Mgt 3530 – Human Resources Management HR in the News Assignment Instructions

Mgt 3530 – Human Resources Management HR in the News Assignment Instructions

Overview:

HR is EVERYWHERE, and issues related to the field of HR frequently appear in the news. During the course of the semester, I want you to start paying attention to current issues in HR and their potential impact on the workplace. You will select TWO recent news articles relating to HR. For each article, you will prepare a 1-2 page summary of key points and your interpretation of the article as it relates to HR. Each article and summary is worth 12 points (5% of your final grade). [NOTE: you have TWO of these assignments due during the semester, each of which should focus on ONE article]

Source and Topic Choice:

You may choose from any news source (e.g., newspapers/print publications, internet sources, podcasts, or television) as long as you are able to provide a link to the original source.
You may choose any topic, as long as the primary focus of the article is directly and explicitly related to an HR topic (e.g., legal issues in employment, job analysis/competency modeling, sourcing/recruiting, selection/hiring, performance management, compensation, retention/engagement issues).
The article must be current – dated December 2017 or later.
The topic MUST relate to current or contemporary developments in HR (such as legal issues, “hot topics” in the field, demographic issues and their impact on the workplace, developing trends in HR practice or policies, or case studies on how a company has changed or implemented new HR policies).
- Do NOT select generic or generalized topics, such as articles that simply provide a definition/description/overview of an HR practice (e.g., “What is Performance Management?”) or “advice-type” columns for managers/employees (e.g., “10 Ways to Improve Engagement,” “How to Coach Problem Employees,”), unless they specifically relate to NEW DEVELOPMENTS in the field.
  - If you’re not sure if your selected article meets these criteria, please feel free to run it by me before you prepare it for discussion.

Assignment Requirements:

In your write up, you will summarize the article and discuss your interpretation of the implications of the article as it relates to HR. Please make sure to also cite your source (APA style is preferred) and include an active link to the article at the end of your paper.

Summary

Your summary should be a brief description (maybe 1-2 paragraphs, max) of the main points of the article
Summarize the article in your own words – do not just copy/paste portions of the article and/or use excessive direct quotes

Discussion

Your discussion is the heart of your assignment, it should receive the most attention and be the primary focus of your paper
In your discussion, go beyond the content of the article to explain the relevance or implications of this article for employees, managers, organizations, or the field of HR as a whole

Writing Guidelines:

Your paper should be around 1.5-3 pages (NOTE: this is only a guideline – there is no required page length, I’m concerned more with quality than quantity).
All documents should be professionally prepared. Proper spelling, grammar, formatting, etc. is expected. If you wouldn’t turn it into your supervisor or your client, don’t turn it in to me.

Turn in Early for Feedback

You are welcome and encouraged to turn your paper in early (the point of this assignment is to get you noticing HR issues in daily life, so when you see something interesting, go ahead and write it up!). An additional bonus to turning in your assignments early is that I can provide you with feedback and a potential opportunity to revise and resubmit your assignment if needed (depending on the nature of the feedback). To take advantage of this opportunity, make sure to have your paper submitted by the “Early Feedback Deadlines” posted in the syllabus.

Due Dates, Late Assignments, and Extensions

Assignments are due by midnight on the posted due date. Late assignments WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED unless there is a legitimate emergency, in which case extensions are given on a case by case basis.

Grading Criteria

I have provided the rubric that I will be using to evaluate your work. Please refer to this rubric, as well as the general guidelines provided, to ensure you meet all requirements. I have also provided examples of high and low quality papers for your reference (please note, the sample paper references an article from 2015 – remember that your article MUST be current).

Academic Honesty

By turning in this assignment, you are acknowledging that the work you turn in is your own and has not been copied or paraphrased, in whole or in part, from other sources without proper acknowledgment. Plagiarized work will receive a grade of zero and will be reported.

Notes on Citing Your Sources

In-text citations:

For the purpose of this assignment, include the article title and publication date as part of your paper title. By doing so, it is NOT necessary to cite the article within the body of your paper.
If you use ADDITIONAL sources in your paper, make sure to both cite the article within the body of your paper AND include it as a reference.
- The general format for in text citations is the last name(s) of the author and year of publication

Examples:

In a recent study, Walker (2015) examined whether the hokey pokey is really what it is all about.

Recent evidence emerged supporting the theory that love does, in fact, make the world go round (Rogers & Hammerstein, 2014).

Note: for two authors, ALWAYS use both authors’ names in each citation

Brodersen, Graham, and Frost (2014) recently studied what motivates chickens to cross roads.

Note: for more than two authors, cite ALL authors the FIRST time you cite the reference; after that, cite the first author, followed by “et al.” (e.g., Brodersen et al., 2014)

Full references:

Provide the full reference(s) for ALL sources used at the end of the article, using APA format.

Examples:

From a print magazine/journal/newspaper:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Magazine, issue number of magazine, page numbers of article.

Note: if there are no issue numbers for the magazine, just list the page numbers

From an online magazine/journal/paper:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Title of Newspaper. Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

From a non-periodical online source:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Retrieved from http://www.someaddress.com/full/url/

From a television news broadcast:

Lastname, A. A. (Producer). Name of the news program [Television Broadcast]. New York, NY: Central Broadcasting Service.

NOTE: if you use a television-based source, please also try and find a web link to the segment so I can access it.

MGT 3530

HR In the News Grading Rubric

Fully Meets Expectations

(90%-100%)

Partially Meets Expectations

(70%-89%)

Does Not Meet Expectations

(below 69%)

Article Selection

The selected article is dated December 2017 or later, is taken from an approved and relevant source, and explicitly relates to current or contemporary developments in the field of HR.

The link provided is active, and links directly to the article referenced in the paper.

This is REQUIRED to earn full credit, provided your posts meet the remaining criteria discussed below.

The article is outdated, taken from an irrelevant source, is not explicitly related to HR, or does not relate to current/contemporary developments in the field

The link provided does not link to the article referenced in the paper.

If the article selection does not meet expectations, the maximum grade you can earn is 70%

Article Summary

The summary is brief but clear; and presents the key points the article with almost no reliance on direct quotes.

The summary is relatively clear and presents the primary points of article with an appropriate balance of paraphrasing and direct quotes

The summary is too brief or too long; lacks clarity; does not fully capture the article’s key points; and/or relies too heavily on direct quotes and/or copying/pasting from the original article without proper citation

Discussion

The discussion is clear, relevant, accurate, precise, and thorough

Correct interpretation, analysis, and critique of information – demonstrates a thorough understanding of the content and its relevance;

Makes accurate, logical, relevant, and insightful connections between the content of the article and the implications it has for employees, managers, organizations, or the field of HR as a whole

Goes “above and beyond” the basic requirements of the assignment in an effort to gain a better understanding of the topic at hand (e.g., through consulting additional resources, critical thinking, or applied examples)

The discussion is clear and relevant

Shows a working grasp of the content, but may be a bit “surface level” with respect to interpretation, analysis, and critique of information;

Provides some “general level” implications of the article for employees, managers, organizations, or the field of HR as a whole

The discussion is unclear or does not really relate to the article or the purpose of the assignment;

Little to no understanding of the content and/or its relevance

Makes incorrect or inaccurate conclusions, recommendations, or assumptions

Professionalism/
Clarity

Excellent professionalism in preparation of the assignment; Almost no grammatical or spelling errors; Highly effective use of language;

Very clear organization of ideas; References and quotes used appropriately and effectively

Professionally prepared; Minimal grammatical or spelling errors that do not detract the reader; Appropriate and professional language; Ideas are sufficiently organized; References and quotes make sense, but may not be accurately presented

Sloppy; High number of grammatical or spelling errors make ideas difficult to understand; Inappropriate use of language; Ideas seem disorganized, jumbled, and disjointed; Inappropriate use of references or quotes.

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