BAD 64271 F05 DuBois

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

 

Name:                          Dr. Cathy DuBois                    

Office:              Business Administration Building, A412                                    

Phone:              330-672-2750 x392    fax: 330-0672-2448 (be sure to use a cover page)

E-mail:                          cdubois@kent.edu

Office hours:                 Tuesday / Thursday 9:30-11:30; Wednesday 5:00-6:00 by appointment;      

                                    Additional times available by appointment.

 

Cascio, W. (2006).  Managing Human Resources.  7^th Edition.   McGraw-Hill.

Course Website: http://cdubois.pageout.net/      Please Register by September 7!

 

 

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 functions, 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 underlies all of the other functions. 

 

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 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 design, record keeping, and troubleshooting). 

 

 

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:

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

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

   -        discern "right from wrong" HRM practice, based on 2 separate considerations: government regulation and scientific research.  Ignoring the former can result in costly, time-consuming litigation for your organization.  Ignoring the latter can lead to decisions about people that are potentially sub-optimal.

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

 

 

 

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, some cases, & student presentations. 

 

Final grades will be comprised of the following:

                        Class participation                                            10%

                        HRM-in-the-News Presentation                         5%

                        Exams (2)                                                         60%     (30% each)

                        Group Project & Presentation                           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 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 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 questions to ask.  Also, use this opportunity to bring up salient work experiences that we can all learn from.

 

Recognize that class participation is a subjective thing – I can’t tally how many times you speak or the quality of what you say in some objective manner.  It's your responsibility to make sure I notice your contributions; it’s your responsibility to take the initiative to speak (rather than my responsibility to call of you if you do not raise your hand).  But I might call on you at any time.

 

HRM-in-the-News Presentation

 

The purpose of these presentations is to make you aware of the many HR-related articles that 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 (newspapers, internet new sites, magazines like Business Week or Newsweek, etc.).  Do not use articles from HRM research or practitioner journals (Workforce, Training Magazine, etc.) or from HRM web sites.  I encourage International students to present articles from publications in their home countries!  If you are unsure whether or not your selected article is appropriate, just ask me in advance. 

 

Important: List your article in the Discussion area of the course website as soon as you find it and check to be sure no one else has presented it.  No duplications will be allowed, either on a single day or throughout the semester.

 

We will start each class period with these presentations.  Each person will have 5 minutes to speak; you cannot receive an A if you exceed this.  Practice your talk so you know it will fit.

 

Presentation style is highly important!  I expect this to be a professional presentation.  Use of PowerPoint to summarize main points is required (be sure to use font of 30+ point).  Do not chew gum, read the article to the class, read from notecards, or do anything else that makes you look unprepared.  Do look at your audience, “own” the material you are presenting, monitor your time, and connect with your audience!

 

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

 

To insure that everyone studies all material covered on the test, partners will be randomly assigned when you arrive to take the test. Please be conscientious in your test preparation, for your partner as well as for yourself.  Partners will receive the same exam grade unless the partner evaluation form indicates a need for adjustment.  (I do make adjustments as appropriate.)

Advice:  Do not write lengthy paragraphs as test answers; use bullet points / lists and sentences as appropriate. Tests will cover material from the textbook and class discussions.  Neither one alone will provide you with sufficient information to earn an A. Take lots of written notes during each class on your copies of the PowerPoint slides.  Key themes, recommendations and overarching points will often be stated by the professor in class, but won’t appear on the PowerPoint.

 

You will work in groups of 5 students to develop and deliver a 30 minute presentation on use of a current HR product or system to address a practical HR need that might arise for a supervisor, manager, or an HR department.  Examples include products (like software, Internet sites, etc.) or systems (like childcare programs, Diversity programs, etc.) used for recruiting, selection, performance assessment, training/development, employee safety, or any HR functional area. 

 

Project Objectives:  This assignment has 2 primary objectives.  At the conclusion of the presentations students should have: 1) gained from their peers an awareness of some of the newer HR products / systems available on the market today, and 2) learned how to evaluate the relative merit of available options.  Presentations will illustrate that cheaper or more complex products / systems are not always the best approaches to effectively address organizational problems.

 

Topic Selection:  Each group will be expected to determine a topic area on their own, and clear it with me before they proceed.  All topics must be cleared by September 8.  No duplications will be allowed; a “first come, first served” policy will obtain. 

 

You must identify and collect information on 3 different and viable options for products / systems.  Places to look for HR products include professional periodicals, personal contacts in organizations, consulting firms, the Internet, etc.  Alternatively, you may compare systems being used by existing organizations.  Note that it’s generally easier to obtain information for a presentation based on HR products rather than on systems used by organizations.  Organizations are often hesitant to reveal proprietary or sensitive information on their systems due to a variety of risks involved.

 

Project Information:  Additional information about the project is available on the course website.  This information contains the many details that you will need to address in order to prepare an outstanding project.

Project Grading: Group project grades will be determined by the set of criteria on the project evaluation form (a copy may be found on the course website).  I will assess the group’s overall performance (combination of content and presentation), and provide an overall project grade.  Group members will receive individual grades, based on the project grade but adjusted according to presentation performance and information from group member peer evaluation forms. 

Project Deliverable:  Right before your presentation, give the professor a copy of your PowerPoint slides (use 3 to a page format) and any handouts used for your presentation.

Peer evaluation forms:  Peer evaluation forms are located on the course website.  They must be submitted to the professor no later than 1 week following the presentation (hard copy; no e-mail).  They must include point assignments and corresponding written justifications.

 

Group Management:  Groups will be self-managed, and will be responsible for determining the role(s) played by each group member. For example, those who have good resource skills might be assigned resource-related tasks, those with good presentation skills might be assigned presentation-related tasks, those with good computer skills might be assigned computer-related tasks, etc.  It is up to the group to make these decisions appropriately.  Note that it is not necessary for every group member to be a presenter; the group should ensure that all presenters are excellent.

 

Also, each individual must take initiative to be sure that their own contributions are on track and sufficient.  For example, if you don’t want to be a presenter, be sure to contribute in sufficiently additional ways to other areas of project work.  Use your interpersonal skills to work effectively with team members; be assertive enough to make sure your contributions are appropriate in number and quality; don’t dominate, and don’t allow others to dominate.  The best efforts are generated when there is true teamwork.

 

Project Management:  To be sure that the development and flow of your presentation is on track, I recommend (but do not require) that each group provide me with an outline of your presentation by October 12.  I will be happy to give you feedback at any time throughout the semester on the content and flow of your presentation as it develops.

 

Attendance at all presentations is mandatory!  All presenters need a full audience, and one major goal of the project is to learn practical information from other students’ presentations.  Thus, if you must be absent you need a very good reason, and you must clear it with me in advance.  Students who lack a very good reason, or do not clear such absences with me in advance will have a full 10 points deducted from their individual project grade.

 

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.  You are advised to review your official class schedule (using Web for Students) 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 Friday, September 9, 2005 to correct the error with your advising office.  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.

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

D.    For Fall 2005, the course withdrawal deadline is Saturday, November 5, 2005.  Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade must be calculated and reported.

E.     Students with disabilities:  In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required.  Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) in the Michael Schwartz Service Center (672-3391).

 

 

 

August 31                     Introduction to HRM, Strategic HRM               Chapters 1 & 2

 

September 7                 Legal Context of Employment Decisions                        Chapter 3

 

September 14               Legal Context / Diversity                                               Chapters 3 & 4

September 21               Job Analysis / HR Planning / Recruiting             Chapters 5 & 6

 

September 28               Recruiting, Employee Selection                         Chapter 7

 

October 5                    Part 1 Exam (partner is mandatory)

                                   

 

October 12                  Performance Management: Assessment             Chapter 9

October 19                  Training, Development & Careers                                 Chapters 8 & 10

October 26                  Compensation  & Benefits                                            Chapters 11 & 12

 

November 2                 Employer-Employee Rights & Responsibilities   Chapters 13, 14, 15

                                                                                   

November 9                 International HRM                                                        Chapter 16

                                                           

November 16               Part 2 Exam (partner is optional)

November 23               Thanksgiving Break!

 

November 30               Group Project Presentations                 Mandatory attendance!

 

December 7                 Group Project Presentations                 Mandatory attendance!

 

 

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.  Thus, if you must miss a class, please check in with a class member to find out what transpired in your absence.