Look at the Conceptual Model of HR.  Choose one area you find interesting.  Based on your own experiences and readings, what would you like to see happen in that area?  For instance, in Total Rewards/Compensation, maybe you’d like to have paid family medical leave.  In performance management, perhaps you would like to have a particular type of appraisal process.  Or, if you’re looking at employee relations, maybe you’d like to adopt a teleworking policy at an organization.  Maybe you see a change in the labor pool, law, or technology that will impact your chosen HR area and you want to address how such change will be incorporated. 

Once you’ve identified a specific area to explore, ask:  If I had to propose this idea to executive management, how could I address the pro vs. con questions:

–How might it impact a hypothetical organization’s strategic direction and operations? Why would an organization want or not want to do this?

–How might it impact employees? Why would employees want or not want this?

–What impact would it have on other parts of the HR system?  Would other dimensions of HR need to change in order for my proposal to work?  What support might be needed from the other HR areas?  For instance, would we have to pay more, revise job descriptions, train staff, or lay-off people? 

–How would we measure whether my proposed idea succeeded?  

–What are real organizations doing about this?  Give at least one specific, referenced example.

When answering the content questions, be sure:

____ The work is original. Remember that you may not submit work that was created for any other class, including a previous semester of HRMD 610. This was part of the Academic Integrity Pledge you signed at the beginning of the term. The professor reserves the right to submit student papers to determine the originality percentage at his or her discretion. A good rule of thumb is that no more than 20% of a paper should be from direct quotes.

_____ The content is substantial and represents a significant literature review. In other words, the material extends substantially beyond the course readings. The issues discussed are key facets of the topic.

_____ Most of the references represent scholarly sources. Plan to use 8-12 sources for the paper. (Use UMGC’s library. The librarians are very helpful.)

_____ Since they are not vetted, commercial websites (.com) are not used unless the reason is to report the organization’s own policies or strategies as an example to illustrate a point.

_____ Because the HRM field has been changing rapidly in the last few decades, sources published prior to 2009 should be avoided, except when some brief history of the topic is necessary.

_____Points are well supported with logic, data, and/or examples.

_____Conclusions demonstrate integrative, critical thinking.

Presentation (15% of the assignment value)

_____The introduction tells the reader the purpose of the research and the agenda for the paper. (Do NOT use an abstract.)

_____ Special terms are defined.

_____Points are logically sequenced; the paper is well-organized.

_____The summary recaps the key points and provides psychological closure to the discussion.

_____Technical aspects of writing (i.e., grammar, sentence structure, and spelling) are correct.

_____Academic style (i.e., appropriate diction, clarity, smooth transitions, and an audience-oriented approach) is demonstrated. Note: This is a research paper, thus please do not:

o  Write in the 1st or 2nd person (I, me, my, we, us, you, your, our, etc.)

o  Share personal stories or workplace situations

o  Express your beliefs, feelings, or opinions on the subject

_____The body of the paper is 8 double-spaced pages. 

_____ A maximum of one bulleted list is used, if needed.

_____Citations are given for non-original material, using APA format for the in-text citation as well as the reference list.

Administrative Preparation

_____The paper is posted by the deadline in the proper place, using a Word file format. Per the syllabus, a grade penalty can apply if the document is late.

_____ An abstract page is not used.

_____Headers and footers are not used. (They can make it difficult to provide feedback.)

_____A 12-point font is used, and margins are reasonable.

_____Pages are numbered.

_____ The title page, the body, and the reference listing are not followed by any other appendices.

Choose a publicly traded company by searching the Hoover’s Company Profile database in the library or the Yahoo Finance website. Conduct research on the company website and using library resources. Provide a brief synopsis about the company, the industry sector in which it operates, products, and target market. 

Mandatory – Answer in Q & A Format

The world’s economy is becoming increasingly complex, with change occurring rapidly and instability becoming more common.  HR professionals need to keep up with current legislation not only in the country or state they reside, but also in all the areas where their market is and where their employees work.

Organizations are impacted by changing legislation. Recently, some countries and some U.S. states have passed workplace legislation focusing on equal pay, inclusion, family benefits, etc.

Provide 3-4 examples of (1) how human resources can assist organizations in assessing/researching legislative and policy trends, and (2) how HR can use diversity, as an advantage, in the workplace.

Answer the above using the question and answer (Q&A) format.  The Q&A format should include the original question along with your response. Within your post, support your responses with information from at least one peer-reviewed/scholarly source (not older than 3-5 years) from  CSU Global online library or the Internet, and provide the full citation at the end of your post. Use APA guidelines (at the CSU Global Writing Center )  to format your references. Your total word count must be at least 300 words excluding the original questions.

Post a cohesive response to the following:

Post a model you have selected that health care organizations might use to improve the culture of quality. Describe whether the ethical theory of Just Culture would improve the quality of a health care organization and how.

Support your response by identifying and explaining key points and/or examples presented in the Learning Resources.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings. Consider how your colleagues’ postings relate to the information presented in the Learning Resources and to your own posting.