Active student participation is essential in this Unit. Participation enables clarification, discussion and debate about concepts and materials covered in the Unit as well as experiential learning through role playing and case study analysis. To complete this Unit successfully students must attend at least 80% of classes. Also, students should be prepared to contribute and engage in class activities. Attendance will be recorded but does not constitute participation. Students' participation marks will be calculated from the first class to the last. Constructive involvement in activities is important. Mobile phones and the internet should be turned off during workshops.

Participation is based on:

(1) demonstrating understanding of required readings in weeks 1 to 6.  

(2) active engagement in case study and role play discussions. This will require prior reading of distributed case studies (where relevant) so that students are prepared for class activities .

Key issues in relation to expectations of students in tutorials are:

1. Quality of contribution: Students should endeavour to make a regular and informed contribution to discussion. Remember, it is OK to make mistakes!!

2. Preparation: To make an informed discussion, students should complete the recommended reading and relevant chapters of the textbook.

3. Tolerance and Respect: Group members should allow fellow students to express contrary views and be prepared to debate points in a reasoned and tolerant manner. Students should also behave with respect and courtesy towards the Convenor and fellow students. 

4. Attendance: To participate, students must attend classes. However students should note also that silent attendance is not sufficient to earn marks for participation.

This assignment involves analysis of how particular organisations manage specific aspects of managing people at work. Groups will present to the class on an assigned HRM topic in relation to a nominated company. Groups will consist of a maximum of four students. Groups are formed and allocated their topic and presentation date in week 2. Each group is required to identify the business strategy of their case study organisation (see lecture 1), present an overview of the particular HRM practices that their case study organisation uses in a specific area of HRM (eg recruitment, performance appraisal, diversity etc), and evaluate the company's approach, using scholarly literature as well as considering the firm's business strategy. A marking rubric will be provided on ilearn to guide your preparation.

Please note for MGMT750 students, while this assessment is worth 20 marks of the total for the Unit, 10 marks are allocated for the presentation and 10 marks for an Individual Reflection on the group project. The details for this reflection - and the contents - will be contained on ilearn in the MGMT750 File. Students are required to submit the typed two page reflection to the Convenor immediately prior to making the group presentation. 

The groups may assume the position of an external management consulting firm hired to research the organisation’s HRM practices and their strategic implementations and provide professional recommendations. Detailed assessment criteria are outlined in the Presentation Marking Sheet to be provided on ilearn in week 3. Each group will follow the same delivery template:

• A brief introduction to the company
• Identification of the company's dominant business strategy(s) (using the typology in Lecture 1)
• Outline of the company's approach to the designated functional area of HRM
• Analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of the organisation's policies, practices and strategy in the designated area. This should include:
  • reference to critical scholarly literature on HR practices and strategies; and
  • consideration of how well practices (etc) might contribute to the firm achieving its business strategy. 
• Two or three recommendations for improvement in the organisation's approach.
• The time limit for the presentation is 20 min. It is to be followed by 10 minute Q & A session. Students should provide a copy of powerpoints (or other format) they intend to use immediately before they commence the presentation. Marks will be deducted if a Group does not do this.
• The presentation will require students to critically analyse the HRM issues in their designated company using the academic literature from a variety of sources. The group’s recommendations are expected to remain practical and consider such issues as cost, labour skills, markets, politics or other challenges in implementing HR strategy that are relevant to the organisation. 

Note on late submission: No extensions will be granted.  This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved. 

Research sources: In the research for their presentation, students should draw on sources they can obtain about the company both online and in print eg the company's webpage and annual reports; articles in business magazines, newspapers and other media reports; and independent reports which can build an understanding of the company and environment in which it is operating. You may also find if you search the library database that there are articles which contain research on the relevant company in academic journals as well as in HR practitioner journals. When using practitioner journals, students should remain conscious that articles generally express particular views rather than balanced, evidence-based analyses. Business magazines such as Harvard Business Review, Forbes, the Australian Financial Review, HR Monthly (from AHRI) and journal articles are often a great source of such practices and strategies. But groups must remain practical - and consider such issues as cost, laws, labour skills, markets, politics and other challenges in implementing HRM practices. Please note, you must not approach a company directly - unless of course you are an employee there already.

This individual written essay allows students to critically analyse current SHRM theories and provide examples of their practical applications. The essay aims at assisting students in developing and demonstrating postgraduate level research skills including critical analysis and academic writing. The word limit of the essay is 1500 words. The essay topic will be posted on ilearn in week 2. 

Assessment criteria is outlined in the essay marking rubric located on ilearn. Students are expected to use at least 8 scholarly references in their analysis. Scholarly references means refereed journal articles and academic books or chapters, but not textbooks, newspapers or magazines. The objective is to produce a piece of individually written work that is organised in a logical and coherent manner, addresses the essay question in a focused way and uses scholarly references to support and substantiate the analysis. Students must submit their essay through Turnitin and in hard copy to the Lecturer at the beginning of the week 7 lecture (13 Sept 2016). 

Format and layout: Essays should be double spaced in Time New Roman font size 12, with either APA or Harvard referencing. There are to be no tables of contents, footnotes, or abstracts. Headings and subheadings may be used, but are not required. 

Note on late submission: No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.

This individual literature review essay allows students to investigate and critically analyse contemporary SHRM issues and challenges and their implications for policy and practice in organisations. The aims aims to assist students in developing and demonstrating postgraduate level research skills including literature search, literature review, critical analysis and academic writing. The word limit of the essay is 2500 words. 

Topics for the literature review will be discussed with students in the week 4 workshop (at the end of the class).

Assessment criteria will be outlined in the assessment marking criteria located on ilearn. Students are expected to use at least 15 scholarly references in their analysis. Scholarly references generally include refereed journal articles and academic books/chapters. Students may use sections and subsections, but are not required to do so. The objective is to produce a piece of individually written work that is organised in a logical and coherent manner, consistent with literature review guidelines generally, addresses the essay question in a focused way and uses scholarly references to support and substantiate the analysis.

The essay must be submitted via Turnitin by Thursday 12 November 2016 at 5.00pm. 

Extensions/penalties:

No extensions will be granted. Late assignments will be accepted up to 72 hours after the submission deadline. A penalty of 20% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark will apply for each complete 24 hours period that the submission is late (eg 25 hours late in submission - 40% penalty) unless an application for Disruption of Studies is made and approved.

This Assessment Task relates to the following Learning Outcomes:

• Understand  the importance of thinking stategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
• Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the creation of value, competitive advantage and employee wellbeing
• Understand  the range of alternative techniques and practices in key areas of the HR function and the reasons for choices among options
• Explain how metrics, measurement and evaluation contribute to HR sustainability
• Research some of the key contemporary issues for human resource management.