Faculty Contact Information:
Instructor: Dr. J.E.D. Riggs
Address: PSC 9 Box 3018
APO AE 09123
EMAIL: jriggs@ed.umuc.edu | |
Consultation:
| One Half-Hour Before class and by Apoointment. | |
Required Texts and Readings:
Texts and readings used exclusively in this course--
Gomez-Mejia, L.R., Balkin, D.B. & Cardy, R.L. (2004). Managing human resources, (4th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall
Kauffman, N. & Massey, C. (2000). Human capital applications using Microsoft Office 2000. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Civil Service Reform Act 1978. Retrieved January 29, 2004 from http://www.dol.gov/esa/regs/compliance/olms/complcsra.htm
Hatch Act. Retrieved January 29, 2004 from http://www.osc.gov/hatchact.htm
Pendleton Act of 1883. Retrieved January 29, 2004 from http://www.ourdocuments.gov/doc.php?doc=48
Office of Personnel Management Strategic Plan 2002-2007. Retrieved January 29, 2004 from http://www.opm.gov/gpra/opmgpra/sp2002/appendices/statutes.asp
Text used in multiple courses --
American Psychological Association. 2001. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, (5th ed.). Washington DC: Author | |
Supplementary Readings:
| All graduate students should be prepared to utilize the UMUC online library. The library contains a large number of full text academic journals that are free of charge and immediately available. The library homepage also contains a number of links related to improving students' research and writing skills. | |
Recommended Journals:
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Course Description:
| Prerequisite: Undergraduate principles of management or permission of the Program Director. Provides students with an understanding of the problems, issues, and opportunities in managing the procurement, development, utilization, and maintenance of an effective, productive, and satisfied work force. | |
Course Goals:
As a required course in the Management Track of the MPA, this course analyzes:
- Basic functions of HRM, including recruitment and selection, training and development, rewarding and compensating, layoffs and firing employees
- Role HRM plays in the strategic management and decision making of public, private and nonprofit organizations
- Strategies used to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of an organizations human resources
- Major theories that influence the practice of HRM, including motivation, teambuilding, problem solving, decision making, negotiation and conflict management
- Major U.S. public policies, laws and courts cases that structure the practice of human resource management in the public sector and differentiate it from the private sector
- Current issues facing HR managers and organizational leaders in the public, private and nonprofit sectors
- Current best practices employed by managers in public, private and nonprofit organizations
- Increased importance of the Internet and other electronic and technological solutions on-going training and development of employees as well as in the planning, implementation and evaluation of HRM
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Course Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course the student will be able to:
- Analyze the conflicting demands on human resource managers and the values that underlie those conflicting demands.
- Apply theoretical perspectives to practical problems in HRM.
- Investigate current issues and best practices in HRM
- Utilize electronic and technological solutions to realize basic HRM activities.
- Utilize electronic resources to find primary source documents, data, statements on best practices, and research articles related to issues in HRM.
- Develop and present viable strategies and/or policy recommendations relating to important HR issues.
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Grading Information:
Grades for this course will be assigned as follows:
A 90%
B 80 – 89%
C 70 – 79%
F Below 70%
Please note that Bowie State University does not use "D" for graduate students. The grade F is used to designate academic failure. F(n) is used to designate failure for non-completion. Grades of Incomplete or Withdrawal are governed by UMUC-Europe policies. For further details, please refer to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog. Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Course Requirements:
Graduate school at the masters level focuses on helping students obtain the education needed for success as professionals in their chosen fields. Thus, UMUC-Europe Graduate Programs and Bowie State University share the common goals of promoting excellence in academic scholarship through thoughtful inquiry and the skillful application of knowledge and theory for the betterment of society. In order to maximize your graduate educational experience in general and this course in particular, you are required to complete a:
Mid-Term Exam = 35%
Final Exam = 35%
Term Paper = 30% | |
Description of Course Requirements:
Successful graduate students in American universities dedicate approximately three hours of preparation/study time for every hour spent in the face-to-face classroom. Thus, the following course requirements were developed on the assumption that students would be prepared to spend approximately 150 hours of their own time working on them. In an 8-week term, that is the equivalent of a half-time job. Most 14-week graduate distance education courses require at least 10 hours per week of dedicated time, plus time spent in the virtual classroom.
Participate in classroom discussions: You are expected to come to class prepared to engage in all discussions in a professional and informed manner.
Write graduate level papers or case studies: You are required to conduct professional-level research, including appropriately citing works of others and avoiding plagiarism. Resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC, UMUC-Europe or BSU), partially or in its entirety, is not acceptable in this course and will result in an automatic failure on the assignment.
Complete two written examinations: The examination process in this class will assist you in developing the writing and critical thinking skills necessary to successfully passing the comprehensive exam required of all graduate students. The questions used for this course will either be taken directly from past comprehensive exams or written as though to be included on a comprehensive exam.
Specifically in this class you will be required to complete two exams and write a 15-20 page theme paper.
The midterm exam will fall on the Sunday afternoon of the second weekend and will consist of all readings and lectures from the first weekend and the second Saturday. The final exam will fall on Sunday of weekend four and will consist of all readings and lectures from Sunday of weekend two through the end of term.
For the theme paper, the student is required to chose a research topic from the the array of subject matters under discussion in this course. the choices are virtually endless. The paper should concentrate on a contemporary problem in any area of human resource management. The paper should answer the following questions:
1. Why is this problem important?
2. How does this problem manifest itself in the workplace?
3. What is the background of this problem? (How has it developed over the years?)
4. What can be done to solve (or ameliorate) the problem?
By the day of the midterm, I expect to see from each student a topic sheet outlining his/her topic. The topic sheet will contain three pieces of information:
1. The topic (e.g. Worker Privacy Issues)
2. The Approach (e.g. An analysis of Supreme Court Rulings on Privacy and drug testing cases over the last decade).
3. A sample bibliography of the literature to be used in the paper.
I must have the paper in my hands by the day of the final examination. Failure to turn in the paper at that time, for any reason, will result in an automatic 20% reduction in the value of the paper. | |
Course Schedule:
Readings and Lecture Schedule:
WEEKEND 1.
Weekend One Readings:
Gomez-Mejia, chapters: 1, 5-8.
Topics:
1. Introduction.
2. Staffing Dynamics.
3. Training Systems -- Design and Application.
4. Same Topic (continued).
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WEEKEND 2.
READINGS:
Gomez-Mejia: chps 4, 9. Pendleton Act. CSRA of 1978.
Topics:
1. Job Design Specifics.
2. Problems of Career Development.
3. Managing Workforce Diversity.
4. MIDTERM EXAMINATION.
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WEEKEND 3.
READINGS:
Gomez-Mejia: chps. 10-14.
TOPICS:
1. Compensation Management.
2. Benefits Administration.
3. Administering Employee Civil Rights.
4. Developing Employee Relations.
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WEEKEND 4.
READINGS:
Gomez-Mejia: chps. 15-17.
TOPICS:
1. Rights of Organized Labor.
2. Same Topic (continued).
3. The International HRM Challenge.
4. FINAL EXAMINATION.
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Academic Policies:
The University has a license agreement with Turnitin.com, a service that helps prevent plagiarism from internet resources. I may be using this service in this class by either requiring students to submit their papers electronically to Turnitin.com or by submitting questionable text on behalf of a student. If you or I submit part or all of your paper, it will be stored by Turnitin.com in their database throughout the term of the University's contract with Turnitin.com. If you object to this temporary storage of your paper, you must let me know no later than two weeks after the start of this class. Please Note: If you object to the storage of your paper on Turnitin.com, I may utilize other services to check your work for plagiarism.
The official university policy on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty can be found at http://www.umuc.edu/policy/aa15025.shtml. Section I.C. states: "Faculty may determine if the resubmission of course work from previous classes (whether or not taken at UMUC), partially or in its entirety, is acceptable when assigning a grade on that piece of course work. Faculty must provide this information in their written syllabi. If the resubmission of course work is deemed to be unacceptable, a charge may not be brought under this Policy and will be handled as indicated in the written syllabi."
Please refer to Description of Course Requirements for specific information on how resubmissions will be treated in this course and to the UMUC-Europe Graduate Catalog for information on the following:
Academic Integrity
Course Load
Exception to Policy
Grade Appeal Process
Make-up Examinations
Nondiscrimination
Students with Disabilities
Hard copies of the catalog are available at your local Education Center. | |
Faculty Bio:
| Dr. J.E.D. Rioggs is Collegiate Professor of Public Management with Bowie State University/University of Maryland-Europe. He has taught in the Maryland system since 1993. | |