Human Resources Management (M&IS 34l80- call#10100)

Dr. Robert H. Faley BSA A416; 672-1154; rfaley@bsa3.kent.edu

Summer 2001 M/T/W/H – BSA 117 (9:45-11:40)

 

A copy of this syllabus can be gotten from the M&IS web site http://asgard.kent.edu/mis/ - click on “M&IS Courses and Syllabus Library” under “Instructional, Classes, and Curricula”.

 

1.         Course Objectives:

 

            As a result of this course, you will better understand:

a) important HR systems and how they are interrelated with one another and with other important firm-wide systems

b) the value added (i.e., competitive advantage) that can be gained by designing, building, and managing HR systems based on proven HR techniques and approaches

c) the very critical role that job analysis plays in designing and building value-added HR systems

d) the legal obligations employees have to their employers as well as the legal obligations employers have to their employees

e) how to evaluate HR systems as well as better estimate their value-added

f) the current state of the art related to various HR activities

g) how to design desktop information systems that can be used to help solve HR-related problems you will very likely experience as a manager

 

2.         Textbooks:

 

a)         Kleiman, L.S. (2nd Edition). Human Resource Management: A Tool for Competitive Advantage, West Publishing Co. (2000). A COPY IS ON RESERVE AT THE MAIN LIBRARY.

 

A PACKET CONTAINING COURSE-RELATED OVERHEADS IS ALSO ON RESERVE AT THE MAIN LIBRARY. PLEASE COPY THE OVERHEADS - THEY WILL HELP YOU GET MORE OUT OF THE MATERIAL COVERED IN CLASS.

 

            The syllabus notes (under ASSIGNMENT) the chapter(s) in the Kleiman textbook that correspond to the content of the lecture/discussion that will take place that day in class.

 

            b)         Faley, R.H. & Steinberg, G. Developing Relational Databases Using THE Database Analyst, SerraCorp (1999).

 

            You are expected to have a reasonable understanding of computer hardware and software. This is all that is needed to operate THE Database Analyst software. You are responsible for reading all of this text. If you have questions about the software or text, please ask them in class so others can benefit from the answers.

 

3.         Grading:

 

            Computer Exercises. (account for 25% of your final grade)

 

            There are 5 equally weighted computer exercises that must be handed in ON TIME (i.e., by the end of the class period on the day they are due). You may submit the first two exercises for re-grading WITHIN ONE WEEK OF THEIR RETURN TO YOU. The three others MAY NOT be submitted for re-grading. Failure to hand in a computer exercise will result in a zero grade for that exercise.

 

 

            Exams. (account for 75% of your final grade)

 

            There are 4 equally weighted multiple-choice exams. Exam 4 is NOT cumulative.

 

THE ONLY VALID REASONS FOR MISSING AN EXAM ARE THE UNIVERSITY-APPROVED ONES NOTED IN THE DIGEST OF RULES AND REGULATIONS GOVERNING STUDENT LIFE.

 

            Your final grade will be determined in the following manner:

 

                                                            FG = .25(åCE/5) + .75(åEG/4)

 

                        where:              FG = Final Grade

                                                CE = score for each computer exercise

                                                EG = score for each exam

                                                FE = final exam grade

 

            The FG value needed to guarantee various final letter-grades are shown below:

 

            To earn a grade of:                   Your FG value must be:

                                    A                     90 or above

                                    B                      80 - 89

                                    C                     70 - 79

                                    D                     60 - 69

                                    F                      59 or lower

 

INTERPRETING YOUR EXAM SCORES:

 

Your exam scores are reported as Z-Scores (for the reasons discussed in class). The following table shows the letter grade equivalents associated with ranges of Z-Scores:

 

                        Letter Grade:                Z-Score Range:

                                    A                     >+1.29

                                    B                      +.90 to +1.29

                                    C                     -.60 to +.89

                                    D                     -1.00 to -.61

                                    F                      < -1.00

 

To interpret your exam score:

1)      Determine the z-score range in which your exam z-score falls using the table above

2)      Estimate how “low” or “high” your letter grade is based on where it falls within the z-score range

 

Here are some examples of z-score/numerical-grade equivalents:

-  if your z-score =  +2.30, you have the highest possible A (100)

-  if your z-score =  +1.85, you have a middle A (95)

-  if your z-score =  +1.30, you have the lowest possible A (90)

-  if your z-score =  +1.11, you have a middle B (85)

-  if your z-score =    +.90, you have the lowest possible B (80)

-  if your z-score =    +.80, you have a very high C (79)

-  if your z-score =    +.00, you have a middle C (75)

-  if your z-score =     -.60, you have the lowest possible C (70)

-  if your z-score =     -.78, you have a middle D (65)

-  if your z-score =   -1.00, you have the highest possible F (59)

-  if your z-score =   -2.00, you have a middle F (~30)

-  if your z-score =   -3.00, you have the lowest possible grade (0)

 

A more comprehensive list of z-score/numerical-grade equivalents is posted on the corkboard opposite my office door. Please come and see me if you need additional information.

 

*          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *          *

 

Note that your grade is based on the OUTPUT that you produce.  Thus, the amount of time you prepare for class, exams, or the computer exercises cannot be realistically considered for grading purposes.  Also please note that you are responsible for all changes in the course outline announced in class as well as all other matters that are discussed in class.

 

One final note:  Tests for this class are never distributed for student use or for any other purpose.  Any copies offered to you are stolen property and if found in your possession will be considered sufficient cause for assigning a grade of "F" for the course.  Software piracy is also grounds for assignment of a grade of "F".  For more complete regulations governing cheating and plagiarism, see the Digest of Rules and Regulations that govern student life (I believe a copy is available in the University telephone directory).

 

The Following Policies Apply to All Students in this Course

 

A.     Students attending the course who do not have the proper prerequisite risk being deregistered from the class.

 

B.     Students have responsibility to ensure they are properly enrolled in classes.  You are advised to review your official class schedule at the beginning of the semester to ensure you are properly enrolled in this class and section.  Should you find an error in your class schedule, you must have it corrected by the appropriately published date.  If you continue to attend and participate in classes for which you are not officially enrolled, you are advised now that you will not receive a grade at the conclusion of the semester for any class in which you are not properly registered.

 

C.     Academic Honesty:  Cheating means to misrepresent the source, nature, or other conditions of your academic work (e.g., tests, papers, projects, assignments) so as to get undeserved credit.  The use of the intellectual property of others without giving them appropriate credit is a serious academic offense.  It is the University's policy that cheating or plagiarism result in receiving a failing grade for the work or course.  Repeat offenses result in dismissal from the University.

 

D.    Students with disabilities:  In accordance with University policy, if you have a documented disability and require accommodations to obtain equal access in this course, please contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester or when given an assignment for which an accommodation is required.  Students with disabilities must verify their eligibility through the Office of Student Disability Services (SDS) in the Michael Schwartz Service Center (672-3391).

 

                                                                                                                                                                                   

 

NOTE:  Bring your Analyst disk (and an extra formatted 3.5” floppy disk) to class on the dates in the syllabus where COMPUTER LAB is noted.  On those days, meet me in the computer lab.

 

DATE                                                  TOPIC                                                             ASSIGNMENT

 

June     11        Course Overview; Overview of HR                                                                  1

 

            12        Basic Strategies for Managing HR’s; Job Analysis                                             4

 

            13        COMPUTER LAB - designing a very basic HRIS;

                        Integration of Organizational and HR Planning                                       3

 

            14        Regulatory Constraints on the Management of HR’s                                          2,11,13

 

            18        Regulatory Constraints on the Management of HR’s - continued;

                        (EXER1 due)

 

            19        EXAM 1

                        COMPUTER LAB – using an IS for HR planning                                             5,6

 

20                HR Staffing: Recruitment & Selection; Benchmarking HR

            Systems: Assessing Validity and Estimating Utility

 

            21        Traditional Selection Techniques

 

            25        Non-Traditional Selection Techniques; (EXER2 due)

 

            26        COMPUTER LAB – using an IS to manage employment testing;

                        HR Staffing: Wrap Up

 

            27        EXAM 2

                        Overview of Performance Management                                                 8

 

            28        Managing Performance via Performance Appraisal;

                        Methods of Performance Appraisal; (EXER3 due)

 

            2          COMPUTER LAB - using an IS to better manage PA;

                        Managing Performance via Training/Development Programs                              7

 

            3          Types of Training Programs; Career Management

 

            4          NO CLASSES – July 4th Holiday

 

            5          EXAM 3

                        Motivational and Other Strategies for Managing Performance;

                        The Manager as Leader                                                                                    10

 

            9          Basic/Supplemental Compensation; (EXER4 due)

 

            10        Determining Pay and Benefits                                                                            9

 

            11**    International HRM; Course Wrap-up                                                                14,15

 

            12        EXAM4; (EXER5 due)

 

**        The course evaluation will take place at this time - it is mandatory. Failure to complete the course

            evaluation will result in a three-percent reduction in your final grade score.

COMPUTER EXERCISES

 

Using the homework facilities of THE Analyst, complete and hand-in on 3.5" floppy disk the databases you design using the software (see Appendix A of the book for information about completing homework assignments - all homework assignments will be SCHEMA assignments). ALL EXERCISES MUST BE HANDED IN BY THE END OF THE CLASS ON THE DAY THEY ARE DUE

 

            NOTE 1:          USE ONLY THE HOMEWORK NAMES NOTED FOR EACH EXERCISE - also, for exercises EXER1 and EXER2, use the entity names listed with the exercises EXACTLY as they are spelled.

            NOTE 2:          YOU MAY RESUBMIT ONLY EXER1 and EXER2 FOR REGRADING (however, they MUST be resubmitted within one week of their initial return to you - RESUBMITTED EXERCISES MUST BE TURNED IN ON A NEW HOMEWORK DISK).  If you resubmit an exercise, your grade for the exercise will be the grade you received for the resubmission.

            NOTE 3:          Put the following information on your Homework Disk (homework disks that do not contain the following information will NOT be graded):

                                                1) your name and student ID number

                                                2) the name of the exercise to be graded (put a line through exercises that have already been graded)

            NOTE 4:          You may work with other class members on these exercises.  However, YOU are completely responsible for your submission. For example, if I asked and you were unable to clearly explain your solution, it is de facto evidence of plagiarism and you would receive a zero grade for the exercise (and possibly the class).

 

 

 

Exercise 1: (homework name = EXER1) (due 6/18)

 

Design a database that will be used to keep track of personal data (e.g., social security number, first and last name, address, phone number, sex, race, etc) about each of your employees as well as data about each employee's current job (e.g., title, job code, job summary, salary range, etc.). This database should also help you keep track of the qualifications (e.g., qualification number, name, description, etc.) that each of your employees has.

 

This exercise is meant to help you familiarize yourself with the software - don't worry whether your solution is correct. Make a "good faith" attempt.

 

Bring your attempt ON YOUR ANALYST DISK to the June 13th computer lab.

 

Assume the following:

 

            1)         each employee can be associated with only ONE job (i.e., the employee’s current job)

            2)         each employee can have any number of qualifications

            3)         each qualification can be associated with any number of employees

 

Entities: Employee, Job, Qualification, Employee_Qualification

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exercise 2: (homework name = EXER2) (due 6/25)

 

Design a database that will help you keep track of your staffing needs. This database will contain data about ALL the jobs each employee has held during their tenure with the firm (i.e., each employee’s job history). This database will also contain data about all the job vacancies within your particular unit. This database should help you better understand what jobs are vacant, the date they became vacant, the date you want to re-staff them by, as well as the location within your unit where each vacancy exists. This database should also help you better understand the qualifications associated with each vacant job as well as the qualifications of all employees. This information will help you assemble internal applicant pools for the vacant positions as well as perform analyses (by race and sex) for affirmative action related purposes. Assume the following:

 

1)                  each employee may have held any number of jobs (including the same job more than once) during their tenure with the company (i.e., employees could have been promoted, demoted, transferred, terminated and rehired, etc.). Each employee can also have any number of qualifications

            2)         each job can have any number of employees, vacancies, and qualifications

            3)         each qualification can be associated with any number of jobs and employees

 

Entities: Employee, Job, Qualification, Vacancy, Employee_Job, Employee_Qualification, Job_Qualification

 

 

Exercise 3: (homework name = EXER3) (due 6/28)

 

Design a database that will help you keep track of all the employment testing your unit does to fill job vacancies. This database will help you determine, for example, what type(s) of employment tests are being used, the pass/fail rates of the tests based on race and sex, how much you spend each year on testing, how many applicants are tested, what test(s) each applicant has taken, when, etc. This database will also help you keep track of other data about the tests you use, including their source (i.e., the distributor for each test), how good the tests are for various purposes (i.e., their validities), etc. Assume the following:

 

1)                  each applicant can apply for only one job at a time (i.e., pure selection is taking place)

2)                  each applicant can have any number of qualifications and take any number of tests

3)                  each test is distributed by only one source but can be used with any number of jobs, and can be taken by any number of applicants

4)                  because applicants can apply more than once for any vacant job for which they are qualified, they can take the same employment test more than once

5)                  each job can be associated with any number of tests and with any number of qualifications

6)                  each qualification can be associated with any number of applicants and jobs

 

Entities: Applicant, Job, Test, Application, Source, Qualification, Applicant_Qualification, Job_Test, Job_Qualification, Applicant_Test

Exercise 4: (homework name = EXER4) (due 7/9)

 

Design a database to keep track of all performance-related information generated about the employees in your unit. This includes, among others, all the performance reviews each employee has ever had, the past promotion record of each employee, all the training programs each employee has been through and how well they performed in these programs, the promotability of each employee to the next job, the potential of each employee, and recommended developmental activities for each employee. Assume the following:

 

            1)         each employee may have held more than one job during their tenure with the company (including the same job more than once)

            2)         each training program can be used to develop only one qualification

            3)         each employee can take any number of training programs and each training program can be taken by any number of employees

            4)         each employee may go through the same training program more than one time.

5)                  each job can be held by any number of employees and have any number of qualifications

6)                  each qualification can be associated with any number of jobs and employees

7)                  each employee can possess any number of qualifications

 

Entities: Employee, Job, Tprog, Perfreview, Qualification, Employee_Job, Job_Qualification, Employee_Qualification, Employee_Tprog

 

 

Exercise 5: (homework name = EXER5) (due 7/12)

 

Design a database that can be used to help you better manage data about the past, current, and future training needs of the employees in your unit. Among other things, this database should help you understand the training employees in your unit have already had, which employees in your unit will need future training, for which jobs, what type of training they will need, when and where training will occur, and who will deliver the training. Moreover, this database should help you determine which of any number of training programs associated with a job would be the best for a particular training-related purpose. Assume the following:

 

            1)         each employee may have held more than one job during their tenure with the company (i.e., employees have been transferred, promoted, demoted, etc.), and each employee can take any number of training programs

2)                  each training program can be used to develop only one qualification, and each job can be associated with any number of training programs and employees

3)                  each training program can be associated with any number of jobs, can be taken by any number of employees, is offered at any number of locations, and can be delivered by any number of instructors

4)                  each location can be used for any number of training programs and each instructor can deliver any number of training programs

5)                  each training program can be offered at the same location more than once and each instructor can deliver the same training program more than once.

 

Entities: Employee, Job, Tprog, Perfreview, Location, Instructor, Qualification, Employee_Job, Employee_Tprog, Employee_Qualification, Job_Tprog, Job_Qualification, Tprog_Location, Tprog_Instructor

GRADING CRITERIA FOR THE COMPUTER EXERCISES

 

The following errors range in severity from MINOR to MODERATE to MAJOR.  Your grade for each computer exercise depends on the number and/or severity of the errors you make.

 

1)      Several minor attributes are either missing or misplaced. (MINOR)

 

2)      Several important attributes are either missing or have been misplaced. (MODERATE)

 

3)      Your database is missing one or more important entities.  Examine the list of entities for this exercise included with your syllabus. (MAJOR)

 

4)      The primary key for one or more entities is incorrect.  This is especially likely to be a problem with cross-reference (i.e., many-to-many) entities. (MODERATE)

 

5)      Your database is not fully relational – one or more entities are not related to any other entity in the database.  Use the FlowMap to make sure all the entities in your database are related. (MAJOR)

 

6)      There are one or more “extra” relationships that are unnecessary.  For example, you may have BOTH a one-to-many and a many-to-many relationship between two entities.  You must choose which of the relationships is the correct one for the exercise.  Examine the assumptions that came with this exercise. (MODERATE)

 

7)      One or more relationships are incorrect (e.g., either are backwards or involve the wrong two entities) or are missing.  Learn to “read” foreign keys in order to determine whether the cardinality of each relationship is correct. (MODERATE)

 

8)      Your database contains one or more entities that are unnecessary or unsupportable. (MODERATE)

IMPORTANT RELATIONAL DATABASE TERMS

(see more detailed definitions using the "Demo" option in Analyst)

 

            ENTITY (i.e., table) - refers to an object in a database

 

            ATTRIBUTE (i.e., field) - refers to descriptors of an entity in a database.  There are three different kinds of attributes:

 

                        PRIMARY KEY - refers to one or more attributes that uniquely identify each instance of an entity in a database

 

                        FOREIGN KEY - refers to an attribute that is also an entity in the database

 

                        NON-KEY ATTRIBUTE - refers to any attribute that is not a primary or foreign key attribute

 

                                               ANALYST EXAMPLE:

 

            Employee is identified by ssn and has firstname, lastname, address, phnumber, job.

            Job is identified by jobnumber and has title, jobsummary, jobcategory.

            Jobcategory is identified by catnumber and has name.

 

                        -  "Employee", "Job", and “Jobcategory” are entities.

                        -  “ssn", "jobnumber", and “catnumber” are primary key attributes.

                        -  "job" and “jobcategory” are foreign key attributes.

            -  all the remaining attributes are non-key attributes.

 

UNDERSTANDING/READING ENTITY RELATIONSHIPS

 

1)      foreign keys establish entity relationships – in Analyst terminology, a foreign key is “an entity in the database that is ALSO an attribute of another entity in the database”

 

2)      reading foreign keys is a two-part process (an example using employee and job):

NOTE: 1 = a singular entity or the “one” side of the relationship and M = a plural entity or the “many” side

 

1(job):M(employees): each job can be associated with any number of employees BUT each employee with only one job – see the example above ( a M:1 would simply be the reverse)

 

M(jobs):M(employees): each job can be associated with any number of employees AND each employee with any number of jobs – Employee (1) has jobs (M) AND Job (1) has employees (M) (as you can see, a M:M is the result of two 1:M relationships that involve the SAME two entities).  For example:

 

            Job is identified by jobnumber and has title, jobsummary, and employees.

            Employee is identified by ssn and has firstname, lastname, address, phnumber, and jobs.

 

3)      in a 1:M relationship the foreign key is placed in the sentence of the many side of the relationship

 

4)      the bare minimum for the primary key of a M:M entity (i.e., intersection or cross reference entity) are the 2 entities from which it was created. In a M:M these two primary key attributes also serve as foreign key attributes – EXAMPLE: Employee has jobs AND Job has employees creates the cross-reference entity Employee_Job (which is uniquely identified by employee and job at a bare minimum)

 

                        Employee_Job is identified by employee and job and has startdate, enddate, salary.

ABOUT COMPUTER VIRUSES

(exercises\virus)

 

1)         YOU are responsible for making sure that ANY disk you hand in (or ask me to look at) is scanned using an anti-virus utility that is UP-TO-DATE.  You are responsible for determining BEFOREHAND if a computer you are using is virus free - if a virus corrupts your Analyst disk, you will have to purchase a new copy.

 

2)                  I highly recommend that you use the McAfee anti-virus utility available on the computers located in the business school's computer lab.  Because there are so many different anti-virus utilities and they all don’t scan for the same viruses, the McAfee anti-virus utility will be the de facto standard for the class.  To use the McAfee anti-virus utility from a lab computer:

 

a)         turn on a computer (do NOT insert a floppy disk in a computer that is already on - reboot the computer first)

 

b)         after Win95 loads, insert your floppy disk in the floppy drive

 

c)         click the taskbar Start button and select the Programs option; then select the McAfee VirusScan option (this will start McAfee anti-virus – it will initially scan the computer’s memory for viruses)