1
BA 354.01
Human Resources Management
Spring 2008
Monday – Thursday 12:00 – 1:50 p. m.
InstructorMike Mullen
E-mail or
Home phone1 805 495 2760
Home fax1 805 495 2777
Office1 310 506 6814
Web pagemuldoonski.com
Office hoursCBC 316 Monday & Thursday 10:00 a.m. – 11:50 a.m. & 4:00 - 6:00 p. m
Tuesdays & Wednesdays by appointment
Required TextIvancevich, John M. Human Resources Management; 10th ed.
Irwin/McGraw-Hill
Course Description from Catalogue
Through selected readings and case analysis, students study employee/employer relationships personnel policies, operations, and training, techniques of personnel administration, recruitment, inductions, communications and discipline.
Course Objectives
My objectives for this course are to:
- Help you balance the theoretical and practical approaches of managing employees in an ever-changing environment.
- Increase your awareness of the strategic implications of Human Resource Management (HRM).
- Encourage you to challenge the conventional approaches of managing employees.
- Develop practical and long-lasting skills, which should prove beneficial to you in a management or leadership position.
- Help you understand the legal implications of HRM and examine how successful corporations have managed to prosper in this age of employee litigation.
- Encourage you go through the excruciating process of examining your own career plans.
- Provide you with opportunities to examine and evaluate human resource organizations and their practices.
- Contribute to the ongoing development of your skill at presenting your ideas, both orally and in writing.
Performance Evaluation
% of Grade
Exams (: 20 % each)60%
Class Participation & Attendance15%
Team Project & Class Presentation15%
Individual Research Project10%
Exams. Exams will cover readings, class discussions, videotapes, and handouts.
Exams will consist of essay, multiple-choice, and short-answer questions. Make-up exams will be given only when prior arrangements have been made with the instructor. A grade of 0 will be recorded for an unexcused missed exam.
Individual Research Paper. The purpose of this activity is to expose you to the multitude of resources available to managers as they manage the human resources in their operations. You will have the opportunity to select an H.R. topic of interest to you, conduct research on the topic, and write a research paper on what you have learned. This paper must be turned in by
5:00 p. m. Thursday,March 20th.
Specifications:
- Technical requirements: 6-7 pages, typed, double-spaced, 1-inch margins, pages numbered, with headings separating the various sections of the paper.
- You must use a minimum of 5 sources other than our text. Sources about HRM may be found in Appendix B of the text, pp.689-695. (Some are available in print and on-line at the library.) Additional resources may be found by following HRM related Internet links. (Be careful when using Web sources, there are spammers and scammers posing as reputable resources.) Cite your sources within the body of the paper, and include a complete bibliography in the end. (Sorry, the bibliography does not count in the paper page limit.) When citing Web resources, provide complete Web addresses.
- Chose a topic that you will enjoy exploring in greater depth. The topic must be related to HRM and be pre-approved by the instructor. To help stimulate your creativity a listing of possible topics will be provided on the first day of class.
- The report will be graded on the following criteria: content, organization, and overall coverage of the topic. If writing is an area of weakness for you, please be encouraged to contact the WritingCenter for assistance.
Team Research Project. You will have an opportunity to become a ‘consultant’ and participate as part of a project team working on a problem, topic, or a challenge in an organization selected by you and your team members. Examples of topics and organizations will be discussed during the first day of class. Team members will be expected to accomplish the following:
1)Review of the Literature. After determining and securing the instructor’s approval of the topic you will be required to study and write about the most current literature available on your topic. You will briefly describe your method of investigation. You will also include three typewritten pages, which represent a review of the relevant literature available on your topic. Your conclusions should be at least one page in length. Complete this initial report with a listing of references. This stage must be completed by Monday, March 24th.
2)Analysis: This next stage requires that the Team develop a set of interview questions that relates to your topic and is substantiated by your Literature Review. After collecting relevant information about the organization you plan to study and interviewing its Human Resources Director, your objective will be to describe and evaluate what the organization is doing in your field of research and develop recommendations of what it should be doing to more effectively manage its human resources.
The analysis developed by the Team should consist of the following:
Section Pages
a) Purpose of the Project.1
b) Investigation Methods.1
c) Findings.5
d) Summary & Recommendation.3
e) Appendices. (Interview guide and support material)1
3)Presentation. Beginning on Thursday, March 27th. Teams will present findings from your Literature Review and Organization Analysis in a 25-30 minute summary to the class. Your presentation will be graded based on the following criteria: content, organization, use of H.R. concepts, practicality of recommendation, value of visual aids and consensus of your classmates.
Note. For both the Individual Research Paper and the Team Research Project the instructor is available to offer suggestions on how to proceed with these assignments. The pacing, scheduling, and project flows are the responsibility of the Project Team Members. Conflicts, work assignments, etc. are to be resolved by the Project Team Members. In the rare instances that situations develop which cannot be resolved by the Project Team then the instructor should be consulted for assistance.
Each team member will submit a confidential evaluation, which will rate the participation level of the other team members. An individual’s Team Project grade may be impacted by these evaluations.
The instructor has a bias that properly designed incentives increase motivation. To encourage you to avoid procrastinating so that we can begin out Team Presentations as soon as possible, there are grade incentives for teams choosing to present early in the semester. The first team presenting will have 3 points added to its Team Project grade. The second team will have 2 points added, the third 1.
Presentation Schedule
Group 1March 21st
Group 2March 31st
Groups 3 & 4April 3rd
Groups 5 & 6April 7th
Class Attendance and Participation. Learning is not a spectator sport. One must participate in order to receive the full benefits of the classroom experience. Class discussion encourages the active exchange of ideas and is one of the primary ways that you will learn the material in this course. Thus, students will be assessed on their classroom participation. Participation is defined as answering questions asked by the instructor or voluntarily adding content to the day’s discussion via comments, stories or news items. I will attempt to make the class relevant and informative by examining real-life problems as we explore the notion of effective HRM. Admittedly, there are activities in the Human Resource function, which can be dull, routine, and repetitive. These activities, while important, tend to be less leveraging to the success of the enterprise therefore we will not devote much of our efforts to examining such activities. Many of the H. R. theories described in our text are essential in effectively managing human resources. I will attempt to provide practical examples, based on my experience, of how these theories have been applied in some world-class corporations. I will expect you to challenge me when your experiences and intuition differ from my position.
I expect you to challenge your classmates during individual and team reports as well as during regular class discussions. I expect you to ask for clarification or examples if any of the material being discussed in unclear. I will expect you to complete the reading assignments before each class. Class discussions provide the opportunity to practice speaking and persuasive skills, as well as the ability to listen. Effective class comments may address questions raised by others, integrate material from this and other courses, draw on real-world experiences and observations, or pose new questions to the class. High-quality participation involves knowing when to speak and when to listen or allow others to speak. Comments that are repetitive, unrelated to the current topic, disrespectful of others, or without sufficient foundation are discouraged and will be evaluated negatively. Class participation is important since it will help me gauge how much fine-tuning is required to make certain you understand essential information. If you are absent from class you will miss an opportunity to earn participation points.
To earn an “A” in class participation you will need to prepare in advance by reading assigned text and doing all homework required by me and the Project Teams. You will also need to develop the courage to challenge, push, and prod the instructor, classmates, and outside presenters when you feel such action is appropriate. Surfing the net on your laptop during class does not constitute class participation.
Final grade assignment is as follows:
Letter: / Percentage:A / 94 – 100
A- / 90 – 93
B+ / 87 – 89
B / 83 – 86
B- / 80 – 82
C+ / 77 – 79
C / 73 – 76
C- / 70 – 72
D+ / 67 – 69
D / 63 – 66
Important Information
TheDisabilityServicesOffice(DSO)offersavarietyofservicesand
accommodationstostudentswithdisabilitiesbasedonappropriate
documentation,natureofdisability,andacademicneed.Inorderto
initiateservices,studentsshouldmeetwiththeDirectoroftheDSOat
thebeginningofthesemestertodiscussreasonableaccommodation.Ifa
studentdoesnotrequestaccommodationorprovidedocumentation,the
facultymemberisundernoobligationtoprovideaccommodations.You
maycontacttheDirectoroftheDSOatextension6500.
Academichonestyisexpectedofallstudents.Studentsinpossession
ofanyunauthorizedmaterialsduringanexamination(including,butnot
limitedto,calculatorswithstored-textcapabilities)and/orstudents
whogiveorreceiveunauthorizedaidonanexaminationwillreceive
zerosontheexaminationandwillbereportedtotheAcademicIntegrity
Committeeforfurtheraction.
NOFOODORDRINK(OTHERTHANBOTTLEDWATER)ISALLOWEDINTHIS
CLASSROOM.THISRULEISARULEIMPOSEDBYSEAVERCOLLEGEANDTHE
DIVISIONFORTHISBUILDING.NOEXCEPTIONSAREPERMITTED.IFYOUBRING
FOODORDRINKINTOTHISROOM,YOUWILLBEASKEDTOLEAVE.REPEAT
VIOLATORSWILLBEREPORTEDTOTHEADMINISTRATION.
Schedule of Class Topics and Assignments
(Subject to Revision)
MODULETOPICSReadings/Assignments
1Introduction to course. Review of Syllabus
Description of Individual and Team assignments..
2Examining the changing role of HRM.Chapter 1
What are the leveraging H. R. issues?
3 Diagnostic Approach to Problem Solving.Chapter 2
H.R.’s Role in the Organizations Strategic Plan.
4 Strategic HRM ( Continued)Chapter 2
5Legal Issues Facing Employers.Chapter 3
What Can Employers Do to Face
Employment Law Challenges and yet
Remain Competitive
6Contemporary legal Issues. (Continued)Chapter 3
Court Cases and How Employers
are Responding.
(Group discussion: “Are we on track?”)
7Diversity. Buzzword or Effective Management Practice?Special Readings
8Globalization & H. R. ManagementChapter 4
Practices and Problems
9Corporate Culture, Philosophy, and HRM Practices. Chapter 5
The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.(Case Study Southwest Airlines)
Examination of Various Organizations &
How Their Vision, Mission
Statements and Practices Impact Employees.
10H.R. PlanningChapter 5
Supply & Demand.Environmental Scanning.
Staffing, Downsizing, Rightsizing & Outplacement.
Understanding Demographics.
11H.R. Planning. (continued)
12Job Analysis & Compensation.Chapter 6
A Boring Job Made Interesting.
13Recruiting & Staffing.Chapter 7
Every Job is Important. Doing it Right
Legal & Social Issues.
Looking at This Subject from Your Perspective.
14Selection Techniques. Avoiding Legal Pitfalls.Chapter 8
15Management & CEO Selection.Special Readings
Staffing Reviews.
Succession Planning.
16Performance Evaluation.Chapter 9
The Search for the Holy Grail.
Examining Various Instruments.
Why this Activity is Critical.
17Compensation,
Financial & Non-Financial Rewards.Chapter 10. Motivation, Productivity & Satisfaction.
Benchmarking.
18Compensation.Chapter 10
How Much is Enough? Comparable Worth Issues.
Variable Pay, Gainsharing.
Pay & the Law.
19Employee Benefits & PerksChapter 12
How to Give More for Less. Managing Costs.
Benefits & the Law.
20Training & Development.Chapter 13
Whose Responsibility is This Anyway?
How Adults Learn.
Successful Efforts.
21Management & Organization Development.
A Practical Model for Developing Financial
Managers.
Understanding Various Development Techniques.
22Career Planning.
Who is Responsible?Chapter 14
Social Implications.
What Should you be Doing Now?
23Dealing With Problem Employees.Chapter 15
When to Discipline.
What Works?
Management & Employee Rights.
24Labor Relations.
Important labor legislation.Special reading
Why do Employees Join Unions?
Unfair Labor Practices.
Staying out of Trouble with the NLRB.
Unions & Multinational Corporations.
25What to do When a Union Representative is at Your Door.Exercise
NLRB Involvement.
Countering a Union Organization Attempt.
Avoiding the Pitfalls.
26Collective Bargaining.Chapter 16
27Measuring H. R. Effectiveness.
How do you Know if
You Are Having a Positive Impact?
Diagnostic Skills and Common Sense.
The HR Balanced Scorecard
IMPORTANT DATES
Decision due on group report.Thursday,January 24th (E-mail acceptable)
(Topic & Team Composition)
Decision due on individual report topicThursday, January 31st
Exam 1Thursday, February 7th
Exam 11Thursday, March 13th
Group Project Literature Review dueMonday, March 24th. (E-mail acceptable)
Group reports begin.Thursday, March 27th.
Individual reports due.Thursday, April 3rd. (E-mail acceptable)
FinalexamWednesday, April 23rdl. 10:30 a. m. – 1:00 p.m.
HRM BA354.01 Spring 2008
Group Presentation Team Members.
Team #______
Presentation date______
Topic______
Team Members
1)______-
2)______
3)______
4)______
5)______
Comments:
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