BAD 64271 Spring 2010 DuBois

                                         HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

                             BAD 64271, Spring 2010, Tuesday-Thursday 9:15 – 10:30

INSTRUCTOR        

Name:                          Dr. Cathy DuBois                  

Office:                         Business Administration Building, A412                              

Phone:                         330-672-1157   fax: 330-672-2953 (use a cover page with my name)

E-mail:             cdubois@kent.edu

Office hours:               Tuesday, Thursday 10:30-12:30; Wednesday 5:00-6:00 by appointment

TEXT (required)

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

Additional professional readings from the web are required.  These readings are posted on the course website.  Pay close attention to due dates on these readings.

COURSE WEBSITE

http://cdubois.pageout.net

You must register on this website by Monday, January 25.  Penalty for not doing so is a loss of 2 points from your final class participation grade.

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 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 system design, 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 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.

   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

This class will be taught in blended learning format. We will have some class sessions and students will view some lectures online. When class meets we will combine some lecture with discussion, group exercises, and student presentations. A lively learning environment is available for everyone when we are engaged in a dynamic dialogue. Successful students will come to class having viewed video segments and read all assigned material.  When everyone is prepared, class is more enjoyable for all (including me!), and students learn more effectively. Information processing theory has established that several layers of exposure to new material is necessary to fully grasp, integrate and retain a wealth of new information, such as what you encounter in this course. 

GRADING

Final grades will be comprised of the following:

            Class preparation / participation                      15%

            Concept Quizzes                                             10%

            Exams (3)                                                        50%     (15% exams 1&3, 20% exam 2)

            HRM-in-the-News Presentation                       5%

            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

Successful students arrive at class ready to discuss and apply assigned material. Active participation in class is an integral part of this course, both for class discussions and small group work. Arrive at class having thought about the material; bring your notes on chapters, video segments and readings, as well as a list of questions to ask. Use discussions to bring up your personal work experiences that are salient to course material.  We cover a great deal of material every class period.  Be prepared to be called on to state main points of assigned material at any time!  Your responses will significantly impact your grade.

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 – though I do this regularly.) 

Class preparation/participation comprises a significant portion of your grade in this course. To facilitate feedback on your performance, you will submit mid-semester and final self-evaluations for your class preparation/participation. I will add my evaluation of your performance to the mid-term form and return it to you. Please keep track of how frequently you come to class prepared, 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 career 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.

Concept Quizzes

A total of 6 unannounced quizzes will be administered at the beginning of class throughout the semester. These will be brief multiple choice quizzes covering basic concepts that should be understood from reading assigned course materials and watching assigned videos prior to class. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped, and no make-up quizzes will be offered.

HRM-in-the-News Presentation

The purpose of these presentations is to make students 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 6 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; the purpose of this assignment is focus on the popular press, not the HR literature.  Use of HRM sources will significantly lower your grade. 

Important! Register your article on the Discussion section of the course website.  Follow directions to post your article title and source, along with your name.  No duplications will be allowed, either on a single day or throughout the semester.

In order to receive the highest score on article selection, present an article that is relevant to the topic being discussed in class that week. The one exception to this is presentation of a late-breaking article that is highly newsworthy – be sure to get approval of such an article from Dr. DuBois in advance. I encourage the International students to present articles from publications in their home countries.

Presentation style has a significant impact on the effectiveness of your presentation.  I expect a professional presentation. Use PowerPoint to summarize main points (use 30+ point font).  Do not chew gum, read from the article or from notecards, use repeated ‘um’s or do anything else that makes you seem unprepared.  Do dress appropriately, look at and connect with your audience, “own” the material you are presenting, monitor your time, smile and present with energy.  See the Evaluation Forms section on the course website for grading criteria.

We will have 2 or 3 presentations each class period.  The presenter has 5 minutes to speak; you cannot receive an A if you exceed this, nor can you receive an A if you speak less than 4.5 minutes.  Practice your talk so you can keep it to 5 minutes.  Do extra related research if your article has less than 5 minutes worth of material..

Exams

There will be 3 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 (10-30 points) to be completed by each individual, and a partner section to be completed when working with a partner (70-90 points).  You must work with a partner to write the first and third exams; you have the option to work solo 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 all 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 indicates a need for adjustment (I do make adjustments as appropriate). 

Advice:  Do not write lengthy paragraphs for test answers; use bullet points / lists and sentences as appropriate (see writing guidelines in this syllabus). Tests will cover concepts from all assigned course media and class sessions. Mastery of all material will be necessary to earn an A on exams.  Successful students follow guidelines above for class preparation.  Be vigilant to key themes, recommendations and overarching points that are stated by the professor in videos and class, but don’t appear on the PowerPoint. Think about the material – don’t just memorize it.

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 as cheating and appropriate disciplinary action will be invoked.

All exam questions and answers must be left with the professor at the end of the class period, even after graded exams have been distributed to students for review. Failure to turn in any exam materials will result in lowering your final grade by 10 full points.

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 three 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 to the class a professional presentation that summarizes your findings

Content Area: Each team will select their 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. Your presentation must focus on material that has not previously been covered in class. This means that you need to look ahead in the text and the PowerPoint to ensure that you are bringing in mostly new material in your presentation.

Teams:  Project teams will be diverse (fe/male, inter/national). Teams have the right to fire a team member who does not follow through with their responsibilities. If fired, the individual must complete a project on their own, using 1 company.

Research:  Consult a variety of resources, with the goal of 20 references: professional organizations (e.g. SHRM); HRM practitioners and consultants; research and practitioner journal articles, etc.  Advice: Use your outline of best practice to develop a protocol to use when interviewing each organizational contact. This will ensure that you obtain the same information from all organizations, and that this information addresses all components of best practice.

Organizations:  Select 2 or 3 organizations with 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 anticipate difficulty connecting with organizations, let the professor know as soon as possible.

Presentation:  20 minutes, plus 5 minute question/answer (25 minute max).  All group members must participate.  Make it educational and enjoyable!  Presentation style is important, so make sure all group members practice; each person must ‘own’ the material they present. Use the feedback you receive from your HRM in the News presentation to hone your presentation skills.

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

1.  Project timeline                  Due February 2

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

            * Indicate who does what tasks, as well as start and end dates

2.  Outline of ‘Best Practice’, interview protocol ,& references           Due March 5

Use outline form for best practice main points, with added explanation as necessary; write out actual interview questions; use detailed references.

3.  Presentation PowerPoint         Due at time of presentation

     Copies for class members are not required; if any sort of handout will be useful, include it.

4.  Team member evaluation         Due the day after your presentation

     Form is available on the course website.

Writing Guidelines

Effective written and oral communication skills are highly influential in selection and promotion decisions. 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!). 

Format you writing for this class to make your message ‘jump off the page’. To do this, incorporate the following elements into your writing: make liberal use of “bullet points” – phrases that effectively summarize ideas (use appropriate terms and be succinct), subheadings, numbered lists, outlines, and Tables of Contents.  Be sure to write full sentences when needed, when your message cannot be clearly communicated in more abbreviated form; avoid complex sentences and lengthy paragraphs. Say a lot with little writing; use page space wisely and attractively; make every word count. Quality of writing is superior to great quantity of writing.

For some of you this will come easily, because you already incorporate these elements in your writing. For others it will be challenging, for you are accustomed to being ‘long-winded’ because you have previously been rewarded with high grades when you turn in lengthy prose.  However, because it is not appropriate in a business setting, lengthy prose will earn low grades in this class!

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 proper prerequisites risk deregistration 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 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, January 31, 2010 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 for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

D.     For Spring 2009, the course withdrawal deadline is Sunday, April 4, 2010.   Withdrawal before the deadline results in a "W" on the official transcript; after the deadline a grade will be reported.

E. Students with disabilities:  University policy 3342-3-18 requires that students with disabilities be provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access equal access 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 Accessibility Services (contact 330-672-3391 or visit www.kent.edu/sas for more information on registration procedures).