Polytechnic University
Human Resource Management—MG6123
Instructor: Roger Eisenhardt
E-mail:
Phone: 516-512-1629
This is a course designed to expose students to the broad range of human resource functions, the relationships among those functions, and particularly the relationship between human resource practices and the larger organization. Through on line and classroom learning, we will explore conceptual and practical issues of the management of people that impact not only human resource professionals but also line managers. The course is organized around four major areas: 1) an overview of HRM; 2) the recruitment, selection, and management of human resources; 3) human resource challenges; and, 4) the role of the professional in the field of Human Resources.
Course Format
HRM is being offered as a “blended class”. This means that for some weeks we will meet in the classroom and other weeks we will meet on line, as part of Polytechnic’s ePoly Program. When we meet in the classroom we meet on Monday evenings from 8:30 p.m. to 10:20 p.m. in JAB 674. The majority of the course will be in the classroom. Students who live outside the New York area are expected to call into the classroom and participate by phone, unless other arrangements are made with the instructor. The phone number will be provided. If you live in the New York area you are expected to attend class.
Course Objectives
1. To provide an introduction to the main functions of human resource management that highlights their interdependency and the interdependency between the HR Function and line managers.
2. To promote discussion of selected problems and issues of human resources as they apply to today's work environment.
3. To explore the human resource management implications of organizational changes associated with the shift toward the strategic management of people and toward line management assuming more involvement in human resource activities, such as recruiting, coaching, and performance management.
Required Reading
This course will utilize one textbook. It can be purchased at the bookstore at Polytechnic University. The text is:
Managing Human Resources: Productivity, Quality of Work Life and Profits. 7th edition by Wayne F. Cascio
(McGraw-Hill, 2006)
ISBN: 0-07-298732-4
There will also be other articles and/or case studies distributed from time to time during the semester.
I encourage you also to scan the New York Times or Wall Street Journal for articles on contemporary human resource issues, such as: downsizing, outsourcing, employee benefits and compensation, career transitions, etc.
Tips for Success
This may be your first time participating in an on line course. If so, you might find it challenging at first. Here are some general tips to ensure that you are successful in this course.
v Read the Tutorial that will introduce you to the software used in this course. If you cannot access the ePoly website please call Joseph Lathan at 718-260-3119.
v This syllabus contains a lot of information about the course. Read it carefully and e-mail me if you have any questions.
v Develop a routine that is comfortable with your schedule. Plan to log in at least three to five times a week. You should log in on Sunday after 12:00 noon to obtain any updates and to read the lecture and discussion questions for the week, as well as any follow-up from the previous week’s discussion. You should log in after that to participate in the weekly discussion, to post any assignments, and to e-mail the instructor with questions, if required.
v Let me know if you have questions or have any problems with any aspects of the course.
v Plan to spend approximately five hours a week completing the work for the course.
v Be open-minded about sharing your thoughts with the other students and responding to their ideas.
v Be precise and respectful in your written communication since other students (or I) will be able to read your body language. Sometimes written words can be misinterpreted.
v Please complete all assignments in Microsoft Word.
Statement of Course Expectations
The following are the expectations for completing the work of this course.
1. Each week complete all readings and assignments. Plan to log in early in the week to see if there are any changes to the assignments listed on the syllabus or any updates. Read the Introductory Lecture on the week’s topic. This can be found in the folder for each week of the course, titled “Week I,” “Week II,” etc. Changes and introductory lectures will be posted each week by Sunday at 12:00 noon. This will be done regardless of whether the class meets in the classroom or on line during the week. If you call into the classroom session, the introductory lecture will help you follow the discussion. An announcement to the Course Home Page will be added discussing what changes are made and where to find them, when required.
2. Students are expected to participate in a threaded discussion that will be held each week on the course content when the course is conducted on line. This type of discussion allows you to post comments to a discussion topic and react to other students’ comments. Discussions will take place asynchronously. You can log into the course when you can and post to the discussion at your convenience. Everyone will not be participating at the same time. You should post at least three times during the week between Sunday at 12:00 noon and midnight on Wednesday. More about how the discussion portion of the course works can be found below.
3. You are expected to accord the same professional respect to classmates' written and verbal comments as you would to the instructor's.
4. If you will not be able to participate in the course for a period
of time or cannot log in or participate in the discussion, please notify me.
5. Because you have the assignments for the course far in advance of the due date they should be submitted on time; if not, one point will be deducted for every day that the assignment is late.
Determining your Grade
Your grade will be based on your meeting the course expectations listed above as well as completing all graded assignments. You will be awarded points as follows:
Designated Written Assignments 25 points
Term Project 25 points
Final Examination 25 points
Classroom and On-line Participation 25 points
Based on a total of 100 points, your grade will be assigned as follows:
90-100 points = A
80-89 points = B
70-79 points = C
Less than 70 points = F
Please note that other ungraded assignments not on this syllabus will be assigned throughout the semester.
On-line Discussions
Each week that we meet on line you will have an opportunity to participate in a threaded discussion, where you will log in to start the discussion or make comments, comment on what others have already said, and pose other questions to your fellow students. By 12:00 noon Sunday, I will place two or three questions in the folder entitled “Weekly Discussion.” You should log-in at least three times per week to answer each of these questions. Your participation is part of the course expectations and you will be awarded points for your contribution. You should answer the questions listed, ask other relevant questions to expand the discussion and react to the postings that have already been submitted by your fellow students.
You should participate in the discussion between Sunday at 12:00 noon and Wednesday at midnight.
What is an appropriate contribution to the chat? It is one where you answer the question and add a new thought to what has already been said. Asking another question and explaining why you asked it is also highly useful. Here is an example of an appropriate contribution being made to this question: “What is strategic Human Resource Management”?
Good contribution:
“Strategic HRM is about looking at the people-management practices of the organization to be sure they are consistent with the corporate goals and objectives. I wonder how many of us work in organizations that practice strategic HRM? Please respond to this question. I am asking the question because it is my experience that HR is often not strategic but instead focused on reacting to problems. I also think that the CEO does not know how to best utilize the expertise of the HR Department staff”.
Poor contribution:
“I think it is about taking a more long-term view of the people management practices in the organization”.
Although the second example provides an interesting definition, there is no elaboration provided and the discussion is not extended beyond the response.
Course Schedule, Topics and Assignments
Classroom Session 1
Topics: Introduction, course objectives, key concepts and the human
resource management dynamic.
Read: Chapters 1 and 2 in the textbook.
Assignment: Complete the biographical survey, which can be found in
folder entitled “Assignments”.
Classroom Session 2
Topics: Defining “work” and “jobs”. How organizations analyze work
and plan for people. How organizations search for human
capital.
Read: Chapters 5 and 6 in the textbook.
Assignment: Answer the questions on p. 157 pertaining to the story on
pp. 155 and 156. Also, draft a recruitment ad for a trade
journal to advertise a (fictitious) job opening at your
company or at a company you are familiar with.
On-line session 1
Topics: How managers select the best qualified applicants; the various
Devices managers can utilize to ensure fair, accurate and reliable
selection decisions. The role of “organizational culture” and how
it affects the exchange of between the organization and job
applicants.
Reading: Chapter 7 in the textbook.
Assignment: Participate in the on-line discussion. Specific discussion
topics and questions will be posted on 9/27.
Classroom Session 3
Topics: Conclusion of discussion on staffing and managing talent.
Read: Chapter 7 in the textbook.
Week of
On-line session 2
Topics: Ensuring high performance from all levels of employees
through training and development; designing, delivering and
evaluating the training process; the “training paradox”
Read: Chapter 8 in the textbook
Participate in on-line discussion by answering questions in “Discussion”
segment of on-line class
Classroom session 4.
Topics: Who should be appraising performance? How should an
organization prepare raters in the mechanics of performance
management and the “art” of providing performance feedback?
What should an effective PM process look like?
Reading: Chapter 9 in the textbook.
Assignment:
Week of
On-line discussion 3.
Topics: Organizational goals, strategies and compensation
systems. Developing pay systems that are: equitable, effective
and “understandable.” Linking compensation and rewards to
individual, team and organization-wide performance.
Reading: Chapter 11 in the textbook.
Assignment: Participate in on-line discussion. Specific discussion topics
and question will be posted on 10/25.
Classroom session 5.
Topics: Linking strategic considerations to the design of benefits
Programs. Rising health-care costs and options available to
Organizations. Should companies offer uniform or flexible
benefits packages?
Reading: Chapter 12 in the textbook.
Assignment: Answer questions 1 through 5 on p. 497.
Week of
On-line discussion 4.
Topics: Labor-management relations in a global economy. How
should management respond to a union organizing campaign?
Dispute-resolution mechanisms to insure due-process for all
employees.
Reading: Chapter 13 in the textbook.
Assignment: Participate in on-line discussion. Specific discussion topics
and questions will be posted on November 8.
Classroom session 6.
Topics: Workplace diversity and its relationship to organizational
effectiveness and success. Viewing diversity as an asset rather
than a liability. Demographic trends in the U.S. workforce.
Reading: Chapter 4 in the textbook.
Assignment: Answer questions 1 through 6 on p. 145.
Week of
On-line discussion 5.
Topics: The international dimensions of human resource management.
Recruiting, selecting and managing employees from different
Cultures. Career management issues and concerns for
managers working for foreign-owned firms in the United
States.
Reading: Chapter 16 in the textbook.
Assignment: Participate in the on-line discussion. Specific discussion
topics and questions will be posted on November 22.
Classroom session 7.
Topics: Human resource practices and the law. Devising policies and
practices that are both efficient and legal. Insuring procedural
justice in the resolution of workplace conflicts. Progressive
disciplinary systems.
Read: Chapters 3 and 14 in the textbook.
Assignment: Answer questions 1 and 5 on p. 109, and questions 1, 4
and 6 on p. 575.
Classroom session 8.
Topics: How can organizations help employees self-manage their own
careers? How can managers do a better job of responding to
the special needs of workers in their early, middle and late
career stages? What strategies exist for dealing with
workers who have reached a “plateau”?
Read: Chapter 10 in the textbook.
Assignment: Complete Exercise 10-1 (questions 1 through 13) on
pages 402-403 in the textbook.
Review for Final Exam
Final Examination
You may choose to take the final exam in class on December 14 or you
may complete a take-home exam which is due by midnight
Wednesday, December 16. The in-class exam will be a combination of
short-answer and essay questions. The take home exam will be all
essay questions. The questions for the take-home exam will be
released at 6:00 PM on December 14. You must tell at the beginning
of class on December 7 which exam you want to take.
Term project due date. Your term project must be handed in at
this Class or e-mailed to me by 6:00PM. I will accept papers before
the due date. I will not accept papers that are late.
Last Classroom Session-Optional
This class will be devoted to discussing careers in the field of human
Resources. I will also have one or two guest speakers who will talk
About their experiences as human resources professionals.
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