case studies that look at incidents and real companies as reported by the nation’s number one business weekly. The point of these cases is to encourage you to critically evaluate business problems in the HR field and apply chapter content and terms.
    Some weeks you will be required to prepare more than one case. You are to read the cases in their entirety and answer the “questions” found in the book for each case. The questions should be answered in 3 to 4 paragraphs and should contain great detail and direct connections to the textbook readings (double spaced). The more you incorporate ideas from the textbook readings, the higher your grade will be.

The Business Week cases will be due on Fridays and we will be discussing our cases in class. Students who are not prepared with their cases on Fridays will be severely limited in their ability to participate in classroom instructions which will negatively affect their grade.

Each case analysis should be 2 to 3 pages in length. Any analysis shorter than 2 pages or that does not meet the formatting requirements will be given a zero. The analysis should be typewritten with 1 inch margins and double spaced throughout. You can cite other sources such as the internet or your textbooks or class notes in helping to solve the case but you must give proper citation. Use the following format for citation:
(Noe, 18). Grammar and sentence structure will be evaluated. Poorly written answers will receive low scores.

Here are the cases you are required to complete and their due dates:

  1. Is Dell too Big for Michael Dell? (p. 95)Due September 11, 2009
  2. Brown v. Board of Education (p. 138) Due September 18, 2009
  3. Giving the Boss the Big Picture (p. 175)Due September 25, 2009
  4. What’s Really Propping Up Our Economy (p. 218)Due October 2, 2009
  5. White Men Can’t Help It (p. 258)Due October 16, 2009
  6. Cracking the Whip at Wyeth (p. 392)Due October 30, 2009
  7. How to Groom the Next Boss (p. 441)Due November 6, 2009
  8. How Rising Wages… (p. 518)Due November 20, 2009
  9. The Art of Motivation (p. 552) Due December 04, 2009
  10. Get Healthy… (p. 598)Due December 11, 2009
  1. Human Resource Topic Research Paper. Students will be required to write a written report (research paper) of approximately 7-10 pages, 1 inch margins on each side and in MLA format with a works cited page. This paper will be on a topic related to the field of Human Resource Management and is intended to address a pertinent HR business problem. The instructor will provide a list of approved topics in class and more about the requirements of this paper will discussed in class. Please speak with the instructor about your topic before beginning research.
    HEADS UP!Writing a research paper is a time-intensive job. You cannot wait until the last minute and expect to successfully write a high-quality research paper.
  1. EXAMS. The mid-term exam will be on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 and the final exam will be the week of December 17, 2009. On October 19, 2009 you will be given the class time to prepare and study for your exam.The exams will primarily consist of essay questions but may incorporate some short answer and multiple choice questions. The final exam will contain some comprehensive essay questions.