HRM 265: PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL AND COMPENSATION

ASSIGNMENT GUIDE

CLOs: 2& 3

Instructions:
This assignment is a joint effort, of minimum of 2 students. The assignment will be presented in
class as a power point presentation, and includes a written report. A hard-copy of the slides are to be
given to the instructor at the beginning of the presentation.

Format details:
1. Double-spaced, 12.0 font size, Times New Roman.
2. Minimum of 5 pages (excluding appendices) and maximum of 10 pages.
3. Provide a Title Page (Student Names, ID Numbers, Course Name/Code, Faculty Name)
4. Submit a hardcopy of slides in class and a softcopy of written report in Moodle.
5. Date of written report and oral presentation as announced in class/Moodle. This is usually
three weeks before the final examination.
6. Plagiarism:
You are not allowed to copy and paste any material from the internet of your fellow
colleagues. However, some amount of work maybe somewhat similar to the material
available on the website due to the utilization of details about the company background but I
still recommend writing it in your own words to make it a genuine study. Any project
received which is copied in excess of 20 % would receive an F. Appropriate citation in the
text is required.

Nature of Group Project and Details

The assignment explores a relevant issue in line with the major HRM area (Performance Appraisal
and Compensation) under study through a review of business article; minimum of 4 scholarly
articles). Student must present to receive credit for the assignment.

Assignment Components:

A. The Oral Presentation contains:

o Introduction (The question(s) you are trying to answer under your selected topic.)

o Discussion (This presents the rational for your answer and the most relevant data to
support your point of view and conclusion.)

o Summary/Conclusion (Provide your recommendation and answer to the question poised,

with supporting evidence.)
 o Time: 15-25

B. Written Report (5- 10 pages) contains:

o Introduction (Introduces the question you are exploring.)

o Discussion (Contains the main discussion, issues and analysis found).

o Summary/Conclusion (Provide in your own words the group's recommendation to the

question asked and a conclusion.)

o Reference Page (in APA Format; note articles must be reference in the body of the
research paper to be included in Reference page

o Student Contribution (Each student provides specifications of each students

contribution to the group.)

ASSIGNMENT TOPICS
The following are possible topics for your group to explore. Other topics will be acceptable subject
to the approval of the professor.

1. Should all companies be required to use 360 feedback evaluations?

o Define how 360 feedback works, including sample questions for each
individual taking part in the feedback process
o What are the advantages and disadvantages of 360 feedback?
o Best Practices:
- When is a 360 feedback most appropriate?
- How often should 360 feedback be given? Why?
- Should 360 feedback be used for all employees at all levels of the
organization, why or why not?
o What companies are currently using 360 feedback? Why?
o Based on your analysis, what is your recommendation? Why?

2. To what extent should organizations be committed to employee well-being?

o Define "employee well-being programs"
o Provide examples of the range of different types of programs that
are being used under this heading
o What are the benefits and downside of implementing "employee well-being
programs"(Includes costs and return on investment).
o What are the ethical implications of implementing well-being programs?
o Based on your analysis, what is your recommendation? Why?

3. Are USA CEO executives paid too much? Should Executive Pay in the USA be
more closely regulated?
o Make a comparison between Executive (CEO) Compensation and
compensation for other worker groups.
o Compare USA executive pay with other European CEO executives

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 o Is USA CEO executive a real measure of pay for performance? Why or
why not?
o To what extent is USA Executive pay ethical?
o Based on your analysis, what is your recommendation? Why?

4. Should all companies be required to offer employees flexible

work schedules?
o Why should companies even consider flexible work schedules?
o To what extent are companies responsible for the "private--off work
o life of employees?
What are the advantages and disadvantages of flexible schedules?
o What are the types of flexible work schedules--when is each most
appropriate?
o Based on your analysis, what is your recommendation? Why?

5. Should there be "universal standards for performance and compensation

strategies?
o To what extent and in what ways should culture be considered in performance
appraisal and compensation strategies?
o What are the advantages and disadvantages of diversity?
o What performance appraisal and compensation challenges does
diversity present?
o In what ways are companies addressing these challenges?
o To what extent are these equitable and fair?
o Based on your analysis, what is your recommendation? Why?

6. Should organizations retain or abolish performance appraisals? Explain.

o What are the advantages and disadvantages of performance appraisals?
o To what extent do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?
o How can the disadvantages be address or overcome?
o What substitutes can be used for providing feedback on performance? How
effective are these substitutes?
o How effective are performance appraisals in motivating employees?
o What substitutes can be used to motivate employees? How effective are they
when compared to performance appraisals?'
o Based on your analysis, what is your recommendation? Why?

7. How should a start-up company establish an appraisal and compensation

program?
o Review the impact of strategy, industry and culture on desired employee
o Which competitive strategy should companies in each industry use?
o What are the guidelines and forecast for 2017-2018?
o Based on your analysis, what is your recommendation? Why?

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PRESENTATION DATE: November 26, 2017

Refer to the Project Rubrics for marking criteria and for more information.