Throughout the course, you will be tasked with selecting, researching, and then writing a paper on the Human Resource Management (HRM) topic of your choice. You are encouraged to select a topic you find interesting or one that is relevant to your current or future career. I find that it is generally more enjoyable and thus successful when you focus on research for a topic you personally find interesting and relevant to you.

(1) Topic Proposal

For this portion of the assignment, you will draft a proposal for the topic you would like to further research. The paper will be on a topic of your choice, related to Human Resource Management. As a suggestion, peruse the text for a topic that is of interest to you, or that you want to more fully understand. The proposal should be between 1-2 pages, and highlight the reason for the topic selected, as well as the scope and purpose of the paper. As a minimum, you should use, cite, and reference at least five scholarly references for the paper. You will receive feedback on you proposal to help you focus in on an appropriate topic and ensure you are not taking on a focus area that is too broad or narrow in scope before moving on to the outline stage of the assignment.

(2) Topic Paper Outline & Interview

For the second portion of this assignment you will be interviewing the HR professional of your choice to gain a fresh perspective on the topic you have chosen to focus on for the course topic paper then providing a written summary of that interview along with an outline of your Topic Paper using a full sentence outline format.

The summary of your interview should provide, at a minimum, detail on the HR professional you interviewed (who they are, the functional area of HR in which they work), a list of the questions you asked, and a summary of their answers. You will of course be using data gathered within the interview as supporting detail for your final Topic Paper due in week six.

The second element due is the full sentence outline. Here, you should demonstrate that progress has been made on the course project, and that your research is well underway. You should follow APA 6th edition format guidelines as you construct your outline. Be sure to provide a list of references you have identified as useful (remember you will need to have a minimum of five for the final paper).

(3) Topic Paper

Using the work completed in the first two parts of this assignment (Proposal & Outline/Interview) complete your topic paper on your chosen HRM topic. The paper should be at least 10 - 15 pages in length (not including cover page, references) addressing the key elements identified in relation to your selected topic. You are not required to cover all elements of HRM, but only your selected target/topic area. Be mindful of the scope of your topic and watch assignment length carefully. An important element of writing at the graduate level is to be clear and concise in your delivery. As a reminder a minimum of five scholarly sources must be utilize, cited within the text of your paper, and referenced. Paper should fully follow APA 6th Edition format including the use of appropriate headings and subheadings throughout to help guide your reader and facilitate topic transitions, proper citations and references, and appropriate document format (margins, spacing, etc).