Kent State University

Human Resources Management

MI&S 34180—Fall 2015—Section #004

ON-LINE COURSE

Instructor:            Mark D. Whitmore, PhD

Office:                   College of Business Administration

                                Department of Management & Information Systems

                                BSA A416

Telephone:           (330) 410-3841 (Cell—please use this number to contact me)

E-mail:                  mwhitmo4@kent.edu—the best way to get a quick response!

Office Hours:      (ON-LINE) Mon 10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm, Tues 9am-11am, Weds 10am-12pm, Thursday 8:00pm to 10:00pm

                                (IN OFFICE) Mon 10am-12pm, 1pm-3pm, Tues 9am-11am, Weds 10am-12pm, or by appointment          

COURSE MATERIALS

Text:  Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. A., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2014). Fundamentals of Human Resource Management (9th ed.). McGraw-Hill/Irwin: New York, NY.  You may also use 7^th or 8^th ed. as well.

Course Materials Available on Blackboard: course syllabus, course notes, course lectures, PowerPoint slides for book chapters, access to McGraw-Hill Connect (optional), the e-mail addresses of all classmates and your professor, and various utilities (i.e., discussion boards, journals, etc.). You can access Blackboard from your FlashLine account: once you log in, the link is in the upper right hand corner. You can also go directly to Blackboard and log in (with your KSU FlashLine ID and password) at learn.kent.edu.

FOCUS/PURPOSE OF THE COURSE

This course was designed for undergraduates.  This is a survey course of the broad field of Human Resources.  It encompasses knowledge and application in the areas of human resources in organizations.  We will take a deep dive into areas critical for understanding of the human resources discipline through the assigned readings and classroom discussion.  The course will provide students with a blend of both research and best practice professional applications.

COURSE OBJECTIVES

1.       Students will gain a general understanding of the area of Human Resources.

2.       Students will gain an understanding of the Human Resource applications practiced in organizations.

3.       Students will learn about the integration of Human Resources to other business functions including the area of business strategy development and Human Capital planning.

4.       Students will gain an understanding of the impact of external environmental forces on the practice of human resources including the impact of the regulatory environment, and the global business environment.

 GRADING AND REQUIREMENTS

Final grades will be comprised of the following:

            Weekly discussion board question             15%

            Two on-line assignments                           10%

            Two multiple choice tests                           50%

                Final Exam                                                  25%

I will use +/- grades for this course.  Assignment of final grades will most likely be:  92+ A, 90-91 A-, 88-89 B+, 82-87 B, 80-81 B-, 78-79 C+, 72-77 C, 70-71 C-, 68-69 D+, 60-67 D, 0-59 F.  I reserve the right to curve these final grades, up or down, based on overall class performance.  Please note every point you earn whether from a test, assignment, or discussion board all count the same.  Each point you earn is actually a grade point.  Therefore every point counts.  

MULTIPLE CHOICE EXAMS AND FINAL (worth 75 pts.)  Throughout the semester two 25 item multiple choice exams will be given that cover both the information from the lectures and the book chapters.  See the course/topic agenda for the book chapters and topics covered in each exam.  Questions will cover a selection of the topics presented in the book and by lecture up to the date of the test.  A 25 item multiple choice exam will also be given for the final (worth 25 pts.).  See the course schedule for exam reviews dates.  All Exams will be taken electronically.

DISCUSSION BOARD PARTICIPATION/CLASS ASSIGNMENTS  (worth 15 pts.)

Students are expected to participate in class discussions and respond to weekly posted discussion board questions.   Each Monday (starting September 1) a discussion board question will be posted to Blackboard.  All discussion board questions must be responded to through Blackboard before 10:00am the Monday following the week of the posting.  For example the first posting will be September 1 and you must respond to the question for that week by Monday September 8 at 10:00am.  Your responses will be graded on a scale of 0 to 1.  A 0 will be given for no response or for a response like “ditto”.  A 1 will be awarded to a response which is relevant and insightful.  You may respond to the instructor’s question (called a thread) directly, respond to another student’s response (thread) or create your own thread.  However any answers sent directly to the instructor’s e-mail will be discarded.  Remember you must respond in Blackboard.  This should become an on-line dialogue between the class about topics of interest in Human Resources.  Some discussion questions will be related to the book chapters for that week as outlined in the topic schedule.   Please see the instructions on the discussion board in the Getting Started folder on Blackboard.

SMALL PAPER ASSIGNMENTS (10 pts.)  Students will be asked to write two short (no more than two page double spaced) papers.  One paper must be on an article found in a news article either printed or online that refers to an HR issue.  The second paper must be a review of an HR website. This may be a HR consulting firm, HR related advocacy organization or government regulator (EEOC, Federal Department of Labor, state or city civil rights organization).  See Blackboard for more details.  Copies of the articles or screen shot of the website must be included with the papers.  All work must be submitted via Blackboard.

COURSE FORMAT    The format of this course will be in the form of PowerPoint lectures and interactive weekly discussion board, two assignments and three exams.  Because of the quick pace of the course it will not be possible to cover every topic in the Powerpoint lecture slides, so students are required and should expected to be tested on areas in the book chapters which are not covered by lecture.  Therefore keeping up with the reading assignments is imperative.  All of the lecture slides are on Blackboard.   The course topic schedule is a guideline, but students may take the course at whatever pace they desire.  However, weekly discussion questions will roughly follow the topic dates as outline in the schedule below.   Assignment dates and test dates are not optional and must be completed on these dates.

COURSE TOPIC  SCHEDULE (The course topic schedule is a guideline, but students may take the course at whatever pace they desire)

 Date               Topic                                                  Readings                    Assignments/Exams

CLASS PROCEDURES

1.       Students may e-mail the professor with questions and concerns only during office hours (as indicated on page one of the syllabus). I cannot guarantee that e-mails sent at other times will be addressed or receive a response. Managing electronic messages for on-line classes is important to class and student success. Therefore, I ask that you please carefully follow the rules for e-mail etiquette for this course. Having e-mails occur at particular times will facilitate speedy responses and the timely grading of assignments. Don’t forget, you also have access to all your fellow classmates on Blackboard. You may “blast” an e-mail to all your classmates/groupmates with your questions.

2.       If you have what you believe to be an urgent matter to discuss and my on-line office hours are not convenient for you, may call/e-mail/text me at any time. You must indicate in the subject line that the message is urgent. In addition, the most efficient way to communicate with me is via e-mail. I strongly encourage you to take advantage of the electronic messaging capabilities made available to you by the university!

3.       You may e-mail assignments any time before the assignment deadline. Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a grade of zero. NO EXCEPTIONS WITHOUT A UNIVERSITY EXCUSE!

4.       No student will be penalized for technological problems that may keep them from completing assignments. If you encounter such a problem and cannot e-mail me, please feel free to call or text me when it occurs. Doing so will ensure that no questions exist concerning the veracity of the technological problem.

5.       You must submit your work in the file format (including file naming convention required for the given assignment). Any assignments that do not conform to the required file format will not be accepted. Please consult the COURSE GRADING AND REQUIREMENTS section of the syllabus concerning the appropriate file format for each type of assignment.

6.       If you have a problem that you believe may compromise your ability to complete this course, please discuss it with me while there is still time to do something about it (illnesses, personal issues, etc.)! You may call (on my mobile—do not be shy about calling, texting, or e-mailing me).

7.       Each student must turn in an original piece of work; copies of the work of others will not be accepted. However, you may work together on your case/exercise assignments when collaboration is required.

8.       ASSIGNMENTS/TESTS/DISCUSSION ANSWERS RECIEVED AFTER THE SUBMISSION DEADLINE WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED UNLESS ACCOMPANIED BY AN OFFICIAL UNIVERSITY EXCUSE. NO EXCEPTIONS.  I DO NOT ACCEPT NOTES FROM DOCTORS, DENTISTS, ETC.

9.       You must use the internet, your FlashLine account, Blackboard, and the World Wide Web to communicate with me and receive an acceptable grade. You must use your KSU FlashLine account to send and receive e-mails. NO EXCEPTIONS. Please don’t send an e-mail from other than your KSU FlashLine account. Sending e-mails via other ISPs (e.g., gmail) renders student identification difficult and also introduces difficulty in determining to which of my classes you are assigned.

10.    When you send an e-mail, please be certain to include the course number (34180) so that identification of the course to which you are registered is easily and expeditiously determined.

11.    You will receive the grade you earn in this class. This means that only graded assignments as indicated in the syllabus will determine your grade. While effort and time spent completing assignments and examinations are commendable, they are also expected and carry no weight toward your grade. Moreover, NO EXTRA CREDIT or substitution of assignments will be provided.

12.    A note on on-line classes: Were this not an on-line class, we would be meeting face-to-face for one hour and 15 minutes per day, four days per week for the semester. As you know, class meeting time does not include the hours spent outside of class studying for exams or completing assignments. On-line classes require exceptional time management, hard work, and dedication to completing course requirements. Accordingly, on-line classes can be demanding and you must be up to the challenge. This means that your assignments must be completed on time, regardless of the time constraints that you (and I) face. Excuses such as “I didn’t have time because…(e.g. “I had to work” or “I’m taking other classes”) are not acceptable. As previously indicated, only an official university excuse will be considered for late assignments.

Information from the KSU College of Business Administration

The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course

 A.     Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

B.    Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you need to correct the error with your advising office no later than Sunday, September 6, 2015.   If registration errors are not corrected by these dates and you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

For flexibly scheduled courses, faculty should contact the Registrar’s Office (330.672.3131) directly for the specific dates if they are unable to determine based on information in Self Service Banner.

 C.     Academic Honesty:  Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

D.     For Fall 2015, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 8, 2015.   Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

E.     University policy 3342-3-01.3 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through Student Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit  http://www.kent.edu/sas/index.cfm http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/ for more information on registration procedures).

F. GRADUATION INFORMATION FOR SENIORS:  It is your responsibility to apply for graduation before the set deadline. If you apply after the deadline you will be assessed a $200 late fee. Please see your academic advisor as soon as possible if you are uncertain as to your progress toward graduation.  The graduation application deadlines are follows:

Graduation Application Deadlines:

May Graduation: Apply before September 15^th

August Graduation: Apply before December 15^th

December Graduation: Apply before March 15^th

To apply for graduation complete the following steps:

Log onto your Flashline account

1.       Click on the Student Tools tab

2.       Look in the Graduation Planning Tool Box

3.       Click on Application for Graduation

**If an error message appears, you must contact your advisor.

Optional

I have registered the course in Connect LearnSmart, but you do not need Connect LearnSmart to take this class.  All assignments and discussion board questions will occur through Blackboard.  Tests will be administered through Blackboard and more information about this will follow.   However LearnSmart has a number of good study guides and support and it is well worth going to their website for assistance particularly if you are not accustom to taking on-line courses.

Connect LearnSmart internet site by McGraw-Hill: You may sign up for Connect LearnSmart for this class. Registration information is available on Blackboard. You may go to McGraw-Hill’s site by clicking on the link found in “Tools” on Blackboard. Then click on “McGraw-Hill Higher Education,” then on “Go to My Connect Section.” From there you simply follow the registration instructions.

Student Registration for Connect through Blackboard

•    Sign into your school's Blackboard.

•    Go to your instructor's course.

•    Go to the "Tools" menu.

•    Click on the "McGraw-Hill Education" link.

•    Below "My Connect Section", click Go to My Connect Section.

Follow the on-screen instructions to register.

Information from the publisher on purchasing the text and Connect LearnSmart:

For the online purchase, students can purchase Connect LearnSmart. To do that, as they register, they are given 3 options:

•  BUY ONLINE: Students who wish to purchase an on-line book [i.e., do not want a print book] can click on the BUY ONLINE option, and select Connect LearnSmart.

•  Purchase Paper Copy: If you purchase a new paper copy from the bookstore, enter the code that comes with the book to access Connect LearnSmart. Also, if you purchase a paper copy (from the publisher or another source) but do not want to wait to receive the book to get started, you may sign up for the Free Trial (click on the free trial option) which will give you access to the on-line text until your book arrives. I am told by the publisher that if you purchase a used book, you only need to sign up for Connect LearnSmart.