****For Prof tutor Only****
Human Resources
Short Paper: An Ethical Dilemma, Due March 4th, 2017
Human resource professionals regularly face ethical decisions, particularly as they balance the interests of the organization with the interests of individual employees. In this case study, you will analyze a situation that requires ethics to be applied in making a decision and provide a recommendation for how the person, Mary Alice, should proceed and why. Making decisions when there are competing interests is something all leaders have to cope with. Use this assignment as an opportunity to reflect on your own decision-making style.
Mary Alice is an HR generalist assigned to the Norwalk plant of FMC Inc. She has worked at the plant for six years and knows many of the employees, both as co-workers and from community activities. For the past several months, Mary Alice has been involved in confidential discussions regarding several of the Norwalk production processes moving to the Huntsville plant, which is operating under capacity. Only a handful of the Norwalk employees will be offered the opportunity to move to Huntsville and about 200 employees will be laid off. The announcement is going to be made in 60 days.
At a school fundraiser last evening, Ralph, a co-worker who is most likely going to be laid off, spent time talking with Mary Alice about the new home he was purchasing. The mortgage is at the limit of what Ralph’s family can afford, but as he explained to Mary Alice, with FMC doing so well and the likelihood of him getting overtime in the coming year, well, they could just about swing it.
Mary Alice was conflicted. She wanted to tell Ralph about the coming layoffs, but she was bound by her pledge of confidentiality regarding the layoff discussions. Also, if she said something to Ralph, it would undoubtedly get out and perhaps cause a panic and eliminate the chance for an orderly transition to the smaller operation in Norwalk, hurting plant productivity in the meantime. Mary Alice can’t seem to find a way to make a decision. What should Mary Alice do and why?
Write a short paper that addresses the following:
Describe two ethical philosophies that might help with the decision.
Make a recommendation for how you would advise Mary Alice to act.
Provide a description of the process you used to arrive at the recommendation.
Are there limitations or possilbe unintended consequences associated with your recommendations? Explain and justify your claims.
Things to Remember!
Write a short paper 2 to 3 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
Short Paper: Challenges New Managers May Face, Due March 5th, 2017
In most organizations, managers address many HR-related issues on a daily basis. While it is prudent to seek advice from HR professionals, many smaller organizations do not have a separate, centralized human resource department. That is the case in this activity, where the HR functions are shared among several operations managers. Further, it is common for people who are new to an organization to spot unusual things that long-serving employees miss because they are simply used to the way things are. In this activity, you will analyze a case where the new manager needs to understand labor law, as well as other employment laws, in order to effectively discuss his concerns with his boss.
Consider the following scenario:
Eli Fares is a departmental manager at a mid-sized manufacturing plant in western Pennsylvania that produces the magnetized sheets used to make refrigerator magnets. Eli has been on the job about six months and he is beginning to worry about several employee relations issues. There are 48 non-production workers who work as managers, supervisors, office staff, production equipment maintenance employees, accounting, or sales staff. All of these are salaried positions. There are about 240 hourly employees who work on the production lines, or in inventory, housekeeping, and shipping. There is no separate HR staff, and HR duties are currently divided among the management and clerical staff.
The manufacturing facility has three distinct sections; an office area and a space for maintenance and shipping comprises about 1/10th of the building on the east end, and the production area takes up the rest on the west end. The east end of the building is separated from the production area. It is clean and has good heating and air conditioning. The production area on the west end is dirty and does not have air conditioning. Generally the heat of the production processes is the only heating provided except in unusually cold weather. There is limited ventilation and the production area gets very hot in the summer, sometimes over 100° F. There seems to always be an undercurrent of grumbling among the production employees and Eli has heard rumors of a union organizing drive.
The other concern that Eli has is the unwritten policy whereby the production supervisors pressure employees not to take time off for any reason and not to file worker’s compensation claims if they have an injury. Paid vacation is required to be taken during the annual two-week shut down for maintenance. Employees receive no other paid time off benefits. It is common for employees who take a sick day or who have worker’s compensation claims to be assigned to the least favorable jobs when they return to work.
Eli has scheduled a meeting with his supervisor, the plant manager, to discuss his observations and he wants to be well prepared.
Write a short paper that summarizes your view of what Eli should tell his boss, and be sure to address the following:
Explain the process by which a union can become the sole and exclusive representative for a bargaining unit.
If a union drive does get underway, explain how this might limit what management can and cannot do.
Discuss any current liabilities that the company faces from a legal perspective and from a risk management perspective.
Do you think that the plant is large enough to justify a position that is focused solely on human resources? Explain why or why not. Justify your claims.
Things to Remember!
Write a short paper 2 to 3 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
Part 1/3, Research Project: Select an Organization, Due March 12th, 2017
For this course, you will be responsible for completing a research project. The purpose of this project is to study and apply the HR concepts involved in effective performance management systems. You will design a performance management system for an organization. Your research project will be completed in three parts (organization selection, annotated bibliography, and final project). In this module, you will complete the first part of your research project by identifying and describing an appropriate organization to use as your basis for research.
For this activity, complete Part One of your project. Write a short paper that identifies and describes an organization you will use for your research project. Be sure to include and address the following:
The mission and strategy of the organization.
The products or services of the organization.
The organization’s internal strengths and weaknesses.
The external environment in which the organization operates (opportunities and threats).
Performance management policies and practices.
Things to Remember!
Write a short paper 2 to 3 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
Part 2/3, Research Project: Key Features & Annotated Bibliography, March 26th, 2017
For this activity, complete Part Two of your project. Write a short paper that provides an overview of the organization’s existing performance management system. Be sure to include and address the following:
An overview of the key features of the organization’s performance management system.
A description of how the various processes interrelate.
An annotated bibliography with at least five credible resources. Use the following resources to develop your annotated bibliography:
Annotated Bibliography: What is it? How do you create one? [PDF File Size 106.16KB]
Annotated Bibliographies
Things to Remember!
Write a short paper 2 to 3 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
Part 3/3, Research Project: Final Project, Due April 9th, 2017
For this activity, complete Part Three of your project. Write a research paper that analyzes what you have learned about how particular HR concepts are involved in effective performance management systems. Your goal is to design a performance management system for your selected organization. Be sure to include and address the following:
A brief summary of Parts One and Two of your research project, which were completed in previous modules.
A detailed discussion of your selected organization’s current performance management system, including its strengths and weaknesses.
Recommendations for improving the organization’s performance management system by:
Enhancing employee engagement and retention.
Aligning the performance management system to organizational goals.
At least eight credible resources (not including course materials).
Things to Remember!
Write a research paper of 10 to 12 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
Short Paper: Buy or Build Talent? Due March 19th, 2017
One of the key components of a staffing plan and related talent management programs is to decide whether to build or buy talent. Building talent involves a commitment to train and develop employees to fill positions, such that the employees have the right skills at the time they are needed. Buying talent refers to the use of independent contractors, vendors, and/or contingent employees to fill the talent demand.
For this assignment you will first need to research both options – to build or buy. Then, write a short paper that addresses the following:
A discussion of both staffing strategies, to build talent and to buy talent.
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each approach, including challenges for management and human resources.
Provide an example where each strategy works well, and provide an example where each strategy is not likely to work well.
Things to Remember!
Write a short paper 2 to 3 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
Short Paper: Training and Development, Due April 2nd, 2017
In this assignment, you will apply what you have learned about the use of training to make improvements in employee performance in support of organizational objectives. Select an organization that you are familiar with. Consider an area where performance does not meet expectations or where you see the potential for improvement. Write a short paper that addresses the following:
Identify a performance gap that you believe can be closed by a training program.
Describe how you would design and deliver an effective training program to address this performance gap.
Provide details of the training program and explain how it would close the performance gap.
Explain how the results will be measured.
Things to Remember!
Write a short paper 2 to 3 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
Short Paper: Strengths and Challenges of Pay for Performance, Due April 9th, 2017
In this assignment, you will have the opportunity to express your thoughts on pay for performance, based on your experiences and readings. A key concept is aligning the pay for performance plan with the organization’s goals to ensure a return on the investment in additional compensation. Write a short paper that addresses the following:
Using an organization you are familiar with, describe its mission and identify 2 or 3 of its mission-critical goals.
Identify and discuss both strengths and challenges of pay for performance plans.
Provide a pay for performance plan recommendation for the organization. Or, if you do not support a pay for performance plan for the organization, discuss why. Explain your rationale.
Things to Remember!
Write a short paper 2 to 3 pages in length (not including title and reference pages).
Use Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins, with APA-formatted in-text citations and references for all resources.
