current topics in human resource management michigan university course syllabus msa 696a current...

Central Michigan University Course Syllabus

MSA 696A

Current Topics in Human Resource Management

Class Dates: 03/14/2017-05/02/2017 Classroom Format: Rowe 226, Wednesday nights from 5:30-10:20pm

Course Reference Number: 22349922 Master Professor: Dmitry Erofeev, Ph.D. Email: [email protected] (this is the best way to contact me) Office Hours: Before and after class sessions, by appointment, and available by email or phone Phone Number: 989-832-6994 (Midland office) I. Bulletin Description:

Current issues, theories, and practices of HR management in organizations. Limited to MSA students. , problems, and solutions of human resource management in organizations. Credit cannot be earned in both MSA 696A and MGT 643.

II. Prerequisites: Admission to graduate program or permission of department chairperson.

III. Text: Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J., Gerhart, B., and Wright, P. (2013). Human resource management: Gaining a competitive advantage. (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN: 978-0-07-802925-2 Additional readings:

Additional readings will be required based on the discussed topics. IV. Special Requirements:

Students will be expected to be able to use electronic media (i.e., blackboard) to complete course assignments, participate in a discussion board forum, to use email and the internet during the course. Students should test computers intended for use in online coursework for basic compatibility with Central Michigan University systems and tools at: http://www.cel.cmich.edu/system-check. Students must be able to install or arrange for the installation of specific browser plugins (such as Flash Player) and/or client side software (such as a PDF reader) in certain courses.

V. Course Description:

MGT 696A covers theory, current issues and problems of personnel administration as they relate to the various levels of Human Resource Management. The class will provide you with understanding of a foundation of knowledge of HR methods and practices (e.g., strategic HR management, performance, recruitment & selection, and employment law), and current critical issues from the perspective of managers and HR practitioners. Additionally, this class will help you develop critical analysis skills by encouraging you to deconstruct HR policies, practices and positions, understand opposing viewpoints, and communicate suggested solutions.

VI. Class Format:

The class will take a hybrid approach and will include a variety of methods of delivery of material, including face-to-face activities such as lectures, group discussions, practical exercises, group project, and student presentations, as well as online activities such as discussion board postings. In this class, we will engage with the material in a variety of different ways and at different levels. Class participation is a critical component of learning and is necessary to help students transcend theories into practice. It is thus imperative that students are prepared to discuss the appropriate material assigned for each class period to foster class participation. This flexible, hybrid approach accommodates multiple learning styles and provides exposure to the content in new and different

http://www.cel.cmich.edu/system-check

ways. Students are expected to put in time online in addition to classroom activities to help supplement learning.

VII. Course Objectives: Upon completion of this course, a student should be able to: 1. Analyze HR practices, current trends, and the legal foundation of human resource strategy,

employment planning, regulation, job analysis and design, performance assessment, recruitment and selection, training and development, employee relations and compensation;

2. State the critical pieces of legislation and litigation which shape today’s human resource management processes and practices;

3. Research specific HRM topics in CMU library or CMU online databases to present studies and results from academic, peer reviewed, and or reputable sources;

4. Discuss key current challenges facing HR practitioners, and have the background to examine and evaluate those challenges;

5. Conduct a basic job analysis of an entry level job at the target organization and use that information to develop job-related HRM processes and practices within;

6. Analyze existing HRM practices within a local organization; 7. Evaluate related cost and the effectiveness of the current selection methods in the target

organization; 8. Based on the collected information design a new selection process to meet the target

organization goals.

VIII. CRITERIA FOR EVALUATION

Type of Performance and Evaluation Criteria: You will be required to complete several activities in order to achieve the identified objectives:

1. CLASS PARTICIPATION

Students are expected to attend each class session. Moreover, each student is expected to actively participate in class discussions. Contribute regularly to discussions with reasonably well developed ideas and comments for full points. Simply coming to a class session will not earn a satisfactory participation grade.

2. ASSIGNED CHAPTER AND RELATED CURRENT TOPICS: Based on the Class Schedule Oral speaking is an essential component of the HR practices. The class will be organized into several small groups for this assignment. Each group will be assigned a textbook chapter (chapter 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, and 15) to present to the class beginning in Week 2. The group will conduct library research on the topic covered by the chapter current issues related to the topic. The textbook is to be supplemented with other materials, such as articles, news, and internet resources. The presentation should be engaging, interactive with the class, and involve the student’s personal opinions on the material. It should follow an outline of the textbook chapter and may include short videos, games, and Question & Answer sessions. Presentation length should be about 25+ minutes plus 10 min for an activity. Power point slides must be submitted to the instructor one the day before the class session to be posted in Blackboard. Any handout materials should be in sufficient quantity so that each student in the class has the complete set of materials.

3. QUIZZES

Pop-up Quizzes will be administered weekly in class, covering the reading assignments from the textbook and supplementary materials presented in lectures. Students are expected to read assigned chapters and materials ahead of class discussion. Makeup quizzes are not permitted.

4. TEAM PROJECT AND PRESENTATION Phase A. Job Analysis Project

Students will work in groups to conduct a job analysis of a job to be selected in conjunction with the professor. Groups will be assigned in Week 1 and must inform the professor about their job choice during Week 2. A group page in blackboard will be set up for each group to communicate with each other. The job analysis project will include the following components, which should be submitted in one document: executive summary, job description, task list of critical tasks performed on the job with ratings by 3-5 Subject Matter Experts (SMEs), a KSAO (knowledge, skills, abilities, and other attributes) list with ratings by 3-5 SMEs, and a report detailing the methods used in conducting the job analysis, results, and discussion. The complete task and KSA lists before ratings were given should be included as an Appendix. Appropriate references and other materials should be used, such as O*NET, and other reputable materials related specifically to the job. These materials should be cited where appropriate. Students will be required to interview 3 to 5 job incumbents (SMEs) to gather more information about the job (this will help in generating your task and KSAO lists) and must obtain ratings from 3 -5 SMEs (ideally these people will be different from those interviewed but they could be the same) to provide ratings that will help in generating the final list for tasks and KSAOs. Only one submission is required per group. Additional details about project requirements, including grading criteria, will be provided in a separate handout.

Phase B. Selection Methods Project

Students will work in groups to create a structured interview guide and accompanying materials that will correspond with the job that was analyzed in the Job Analysis Project. Groups will be the same as was assigned for the Job Analysis Project. A group page in blackboard must be used to communicate with each other. The project should include a Structured Interview Guide with lead questions, probes, and rating options. Questions should include multiple types, and specifically must include both behavioral and situational questions. The project should also include a list of competencies for the job, and a linkage matrix that connects each question with the main competencies and KSAOs it measures. The project should also include an executive summary, a brief description of methods used, and an instruction form for raters and interviewers so that the final product would be able to be used in a selection process at an actual company today. Appropriate references and materials should be provided and cited, where appropriate; however, any forms turned in with the project must be of the student’s own creation. Only one submission is required per group. Additional details about project requirements, including grading criteria, will be provided in a separate handout.

5. Examinations There will be two in class exams. The type of exams given will be determined by the class as a whole and can include any variety of test options. The idea is to give you an exam that is most appropriate for the greatest number of the students. Exams will have two parts: (A) multiple choice questions (B) several Essay Questions. Essay answers must be thorough, contain theories, detailed explanations, and examples to prove your understanding of the material in a concise and logical manner. No make-up for exam will be offered. Exams are taken in class only. 6. Discussion Board Postings To help ensure that students are understanding and are engaged with the course material, three discussion board postings will be used. This method of online communication is a great way to demonstrate understanding of the material. Additionally, communicating with fellow students by reading and responding to others’ posts is the best way to promote learning and provoke insightful thoughts to the material. Discussion questions will be posted on Blackboard based on the assigned readings for the course and you will need to have at least one response to the discussion questions by the end of the week (Friday at 11:59 pm EST) and all reply posts to your peers must be completed by Sunday at 11:59 pm EST. Students are expected to read and respond to the other students’ postings throughout the week. The grading rubric for discussion board postings is below. Grading is done based on the first posting, although students are encouraged to engage in frequent discussion by replying to other students’ postings throughout the week. A student will not receive the max percent if he/she post an original reply to the discussion and the replies to

other postings in the same day/setting. It is important to continue to visit the discussion often to engage on different levels of the conversations. Discussion Board Posting Grading Rubric

Criteria Excellent 94-100%

Good 87-93%

Average 80-86%

Poor 79% and below

Frequency of Posts

Makes at least 1 main posting and 2 substantive responses to others’ postings.

Makes at least 1 main posting and 2 limited responses to others’ postings.

Makes at least 1 main posting and 1 limited response to others’ postings.

Makes 1 main posting only or 1 or 2 limited response to others’ postings.

Evidence of having read the thread

Makes reference to others' responses.

Logic of response includes other responses.

Little evidence of having read thread.

No evidence of having read thread.

Demonstration of Understanding of Course Material

Answer demonstrates mastery of the material. Thoughts are well integrated.

Answer demonstrates understanding of material, some lack of integration of ideas.

Answer demonstrates some gaps in understanding of the material, ideas are not well integrated.

Answer demonstrates considerable lack of understanding, no integration of ideas.

Application of Course Material

Makes applications of course material to real-world content in a manner that demonstrates mastery of the concept and situation.

Makes applications of course material to real-world content in a manner that demonstrates knowledge of the concept and situation.

Makes applications of course material to real-world content in a manner that demonstrates limited knowledge of the concept and situation.

Does not apply course material to real-world situations.

Evidence of having read applicable research

Makes reference to other resources outside of the textbook (with proper references).

Expounding on new ideas to the thread

Ideas presented add considerably to the thread

Ideas presented add somewhat to the thread.

Ideas presented add little to the thread.

Adds nothing to the thread.

Writing Style and Technical Issues

No spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Written in appropriate style. Uses APA style correctly and fully.

A couple of spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Written in appropriate style. Uses APA style correctly but may not be complete.

Many spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Some stylistic problems. Has some inconsistencies but mainly uses APA style.

Many spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Significant stylistic problems. Difficult to read. Does not use APA style.

VIII. GRADING INFROMATION: Your final grade will be based on the total percent you have accumulated from your Assignments (Table below). At any time during the semester, you should be able to compute your current progress based on the percent you have accumulated thus far. Grades will be computed based on a percentage system, rounding according to normal arithmetic rules.

The student’s final evaluation is based on the percent below:

ASSESSMENT Percent Value

Class Participation 5%

Chapter Topic Presentations 10%

Quizzes 5%

Exam I (Midterm) 15%

Exam II (Final) 15%

Discussion Board Postings 10%

Group Project:

Job Analysis Project Report** 10%

Job Analysis Project Presentation** 5%

Structured Interview and Proposed Selection Process Manual**

15%

Group Project Presentation** 10%

Total: 100 %

**Marked Assignments total points maybe deducted follow quality and quantity of contribution to group work, as determined by group members’ evaluation (up to -30% per assignment).

Calculate your percentage grade for MSA 696A as follows:

.40 (See Group Project Elements) + .05 Average % score for all weekly quiz parts + .10 Chapter Topic Presentation + .15 Exam I + .15 Exam II + .10 Discussion Board Postings + .05 Participation (each night of missed class is -10% participation, one undocumented absence is excused) Note. See Blackboard for a detailed description of all assignments.

Grading Scale: The Graduate School has grades of A through C, and E:

Final Percentage in the Course Final Grade

94-100 A

90-93 A-

87-89 B+

84-86 B

80-83 B-

77-79 C+

74-76 C

<74 E

INCOMPLETE: The (I) Incomplete is a temporary grade used in cases when a student is unable to complete course requirements because of illness or other justifiable circumstances. An (I) Incomplete is assigned in cases in which the student has completed satisfactorily the major portion (50%) of the course requirements and has the ability to complete the remaining work without re-registering for the course. Further information on the (I) Incomplete can be found in the current edition of the Graduate Bulletin. IX. Classroom Policies: Attendance: It is important that you attend class regularly, particularly due to the brief nature of the course. Students must be present for presentations and other in-class exercises and assignments. You are responsible for any announcements made in class regardless of if you were present in class or not. Make-up Policy: Make-ups are typically not allowed. With the understanding that extenuating circumstances sometimes arise, make-ups may be considered at the Instructor’s discretion and will be handled on a case-by-case basis. In the event that a make-up is allowed, the student must provide documentation verifying their reason for absence. Due Dates: Class assignments are to be turned in at the beginning of the class period on the assigned due date. The Instructor reserves the right to not accept late assignments. Academic Integrity Policy: Any form of academic dishonesty (e.g., cheating, plagiarism, etc.) will not be tolerated. All academic work is expected to be in compliance with CMU’s Policy on Academic Integrity, which applies to all university students. Consequences of academic dishonesty may include an automatic E for the course. For a thorough description of CMU’s Academic Integrity Policy, please consult the following website:

http://www.cmich.edu/academics/sci_tech/biology/research/Documents/Academic%20Integrity%20Policy%20-%20Revised%20--passed%20Senate%205-5-09.pdf Classroom Civility: Each student is encouraged to help create an environment during class that promotes learning, dignity, and mutual respect for everyone. Students who speak at inappropriate times, sleep in class, display inattention, take frequent breaks, interrupt the class by coming to class late, engage in loud or distracting behavior, use cell phones or pagers in class, use offensive language, are verbally abusive, display deference or disrespect to others, or behave aggressively toward others could be asked to leave the class and be subjected to disciplinary action under the Code of Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures. Cell Phone and Portable Technology Policy: Cell phones are not to be used during class times and should be turned to “silent” or “off” during class. This includes but is not limited to phone conversations, texting, email, taking pictures or video, etc. If the student is expecting an important phone call (e.g., from a doctor’s office), please notify the Instructor before class, set your phone to vibrate, and leave the room to use the phone when necessary. Laptop computers, PDAs, or other electronic devices (e.g., Blackberry, handheld electronic or video games), are also not to be used during class time without the consent of the Instructor and their use should remain to class-related purposes only (e.g., taking notes). Violations of this are

considered a violation of the Student Rights and Responsibilities Act at CMU. If the student requires use of a device for disability accommodation, the student should speak with the Instructor after registering with the Student Disability Services office first. Student Responsibility: It is the student’s responsibility to make sure they understand and adhere to all elements contained in the course syllabus. Students are expected to ask questions for clarification and understanding when they are confused regarding the course material or class schedule. It is also the student’s responsibility to stay on top of the course materials, particularly readings, to ensure they do not fall behind and to find out course-related announcements if they are absent. Students are also expected to check blackboard for course or system announcements frequently. Reasonable Accommodations: CMU provides students with disabilities reasonable accommodations to participate in educational programs, activities, or services. Students with disabilities requiring accommodations to participate in class activities or meet course requirements should first register with the office of Student Disability Services (Park Library 120, telephone 989-774-3018, TDD #2568) and then contact the Instructor as soon as possible. Syllabus Preparation: The Instructor reserves the right to change the syllabus and will provide students with adequate notice of any changes as soon as possible.

X. Class Schedule

Week No.

Date Deliverables Readings*

1

Wednesday, March 14

• Introduction to Class, Syllabus

• Discuss JA and Selection Methods

Projects

• Getting to Know your Groups

Syllabus Ch. 1 Introduction to HRM Ch. 4 Job Analysis

2

Wednesday, March 21

Discussion Board 1 Due Sunday (3/25) Individual Group Consultations on: JA Project (Draft).

Ch. 3 Understanding the legal environment surrounding HRM Student Chapter and Current Topics presentation: Ch. 5 Staffing Planning Ch. 5 Recruitment Students work on JA and Selection Methods projects.

3 Wednesday, March 28

JA Project Results presentation

Ch. 6 Selection Methods

4

Wednesday, April 4

JA Project Results presentation (Cont.) Midterm Exam Ch. 1 – 6, 15

Student Chapter and Current Topics presentation: Ch. 2 Strategic HRM Ch. 15 Global HRM Students work on Selection Methods project.

5

Wednesday, April 11

Discussion Board 2 Due Sunday (4/15) Individual Group Consultations on: Selection Methods Project Manual (Draft).

Ch. 8 Performance Management Student Chapter and Current Topics presentation: Ch. 7 Employee Training Ch. 9 Employee Development Students work on Selection Methods project.

6

Wednesday, April 18

Discussion Board 3 Due Sunday (4/22) Individual Group Consultations on: Selection Methods Project Manual (Draft).

Student Chapter and Current Topics presentation: Ch. 11 Pay Structure Decisions Ch. 12 Recognizing Employee Contributions with Pay Ch. 13 Employee Benefits Students work on Selection Methods project and Manual.

7

Wednesday, April 25

Presentation of the Selection Process Individual Group Consultations on: Selection Methods Project Manual (Draft).

Student Chapter and Current Topics presentation: Ch. 10 Collective Bargaining and Labor Relations, Ch. 14 Employee Separation and Retention Students work on Selection Methods Project Manual.

8 Wednesday, May 2

Selection Project Manual Due May 3rd. FINAL EXAM

Final Exam Ch. 8-14

*Additional readings may be assigned in class.

MSA 696A Integrity Contract

I, _________________________________, have read and understood the syllabus for MSA 696A, section

22349922. I have had the opportunity to ask questions for clarification on the contents of the syllabus.

I agree to adhere to CMU’s Code of Students Rights, Responsibilities, and Disciplinary Procedures and will

treat myself, my property, and others in the classroom with respect at all times. I understand that failure to

do so may include, but is not limited to, being asked to leave the classroom, being reported to the Office of

Student Life, CMU Police, or other offices as appropriate.

I agree to adhere to CMU’s Academic Integrity Policy in its entirety and will refrain from any and all forms of

cheating or academic dishonesty during all classroom quizzes, examinations, projects, papers (including

plagiarism), presentations, and any other activities pertaining to class. I understand that failure to adhere to

this policy may result in an automatic zero on the object in question and a letter placed in my permanent

record on file with the Office of Student Life.

I agree to adhere to all other policies contained in this syllabus, including the Cell Phone and Portable

Technology policy. I understand that failure to adhere to these policies may include, but is not limited to,

being dismissed from class and receiving no points for the day or being asked to remove the technology

item in use.

______________________________ ______________________________ Printed Name Signature ______________________________ Date

Course Expectations I would like to learn the following knowledge component(s) or develop the following skill set(s) in MSA 696A this semester:

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