MHR523 Introduction to Human Resources Management

Individual Assignment: Current Events in Human Resource Management

DUE: Wednesday March 16, 2022, by 11:59 pm ET (Submit on D2L)

The purpose of this assignment is to explore how Human Resource Management (HRM) issues may exist in real life scenarios outside the classroom. Your task has two components: (1) find a newspaper article related to HRM, and (2) write an essay about the article using your textbook and at least 4 additional, credible sources to support your analysis.

Your newspaper article should be from a reputable newspaper (online source). Examples include, but are not limited to, the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail and the National Post. The article must be from the past 12 months (i.e. no earlier than March of 2021), at least 4 paragraphs long, and related to HRM concepts that we discuss in class. The article can be about local, provincial, national, or international topics, however, original articles must be written in English. As part of the citation, please also be sure to include an active link to the original article used for your analysis.

Your essay (maximum 5 pages, double-spaced. The 5-page limit does not include the cover page and works cited page) about the article should have the following format:

Cover page with your name, student number, your seminar leader’s name, and date of submission.

Identification of the main HR issue(s) raised in the primary news article. One sentence per main issue.

A brief summary of the article (approximately 100-200 words).

A detailed explanation of the main HR issue(s) supported by references.

A detailed discussion of the implications for businesses, employees, and/or society that arise from the article. (In other words, how does the subject of your news article affect any or all stakeholders: business, employees, and/or the general public?).

A conclusion emphasizing what HR can learn from the issues raised in your news article.

A works cited (or bibliography) that includes the main article used for your analysis with an active link to the article’s source; appropriate reference to the chapters used from the course textbook; and references to all additional sources.

You must use 12pt Times New Roman font and double-space with regular (2.54 cm) margins. Essays longer than 5.5 pages (excluding title page and works cited page) or those not meeting the font, margin and/or spacing criteria will be subject to a mark deduction of at least 10 marks.

Your essay should include references from the textbook and at least four (4) credible and reliable sources to support your analysis of the news article. I would like at least 3 of your credible sources to be from a peer-reviewed journal. One of your credible sources may be from another newspaper (e.g., Globe and Mail, New York Times). Please do not reference blogs or Wikipedia.

A list of examples of relevant HR journals will be posted on D2L. This list is not exhaustive and is only meant as a guideline. You are welcome to use information from other academic journals not on this list. You may search for and access scholarly journals through the Ryerson University Library’s home page. Be sure to include appropriate APA citations for all references used in your essay.

Summary of Marking Criteria (detailed rubric attached):

The news article chosen is relevant to HRM and a detailed and compelling reason for relevance to HR is given.

Article is clearly and accurately summarized.

The HR concepts in the article have been clearly and correctly identified.

At least 3 HR concepts from the article have been explained in detail using appropriate, additional external references to support the discussion. HR concepts may come from any part of the textbook, not just the chapters covered to date.

A detailed discussion of the potential implications of the main news article for various stakeholders is provided and supported by appropriate references. (Who may be impacted by the concept, and how are they impacted?)

A brief conclusion highlights what HR can learn from the issues raised in the news article.

Writing is clear and includes effective use of vocabulary. Ideas are expressed fluently and in an organized manner. No mechanical or grammatical errors.

The essay uses at least 4 additional sources (i.e. above and beyond the course textbook). Sources are appropriate for the topic as well as fully and accurately cited consistent with the APA format.

A detailed rubric will be posted on D2L in addition to these assignment instructions. Be sure to review the rubric before completing your assignment.

Submit a soft copy of your assignment to the appropriate Dropbox folder on D2L. NOTE: Please do not submit your actual news article to D2L, but make sure the correct link to the article is included in your works cited (bibliography). You do not need to submit copies of the references used, but be sure to include a full bibliography/works cited page noting all the materials used in APA format.

Note: Assignments submitted after the due date (i.e.,11:59 pm) will NOT be accepted.

To submit your assignment to D2L, it should be in a MS word document. For instructions on submitting your assignment see: https://www.ryerson.ca/courses/students/tutorials/assignments/MHR 523 Individual Assignment 1 – FAQs and Helpful Tips

What is the purpose of the assignment?

To apply various HR concepts to current events in the broader business, local, national or international spheres that may have a foreseeable impact on HR functions and/or employees.

How do I choose an appropriate news article?

Your article should come from a reputable news source (i.e. Globe and Mail, New York Times, Forbes, etc.) and be dated within the past 12 months (the incident/event described in the article may refer to an earlier time period as long as the article itself is not more than 12 months old).

Your article should be about an HR-issue (i.e. downsizing), or an issue that is closely related to HR. Primary news articles should NOT be from an HR (or closely related) magazine or news feed, since the article would have already described the HR implications, there would be little room for your own analysis. However, HR industry magazines may be used as one of your supporting references (i.e., you can use these sources to support your analysis of the news article).

The subject of the article may be an event or issue within Canada or something taking place internationally. TIP: for articles dealing with legal issues, try to avoid getting into the legal technicalities, especially of jurisdictions outside of Ontario, as the legal systems may differ dramatically. If there are legal implications arising from your article that are important to HR, then you can state that if this event/issue were to take place in Ontario, the legal implications would be . . .

How do I go from choosing a news article to explaining the main HR issue(s)?

Provided that you have chosen an appropriate news article (i.e., one that is sufficiently related to HR), you should then be able to identify the main HR issue(s) or concepts in that article. Depending on your article, there may be one major HR concept, or several related HR concepts. For example, if you find an article about an employer closing a business, the main HR issue would be layoffs/downsizing. Related issues may include employee severance packages, reemployment of displaced workers, effect on the local economy, effect on the employer’s brand, etc.

This is the section of the assignment where you will want to use the references (the course textbook as well as 4 additional, reliable sources; 3 of which must be scholarly articles). In other words, once you have identified the main HR issue(s), you will need to do some research on that topic and provide the reader with a detailed discussion of the topic and related HR issues.

What do you mean by implications for stakeholders?

The implications could focus on how the event/topic/theme in your article might impact different groups of people (e.g., employees, the management of employees in organizations and/or society as a whole). If we continue with the downsizing topic as an example, you might discuss the challenges laid-off employees may experience finding work, the difficult choices the management of the organization has to make when deciding which employees loose their jobs, and the effect of large-scale layoffs on the local economy.

The implications may be written as a separate section, or integrated into your explanation of the issue. This may be an opportunity to make use of your references to support your arguments for how the HR issue(s) in the article will affect various stakeholders.

What do you mean by HR lessons?

This section should serve as the conclusion for your assignment, wherein you briefly summarize the main HR issue(s) raised in the news article and then describe what HR departments can learn from this event in the future.

To ensure that this section contains sufficient detail, it would be a good idea to aim for at least 3 different lessons.

What format should I use when writing this assignment?

The style or format is up to you (i.e. it does not have to be written as a formal essay).

You may write in first person (i.e., I think . . .) or more formally in third person (i.e. the article suggests . . .).

As noted in the rubric, there is a substantial amount of marks allocated to your writing in terms of grammar, spelling, sentence structure, flow, etc. – Be sure to proof read your assignment carefully.

You are asked to include a brief summary of your article. The summary should only be about 200 words, i.e. you do not need to paraphrase the entire article, the emphasis of the assignment in on your analysis.

You are asked to use APA format for your citations (this means the article itself as well as the textbook and any other sources you may include). TIP: for a good resource for APA, I use Purdue University Owl website: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/Make sure to follow the requirements for font, margins and spacing to avoid mark deductions.

What do I hand in and where?

Please submit a soft copy of the assignment to dropbox on D2L by the due date and time

How do I reference lectures?

Reference page:

Last name, first initial. (year). Title of presentation slides [format of presentation slides – PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from URL

e.g. Lamb, D. (2020). MHR 523: Promoting Employee Health and Safety. [PowerPoint slides]. Retrieved from https://courses.ryerson.ca/d2l/le/content/397838/viewContent/3055260/ViewIn-text citation:

(Last name, year, slides page #)e.g. (Lamb, 2020, p. 5)

Newspaper Assignment: Current Events In HRM Marking Rubric (/100 and worth 25% of your final grade)

Meets Standards

(80% and above) Approaching Standards

(60-79%) Below Standards

(50-59%) Unsatisfactory

(Less than 50%)

Summary

Content

(10%)

Information from news article is clearly summarized with no inaccuracies. Many supporting details address the: who, what, where, when, why or how questions. Information from news article is clearly summarized. Few supporting details address the: who, what, where, when, why, or how questions. There are minor inaccuracies. Summary may be unclear or incomplete. There is a need for more supporting details. There are many inaccuracies. Too much information was copied from the article or important details are left out. Details or summary may be confusing. There are many glaring inaccuracies.

Your Score Between 8-10 Between 6-7.9 Between 5-5.9 Less than 5

Identification and detailed discussion of HR concepts supported by references

(40%)

Clearly identifies HR concepts in the in the news article. Provides a detailed discussion of the concept(s) supported by the textbook. Clearly identifies the HR concept(s), but the detailed explanation of the concept and its importance to HR is somewhat lacking. Utilized at least 2 concepts from textbook. Attempts to make appropriate connections to HR, but the HR focus are unclear and the explanation of the concept(s) is lacking. The importance of the concept to HR is unclear. Connection is inappropriate to the content of the article. Little or no explanation of the concept is given and the importance to HR is not stated.

Your Score Between 32-40 Between 24-31.9 Between 20 – 23.9 Less than 20

Implications for stakeholders

(10%) Provides a detailed and compelling reason for why this article is relevant to organizations, society and/or employees. Explains impact on at least 3 stakeholders. Provides some explanation for why this article is relevant to organizations, society and/or employees. Explains impact on at least 2 stakeholders. Provides an unclear explanation for why this article is relevant to organizations, society and/or employees. No explanation for why this article is relevant to organizations, society and/or employees.

Your Score Between 12-15 Between 9 – 11.9 Between 7.5 -8.9 Less than 7.5

Conclusion: HR lessons

(10%) Provides several lessons for HR that emerges from the news article. The lessons and their importance to HR are clearly explained. Provides one lesson for HR that emerges from the news article. The lesson and the importance to HR is explained, but not in sufficient detail. Provides one lesson for HR that emerges from the news article. The lesson and the importance to HR is not explained. Does not discuss any lessons for HR that emerges from the news article or the lessons are stated without sufficient explanation.

Your Score Between 12-15 Between 9 – 11.9 Between 7.5 -8.9 Less than 7.5

Writing Fluency and Vocabulary

(10%) Effective and engaging use of word choice to make writing interesting. Formal English is used. Consistent variety of sentence structure throughout, making the essay clear and easy to understand. Uses a variety of vocabulary. A few inaccuracies, but these do not interfere with understanding. Uses simple compound, and complex sentences. Very few run-on sentences/sentence fragments. Essay is fairly easy to understand. Shows some use of varied word choice, but with some inaccuracies. Some run-ons or fragments. Limited variety in sentence structure. Some difficulty in understanding the essay. Careless or inaccurate word choice, which obscures meaning. Informal language is used. Frequent run-ons or fragments, with no variety in sentence structure. Significant difficulty understanding the essay.

Your Score Between 8-10 Between 6-7.9 Between 5-5.9 Less than 5

Writing Mechanics and Grammar

(10%) Uses consistent agreement between parts of speech. No errors in mechanics and/or grammar. No spelling errors. Very few errors in mechanics and/or grammar. Very few spelling errors. Occasional errors between parts of speech. Some errors in mechanics and/or grammar. Some spelling errors which interfere with understanding. Parts of speech show lack of agreement. Frequent errors in mechanics and/or grammar. Many spelling errors, which significantly interfere with understanding.

Your Score Between 8-10 Between 6-7.9 Between 5-5.9 Less than 5

References (10%) Each reference is correctly cited and effectively used. Each reference is somewhat correctly cited. Each reference is cited. Does not adequately reference or cite two sources

Your Score Between 8-10 Between 6-7.9 Between 5-5.9 Less than 5

Deductions:

Citations Meets Standard Below Standard: up to -5 marks (out of 100)

Sources of information, including article and textbook, are fully cited in APA format. Sources of information are not cited or sources of information are cited but some citations may be missing or style may be inconsistent.

Article Meets Standard Below Standard: 5-15 marks (out of 100)

The article is current and from a reputable newspaper related to a topic or theme within Human Resource Management. The information is easy to understand. The article (cut out or printed) was submitted with the Current Event Assignment. The article is not from a reputable source or is not of substantial length/quality for this assignment; deduct between 5-15 marks depending on the level of the article/source’s inadequacy.

The article link is not included with the assignment; deduct 5 marks Articles more than 12 months old will not be accepted, deduct 15 marks.

Format Meets Standard Below Standard: 10 or more marks (out of 100)

The essay is written in Times New Roman 12 pt. font, double-spaced with normal (2.54 cm) margins and is no longer than 5 pages.

The essay does not meet the font, margins and/or spacing requirements. Or is 0.5 or more pages over the 5-page limit; deduct 10 marks. For every 0.5 pages beyond 6-pages over, deduct an additional 5 marks.

Submission to Assignment Dropbox on D2L

Meets Standard Below Standard: -5 to 15 marks (out of 100)

The assignment was submitted to the assignment dropbox on the course D2L site by the deadline and did not contain significant amounts of materials that were copied from other sources. NOTE: Inappropriate copying may lead to a charge of plagiarism.

Total Deductions: Comments: (Seminar Leaders, please detail both the strengths and areas of improvement for the assignment).