HR Analytics

Winter 2017
Sat 9:00am to 5:00pm (VBT 221)

Instructor Email Office Hours & Location

Dr. Kaumudi Misra kaumudi.misra@csueastbay.edu T/Th 2:00-3:30 pm, or by appt.
VBT 357

If you remain in this course, I will assume that you have carefully read and remembered
everything on this syllabus. Refer to it as needed throughout the quarter. By remaining in the
course beyond the first day of class, you implicitly agree to adhere to all course expectations
and policies.

Course Description and Objectives

This course explains the use of sophisticated data analyses for people-related issues, such as
recruitment, compensation, performance management, leadership, and employee
engagement. Topics covered include systematic collection, analysis, and interpretation of
data to enable strategic decision-making for Human Resource functions. Students are
assumed to have full facility with the mathematical and graphical methods appropriate to the
MBA level (including algebra, calculus, probability and statistics).
Upon successful completion of the course a student will, at a level appropriate to graduate
study, be able to:
Explore the tools and techniques used to effectively recruit and retain the best people
in organizations.

Apply strategic human resource (HR) management concepts to the systematic

collection, analysis, and interpretation of data designed to improve decisions about
talent and the organization as a whole.

Think critically about data and metrics for HR problem-solving and decision-making,
with an understanding of limitations.

Learn HR data analysis techniques along with mistakes to avoid when interpreting
data, or when assessing reports and interpretations offered by others.

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Course Materials

Below is the recommended text we will be using for the course. The text should be seen as
complementing the lectures, and should not be viewed as a substitute for the lectures.

Recommended Text:
Phillips, Patricia P. and Jack Phillips (2015). Making Human Capital Analytics Work:
Measuring the ROI of Human Capital Processes and Outcomes, McGraw Hill, 1 st Edition.
ISBN: 0071840206/ 9780071840200.

Recommended Materials: All computers in our classroom will come with the required
software we will be using in the course and for in-class exercises (namely IBM-SPSS; and MS
Excel ToolPak).

For your own practice, you could additionally have a personal computer with IBM-SPSS; and
Microsoft Excel with either Data Analysis ToolPak Add-In installed or StatPlus tool installed if
youre using Excel for Mac.

Other Course Materials: Case studies, data and other course materials will be provided by
me.

In-Class Work Groups: Each student will be assigned to a 3 or 4 person, in-class work group.
Class will periodically include a lab/hands-on format where students will work with their
group on the current assignment for part of the class. The purpose of this time is to support
knowledge sharing through communities of practice. Im a resource for you, but your fellow
students can be great resources as well. I expect that you will use this time to help each other
understand course content. I will circulate to answer questions as needed and will offer
general comments on what to expect with the assignments. The goal: everybody learns and
feels more capable of performing well. It is not expected that you work as a team outside of
class, although you are welcome to do so.

In your work environment you will often have to work with different people from different
cultures in different environments and the in-class work groups are meant to help you in that
regard as well as promote greater class synergy and variation. All members of the team must
participate in the team presentations and course project in a significant way. Individual
contributions to the paper and project will be evaluated by fellow team members and the
instructor. The team report is a written version of your PowerPoint presentation, and
should be written in a format that could be presented to a manager of an
organization. Team discussions will be scheduled throughout the quarter.

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Grade Determination

Your final grade in this course will be based on the average of percentage points earned on
the exam, in-class presentations, the final group project, and peer evaluations as described
below.

Course Learning Component % weight

Individual
Class Participation 10%
In-class Presentation(s) 20%
You in the Final Project Presentation 10%
Final Exam 20%
Team
Final Project Presentation & Report 30%
Final Project Peer Review 10%
TOTAL 100%

Grading Scale for the Course:

Percentage Points Letter Grade
93% - 100% A
90% - 92% A-
87% - 89% B+
83% - 86% B
80% - 82% B-
77% - 79% C+
73% - 76% C
70% - 72% C-
63% - 69% D
62% and below F

Details of Assignments

1. In-class Presentations (Worth 20% of course grade):

During the beginning of the term, we will apply what we have learnt in class to the analyses of
HR data. Students will solve short problems with their workgroups and make a presentation
to the class. We will have 2-3 in class presentations, which will contribute 20% of the course
grade.

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2. Course Project -Analyzing Real-World Data (Worth 40% of course grade):

Students are required to complete a final course project, in teams of 3-4 students, designed
to assess your proficiency in analyzing and interpreting data. Each group will randomly select
a series of questions to answer based on data from employees of a company (to be provided
later). The project should include the following components:

1. A 10-15 page technical document (12-point font, double-spaced) reporting the

results of your analyses. You should indicate your hypotheses, how you would
proceed to collect this data if you were to design this study, what statistics you
ran to answer your assigned questions, what the results of these analyses
were, and include your output from SPSS. This component of the project
assesses your ability to identify the appropriate analyses to use and to
interpret Human Capital Data. This information must be presented in a way
that a non-HR or a non-statistical person would understand, meaning that
statistical jargon should be defined and stated in simple terms. A way to ensure
this is to allow a person who has no background in statistics to read your
report, and then revise it based upon her/his feedback to make certain they
clearly understand the information.

2. A 1-page executive memo answering the questions posed to you in non-

technical terms. Review and explain your answers to the questions
without resorting to language or symbols that a layperson would not
understand. This portion of the project assesses your ability to interpret
and write about data for people without your expertise.

Each group is required to deliver a 15-20 minute, Powerpoint presentation summarizing their
results. Each group member is required to participate in the presentation, and those who
fail to do so will fail the project. Your individual presentation and delivery will account for
10% of course grade, and the team presentation+final report will account for 30% of the
course grade.

A-level reports will be those that present the information clearly and concisely, and provide
accurate (or correct) interpretation regarding the results. Reports that are heavy on jargon
that an everyday person would not understand will be heavily penalized as such individuals
would not understand the information presented.

More detailed Instructions on the Team Project Assignments and Report format will be
provided in class by me. The project report due dates are included in the class schedule at the
end of this syllabus. Late projects will not be accepted.

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3. Peer Ratings for Course Project (Worth 10% of course grade):

Students are expected to contribute dutifully to the work of the group on their course
project. Accordingly, team members are required to rate their teammates on their
contribution to the course project on the following 2 dimensions:

1. Level of contribution (or involvement) by each student in completing

the course project.

2. Quality of work contributed by each student in completing the course

project.

A rating form will be provided on Blackboard, and ratings are due on the final day of regular
class. Peer ratings will be strictly confidential.

4. Final Exam (Worth 20% of course grade):

There will be one final exam covering the text, lectures, class discussions and assigned reading
materials. The format of the final exam will be discussed in class well in advance.

5. Class Participation (Worth 10% of course grade):

Attendance and active participation are critical to your success in this class. Woody Allen
said Eighty percent of success is showing up. Showing up makes a huge difference in
whether you succeed at work, and being fully engaged in your work makes up the other
twenty percent. This is a great class to practiceand be rewarded forbeing prepared,
showing up and engaging. Your team members are counting on you. Therefore, attendance
and participation in class lab activities will be considered a portion of your grade and will be
randomly taken throughout the semester. Personally, I value the diversity that students
bring to the classroom. Students come from a variety of backgrounds with a wide range of
knowledge, motivation, and interests. I will enjoy hearing your viewpoints and it will your
classmates learn from each others varied experiences.
Students must provide a documented, valid excuse for missing class time. Excusable absences
include illness, family emergency, religious reasons, or jury duty. Other excuses will be
considered on a case-by-case basis.

PLEASE NOTE: You cannot receive an A grade for this course if you miss two or more of
the classes or twelve or more hours of class. You must also complete ALL class
assignments to pass the class (including the team project), even if you are taking the class
Credit/No Credit. Not contributing to the team presentation or report at the end of the
quarter results in an F.

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Expectations and Policies

1. Attain access to the course website on Blackboard, and check it regularly.

2. Exams: Make-up exams will not given under any circumstances. Project papers will not be
accepted after the due date.

3. Grading Policies: i) I do not grade on a curve. I make a decision as to what level of

performance justifies an A, B, C, D, or F, and I assign grades accordingly. In principle, this
might result in everyone receiving a grade of A, or everyone receiving a grade of F. The cutoffs
for each of the letter grades vary for the different course requirements. For example, 90%
does not always mean A. On some exams/assignments an A- might be achieved with a lower
score, and on others a higher score might be required to meet the bar for an A-. I do not
announce these cutoffs, so dont ask. When you receive your exam score you will also be
informed of your letter grade.
ii) I do not respond well to complaints about grades or quibbling over the correct solutions to
assignments. Mistakes can occur and it is your responsibility to ensure that you receive
proper credit for all assignments, so keep all papers and assignments. Disagreements
regarding grading will be handled in the following manner. The petitioner will detail in writing
why s/he believes the answer given is adequate or deserving of more points. The purpose of
this is to transform a typically unpleasant experience into a learning one.
iii) I do not respond to e-mails related to grades, requests to do extra credit work to raise
grades, or other grade-related matters. If you receive a poor midterm score, the only thing I
can do is to encourage you to strive for a higher performance in the remainder of the course.
Under no circumstances do I allow extra credit work to raise low grades, and all course grades
are absolutely final and non-negotiable.

4. Do not engage in any academically dishonest behavior, such as giving or receiving

unauthorized aid on any assignment or exam, plagiarizing on written work, etc. Doing so will
always result in the maximum penalty allowed by the University. The official University policy
is as follows:
The University has a published policy on cheating and academic dishonesty. Students are
expected to be familiar with the policy and to abide by it. Cheating will result in: 1) a zero
score on the test and the loss of all grading options; and/or 2) an "F" grade for the course;
and/or 3) referral to the Academic Vice President for expulsion from the University.
All individual assignments must be completed individually. Any outside material used in either
individual or team assignments must be cited appropriately.

5. Attendance: Class attendance and punctuality are required as relevant information will be
presented in class that is not covered in the textbook. In addition, much of the time in class
will be spent in experiential exercises and team projects, so students will not be able to
participate if they are not in class. I will make changes to the materials posted based on
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current events, class needs or interests. Therefore, missing classes is strongly discouraged and
will severely impact your grade. If you know of any possible conflicts that will impact you
coming to class on time and remaining for the entire session, then I recommend that you do
not take this class. All students will be expected to have read all assigned materials;
completed exercise assigned for homework and posted them to blackboard, and reviewed
exercises to be completed in class. All students are expected to contribute to classroom
discussions and be active members in their assigned team or workgroups.

6. Conduct yourself professionally and show respect for your fellow students, for me, and for
any visitors to our classroom. Respectful behavior includes, but is not limited to, turning off all
cell phones and electronic devices when entering the classroom, refraining from side chatter
during the lecture, and entering and exiting the room quietly if you must arrive late or leave
early. Showing respect for your fellow students also means being patient and recognizing that
the classroom contains a diversity of backgrounds, abilities, and prior experiences. At times
the pace of the course may be too fast or too slow for your liking, and students may ask
questions that go beyond your understanding or that you feel are too basic. Be patient with
others when you feel you are ahead of the pack, just as you would appreciate patience if you
were behind the pack. We all bear responsibility for helping others along the way and for
trying our hardest to keep up and advance our collective understanding.

7. Please do not contact me, via e-mail or otherwise, to convey unnecessary information or to
ask any question that is answered (or that you can reasonably expect will eventually be
answered during the quarter) either in this syllabus, on the course website, or on the CSUEB
website. I will not respond to any such e-mails. Examples of e-mails to which I will not
respond include, but are not limited to, the following:
a) What date is our final exam, and where will it be held?
b) What date is our midterm, and where will it be held?
c) Will the final exam be cumulative?
d) I cant make it to class next week and just wanted to let you know.
e) Im sorry I missed class this week.
f) Did I miss anything important in class?
g) Are there any announcements you made in class that I should know about?
h) I was late to class today; did I miss anything?
i) I must miss the exam or presentation, what should I do?
j) Do you grade on a curve?
k) Will you post the powerpoint slides on the course website?
l) I need to miss class next week to have surgery. Is there anything I need to know?
m) I cant understand ____ in the text. Could you please explain what is meant?
n) I cant understand ____ from your lecture today. Could you please explain?
o) Could I have a copy of the exam?
p) Which chapters are covered on the midterm?

You can find the answer to a) by searching the CSUEB website, where it will be posted in due
time. The answer to b) will be announced by me in class when I have decided on it (and no
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earlier). Items c), j), and o), are answered in the Grading Policies section of this syllabus.
Items d), e), f), g), h), i), and l) are either answered in my attendance policy, or grading policy,
or they convey unnecessary information. The answer to k) is given on this syllabus. Regarding
m) and n), I do not conduct one-on-one or group tutorials via e-mail. Its an inefficient way to
teach and learn. I strongly encourage you to ask any questions you have. I am here to help
you understand the material. But the appropriate forum for addressing those concerns is the
classroom or the office. Pose your questions either during the lecture, or after the lecture, or
during office hours. If it is absolutely impossible for you to attend office hours, I will try to
accommodate you at an alternative time, though usually the best bet in these cases is simply
to come up to chat with me at the end of a lecture. To be absolutely clear, when I do not
respond to your e-mails of the form m) or n), do not interpret that as a signal that I am
unwilling to help you. I am very willing and happy to help you, but I am not going to teach you
via e-mail. The answer to p) is on the syllabus and information on any changes will be given in
class, in due time.

8. Policy Regarding PowerPoint Slides, Photography, and Recordings

You are not permitted to take photographs or make recordings during class. Lecture material
might not match posted powerpoints; you are responsible for what is presented in lecture,
regardless of what appears in the posted powerpoints.

Accommodations for Students with Disabilities

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodations,

notify the instructor on the first day of class and follow steps outlined by Accessibility
Services (http://www20.csueastbay.edu/af/departments/as/)

Emergency Information

CSUEB is committed to being a safe and caring community. Information on what to do in

an emergency situation (earthquake, electrical outage, fire, extreme heat, severe storm,
hazardous materials, terrorist attack) may be found at:
http://www20.csueastbay.edu/af/departments/risk-management/ehs/emergency-
management/
Please be familiar with these procedures. Information on this page is updated as
required. Please review the information on a regular basis.

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 TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE AND IMPORTANT DATES**

The following outline of weekly topics is not a contract and might change week-to-week
based on current events, student interest and professor discretion. Updates and changes will
be discussed on a lecture-to-lecture basis, in class. I will add additional reading materials as
and when needed. Guest speakers may also be added to the schedule to speak on current
industry-driven approaches to HR Analytics.

Meeting 1: Jan 07
Morning Session:
Syllabus and Course Overview
Introduction of Class Projects
HR Analytics Article
Homework Complete Intro sheets

Afternoon Session:
Chapters 1 and 2:
The Primary HR Functions
Why HR Analytics?
Defining the Problem

Meeting 2: Jan 14
Morning Session:
Chapters 3 and 4:
Whats our Hypothesis?
Human Capital and Business Outcomes
Chapters 5 and 6:
HR Project Planning and Data Collection

Afternoon Session:
Using Excel and SPSS to analyze HR data
First HR project

Meeting 3: Jan 21

Morning Session:
Chapters 7 and 8:
Analyzing HR Data
Selecting Alternative Solutions

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Chapters 9 and 10:
Calculating the ROI of HR
Optimizing Human Capital
Applying Analytics to a HR Problem

Afternoon Session:
In-class Presentations of first HR Project
Team Project Discussions
Data Analyses with SPSS

Meeting 4: Jan 28

Morning Session:
OPTIONAL COURSE PROJECT DAY

Afternoon Session:
FINAL EXAM PREP

Meeting 5: Feb 04

Morning Session:
Course Project Presentations (Analyzing Real World Data)
** ALL TEAM REPORTS and PEER RATINGS DUE at beginning of class.

Afternoon Session:
Final Exam
Final Course Review:
Future Directions
Course Review

** THIS IS A TENTATIVE SCHEDULE TO BE USED AS A GENERAL GUIDE FOR TOPICS TO BE

COVERED. I WILL ADD/SUBSTITUTE READINGS OR ALTER THE SCHEDULE AS NECESSARY

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