Management 4640 / Spring 2016
Strategy and Practice in Human Resource Management
Dr. Peter Villanova
4088 Peacock Hall
1018 Peacock Hall
T & Th 12:30-1:45
Phone: 262-6220
Hours: TR 12-12:30,
TR 3:15-5pm
PURPOSE
This course is intended as the senior level integrative course in Human Resource Management. It is
designed to expose those enrolled to the intersection of human resource management, business
policy, and competitive strategy. It emphasizes human resource management from a strategic and
cultural perspective. This course is designed to be integrative, drawing upon foundational material to
which you have been exposed in core curriculum courses. Our orientation will be both analytical and
managerial, focusing on the development of concepts and strategies that can increase your
effectiveness in developing policies and practices that general managers can use to enhance the
value of the people in their organizations.
POLICY
Students will exercise responsible autonomy as participants in the learning experience, both as
students and as teachers. That is, students will serve as both recipients and providers of
educational and administrative services. While they enjoy considerable freedom in designing and
executing educational experience for their peers, they are also responsible to them and the
professor for the quality of their endeavors.
I usually check my e-mail everyday so this may be more convenient than an office visit for some
questions you have or comments you wish to share. Simply send an email to:
VillanPD@Appstate.edu
TEXT
Textbook: Readings will be assigned.
WEB SITE
The syllabus, PowerPoint presentations, and other course-related material are available on the ASU
Classdat server. The address to access the root directory for this class from an off-campus
computer is:
http://classdat.appstate.edu/COB/MGT/VillanPD/SPHRM%20Spring%202016.
Google Drive Mirror:
https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B2utjivojbuEQ01WNjNUMml1T1E&usp=sharing
Strategy & Practice in Human Resource Management
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COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Two required exams will be administered. The exams will consist of approximately 40
multiple- choice, true-false, and matching questions. The exams will be written by both the professor
and students on material from class lecture, presentations, cases, and readings. Contributions to
participation grades will include attendance, good citizenship behavior, class participation,
appropriate and timely completion of both in- and out-of-class exercises, and other evidence of
responsible autonomy.
Coursework grades will include an individual and team-based component. The individual component
of your grade will be reflected in test grades, peer ratings, and professor ratings of your performance
on team teaching, exercises, and cases. Each individual will receive a team grade and will be
evaluated by team members. The team grade will account for 1/3 rd of your team-based grade and
the peer and professor rating will account for the remaining 2/3rd. Essentially, your team grade is the
fulcrum around which your individual team grade will vary.
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Teams will work on exercises, present articles, provide reviews of foundational material, and
present case analysis to the class. This will serve as the common grade all team members
receive.
o Early course exercises will be used to refresh our knowledge of technical and
professional HR concepts. Teams will be assigned different exercises that they will
present to their classmates. (10% of your team grade)
o Team teaching of HR Topical Areas are intended to provide a more systematic review
of HR functional areas and to build upon the competencies you acquired in the
introductory course. (20% of your team grade)
o Team article presentations will involve the team presenting two articles chosen by the
professor on advanced strategy and practice issues in HR. (30% of your team grade).
o Teams will also lead the class in presenting a case analysis. Your team will be
required to purchase the case at Harvard Business Publishing. The case to be
presented may be jointly chosen by the professor and team.
A provision for peer evaluation of team contributions will be included at the end of the term
and will be consulted for purposes of adjusting team-based grades. (1/3rd of your team grade)
I will provide a separate grade of your performance on team assignments based on in-class
observations of your attendance, participation, and platform performance. You are
encouraged to attend each meeting and coordinate your efforts with your team.
GRADING
Each of the exams will count 20% of your final grade. Team-based grades will count 60% of your
final grade.
Exams 1 & 2
Team Teaching & Team Exercises
each @ 20%
60%
A > 92%
A- > 90%
B+ > 88%
B > 82% & etc.
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TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Week of
TOPIC
Jan 12
Introduction
Jan 19
Group Exercises on HR fundamentals
Jan 26
Group Exercises on HR fundamentals
Feb 2
The Changing Nature of Work
Feb 9
Strategic Human Resource Management I
Feb 16
HR Topical Area Review & CASE 1
Feb 23
Strategic Human Resource Management II
Mar 1
HR Topical Area Review & CASE 2
Mar15
Organizational Culture I
Mar 22
HR Topical Area Review & CASE 3
Apr 5
Organizational Culture II
Apr 12
HR Topical Area Review & CASE 4
Apr 19
Culture, Strategy, and Practice Project
Apr 26
HR Topical Area Review & CASE 5
May 3
Last Day of Class
The scheduled dates are tentative and used simply to structure the course activities and plans.
EXAM 1
EXAM 2
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Walker College of Business Writing Expectations Policy
This writing expectations policy is intended to reinforce appropriate written communications skills among our students in
the Walker College of Business (WCOB), Appalachian State University. The policy is based upon the belief that it is
crucial for our graduates to communicate effectively in order to succeed in the workplace. To encourage our students to
practice such skills, we, the WCOB faculty, require our students to demonstrate a basic level of writing proficiency in their
written assignments in order to graduate from our business program.
As part of this policy, we adopt the following important expectations.
Higher-Order Expectations
Students should:
1. Organize text logically.
2. Write clearly and coherently.
3. Follow conventions of business writing, where appropriate.
4. Give sources proper credit and avoid plagiarism.
When followed, these higher-order expectations will improve the likelihood that the reader will easily understand
the student’s intended meaning.
Fundamental Expectations
Students should:
1. Use complete sentences.
2. Use proper verb tense.
3. Spell words correctly.
4. Use proper punctuation.
5. Cite references correctly.
6. Use other grammatical conventions appropriately.
When followed, these secondary expectations will improve the clarity and appearance of the written material.
Implementation
Poorly written assignments will not receive a grade better than ‘C’. In order to earn a ‘B’ grade, papers must evidence all
fundamental and higher-order expectations. Papers must exceed good writing form in order to receive an ‘A’ grade. To
assure your receipt of a premium grade, you are encouraged to respond to an assignment on time, completely,
thoughtfully, and with good form. Students who desire to have papers reviewed before submission should consult the
ASU Writing Center, located in Room 008 of the Belk Library & Information Commons.
Resources and Recommended Readings
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ASU’s Writing Center, http://www.writingcenter.appstate.edu
WCOB’s online resource page, http://www.business.appstate.edu/students/writing.php
The Elements of Business Writing: A Guide to Writing Clear, Concise Letters, Memos, Reports, Proposals, and
Other Business Documents, by Gary Blake and Robert W. Bly.
Business Grammar, Style & Usage: The Most Used Desk Reference for Articulate and Polished Business
Writing and Speaking by Executives Worldwide, by Alicia Abell.
Business Writing, Period. by K. T. Maclay.
The Elements of Style, by William Strunk, Jr., and E. B. White.
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ASU Attendance Policy
5.5.1 General Attendance Policy
5.5.1.1 It is the policy of Appalachian State University that class attendance is an important part of a student's
educational experience. Students are expected to attend every meeting of their classes and are responsible for
class attendance. Since attendance policies vary from professor to professor, students should refer to the course
syllabus for detailed information. Regardless of what reasons there may be for absence, students are
accountable for all academic activities, and faculty may require special work or tests to make up for the missed
class or classes.
ASU Integrity Policy
This course will follow the provisions of the Academic Integrity Code, which can be found on the Office of Student
Conduct Web Site: http://studentconduct.appstate.edu/.
As a community of learners at Appalachian State University, we must create an atmosphere of
honesty, fairness, and responsibility, without which we cannot earn the trust and respect of each
other. Furthermore, we recognize that academic dishonesty detracts from the value of an
Appalachian degree. Therefore, we shall not tolerate lying, cheating, or stealing in any form and will
oppose any instance of academic dishonesty.
ASU Accommodations for the Disabled Policy
Appalachian State University is committed to making reasonable accommodations for individuals with documented
qualifying disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, and Section 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Those seeking accommodations based on a substantially limiting disability must contact and
register with The Office of Disability Services (ODS) at http://www.ods.appstate.edu/ or 828-262-3056. Once registration
is complete, individuals will meet with ODS staff to discuss eligibility and appropriate accommodations.
It is the responsibility of the student to inform the professor of student disabilities that may be reasonably accommodated.
Other Matters
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Arrive to class on-time and behave with courtesy toward your peers and professor. If you must leave class early,
I expect you will advise me in advance.
All electronic entertainment devices are to be turned off during class. With the exception of medically necessary
assistive devices, approved emergency communications and warning devices operated by authorized law
enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel, "first responders," or other emergency
personnel, and cell phones registered with APPSTATE-ALERT, all personal electronic communications devices
in the possession of students will be turned off during class. Cell phones registered with APPSTATE-ALERT
must be placed in vibrate or silent mode during class. Your failure to attend to this warning invites potential
embarrassment.
Use laptops only for work related to this course. Do not surf the web and share your laptop screen with others in
order to impress them with your latest Tweet or Facebook post.
You may record my lectures so long as I provide explicit permission for you to do so. Otherwise it is understood
that you are not using electronic media to record classroom events. If you do record my lectures I will require
that you make a recording available to me.
It is the responsibility of the student to establish official registration for this course. Students who are not
officially registered should not expect to be added late.
Strategy & Practice in Human Resource Management
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22 March 2016
To: Students enrolled in Strategy and Practice in Human Resource Management (MGT 4640)
Fr: Dr. Peter Villanova
Re: Course Expectations
All written communications addressed to me will take the form of a business memo format. That is precisely
the format of this memo and you should become acquainted with it since it is the format you will use for
written communication in the business world. In rare instances, I may require a different format. However, in
the absence of specific instructions, students will use this format when communicating in written form with me.
Students will have an active hand in designing the two exams for this class. You can expect each exam to
have about 30 multiple-choice items and 10 items that reflect a mix of true-false and matching questions.
Student teams will provide outlines in advance to assist your study preparation.
I am careful in assigning grades to students and review my exams to identify suspect items according to both
psychometric and content validity standards. I do correct exam scores based on poor-performing items.
I will set aside class time this semester to better accommodate class exercises that require group decisions.
These are designed to facilitate your opportunity to better appreciate differing viewpoints and to participate in
activities that require group interaction skills, a necessary requirement for successful human resource
managers.
I use the technical vocabulary appropriate to the profession and expect you to do so as well. You will be
better prepared to understand lecture and participate in class discussion when you read assigned material in
advance.
Finally, I wish you an enjoyable and successful semester. I hope you will find the class stimulating, satisfying,
and useful to your business career.