OBHR 401 L01
Strategic Human Resource Management
Course Outline Part A – Fall 2023
Instructor
Professor Peter D. Sherer
Telephone
403.220.2986
Office
Scurfield Hall, Room SH454
Email
peter.sherer@haskayne.ucalgary.ca
Office hours
Mondays, 2:30-3:30 by Zoom, and by appointment
Website
http://d2l.ucalgary.ca
Lecture location
MTH 124
Lecture times
Monday 11:00AM - 1:45PM
OBHR 317
Prerequisites/Corequisites:
Course
Description
Provides the conceptual basis and skills to make strategic human resource decisions.
Learning to think strategically about human resource management practices and policies
such as reward systems, performance management, and hiring.
In recent years, the management of people and the human resource function have come
to be viewed more strategically. Accordingly, the management of people - by managers
at all different levels and functions - is seen as the source of competitive advantage. In
this course, therefore, we look at how organizations gain competitive advantage through
people and their management. We do so by looking at articles and cases, and by bringing
in guest speakers from industry. The aim in this course is to give you a strong academic
understanding as well as provide you with a fuller sense for what is happening in the
“field” and what potential career opportunities there are out there for you.
Course
Objectives
This course will provide you with key concepts, insights, and tools in understanding how
managers gain competitive advantage through people. We look at the role of HR
managers, senior and line managers as well as entrepreneurs in achieving competitive
advantage through people. We will also look at the role that HR and management
consultants play in advising organizations in how to compete through people.
By the end of this course, students will…
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 1
1. Evaluate the strategic role of human resources and how businesses gain
competitive advantage through people
2. Prepare for a role managing people (including, but not limited to, managerial,
Human Resources, and consulting roles)
3. Identify foundational designs of organizations and assess when/why an
organization’s design needs to change
4. Identify and analyse different models for managing people and how these models
align with a business’ competitive strategy.
5. Apply hiring and selection concepts and methods from a strategic perspective
6. Assess multiple dimensions of personal fit in organizations and distinguish these
dimensions from other aspects of diversity and inclusion
7. Evaluate different methods of assessing and rewarding employees
Textbook
and/or Other
Materials
1.
2.
3.
4.
There is no textbook to purchase for this class.
Readings are available electronically at no cost (with UofC logon) via links
provided in the course outline and/or library database search.
Slides for each class will be posted in D2L.
Cases are available for purchase via an Ivey course pack (see access instructions
below). The cost is $36.90 for a digital copy.
Go to the Ivey Publishing website at www.iveycases.com
Log in to your existing account or click "Register" to create a new account and
follow the prompts to complete the registration. If registering, choose
the "Student User" role.
5.
Click on this link or copy into your browser: Coursepack: OBHR 401
(iveypublishing.ca)
a. Ivey Publishing
Ivey Business School
Western University
e. cases@ivey.ca
t. 519.661.3208 | tf. 800.649.6355
www.iveycases.comFriday: 8:00am-4:00pm (ET)
Course
Workload
Generally, it is understood that students should spend 3 hours per week outside
of class time for every hour of lecture. This means that for each course, students
should expect to spend approximately 9 hours per week total on course work and
lectures. This may vary by week depending on the assessment schedule and on
your ability to manage your time.
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 2
Grade Scale
The Haskayne School of Business endeavours to ensure consistency of final grades across
courses and sections. Variations in distribution will always be considered by the instructor
when called for by the performance in each individual class. The student does not have
any ‘right’ to a certain grade, but she/he is responsible for earning grades. The instructor
has unfettered discretion to evaluate student performance and assign all grades.
A+
A
AB+
B
BC+
C
CD+
Grade
Distribution
Missed
Assessment
Policy
Late Policy
≥
≥
≥
≥
≥
≥
≥
≥
≥
≥
95
91
89
85
81
79
75
71
69
65
D
≥
F
< 60
60
Outstanding
Excellent
Approaching excellent
Exceeding good performance
Good performance
Approaching good performance
Exceeding satisfactory performance
Satisfactory performance
Approaching satisfactory performance
Marginal pass. Insufficient preparation for subsequent
courses in the same subject
Minimal pass. Insufficient preparation for subsequent
courses in the same subject
Failure. Did not meet course requirements.
Due Date
Assessment
Weighting
Course Outcomes
Assessed
Ongoing
Class Participation
15%
1-7
October 20
Group Paper
15%
1-4
October 31
In-class Midterm Exam
20%
1-4
November 3
Take Home Essay
15%
1-4
TBD
FINAL EXAM
35%
1-4
Total
100%
Students must follow the guidelines outlined in Part B of the outline to request a deferral
for missed work during the term, including quizzes, assignments, and exams. If a deferral
is granted, the instructor, at his or her sole discretion, may require a make-up assessment
to be completed, or transfer the weight of the missed assessment to another assessment
in the course.
At the discretion of the instructor, late assignments will be subject to a penalty of 10% per
full or partial day, including weekends and holidays. Note that an assignment submitted
five or more days after the due date will be assigned a grade of 0%. If a student has a
legitimate reason for turning in material late (e.g., illness), the student will need to provide
documentation in writing.
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 3
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 4
Class
Participation
Participation - 15 % of your grade. Effective class participation requires you come to class
prepared and be ready to discuss material. You will be evaluated on the QUALITY of your
participation, which depends on your grounding your points in class materials, the clarity
of your points, your responsiveness to others, and providing insights.
Coming late to class is disruptive to the class and makes it difficult for you to effectively
participate once you do make it to class. If you come late, that will be factored into your
participation for that day.
Group Paper
Group Paper (15%) Due Date: October 20 at 16:00 (4:00 PM). Information about the
requirements for this assignment will be provided as we progress in the course. The
paper will be no more than 6 double-spaced pages. Please submit your paper in the D2L
drop box that will be specified for the assignment. Situations where group members do
not contribute, or substantially under-contribute, to group papers are to be brought to
the attention of the instructor. Individual grades on group assignments may be adjusted
to account for level of contribution and will be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
Generally, non-contributing students will not be given the opportunity to complete these
assignments individually.
Midterm Exam The mid-term exam will be done in class on an exam sheet provided to you and counts
for 35 percent of your grade. The exam will be in two parts: (1) an in-class, closed book
exam consisting of short answer questions on October 23 that counts for 20% of your
grade, and (2) an open book, take-home essay that will be provided at the exam, which is
15% of your grade, and is due in three days, on October 26 by 13:00 (1:00 PM). I will
provide you with the in-class exam at the beginning of class on October 23, and the takehome exam at the end of the exam. You should submit your take-home exam in D2L
October 26 by 13:00 (1:00 PM). Failure to complete the take-home essay by the
scheduled time will result in a significant penalty. The take-home essay should be done
individually, and you should not discuss or share your answers with classmates. If a
student has a legitimate reason for the exam being late (e.g., illness), the student will
need to provide documentation in writing.
Final Exam
The final exam will be done in the computer lab and the date is to be determined by the
Registrar. The exam will be closed book and will be cumulative. It is worth 35% of your
grade.
Assessment of Writing skills are not exclusive to English courses and, in fact, should cross all disciplines.
Writing
The University supports the belief that throughout their university careers, students
should be taught how to write well so that when they graduate their writing abilities will
be far above the minimal standards required at entrance. Consistent with this belief,
students are expected to do a substantial amount of writing in their university courses
and, where appropriate, members of faculty can and should use writing and the grading
thereof as a factor in the evaluation of student work. The services provided by the
Writing Support, part of the Student Success Centre, can be accessed by all
undergraduate and graduate students who feel they require further assistance. In this
course, your writing will be assessed as part of your grade.
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 5
Email
Communication
Please specify the course name and section number in the subject line of all emails
(OBHR 401 L01). I will not respond to emails that do not contain this information.
Although email is commonly used by students to communicate with their
instructors, it does limit the effectiveness of communication and may not be the
best way for me to answer student questions. If I feel that communicating via
email is not optimal, I may request a telephone call or personal meeting.
Internet & Electronic Students are welcome to use laptops and other electronic note-taking devices in
Communication
classes, however, any surfing of the Internet or use of applications during lectures
Devices
that is not directly related to the class discussion is distracting and strictly
forbidden. Additionally, the use of any electronic devices (e.g., cellular
phones/smartphones) for e-mailing, text-messaging, etc. is strictly prohibited
during class time. Please turn OFF your phone before the beginning of each
lecture.
Academic Integrity
and Rigor
Course Outline Part
B
Academic integrity and rigor are critical components of a University degree.
Academic integrity is the foundation of the development and acquisition of
knowledge and is based on values of honesty, trust, responsibility, and respect.
The Haskayne School of Business values ethical leadership and personal integrity,
and expects its faculty, staff, and students to live these values. In the online
environment, certain additional measures will be put in place to help safeguard the
integrity of online assessments and the intellectual property of the instructors.
The Course Outline Part B contains more generalized information for Haskayne and
the University. You are responsible for reading and understanding all content in
both parts of the outline.
Part B can be found here. Undergrad.
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 6
Class Schedule & Topics
Please note that lecture topics and readings are tentative and subject to change. The dates of
assessments will not be changed.
Important dates (e.g. Block Week, Lecture start dates, Reading Week, etc.) can be found at the following
web site: http://ucalgary.ca/pubs/calendar/current/academic-schedule.html
Sept. 11, Class 1: Introduction & Course Overview
- For our first class, please read only the section on Salesforce: DealBook: Shaking up Salesforce
(nytimes.com)
Sept. 18, Class 2: Vision and Culture
- Waterman, Peters & Phillips. Structure Is Not Organization. Business Horizons, June 1980, Vol 23,
Issue 3, pp. 14-26. Structure Is Not Organization
What does the 7-S framework say a well-managed organizational looks like?
- Please read for an update on this classic piece, http://tompeters.com/docs/7SHistory.pdf
Material to be presented in class on Vision.
- For a very influential view on organizational culture, please read: Edgar Schein, Coming to a New
Awareness of Organizational Culture, Sloan Management Review, 25:2 (1984: Winter).
http://search.proquest.com.ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/docview/1302988646/fulltextPDF?accountid=9838
- Tetzeli & Schlender. Tim Cook on Apple’s Future: Everything Can Change Except Values. Fast Company.
http://www.fastcompany.com/3042435/steves-legacy-tim-looks-ahead
Sept 25, Class 3: Organizational Structure, Design and Reorganization
Material to be presented in class on Organizational Design
- CASE to be provided: Chaos and Growth at Techno
What were the strengths and weaknesses of the organizational structures that Adam Jones
implemented at Techno? Why did he change structures?
- Reorganization at Disney: DealBook: Iger’s plan (nytimes.com)
- Aginha, Handscomb, Salo, and Thaker. May 25, 2021. The impact of Agility. How to shape your
organization to compete.
-https://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/organization/our-insights/the-impact-of-agility-how-toshape-your-organization-to-compete
Oct 2, Class 4: Aligning HRM Models/Systems and Business Strategy
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 7
- Article (to be provided) Delta Pride.
- Baron & Hannan. Organizational Blueprint for Success in High-Tech Startups: Lessons from the
Stanford Project on Emerging Companies. California Management Review, Spring 2002, Vol.44, Issue,
pp. 8-36. What are the different HRM systems in Silicon Valley start-ups, which systems are most
effective?
http://ezproxy.lib.ucalgary.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=bth&
AN=6881761&site=ehost-live
- Netflix
https://jobs.netflix.com/culture
- Google
http://www.slideshare.net/ericschmidt76/how-google-works-final-1
- Google Parent Alphabet to Cut 12,000 Jobs - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
- The Amazon that customers don’t see, New York Times, June 16, 2021.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/06/15/us/amazon-workers.htmlOctober 9, Thanksgiving
Group Paper Due October 12
October 16, Class 5: MORE on Models for Managing HRM
- IVEY CASE: Calveta Dining Services, Inc.: A Recipe for Growth?
- Groysberg. Are Leaders Portable? Harvard Business Review, May 2006 https://hbr.org/2006/05/areleaders-portable
- Article- Nohria, Huston, Brown, Seely; Hagel III, Lipman-Blumen & Premji. Feed R&D – or Farm it Out?
Harvard Business Review, July/Aug2005, Vol. 83 Issue 7/8, p17-28. https://hbr.org/2005/07/feed-rd-orfarm-it-out
Class 6: October 23, MID-TERM EXAM
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 8
October 30, Class 7: Strategic Hiring, Succession Management, Negotiating Compensation Package
- CASE: Hiring for the New Venture at Mira. To be provided.
- IVEY CASE: The Changing of the Guard: Planning for Succession at Madison’s Children Foundation (A)
Kellog School of Management, KEL 437.
- IVEY CASE: Name Your Price: Compensation Negotiation at Whole-Health Management (A). You are
Monroe Davis. Email Jim Hummer your “offer” to yourself. Focus on: Salary, Performance Bonus, Stock
Options, Relocation Allowance
November 6, Class 8: HR Analytics: AI, Social Media Tracking, Facial Recognition in Hiring, Data based
Decision Making
- Amazon scraps secret AI recruiting tool that showed bias against women | Reuters
- Amazon’s new AI tool may take over work from employees facing layoffs and buyouts - Vox
- Stop Screening Job Candidates’ Social Media, Harvard Business Review, 2021
https://hbr.org/2021/09/stop-screening-job-candidates-social-media
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/10/22/ai-hiring-face-scanning-algorithmincreasingly-decides-whether-you-deserve-job/
- IVEY CASE: Is it fair to let them go? Using performance appraisal to decide on staff cuts.
No Class November 13: Reading Week, November 12-18
November 20, Class 9: Organizational Fit, Gender Discrimination, Diversity
- IVEY CASE: Ann Hopkins versus Price Waterhouse
Be Ready to Take Part in Partner Discussion: Was Ann Hopkins or Price Waterhouse right?
- IVEY CASE: A Day in the Life of Alex Sander: Driving in the Fast Lane at Landon Care Product.
- Ely, R. & Thomas, D. & 2020. Getting serious about Diversity. Harvard Business Review,
November/December 2020, 115-122. https://hbr.org/2020/11/getting-serious-about-diversity-enoughalready-with-the-business-case
- Ingram, P. The Forgotten Dimension of Diversity, Harvard Business Review. January-February 202:
https://hbr.org/2021/01/the-forgotten-dimension-of-diversity
November 27, Class 10: Engagement, Performance Management, Reward Systems, Layoffs
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 9
- https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/14/business/worker-productivity-tracking.html#gmethodology
- IVEY CASE: Arck Systems (A).
- Fryer. The Layoff. HBR Case Study. https://hbr.org/2009/03/the-layoff-2
December 4, Class 11: New(er) Directions
- Has ‘Gig Work’ Become a Dirty Word?
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/27/business/gig-work-uber-lyft-writers-strike.html?smid=em-share
- DealBook: McFired (nytimes.com)
- Training My Replacement’: Inside a Call Center Worker’s Battle With A.I.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/07/19/business/call-center-workers-battle-with-ai.html
- Return to Office Enters the Desperation Phase - The New York Times (nytimes.com)
FINAL EXAM: Date, time & location TBA by Enrolment Services
Please note:
Two weeks before the end of the semester there will be an in class USRI (Universal
Student Rating of Instructor) available for completion. By completing the evaluation you
will assist us in improving our courses.
This is Part A of the course outline, which is specific to OBHR 401 L01.
Please ensure you review Part B for policies and procedures applicable to all Haskayne undergraduate courses.
Bachelor of Commerce | 10