OS 352
STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Spring 2008
PROFESSOR:Dr. Mary E. GrahamOFFICE:379 Snell Hall
OFFICE HOURS:Tu/Th 3:45-5:45pmCLASS: Tu/Th 1:00-2:15pm, Snell 212
W 2:30-4:30pm
and by appointment.E-MAIL:
PHONE: 315-268-6431WEBSITE:
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
- To assist students in understanding the management of people in organizations from a strategic, value-added perspective, as well as from a multi-stakeholder perspective.
- To introduce students to the field of human resource management, including core human resource areas such as the recruitment and selection of employees, training and development, performance appraisal, rewards and benefits, and labor-management relations.
- To reinforce student understanding of the major theories of human resource management, and to develop students’ abilities to apply the theories to work-related situations.
- To develop students’ critical thinking skills.
- To expose students to the human resource management aspects of ERP systems.
COURSE OUTCOMES. By the end of the course, students should be able to …
- Understand strategic human resource management, and how this strategic management is operationalized in organizations.
- Describe the field of “human resource management” and understand its relevance to managers and employees in work organizations.
- Recognize basic human resource management tools such as performance appraisal forms, and understand some of the technical details of human resource management practices.
- Apply relevant theories to the management of people in organizations.
- Analyze and discuss business challenges involving a firm’s HR system.
- Critically assess and evaluate human resource policies and practices.
- Use SAP/R3 to extract and analyze basic HR information.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS / GRADING & EVALUATION:
Exercises30%A: 90%-100%
Exam I20%B+: 86%-89%
Exam II20%B: 80%-85%
Exam III20%C+: 76%-79%
Participation10%C: 70%-75%
Total100%D+: 66%-69%
D: 60%-65%
F: below 60%
NOTES REGARDING GRADING:
1) Assignments are to be submitted in class on the date due. Late assignments will be penalized 10% for being submitted up to 24 hours late, and 20% for more than 24 hours late. All assignments must be received by the last day of class.
2) Permission for an exam absence and a make-up exam must be cleared with the professor prior to the exam. In addition, exam absences will be excused in the case of a documented emergency, and a make-up exam will be arranged.
3) Appeals policy: You may question any grade the professor assigns in writing to that professor within one week of receipt. You will receive a written response from the professor within 1 week.
EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITIES:
I will add .5 pointto your final course grade if you join Clarkson’s student chapter of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). I am also offering .5 point for attendance at a SHRM event (not a regular SHRM meeting) – please write a paragraph telling me what you learned from the event. The final extra credit opportunity is .5 if you write an additional summary of a newspaper article per the instructions for Exercise 1 (Dr. Graham must approve the article). Maximum extra credit available: 1.5 points.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:
Students should familiarize themselves with Section IV of Clarkson’s Regulations, which contains Clarkson’s Policy on Academic Integrity :
“Clarkson values personal integrity. Matriculation at Clarkson carries with it the obligation that a student will not claim as his or her own, the work of another, or any work that has not been honestly performed, will not take any examination by improper means, and will not aid and abet another in any dishonesty.
Violations of the Code of Ethics are regarded as most serious offenses and render the offenders liable to severe disciplinary action. Alleged violations of the Code of Ethics are dealt with according to the section on the Academic Integrity Committee.”
Additional information on plagiarism can be found at DukeUniversity’s web site:
REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS:
1) Noe, R.A., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P.M. 2007. Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (2nd Ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Irwin. ISBN: 0-07-293425-5.
2) Harvard Business Review Article: “When Salaries Aren’t Secret” by John Case. This article may be purchased at the Clarkson bookstore or at hbsp.com (search on the article title).
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON COURSE REQUIREMENTS:
EXERCISES(30% of course grade)
Exercises 2 and 3 incorporate SAP, the enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that is common to Clarkson’s core business courses. You should have taken IS211, Introduction to ERP Tools and Applications, and it will be helpful to refer to your notes from that class while doing these exercises. If you have not taken IS211, the professor can direct you to some self-study materials that will allow you to complete the SAP-related exercises. Dr. Graham will assign each person a unique SAP ID for this class.
Exercise 1: Human Resource Management Introduction [Due Tues., 1/29]
10% of course grade.
Individual assignment.
This exercise requires you to find, read, and complete a one-page written summary on anewspaper article related to human resource management. The purpose of the assignment is the development of business reading comprehension skills, to gain familiarity with current human resource issues, and to be able to identify implications from the article for practicing managers.
Please use the written summary template posted on my website for this assignment.
Please choose articles that meet the following criteria:
1)Substantive article (not summaries or condensed versions) from the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, or Washington Post.
2)From the following dates:
a)Last Names A-DJanuary 2008
b)Last Names E-JNovember-December 2007
c)Last Names K-MSeptember-October 2007
d)Last Names N-ZJune-August 2007
Exercise 2: Recruiting and SAP. [Due Th. 2/7, in class]
10% of course grade.
Individual assignment.
This exercise will require you to extract data from SAP on a fictional company’s recruiting practices, analyze the data, and make recommendations.
Exercise 3: Performance Management and SAP [Due Tues., 3/27, in class]
10% of course grade.
Individual assignment.
This exercise will require you to extract data from SAP on the same fictional company’s performance evaluation and compensation practices, analyze the data, and make recommendations.
EXAMS (60% of course grade) [I-Tues., 2/26; II-Thurs., 4/3; III-TBA]
The examsmay include the following types of questions: true/false and multiple choice questions, identifications of key words and concepts, short essays, long essays. The exams are not cumulative. Additional information on each exam will follow.
CLASS PARTICIPATION(10% of course grade)
I will judge your class participation using the following criteria:
1)Quality of participation. Quality is the extent to which you offer key insights on class topics and readings, relate your comments to the topics at hand, relate current topics to previous topics or material from other classes, and your level of preparation.
2)Quantity of participation. Quantity is the extent to which you offer appropriate comments on a regular basis. This criteria also considers the extent to which you listen, respond to, and build upon others’ comments.
3)Attendance. Absences reduce opportunities for you to learn from the professor and your classmates, and they prevent us from learning from you. Absences will negatively affect your participation grade.
4)Classes missed due to religious observances are not counted as absences, provided that the professor is notified, and that the student completes any work that was missed. Note that this attendance policy is a “no-fault” one. That is, I am not interested in why you are absent unless it is due to a religious observance or there are extenuating circumstances (e.g., major illness or problem) that will cause you to miss multiple classes. Classes missed at the beginning of the semester, even if they occur prior to your registration for the course, count as absences.
OS 352-Strategic Human Resource Management
Spring 2008
Course Schedule
Date / Topic / To Prepare for Class: / DueThurs., 1/10 / Introduction
Tues., 1/15 / HR Strategy and HR Systems / Read Chapters 1 and 2
Thurs., 1/17 / ERP and HRIS Systems / Read pages 49-54, 548-552
Tues., 1/22 / Managerial credibility / Read Kouzes & Posner article; Read Levine article
Thurs., 1/24 / Legal Issues / Read Chapter 3
Tues., 1/29 / Legal Issues /
Workforce diversity / Read Segal article / Exercise 1
Thurs., 1/31 / Job analysis and job descriptions / Read Chapter 4
Tues., 2/5 / In-class exercise: Job analysis and job descriptions / Read in-class exercise materials
Thurs., 2/7 / Job design / Read Chapter 4 / Exercise 2
Tues., 2/12 / NO CLASS / Be safe …
Thurs., 2/14 / HR planning & recruitment / Read Chapter 5
Tues., 2/19 / Recruitment / Read Arnold article
Thurs., 2/21 / Exam I review / Review and bring notes, text, and class materials
Tues., 2/26 / Exam I / Exam I
Thurs., 2/28 / Selection / Read Chapter 6
Tues., 3/4 / Downsizing / Outsourcing
Thurs., 3/6 / Performance Management / Read Chapter 8
Read Greenwald article
Tues., 3/11 / Perf. Mgt. (continued)
In-class exercise: Coaching and feedback / Read Chapter 10
Thurs., 3/13 / Training and Development / Read Chapters 7 & 9
Tues., 3/18-Thurs. 3/20 / NO CLASS – Spring Break / Be safe …
Tues., 3/25 / Compensation / Read Chapter 11
Thurs., 3/27 / Compensation / Read Chapter 12 / Exercise 3
Tues., 4/1 / Discussion – pay secrecy
Exam II Review / Read HBR case “When Salaries Aren’t Secret”
Thurs., 4/3 / Exam II / Exam II
Tues., 4/8 / Employee benefits / Read Chapter 13
Thurs., 4/10 / Labor/management relations / Read Chapter 14
Tues., 4/15 / Workplace safety / Read pp. 88-98.
Read Mohler article.
Thurs., 4/17 / International HRM / Read Chapter 15
Tues., 4/22 / HR metrics, HR systems / Read Ch. 16
Thurs., 4/24 / Course summary, exam review, and evaluations / Read Hammonds article; Read Combs et al. article
Week of
4/28 / Exam III
TBA / Exam III
AVAILABILITY OF COURSE DOCUMENTS
Slides for each class will be posted on the course website prior to class ( I strongly suggest that you bring paper copies to class, as they will help organize your notes. The syllabus, assignments, other class documents, and important links will also be posted on the course website.
The journal articles for OS 352 are on reserve at the ClarksonUniversity library (ERC) in an OS352 binder and they are available online from the Clarkson library in the ABI/Inform database. A list of articles required for the semester is below:
1/22a) Kouzes, J.M. & Posner, B.Z. 2005. Leading in cynical times. Journal of Management Inquiry, 14: 357-364.
b) Levine, S.R. 2007. Make meetings less dreaded. HRMagazine, 52(1): 107-109.
1/29Segal, J.A. 2007. Woman in the moon. HRMagazine, 52(8): 107-114.
2/19Arnold, J.T. 2006. Employee referrals at a keystroke. HRMagazine, 51(10): 83-88.
3/6 Greenwald, J. Rank and fire. Time, June 18, 2001, pp. 38-40.
4/15Mohler, B. 2004. Sharing lessons learned. Occupational Hazards, 66(9): 57-59.
4/24a) Hammonds, K.H. 2005. Why we hate HR. FastCompany.com, Issue 97, pp. 40+.
b) Combs, J., Liu, Y., Hall, A., & Ketchen, D. 2006. How much do high performance work practices matter? A meta-analysis of their effects on organizational performance. Personnel Psychology, 59: 501-528.
Welcome to Strategic Human Resource Management!
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