Syllabus TMGT 3311 Human Resource Management Fall 2008 Course Description: This course examines the major trends in human resources management, including problems and issues faced by organizations and individuals in times of change. Responsibilities of the human resources department and the roles that every manager plays, both as a supervisor and as a client of the human resources department, are studied. Topics include human resources forecasting and planning, job design, employee selection, equal employment opportunity laws and judicial rulings, performance appraisal, compensation and benefits, career development, and labor relations. This course is an upper division course for students that have met the admission requirements for the Organizational Management program. Required text: Human Resource Management, Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright, McGraw-Hill/Irwin, 6e, 2008. ISBN 978-0-07-353020-8. Learning Objectives: 1. Identify HRM practices that are best suited to different business strategies. 2. Specify how management can deal with the major international differences in HRM. 3. Determine how employment laws apply to various human resource practices. 4. Analyze the tasks that make up a job and the attributes required to perform that job. 5. Evaluate the performance of a person in that job. 6. Plan for recruiting and promotion to avoid a surplus or shortage of employees. 7. Apply and evaluate methods for recruiting and hiring employees. 8. Determine the training approaches best suited to different organizational objectives. 9. Evaluate the impact of labor unions and labor laws on HRM. Course-level Learning Outcomes: This course will achieve the following general student learning outcomes for the Bachelor of Applied Technology program: Apply oral, written, and electronic communication skills that allow graduates to present and exchange information effectively and direct business activity. Solve complex management problems utilizing critical thinking, research methodology, problem solving techniques, and decision making models to create new opportunities to enterprises. Demonstrate the ability to manage project planning and implementation to solve business problems. Program Related Learning Outcomes: 1. Solve complex management problems utilizing critical thinking, research methodology, and problem solving techniques. 3. Assess the effects of the cultural, political, legal, technological, and economic forces that shape the global environment. 6. Work effectively in a team-centered environment to accomplish shared goals and objectives. Course Policies: Each student is expected to spend three to four hours per week preparing for class (reading the assigned chapters, responding to case studies, writing learning journals, and taking the self-assessment quizzes). If you have any disability that requires special assistance in either preparing for the course or for taking exams, please inform the instructor as soon as possible so that appropriate arrangements can be made for you.
I expect that any student would never knowingly violate the College's policy on academic honesty. Please assume that all assignments require only individual efforts unless the instructor specifically requests team or group collaboration. All assignments should be submitted by midnight in accordance with the information listed in the Assignments & Due Dates section of Blackboard. Make-up work is allowed only if pre-approved, or deemed an emergency, by the instructor. Participation in discussion forums and group case studies may not be made-up. Drop Policy: It is the student's responsibility to drop this course if circumstances develop that prevents his/her completion of the course. The instructor will drop any student for non-participation on September 10, 2008. After that date the student must request withdrawal from counselors in Student Services. Instructors no longer have the prerogative of awarding the letter grade of W. Evaluation of Students: Grades will be based on student achievement on chapter quizzes, unit exams, substantive participation on group case studies, and a research paper. There will be five unit exams including a noncomprehensive final. Only the highest four exam scores will be used in the calculation of course grades. Weighting of Assignments points Unit Exams (100 each) 400 Chapter Quizzes (10 each) 100 Case Studies (50 each) 200 Research Paper 100 Learning Journals (20 each) 200 Total 1000 Grading Scale All grades will be recorded in the grade book section of Blackboard as evaluated. Students may select My Grades at any time to view their progress. Overview of Assignments: 900-1000 A 800-899 B 700-799 C 600-699 D 0-599 F Individual Research Paper: Each student is required to research and deliver an individual paper on an instructor approved human resource topic. The required length is 2000-3000 words (the approximate length of this syllabus), including the following components: Electronic document in Microsoft Word or equivalent, using black 12 point font size, and your choice of Arial, Tahoma, or Verdana font for the body. Cover Sheet a title page with your name, the topic, date submitted, and the course name: TMGT 3311 Human Resource Management. Summary 100-150 words providing an abstract of your approach to the topic and basic findings. If the reader only read this paragraph(s) they would know the essence of the paper. Body 2000 or more words detailing your research, citation of resources (see notes on citing below), figures and illustrations colored graphics are acceptable. Conclusion a 100-150 word statement of support for your final contention. Appendices this option should be used if there are items referenced in the body that would be clarified with complete data, detailed charts, photo-images of policies, etc. Resources a minimum of four outside forms of expertise are required beyond the textbook. Periodicals, books, journals, formal studies and Web-based articles are all permissible. (The Resources section is not considered in the word count for this paper.)
Suggested Topics for the Research Paper: You may use one of the following or suggest your own for approval by the instructor: Compensation Systems Affirmative Action Reverse Discrimination Gender Bias Labor Unions Temporary Workers Sexual Harassment Older Workers Outsourcing Jobs Migrant Workers Immigration Age Discrimination English-Only Rule Minimum Wage Violence in the Work Place Online Hiring Disabilities Substance Abuse Wrongful Discharge Trends in Alternatives to Pay Notes on Citing Resources: How to cite Collegiate writing styles such as APA are fine, but not strictly required. The point is to know that material is from an expert in the field and how to find the original source. In the Body At the end of a paragraph in which an outside reference is used, and prior to the final punctuation, place the last name of the author and the year of the publication inside brackets, such as [Stone, 2007]. In case of an Internet reference source use the last name of the author, or principle name of the organization if the author is unknown, and the word on-line in place of the year, such as [Toyota, on-line]. In the Resources dedicate one or more pages of your paper to a list of all resources cited, either in the order in which they appear in the paper, or alphabetically. List enough information so that the reader can easily find your original resource. On-line resources should contain the URL (may be hyperlinked) and the date when you retrieved the material from the Web. When to cite: When in doubt, cite. Use excerpts to keep quotations and testimony brief, but be careful to not to quote the author out of context. Be sure you share the same general perspectives on the specified topic. What if you have an original idea that has not been tried or published? Congratulations! You may be on to something. But a research paper is just that a publication of substantiated research. So do one of three things: (1) perform your own research, (2) don't mention your idea at this time, or (3) dig deeper for an expert reference as similar as possible to your idea. Learning Journals: The objectives of this written assignment are: To compile a quick list of major learning points for reference notes To encourage reflection about the importance of what you are learning To understand how the lessons can aide in the future success of the manager. Journals are MS Word documents 1-2 pages in length that have three sections: 1. Notes: Short phrases of primary concepts from the chapter and page numbers. My recommendation is to quickly scan each chapter of the text and highlight key points. These become "notes". Then read the chapter and attempt to define each concept in brief more "notes". After reading transfer your notes to the journal. I'm looking for 10 to 20 main ideas. 2. Reflections: One or two reflective statements explaining the primary lesson(s) and why you feel it is, or isn't, pertinent to HR challenges in today's workplace. With your list of notes in mind, pick the primary idea or two and explain why you think they are the most important. You may choose to disagree with or challenge the author's contention. Questions or counterviews are welcome. 3. Application: How the lesson from the chapter may benefit you in your future career. Please
explain how any part or aggregate of the ideas may be of use to you, now or in the future. A journal is required for 10 chapters, or groups of chapters, for a total of 200 points distributed among them. Use your learning journals when: Answering chapter quizzes Responding to group case studies Writing the research paper Preparing for unit exams Moreover, as a manager or supervisor, keeping journals is valuable professionally. Journal entries can help you reconstruct and date what happened at meetings and conferences. They can help you reflect on your work assignments and dealing with other people. They can help you detect patterns in all of the above, and prioritize issues for action. Discussion Forums: The "Discussion Board" link on the course web page is the location of one of our primary communication methods. The purpose of providing this method of communication is to create a "Virtual Classroom" environment to allow you the opportunity to discuss/share selected topics and analyze your fellow classmates' thoughts, the same as you would in a live classroom environment. Initially I will ask you to introduce yourselves and share ideas concerning the general field of human resource management. Case studies 1, 2, and 4 require individual analysis and responses by each student. During case study 3 you will be assigned to a group to analyze and provide in-depth rebuttal to a case analysis from another group. The idea is to stimulate learning, so I will be looking for substantive probes and meaningful responses rather than multiple postings of the same ideas quality versus quantity. I also ask that you observe the maximum word count for each of your postings given with each assignment. I will also maintain an "Issues" forum throughout the semester where you may ask me or fellow students any questions related to the course in general. All postings to the discussion area will be permanent and will remain posted throughout the entire semester for viewing by all. Please observe best rules of conduct when posting your responses. This is our Midland College classroom and all materials must abide with college policy and polite and professional decorum. Course Schedule: The assignments will be due on or before by the dates listed in the "Assignments & Due Dates" section. Students may work ahead of schedule on learning journals, quizzes, and the research paper. Discussion forums, group case studies, and unit exams must be performed during the intervals listed. Any exceptions require the express permission of the instructor.
Submitting Assignments: All quizzes, exams, and discussion postings (threads) must be done through Blackboard. Learning journals and the research paper may be submitted via the Digital Dropbox within the Communication section of Blackboard, or attached to email. With either method please make the title or subject line in the following format: My contact information is as follows: Course Number_Assignment Name Your Name For example... TMGT 3311_Chapter 1 Journal_Lin Johnson Or for other correspondence... TMGT 3311_Exam 1 Question_Robert Townsend Email: gfrantz@midland.edu Office phone: 432-685-4657 Home Phone: 432-689-9662 Business Address: Midland College Attn: Gavin Frantz 142TC 3600 N. Garfield Midland, TX 79705