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Course Overview: Human Resource Management is the effective utilization of people in the achievement of certain business objectives. This course will examine basic HRM practices and principles, and will identify the links between the practices and the design and execution of the overall business strategy. Students will be expected to understand and apply an analytical framework to the practices of HRM, and understand how such practices should be linked to the business strategy. The use of metrics and other evaluative processes relating to HRM practices will be integrated into the course program.

Course Format: Classes will include lectures, discussions of HRM Mini Cases© (a compilation of contemporary case studies prepared by the Instructor), a review of "Video Cases," and brief presentations by students.

Attendance and Participation: class attendance is required. Class participation will be used as a pedagogical tool; therefore, students will be expected to both attend and participate in all classes and to be on time. Missed classes will result in a reduction of your grade and could lead to your exclusion from the class. In addition to assigned readings, class participation will require that each student reads and prepares to discuss the assignments. "Class discussion" shall include a student's understanding of readings as evidenced by his/her response to questions, in-class participation in problem solving and analysis, and the sharing of insights.

Unless otherwise indicated by the Instructor, the Schedule of Topics and Reading Assignments, which appears below, includes reading the entire chapter(s), completing other course work that may be assigned, and being prepared to discuss them in class.

Writing Requirement: The written submission of memos and analyses may be required during the course. In most cases these memos must be typed (double spaced, 12 font, with reasonable margins). For example, homework can include answering questions or writing summaries of reading assignments, and preparing analyses concerning assigned Mini Cases, or other projects. All coursework must be delivered to the Instructor on the date due or no credit will be given. In some cases, a presentation by students may be required.

HRM Practices and Their Links to Strategy Questions:
What do HR people do? What are the practices of HRM? What is strategic HRM? How can it improve service, sales and profits, and increase the price of your stock? If you are the HR Director and the CEO says he wants to improve customer service, what would you do to support and execute his new customer service approach?

How Does the Legal Environment Relate to HRM Questions:
What is the role of HRM in legal compliance? Why is diversity management good for business What is the ROI of legal compliance? How would you justify the retention of experienced labor counsel for your business?

What are Work Flow, Job Analysis, Job Evaluations, and Organizational Structure?
What is the role of HRM in the design of work? How do we measure and design work flow? How can the design of the organization strategically link to the Business Plan?

HR Planning, Staffing, Recruitment,, Selection, and Training Questions:
How do large companies recruit? What are some of the best and worst practices? How do IBM, Procter and Gamble, and Microsoft determine the number of managers or professionals to recruit? What is forecasting? How do we measure the effectiveness of recruiting? What attracts employees to your firm? Are there ways to structure HRM practices to attract the very best? Should you hire the very best? What returns to the business does this generate? What is the impact of employee turnover on a firm? Does poor selection relate to turnover? How does training relate to the business strategy, selection, and assessing job performance? How do employers train employees? What are the formats, content, strategic relationship to the business, and how are training programs evaluated? What is the difference between general and firm specific training? When should a company provide general training? Are such trained employees likely to go to work at your competitor? Who should pay for this training? How does one measure the effects of a training program? Why is this important? How effective is computer-based training and when would a company use it?

Performance Management and HR Metrics Questions:
How can you quantitatively demonstrate the link between HRM practices and the Business Strategy? What does this have to do with the allocation of capital? Can customers play a role in employee selection? Is there a link between customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction? Can this all be related to sales and profits? Why is it important to evaluate employees? Are there quantitative means to measure? What should the standards for evaluation be? How does this help the organization perform better? What does Employee Development mean and how does all of this relate to succession planning? How does it differ from Employee Training? How are all the various HRM practices vertically linked? How is HRM horizontally linked to the Business Strategy?

Employee Compensation and Benefits Questions:
How can pay improve company performance? Why do more companies consider variable pay as a better option? What are the economics of piece rates? Do incentives really work? What is equity compensation? Are U.S. CEOs paid too much? What is the value of a fringe benefit to an employee? Is cash an alternative? What is the fundamental process used to design a retirement benefit and the single-most important factor facilitating its availability? How do various retirement plans affect employee behavior?

Global Management:
How do U.S. companies evolve into global competitors? What are the management and human resource issues in operating abroad? What are the considerations in sending home country personnel abroad? How do labor costs compare and what is the impact on competitive positioning?

Outside Readings and Internet Sources of Helpful Information

The following texts, articles, websites and resources may provide students with a better understanding of the concepts of human resource management. When indicated by the Instructor, students will be required to read certain articles or portions thereof for class.

Becker, The HR Score Card - Linking People, Strategy, and Performance (Harvard, 2001) ISBN: 1-57851- 136-4

Evans, The Global Challenge - Frameworks for International HR Management (McGraw-Hill, 2002) ISBN: 0-07-239730-6

Fitz-enz, How to Measure Human Resources Management (McGraw-Hill, 2002) ISBN: 0-07-136998-8

HR Internet Websites: See HR Websites (attached))

Kohn, A., Why Incentive Plans Cannot Work, Harvard Business Review, September-October 1993

Lazear, Personnel Economics for Management (Wiley, 1998) ISBN: 0-471-59466-0

Murphy, Creating Market Forces for the Delivery of Health Care, Human Resource Management, Winter 1995, Volume 34, Number 4, University of Michigan

Murphy, Market Forces and the Middle East's New Interest in HRM, Business Horizons, September-October 2002, Indiana University

Schwarz, J., and Murphy, T., Why Undergraduates Should Study Human Capital Metrics? April 2008, Volume 32, No.2 pp.164-182.

Murphy and Zandvakili, A Metrics Driven Approach to HR, Human Resource Management, Spring 2000, Volume 39, Number 1, University of Michigan

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