Question: Research Briefing

Content Requirements: Look at the Conceptual Model of HR. Choose one area you find interesting. Based on your own experiences and readings, what would you like to see happen in that area? For instance, in Total Rewards/Compensation, maybe you'd like to have paid family medical leave. In performance management, perhaps you would like to have a particular type of appraisal process. Or, if you're looking at employee relations, maybe you'd like to adopt a teleworking policy at an organization. Maybe you see a change in the labor pool, law, or technology that will impact your chosen HR area and you want to address how such change will be incorporated.

Once you've identified a specific area to explore, ask: If I had to propose this idea to executive management, how could I address the pro vs. con questions:

How might it impact a hypothetical organization's strategic direction and operations? Why would an organization want or not want to do this?

How might it impact employees? Why would employees want or not want this?

What impact would it have on other parts of the HR system? Would other dimensions of HR need to change in order for my proposal to work? What support might be needed from the other HR areas? For instance, would we have to pay more, revise job descriptions, train staff, or lay-off people?

How would we measure whether my proposed idea succeeded?

What are real organizations doing about this? Give at least one specific, referenced example.

When answering the content questions, be sure:

The work is original. Remember that you may not submit work that was created for any other class.

The content is substantial and represents a significant literature review. In other words, the material extends substantially beyond the course readings. The issues discussed are key facets of the topic.

Most of the references represent scholarly sources.Plan to use 8-12 sources for the paper. (Use UMUC's library. The librarians are very helpful.)

Since they are not vetted, commercial websites (.com) are not used unless the reason is to report the organization's own policies or strategies as an example to illustrate a point.

Because the HRM field has been changing rapidly in the last few decades, sources published prior to 2009 should be avoided, except when some brief history of the topic is necessary.

Points are well supported with logic, data, and/or examples.

Conclusions demonstrate integrative, critical thinking.

Presentation: The introduction tells the reader the purpose of the research and the agenda for the paper. (Do NOT use an abstract.)

Special terms are defined.

Points are logically sequenced; the paper is well-organized.

The summary recaps the key points and provides psychological closure to the discussion.

Technical aspects of writing (i.e., grammar, sentence structure, and spelling) are correct.

Academic style (i.e., appropriate diction, clarity, smooth transitions, and an audience-oriented approach) is demonstrated.Note: This is a research paper, thus please do not:

• Write in the 1st or 2nd person (I, me, my, we, us, you, your, our, etc.)

• Share personal stories or workplace situations

• Express your beliefs, feelings, or opinions on the subject

The body of the paper does not exceed 8 double-spaced pages. (The page limit asks you to think about what is most important and to communicate it concisely. This is a valuable business skill since managers often have time to read only the executive summaries or the first page of a resume! Note: This does not mean that substance should be sacrificed; it just means it should be presented concisely.)

A maximum of one table is used, and only if it is required to provide critical information.

A maximum of one bulleted list is used, if needed.

Citations are given for non-original material, using APA format for the in-text citation as well as the reference list.

Administrative Preparation

The paper is posted by the deadline in the proper place, using a Word file format. Per the syllabus, a grade penalty can apply if the document is late.

The title page contains your name and class section.

An abstract page is not used.

Headers and footers are not used. (They can make it difficult to provide feedback.)

A 12-point font is used, and margins are reasonable.

Pages are numbered.

The title page, the body, and the reference listing are not followed by any other appendices.