BAD 64271 Fall 2010 Malone

                                   HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

                  BAD 64271-CRN 11236, Monday 6:15 – 8:55 pm (BSA 210)

INSTRUCTOR        

Name:               Dr. Michael Malone                  

Phone:               330-672- 2750    fax: 330-672-2953 (use cover page with my name)

E-mail:              mppmalone@aol.com (will change to kent.edu by second week)

Office Hours:    M&IS Atrium Area–M 5:30-6:00pm; W 1:30-3:00pm &  by appointment     

TEXT (required)

Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright (2010).  Human Resource Management (7th Ed.).  McGraw-Hill.

Additional professional readings may be provided.

 OVERVIEW

 This course will examine techniques, practices and policies necessary to most competently carry out the management of human resources within an organization.  In all areas of management, success is largely dependent upon obtaining and appropriately utilizing a variety of resources.  Managing the people, or the human resources, who carry out all organizational functions is a key determining factor in the ultimate success of an organization. 

 The basic premise of this course is that people are the most valuable resource an organization has.  By now you should know this from your own experience.  It is people who conceive of organizations, own them, manage them, and dissolve them.  People perform the myriad organizational jobs required to produce goods and services, and ultimately it is people who consume these goods and services.

 Because this is a survey course, we will cover to some extent the whole spectrum of content areas associated with HRM: impacts of organizational factors, government regulations, and environmental conditions on the evolution of HRM, as well as the many functional activities of human resource management.  We will cover a mix of prescriptive and descriptive approaches to HRM, in that we will often compare the ideal of research-based practices with the range of current practices used by organizations.

 Anyone who has worked has had some array of experiences with HR policies and procedures.  As employees, you are on the receiving end of these policies and procedures.  Most of you are in the MBA program.  As managers, you are/will be the individuals who deliver a large percentage of HR policies/procedures to your employees (HR employees do relatively little delivery, in comparison; they focus on system design and implementation, record keeping, and troubleshooting). 

 The focus of this course will be how you, as managers, can positively influence the effectiveness of your employees through your own actions to improve and implement organizational human resource management policies and procedures.

 COURSE OBJECTIVES

 The overarching objective of this course is to make you a more intelligent administrator and consumer of HRM practices for your organization's benefit as well as your own personal gain.  At the end of this course you should be able to:

   1.   understand how the HRM function can enhance an organization's business strategy.

   2.   comprehend the perspective of those who work in the HRM function, which should help you work more effectively with them.

   3.   discern "right from wrong" HRM practice, based on several considerations: government regulation, scientific research, and practical application. Ignoring the initial factor can result in costly, time-consuming litigation for your organization.  Ignoring the latter two factors can lead to decisions about people that are potentially sub-optimal.

   4.   develop and more effectively utilize HRM practices to improve your own work performance, as well as the performance of those who report to you.

COURSE FORMAT

 Lecturing at length to a silent audience does not create the most effective learning environment.  A lively learning environment is available for everyone when we are engaged in a dynamic dialogue that is structured around the essential knowledge you should take away from this course. Class time will therefore include lots of discussion.  Thus, it is imperative that you come to class having read all assigned material.  Also several layers of exposure will help you grasp and retain the wealth of new information you will encounter in this course. 

GRADING

 Final grades will be comprised of the following:

                        Class preparation / participation                      15%

                        Exams (2)                                                        50%     (25% each)

                        HRM-in-the-News Presentation                      15%

                        Team Project                                                   20%    

 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 B, 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.

Class Preparation / Participation

 Once again, class discussions will be much more meaningful if you have read and thought about the appropriate material prior to class.  Come to class with notes on chapters and readings, as well as questions to ask. Also, use this opportunity to bring up salient work experiences that we can all learn from.  We cover a great deal of material every class period, so keep up with your readings. Be prepared to discuss the main points of the current chapter or readings.

 Recognize that class participation is a subjective thing.  It's your responsibility to make sure I notice your contributions and to take the initiative to speak (rather than my responsibility to call on you if you do not raise your hand).  If you don’t volunteer, I still might call on you, so be prepared to answer. 

 You will turn in mid-semester and final self-evaluations for your class participation.  Please keep track of the number of classes you miss, and have a good idea of how frequently you participate in class, as well as the quality of your participation.  Failure to submit these forms on time will result in a 10 point subtraction from your earned class participation/preparation grade.

 As people who are or aspire to be managers, your oral communication skills are or will be an essential part of your effectiveness.  I expect you to practice and display them in class.   Even introverted people can develop excellent communication skills.  It is worth your while to learn how to be a contributor to a group, not just a spectator.

HRM-in-the-News Presentation

 The purpose of these presentations is to make you aware of how many HR-related articles routinely appear in the popular press.  We will see how they reflect HR issues that are of current interest to employers and employees, and how they shed light on the evolving nature of the field. 

 Your presentation will consist of a brief summary of the *highlights* of an HR-related article that appeared in the recent popular press (articles no older than 3 months past; from newspapers, internet news sites, magazines like Business Week or Newsweek, or non-HRM professional publications).  Do not use articles from HRM research or practitioner journals (Workforce, Training Magazine, etc.) or HRM web sites.  I encourage the International students to present articles from publications in their home countries. 

 Important! After you identify an article you want to use, provide it to your professor – include your article title and source, along with your name.  No duplications will be allowed.

 Keep in mind that presentation style has a significant impact on the effectiveness of your presentation.  I expect this to be a professional presentation. Use PowerPoint to summarize main points (use 30+ point font).  Do not read from the article or from note cards, or do anything else that makes you look unprepared.  Do dress appropriately, look at and connect with your audience, “own” the material you are presenting, monitor your time, smile and seem interested!  

 We will have (approx.) 2 presentations each class period.  The presenter has 7 minutes to speak; you cannot receive an A if you deviate notably from this time requirement.  Practice your talk so you can keep it to 7 minutes.  Do extra related research if your article has less than 7 minutes worth of material. Following your presentation, time will be allotted for questions from the class (approx. 3 minutes).

Exams

 There will be 2 exams that cover primarily non-overlapping content.  They will consist of short/long answer questions that are integrative and application oriented.  Each exam will have a solo section (approx. 30 points) to be completed by each individual, and a partner section to be completed when working with a partner (approx. 70 points).  You must work with a partner to write the first exam; you have the option of working alone or with a partner on the second exam.  My rationale for partner exams is based on two factors: people rarely work in isolation in the workplace, and discussing ideas with another knowledgeable individual is a terrific way to reinforce and extend your learning. The purpose of these exams extends beyond determining what you know; I also want the examination process to reinforce your learning. 

 When appropriate, International students who feel their English language skills are not well developed enough to support a complex, fast-paced dialogue, may arrange with me to take the exams solo.  Such arrangements must be completed 1 week prior to each exam.

 To insure that everyone studies all material covered on the exam, partners will be randomly assigned in class just before the exam.  Please be conscientious in your preparation, for your partner as well as for yourself.  Partners will receive the same exam grade unless the partner evaluation form clearly indicates a need for adjustment. 

 Advice:  Do not write lengthy paragraphs for test answers; answer concisely and clearly with the correct terminology; incorporate the use of bullet points / lists and sentences as appropriate (see writing guidelines in this syllabus). Tests will cover material from the textbook, extra readings and class discussions.  Mastery of all material will be necessary to earn an A on exams.  Take lots of written notes during each class. Key themes, recommendations and overarching points will often be stated by the professor in class, but may not appear on the PowerPoint slides I use.

Important!  Exams from previous semesters for this class may not be used as study guides.  If you obtain current or previous exams for this class in any manner, you are hereby informed that this is considered to be cheating and appropriate disciplinary action will be invoked.

Team Project

You will work in teams of 5 students to complete this project.  This project has 4 goals:

1.      Determine the components of best practice in an area of HRM through research

2.      Collect information from several organizations about their practices in this HRM    area

3.      Compare/contrast the company’s practices with recommended practices; draw conclusions and make relevant recommendations

4.      Deliver a professional presentation that summarizes your findings

 Each team will select an area of HRM practice.  Because every team must investigate a different HRM area, register your area with the professor early to ensure it is available.

Teams:  Project teams will be diverse (fe/male, inter/national); they will include a mix of FTMBA and PMBA students.  Teams have the right to fire a team member who does not follow through with their responsibilities

Research:  Consult a variety of resources: professional organizations (e.g. SHRM); HRM practitioners and consultants; research and practitioner journal articles, etc.  Advice: Finish your research and develop your outline of best practice before you obtain information on organizational practice from your organizational contacts.  This will ensure that the information you obtain on organizational practice addresses all components of best practice.

Organizations:  Select 2 or 3 organizations with roughly 100 or more employees.  They can be in the same or in different business sectors, and can be either for-profit or not-for-profit.  Most teams will have access to HR contacts in area organizations.  If you have difficulty connecting with organizations, let the professor know as soon as possible.

Presentation:  20-25 minutes, plus 5 minutes for questions/answers (30 minute max).  All group members must participate in the presentation. Make it educational and interesting/enjoyable!

Deliverables:  Penalty for late delivery is 5 project points per item

1.  Project timeline      Due September 20

Include the following task areas (at minimum – add others that you deem helpful): doing research, developing your data collection protocol, contacting organizations, summarizing findings, developing presentation

            * You must outline who does what tasks, as well as start and end dates

 2.  Outline of ‘Best Practice’ with references   Due November 8

A bullet-pointed list will suffice, with added explanation as necessary; use detailed references

 3.  Presentation PowerPoint         Due at the time of presentation                          

A copy of your presentation should be provide to your professor but copies for class members aren’t required; if any sort of handout will be useful, include it.

 4.  Team member evaluation         Due the day of your presentation

     An evaluation form will be provided to you. There will be a deduction from your individual project grade if this is not filled out thoroughly.

Writing Guidelines

 Effective written and oral communication skills are highly influential within organizational settings. Professional writing used in organizational communications is concise and well organized.  Communications that contain rambling paragraphs or lack clear sections are simply not effective (and often not even read!). 

 Class requirements include written assignments and short/long answer exam questions.  Your writing style is a critical element of the grade you receive. 

 Please incorporate the following elements in your writing for this class: make liberal use of “bullet points” – phrases that effectively summarize ideas, subheadings, numbered lists, outlines, and Table of Contents.  Write full sentences when needed, when your message cannot be clearly communicated in more abbreviated form; avoid complex sentences and lengthy paragraphs. Quality of writing is superior to great quantity of writing.

Be sure to proofread projects several times – poor grammar and spelling errors will lower your grade.

Information from the KSU College of Business Administration

The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course

A.   Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Student Tools on FlashLine) during the first two weeks of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you have until Sunday, September 12, 2010 to correct the error.  If registration errors are not corrected by this date 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.

B.   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 (0 points) for the work or course.  Repeat offenses may result in dismissal from the University.

C.   For Fall 2010, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, November 7, 2010. Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript.  After the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

D.   Students with disabilities:  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 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 the Student Disability Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas <http://www.registrars.kent.edu/disability/> for more information on registration procedures).

BAD 64271  Human Resource Management

Malone, Fall 2010

PART 1:          HRM, Organizational Environments, & Employee Acquisition

August 30         Introduction to HRM, HR Environment                     Chapter 1

September 6      No class; Labor Day

September 13    Strategic HRM                                                           Chapter 2

September 20    Legal Context of Employment Decisions                  Chapter 3

                          Project timeline due!

September 27  Analysis of Work & Job Design                                  Chapter 4

                        HR Planning & Employee Recruiting                          Chapter 5

October 4        Employee Selection                                                      Chapter 6

October11       Employee Selection                                                      Chapter 6

                        Separation & Retention of Employees                         Chapter 10

                        Mid-term class participation self evaluation form due

October 18      Part 1 Exam (partner is mandatory)

PART 2:         Managing Performance for Organizational Success

October 25      Performance Management & Appraisal                      Chapter 8

November 1    Workplace Training                                                     Chapter 7

                        Employee Development                                              Chapter 9

November 8    Compensation: Pay Structures                                     Chapter 11     

                         Project ‘Best Practice’ outline due!

November 15    Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay        Chapter 12 

November 22    Labor Relations                                                          Chapter 14

                          International HRM                                                        Chapter 15

November 29    Strategically Managing the HRM Function                  Chapter 16

December 6       Part 2 Exam (partner is optional)

December 13    Project Presentations                                     Mandatory attendance

                          Final class participation self-evaluation form due

 We cover a great deal of material every class period.  I do not have a set of written notes to give you if you miss class – please do not ask me what you missed.  Instead, if you must miss a class, check with a class member to find out what transpired in your absence.