Syllabus for HRM-610
HUMAN RESOURCES AS A STRATEGIC PARTNER
Managing strategically is a complex, rational, well thought-out sequence of activities and approaches that addresses the various competitive challenges organizations face. Human resource management (HRM) faces a series of challenges and opportunities to be regarded as a strategic partner with other senior leadership executives. One manner in which to accomplish this is to earn a seat as a partner during the strategic planning process. There are many roadblocks, however, on the road to becoming an organizational partner, which results in frustration, resentment, confusion, and possibly a regression back to maintaining nothing more than an administrative function. A key, however, to the successful acceleration of human resources partners showing they can add value is by gaining critical information from the voices of the organization’s customers and integrating these into a road map that will take human resources from the role of “caretaker” to “organizational leader.” All of the human resource management functions must be implemented and maintained with a strategic focus. It is not only considering the present challenges but also planning for future developments that will have an impact on the organization. This course will focus upon those critical elements that will help turn human resources away from “paper pushing” and toward a value-added facilitator of strategic change.
After completing this course, students should be able to:
CO 1 Compare human resource strategies to build programs and processes to satisfy employees and stakeholders.
CO 2 Distinguish human resource functions and activities that are essential to maximizing an organization’s financial success.
CO 3 Evaluate how the human resource organization is an important partner in either the development or implementation of corporate strategy.
CO 4 Examine human resource skills and competencies that are necessary to participate as an effective strategic partner.
CO 5 Appraise the role of human resource management in creating and sustaining an organization’s competitive advantage.
There is no required textbook for this course. Each module will include articles and web-based information related to the module topics.
Throughout the course and for the final project, contemporary articles are required to assist in transitioning the theory and concepts. These resources can be accessed through the New Jersey State Library, which you can find through the myEdison portal under the Educational tab in the My Resources block.
You will need a library card to access the NJ State Library, which is free for Thomas Edison State University students. Be sure to apply early in the semester, as it may take several weeks to receive your card.
TESU Student Borrower Registration Form
Human Resources as a Strategic Partner is a three-credit, online course consisting of six modules. Modules include an overview, topics, learning objectives, study materials, and activities. Module titles are listed below.
For your formal work in the course, you are required to participate in eleven online discussion forums, complete five written assignments, and complete a final project. See below for details.
Consult the Course Calendar for due dates.
One or more of your course activities may utilize a tool designed to promote original work and evaluate your submissions for plagiarism. More information about this tool is available in About SafeAssign.
This course requires you to participate in eleven graded discussion forums. There is also one ungraded but required introduction forum in Module 1. Since the course does not have a textbook, it is important to research the literature for relevant and timely HR journal articles and publications that contain current thinking and applications of the HR functions covered in the course. Try to find articles and publications that are not beyond three years since the date of the publication. Find sources that have an HR strategic focus and analyze the articles and publications that assess important HR implications. There are suggested journals and publications listed in this syllabus that will be helpful to you in preparing your responses. As a rule, cite the sources in your responses using APA style guidelines.
You are required to complete five written assignments. The written assignments ask you to analyze incidents that are associated with topics covered in modules. They are designed to prepare you for the final project and research is an important part of these assignments. Since the written assignments are tied to the company selected to the final project, it is important to select a company for which there is a substantial amount of information to assist you in your research. Please review each written assignment to ensure that you understand what specific topics will be covered.
You are required to complete a final project by selecting a company that you will analyze throughout the course, as well as selecting five human resource management functions.
The functions in HR can include, but are not limited to, the following:
In the first module, you will select a company for the final project, and you are required to receive approval from the mentor. As part of this process in the first module, you will also select the five HR functions that you will analyze in the final paper. The written assignments in each module will assist you in analyzing the HR functions that you select.
For complete guidelines and requirements of the final paper, please refer to the Final Project area of the course website.
Your grade in the course will be determined as follows:
All activities will receive a numerical grade of 0–100. You will receive a score of 0 for any work not submitted. Your final grade in the course will be a letter grade. Letter grade equivalents for numerical grades are as follows:
A | = | 93–100 | B | = | 83–87 | |
A– | = | 90–92 | C | = | 73–82 | |
B+ | = | 88–89 | F | = | Below 73 |
To receive credit for the course, you must earn a letter grade of C or higher on the weighted average of all assigned course work (e.g., assignments, discussion postings, projects). Graduate students must maintain a B average overall to remain in good academic standing.
The University's late assignment policy states that written assignments should be submitted no later than the due date unless prior arrangements are made with the mentor and a new due date is established. If you submit an assignment after the due date without having made arrangements with the mentor, a minimum of 5 points (based on an assignment grading scale of 100 points) or 5 percent of the total points will be deducted for each week, or part thereof, that the assignment is late. To receive credit for discussion forum assignments, you must actively participate during the assigned discussion period. Also, unless you have registered for an extension, assignments submitted after the semester ends (or after the extension date expires) will be returned to you ungraded.
Active duty military students in receipt of Temporary Additional Duty orders (TDY) may be exempted from point deductions if their orders prescribe a return-to-class date that allows for sufficient time to complete the remaining course requirements, which is generally defined as allowing the student to miss no more than one-third of the total semester.
Military students with TDY orders shall follow the procedures, found on the OMVE website, to establish new due dates without penalty for written assignments and discussion boards.
To succeed in this course, take the following first steps:
Consider the following study tips for success:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to maintaining academic quality, excellence, and honesty. The University expects all members of its community to share the commitment to academic integrity, an essential component of a quality academic experience.
Students at Thomas Edison State University are expected to exhibit the highest level of academic citizenship. In particular, students are expected to read and follow all policies, procedures, and program information guidelines contained in publications; pursue their learning goals with honesty and integrity; demonstrate that they are progressing satisfactorily and in a timely fashion by meeting course deadlines and following outlined procedures; observe a code of mutual respect in dealing with mentors, staff, and other students; behave in a manner consistent with the standards and codes of the profession in which they are practicing; keep official records updated regarding changes in name, address, telephone number, or e-mail address; and meet financial obligations in a timely manner. Students not practicing good academic citizenship may be subject to disciplinary action including suspension, dismissal, or financial holds on records.
All members of the University community are responsible for reviewing the Academic Code of Conduct Policy in the University Catalog and online at Thomas Edison State University.
Thomas Edison State University expects all of its students to approach their education with academic integrity—the pursuit of scholarly activity free from fraud and deception. All mentors and administrative staff members at the University insist on strict standards of academic honesty in all courses. Academic dishonesty undermines this objective. Academic dishonesty can take the following forms:
Thomas Edison State University is committed to helping students understand the seriousness of plagiarism, which is defined as using the work and ideas of others without proper citation. The University takes a strong stance against plagiarism, and students found to be plagiarizing are subject to discipline under the academic code of conduct policy.
If you copy phrases, sentences, paragraphs, or whole documents word-for-word—or if you paraphrase by changing a word here and there—without identifying the author, or without identifying it as a direct quote, then you are plagiarizing. Please keep in mind that this type of identification applies to Internet sources as well as to print-based sources. Copying and pasting from the Internet, without using quotation marks and without acknowledging sources, constitutes plagiarism. (For information about how to cite Internet sources, see Online Student Handbook > Academic Standards > Citing Sources.)
Accidentally copying the words and ideas of another writer does not excuse the charge of plagiarism. It is easy to jot down notes and ideas from many sources and then write your own paper without knowing which words are your own and which are someone else’s. It is more difficult to keep track of each and every source. However, the conscientious writer who wishes to avoid plagiarizing never fails to keep careful track of sources.
Always be aware that if you write without acknowledging the sources of your ideas, you run the risk of being charged with plagiarism.
Clearly, plagiarism, no matter the degree of intent to deceive, defeats the purpose of education. If you plagiarize deliberately, you are not educating yourself, and you are wasting your time on courses meant to improve your skills. If you plagiarize through carelessness, you are deceiving yourself.
For examples of unintentional plagiarism, advice on when to quote and when to paraphrase, and information about writing assistance, click the links provided below.
Examples of Unintentional Plagiarism
When to Quote and When to Paraphrase
Writing Assistance at Smarthinking
Acts of both intentional and unintentional plagiarism violate the Academic Code of Conduct.
If an incident of plagiarism is an isolated minor oversight or an obvious result of ignorance of proper citation requirements, the mentor may handle the matter as a learning exercise. Appropriate consequences may include the completion of tutorials, assignment rewrites, or any other reasonable learning tool in addition to a lower grade for the assignment or course. The mentor will notify the student and appropriate dean of the consequence by e-mail.
If the plagiarism appears intentional and/or is more than an isolated incident, the mentor will refer the matter to the appropriate dean, who will gather information about the violation(s) from the mentor and student, as necessary. The dean will review the matter and notify the student in writing of the specifics of the charge and the sanction to be imposed.
Possible sanctions include:
