Sabharwal/ PA 3333
PA 3333-001HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENTSpring 2010
Monday: 12:30 p.m.-3:15 p.m. – WSTC 1.224Professor: Dr. Meghna Sabharwal Office Hours: Monday 5-6 p.m., and by appointmentOffice Location: WSTC 1.212Phone: 972-883-6473E-mail: meghna.sabharwal@utdallas.edu
Course Description and Objectives
This introductory course provides an overview to public human resource management, emphasizing both theoretical and applied topics. The role of the human resource manager is changing from compliance monitoring to strategic planning. Human resource managers are further challenged in the current economic downturn with budget shortfalls, layoffs, hiring freezes, closures, mergers, and buy-outs. The
course will thus examine the environment employees and employers operate in with special emphasis on the various paradoxes that surround the field of human resource management.
The class consists of several in-class exercises, case studies, and class discussions, all aimed at understanding the complexities that surround human resource management. Course Objectives:1.Introduce students to the study of human resource management2.Understand the challenges involved in achieving a diverse workforce and how to manage it.3.Understand the legal environment under which human resource management operates.4.Understand the recruitment and selection process.5.Examine ways to motivate employees and compensate employees.6.Examine various job analysis and evaluation methods.7.Examine emerging trends and practices that will affect the way organizations manage their human resources in the future.8.Examine the various paradoxes that confront human resource professionals and employees.1
Sabharwal/ PA 3333
Required Texts
Berman, M. E., Bowman, S. J., West, P. J., & Van Wart, R. M. (2010).
Handbook of Human Resource Management in Government
(3
rd
ed.) Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications Inc. ISBN: 9781412967433 (Henceforth referred to as Berman)Reeves. T. Zane. (2006).
Cases in Public Human Resource Management
(2
nd
ed.) Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth. ISBN: 9780534602406 (Henceforth referred to as TZR)In addition to the texts, articles from journals available electronically through the McDermott library are assigned as readings throughout the semester. Students are expected to access the journal articles themselves. If you need assistance in making use of the electronic features of the library, please contact the professor.
Class RequirementsClass participation –
10%
Each student should be prepared to participate in each class. Participation requires reading the material in advance and being on time for class. Each student is expected to fully participate in chapter discussions, case discussions, and in-class exercises. In short, your absence will impact your participation grade.
In addition, tardiness to class and early departure will also lead to reduced participation grades. If you know that you will not be able to attend class for personal or work related reasons, make sure you inform the professor in advance and submit your assignment. Attendance will be taken in every class; absence in one class is equivalent to missing 9% of the entire course. Absence in two classes will automatically drop the students grade by one grade (an A will become an A-, an A- will become a B+; B+ will become a B and a B becomes a B-). In short, come to class, read the material, take notes, and participate. Remember every student’s opinion counts, and the more you participate the more meaningful your learning experience will be.
Quiz – 10%
Five surprise quizzes will be given during the course of the semester. Questions could range from one word answers to multiple choice responses.
Case study presentation
– 10%
Groups of 3-4 students will present a case study from the Reeves text. Students should be prepared to make presentations using PowerPoint on a case that they choose (20 minute). The presentation should: describe the case, present brief background/history revolving around the case, describe the actors involved, discuss the environment surrounding the 2
Sabharwal/ PA 3333
case, i.e., specific constraints and opportunities affecting the decision. Finally, recommendations should be offered if you must find yourself in a similar situation. Students are encouraged to be creative in presenting their case. Presentations will be followed by a 5-to-10 minute session for questions and answers.
Assignments – 10%
Two experiential exercises, the details of which will be provided on a separate handout will be due on February 8, 2010 and April 12, 2010. Each assignment comprises 5 percent of your final grade. The write up should not exceed 3 pages, and should not be less than 2 pages double space.
Midterm examination
– 20%
There will be an in-class closed book midterm examination on March 1, 2010. The examination is designed to test the student’s ability to understand and critically evaluate the reading, lecture, and discussion materials covered during the semester. The format for the test will be: multiple-choice, true/false, and short essay questions. A review session will be conducted a week prior to the test.
Human Resource Journal - 20%
E
very week you are required to write a 1-2 page reaction to the assigned readings. Please keep in mind that it is not an exercise in summarizing the readings. Students should provide a critique of the material and connect it to their personal experiences. In addition, students should include newspaper articles or interesting reports that relate to the topics each week. Each article/report should be printed out and followed by a half page summary. The journal is due at two different times during the course of the semester (March 8
th
and April 26
th
). You are not required to submit a reaction paper for the first week of class (January 11
th
). Overall, you should have 10 entries in the journal.
Final research paper
– 20%
In groups of 3-4 students you are required to write and present an 8-10 page research paper assessing a key issue area in public human resource management. You may examine the practice of any aspect of human resource management (from the list below) in a public sector or a non-profit organization of your choice in the greater Dallas area. The student will contact the person in charge of human resources, report basic facts about the organization (population, number of employees, etc.), problems faced related to the topic chosen, and possible solutions to the problem that you as a human resource expert might come up with. A minimum of 5 professional journals should be used in the preparation of your paper. Students are required to make a brief presentation of their findings (15 minutes) followed by a five-minute round of questions and answers near the end of the semester (April 26
th
and May 3
rd
). No two groups can choose to work on the same topic. Topics are due by February 1, 20103
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