University of Bridgeport School of Business

Human Resource Management: MGMT-511-6R1 (3 credits)Management Department

Thursday 6:15-8:45pmSpring 2014 Semester

Professor: Carrie Picardi, Ph.D.Dept. phone: 203.576.4891

Office: Mandeville Hall #206Email:

Office hours:Tuesday 12-2:00; Wednesday 4-6:00; Thursday 4-6:00

Prerequisites:

Successful completion of MGMT 400

Course Description:

This course enables students to examine the current research findings, trends, and best practices of human resource management, as well as the strategies and tactics necessary to sustain an effective and proactive human resources function in an organization. An understanding of topics including recruitment and selection, employment law, performance management, training and development, compensation and benefits, and employee engagement is emphasized, in both domestic and global contexts. Students will gain insight into effectively leveraging findings from relevant research studies to address current and projected human resource management challenges and needs.

Required Texts/Source Materials/Readings and References:

Textbook: Lussier, R.N., & Hendon, J.R. (2013). Human Resource Management: Functions, Applications, Skill Development. Sage Publications, Inc.

Supplemental readings (e.g., articles, case studies, assessments) will be distributed by the professor and will be required in preparation for in-class discussions and activities.

Learning Outcomes:

The aim of this course is to impart upon students an understanding of the strategies and processes involved in the successful management of an organization’s Human Resources function. The course is designed for the students to achieve the following learning outcomes:

  • Students will be able to understand the importance of the Human Resources function in an organization, including the internal and external drivers, trends, and challenges that impact HR Management.
  • Students will be able to understand the key roles and responsibilities of a Human Resources function from both a strategic and a tactical day-to-day perspective, including job design, recruitment and selection, compensation and benefits, performance management, training and development, employee engagement, workplace health and safety, and the legal compliance requirements relevant to an organization’s workforce.
  • Students will be able to apply their newly acquired knowledge and skills by analyzing and thinking critically about real-world workforce issues, case studies, and scenarios and making appropriate recommendations towards resolution and improvement.

Teaching Method:

This course combines a variety of teaching methods, with an emphasis on learning from discussion, lecture, in-class participation, and real-world experiences and case studies. One of the goals in this course is to improve your ability to learn from experience and from your peers, which are critical to success in both academic and practitioner environments.

Active participation and class discussion are very important to gaining a full and comprehensive understanding of the topics, and each student is responsible for coming to class prepared and ready to contribute. Class participation is your total contribution to the learning environment. This reflects not only the frequency of your contribution in class, but also their quality (ability to draw on course materials and your own experience productively), ability to advance or sharpen in-class discussion and debate, willingness to take risky or unpopular points of view, use of logic, precision and evidence in making arguments), and the professionalism of your conduct (attendance, punctuality, preparedness, and showing respect to all class members and class contributions). Class attendance and participation are required and factor into the course grade.

Assessment of Learning:

In-class Collaborative Work

We will work collaboratively on a variety of in-class activities, including case studies, discussion of news and current events, problem solvingand analytical exercises, and relevant assessments pertaining to the topic of focus. I will provide students with instructions, documents and resources that require advance preparation, and any other materials that can be examined in a timely manner during class (i.e., less than 15 minutes) will be distributed during class time for “hands-on” practical work. Individual contributions each week will be factored into the course participation grade, and this work cannot be made up.

Research Paper: HR Best Practices

Students will complete research papers involving in-depth analyses from an HRM perspective on any organization that has been recognized on the 2013 Fortune’s “Top 100 Best Companies To Work For” list. The selection of an organization must be approved by the professor in advance and is on a first-come, first-served basis to avoid overlap. The only organization that may not be selected is Google.

Each research paper must include a minimum of three (3) best practices relevant to the organization’s HRM strategy. Students have the autonomy to select the specific practices to include in their papers, as some organizations will have more information available about certain best practices that they believe make them “shine”, such as managing diversity, training and development, employee benefits, performance evaluation, etc.

In addition to an explanation of the best practices, papers must also integrate relevant findings from both peer-reviewed research journal articles and business practitioner articles. The purpose of this integration is to enable the exploration of alignment or gaps between the research and business communities, and will help students articulate the value and importance of these best practices to the workforce and the organization itself in our ever-evolving business climate.

Papers should be a minimum of 10 pages (including title page and references, which means the content should be at least 8 full pages) in length and follow APA formatting style. Each paper should include a minimum of six (6) reference sources should include a minimum of three scholarly journal articles (e.g., Personnel Psychology, Academy of Management Review) andthree business practitioner articles (e.g., HR Magazine, Wall Street Journal, Business Week, Harvard Business Review).

Papers should be structured as follows:

  1. Title Page
  2. An introduction of the organization, its products and services, history, mission, and vision
  3. An introduction of all the best practices to be discussed, and an in-depth analysis of each best practice
  4. Your perspective on the value of these practices, based on your research and analysis of your reference materials
  5. Are the practices meaningful and impactful to the workforce, or just “fluff” to make the organization look good?
  6. Are there research study findings to validate and “back up” the usefulness and relevance of these practices?
  7. Do they have real-world sustainability (cost-effective, management supported), or will they probably be short-lived efforts? Why do you believe this?
  8. How do these practices make the organization a competitive force in their industry?
  9. Conclusion – tie everything together
  10. References

Team Project & Presentation: HBR Case Study Analysis

Students willform teams of 3-4 members and present their analysis and recommendations for a Harvard Business Review (HBR) case study. Case study selection is first-come, first-serve basis, and must be pre-approved by the professor. All case studies are available on Canvas for download, and include the following:

  • From Regional Star to Global Leader
  • Gen Y in the Workforce
  • How Do You Manage an Off-Site Team?
  • Is the Rookie Ready?
  • The Case of the Machinists’ Mutiny
  • The Case of the Temperamental Talent
  • The Team That Wasn’t
  • The Very Model of a Modern Senior Manager
  • What’s Stifling the Creativity at Coolburst?
  • When a New Manager Stumbles, Who’s at Fault?

Each team will conduct a 15-minute PowerPoint presentation, and also submit a hard copy of their slide presentation to the professor on their scheduled presentation day.

The presentations should be structured as follows:

  1. Overview of the case with key focus areas and identification of the issue(s)clearly detailed
  2. Expert analysis of the case (you are the experts!) from an HR perspective, drawing from relevant concepts, theories, and practices from our textbook, class discussions, and relevant/credible outside resources
  3. Recommendations for improvement/solution, and how to actually implement your recommendations

-If more than one recommendation is made, describe the implications for selecting each option

  1. Concluding remarks, Q&A

Midterm and Final Exams

The midterm and final exams may consist of multiple choice, true/false, and short answer questions. The final exam will not be cumulative; it will include the material covered after the midterm exam.

Course Evaluation and Grading:

Class Attendance and Participation20%

Team Project/Presentation25%

Research Paper25%

Midterm Exam15%

Final Exam15%_

Total100%

University of Bridgeport Grading Scale:

Numeric Grade Scale / Letter Grade Value / Evaluation / Quality Points
93 / A / Excellent. Work of exceptional quality / 4.00
90-92 / A- / 3.67
87-89 / B+ / 3.33
83-86 / B / Above-average achievement. Quality expected of a graduate student. / 3.00
80-82 / B- / 2.67
77-79 / C+ / 2.33
73-76 / C / Minimal achievement. Not up to standards of a graduate student. / 2.00
70-72 / C- / Below average. No graduate credit. / 1.67
67-69 / D+ / 1.33
63-66 / D / 1.00
60-62 / D- / .67
Less than 60 / F

University of Bridgeport Academic Policies:

Special Accommodations:

All efforts will be made to accommodate students with physical disabilities or special needs.

Academic Honesty Standards: It is the students’ responsibility to familiarize himself or herself with and adhere to the standards set forth in the policies on cheating and plagiarism as defined in the UB Student Handbook.

A high standard of ethical conduct is expected of students in their academic activities. The University does not tolerate cheating in any form. This term is used to include dishonest use of another individual's aid in preparation of written assignmentsas well as during a classroom-testing period. The standard procedures for the preparation of term papers and the like, as established by the English Department, form the basis for decisions in cases of plagiarism (See Definition of Plagiarism). The student must be familiar with those regulations. Disciplinary action will be imposed, not only in cases of detected cheating, but also for violations of such regulations mentioned above. In the latter, a violation of the regulation without consideration of the motive involved will be deemed sufficient cause for action. Instructors have the right to determine the appropriate penalty for academic dishonesty in their own classes; generally, however, such acts will result in a failing grade for the assignment and/or the course as a whole. The penalty for subsequent acts of academic dishonesty may include expulsion.

Definition of Plagiarism: INTENTIONAL AS WELL AS UNINTENTIONAL FAILURE TO ACKNOWLEDGE SOURCES AS WELL AS THE USE OF COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE SO-CALLED "RESEARCH PAPERS" WITHOUT FULL RECOGNITION OF THE SOURCE.

Students are responsible for distinguishing clearly between theirown facts, ideas and conclusions and those of other sources. To use someone else's words, opinions, or conclusions without giving them credit is plagiarism. Students mustbe able to distinguish their own ideas, conclusions, discoveries, etc., from those read or heard.

My Rules:

Late class arrivals and absences: Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each class and students who arrive late will have their lateness documented. Three late arrivals will be converted into one full class absence. Three unexcused class absences will result in a 10-point deduction of your course participation grade. You are responsible for material discussed in your absence. Please advise me in advance of any anticipated schedule conflicts. If you know you will be missing a class in which an assignment is due, advise me by e-mail and submit the assignment to me or bring it to the School of Business office priorto class to receive credit.

Inappropriate behavior: I will ask you to leave the class if you are disruptive, including but not limited to texting, surfing the Web, sleeping (yes, really!), demonstrating a disrespectful attitude, or excessive talking. I encourage an environment of mutual respect and courtesy.

Late assignment submissions: Late assignments, projects and papers will have 10 points deducted per day. No work will be accepted after one week beyond the due date, and a grade of zero will be recorded. Extenuating circumstances may be considered, and must be discussed with the professor as soon as possible.

Invest in a stapler (or make a friend who has one)! Any written work that is not stapled will not be accepted. No folded corners, no paper clips, and no loose pages will be accepted. Hard copy research paper submissions must be provided to the professor in addition to electronic research paper submissions via TurnItIn.
Course Schedule:

Class Meeting / Topic / Readings & Assignments Due
Jan23 / Welcome & Course Overview
The New HR Management Process / Chapter 1
Jan 30 / Strategy-Driven HR Management / Chapter 2
Feb 6 / The Legal Environment & Diversity Management / Chapter 3
Feb 13 / Matching Employees With Jobs / Chapter 4
Feb 20 / Recruiting Job Candidates / Chapter 5
Feb 27 / Selecting New Employees / Chapter 6
March 6 / Midterm Exam / -
March 13 / Training, Learning, Talent Management, & Development / Chapter 7
March 20 / Spring Break / -
March 27 / Performance Management & Appraisal / Chapter 8
April 3 / Rights & Employee Development
Employee & Labor Relations / Chapters 9 & 10
April 10 / Compensation Management
Incentive Pay / Chapters 11 & 12
April 17 / Employee Benefits / Chapter 13
April 24 / Workplace Safety, Health, & Security / Chapter 14
Team Presentations
May 1 / Wrap-up / Team Presentations
May 8 / Final Exam Week / -

Note: The professor reserves the right to modify the course schedule at any time, and will announce any changes to the class appropriately.

MGMT 511 – Dr. Picardi1

Spring 2014