The University at Albany
Fall 1999
School of Business
Department of Management

Syllabus:

MGMT 601 Human Resource Information Systems
MGMT 603 Techniques in Human Resource Management
MGMT 610 HR/IS Lab

First Semester Core Faculty & Instructors: Hal Gueutal, Ph.D. (Subprogram Director)

Office Hours:

Office hours will be posted on the faculty member's office door and will be announced in class. In general, the faculty is available on Tuesday and/or Thursday afternoons, and at additional times by appointment. Please check with the individual faculty member you wish to see.

Overview:

This syllabus covers the fall semester core courses for the HR/HRIS MBA specialization. Both courses and the HRIS lab course are represented here since they are generally related. Please note that the lab course (MGMT610) will run the entire academic year. It is "scheduled" in the fall semester for administrative purposes. You should plan on continued participation in 610 in the spring semester. This syllabus should be viewed as a guide and will undoubtedly change over the course of the semester. Changes will be necessary to accommodate speakers, seminars, and other learning opportunities that arise.

Learning Objectives:

These courses provide students concentrating in Human Resources and Human Resource Information Systems with an intensive program of professional study. The content of the courses is designed to impart the knowledge base, as well as the job skills required of professionals in the Human Resource area. At the conclusion of this series of courses (which continues in the second semester) you should have a thorough working knowledge of the Human Resource function with special emphasis on the use of HRIS systems. You should be qualified to assume a managerial position as a Human Resource generalist or specialist.

We will help you develop a set of core HRM competencies. Throughout the year we will discuss these competencies and provide readings, exercises, simulations, and lecture material to assist you. It is your responsibility to develop these competencies and to inform the instructors if there are specific areas in which you are having difficulty. Please remember that content mastery is your responsibility. Just as in your professional career, you will need to take the initiative to acquire knowledge and skills, and to become a life-long learner.

We believe that it is critical that you develop the skills necessary to work in a team environment. Most of your assignments will be team-based projects. Your grade will depend on the overall performance of the group as well as your individual contribution to the group. We will utilize peer ratings to assess your individual contribution to group performance.

Class Format:

A varied class format is used. This will include lecture, guest speakers, case discussions, in-class exercises, presentations by class members, and computer skill training. We expect you to be actively involved in the class-reading, talking, presenting, calling our bluff, etc. We expect to learn from you if you are doing your job. Part of your grade will depend on the quality of your involvement and participation.

Given the wide variety of learning methods that will be used, the schedule provided should be viewed as a guideline. If the class wishes to spend additional time on a given topic, or speakers are not available on the anticipated dates, the schedule may (and probably will!) be altered. It is also likely that we will invite alumni and corporate speakers to campus and may need to meet at times convenient for them.

Please note: We expect you to be available on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings for class, HRIS training seminars, and recruiting events. We will typically meet on Wednesday and Thursday. However, if a recruiting event or training seminar pre-empts class on one of these days, we will meet on Tuesday. We will let you know about Tuesday meetings as soon as we know about them.

Grading:

Your grade in this program will be based on several factors as evaluated by the faculty. These factors may include: quizzes, class participation (including online discussions), project quality, HR exercises, oral briefing performance and professional demeanor. Your performance on group projects and individual presentations will also be judged by your fellow team members and other students.

Text and Professional Books (required):

Human Resource Information Systems: Design and Applications, Kavanagh, M., Gueutal, H., and Tannenbaum, S. PWS/Kent Publishing, 1990. (copies will be distributed in class)

Human Resource Management: Principles and Practice, 2nd ed., Donald Myers, Commerce Clearing House, Inc., 1992.

Database Management and Design, Hansen, G., and Hansen, J. Prentice Hall, 1992.

Flawless Consulting: A Guide to Getting Your Expertise Used, Peter Block, Learning Concepts, Distributed by University Associates, 1981, 215 p.

PC Projects for Human Resource Management, Beutell, N. J. New York: West Publishing Company, 1996. (more than one student may share a copy)

You will be using a variety of software packages. Many alumni have told us that it is helpful to have personal copies of some manuals. We do not expect that you will purchase manuals for all these packages, however, you may wish to team up with others in the class to share reference manuals. Please make sure the manuals you purchase are for the appropriate version of the software in the lab.

As a program we have standardized on Microsoft Office software. This includes WINDOWS, WORD, POWERPOINT, EXCEL, and ACCESS. You should become familiar with all these packages. There are a number of excellent self-paced manuals on the market and we encourage you to work through one if you are not familiar with these packages. As a policy, the University, School, and Department do not condone unauthorized copying of software.

Project Assignments:

Several project assignments are required for these courses. These projects are intended to provide you with the opportunity to undertake job tasks similar in nature to those you may be asked to perform in your professional career. Each project is directly linked to a major component of the HRM core program and competencies. A formal written report is required for most projects. Several projects are described as follows, and others may be announced during the semester.

HRIS Issues/Technology Analysis (2 per student)

Key Faculty Member: M. Fogelman

Each student will review and analyze a minimum of three articles and other sources related to an aspect of or issue in HRIS, enterprise computing, or some other topic covered in the course. The student will present and lead a class discussion of each topic, which may be initiated by the student with instructor approval. Samples of such topics include "HR implications of the European Union Privacy Directive," "spanning divisional barriers and 'information islands' in knowledge management system projects," and "reviewing approaches to assuring data quality in legacy systems and warehouse environments." These projects are designed to simulate the short, "urgent" assignments junior team members often receive on the job. Each concise presentation (well under 10 minutes) and written analysis (up to 3 pages, double-spaced) will be evaluated for both content and style

Applications Presentations

Key Faculty Member: M. Fogelman

In teams of up to four, class members will be responsible for making a 30-minute presentation on an HRIS application (e.g., payroll, flex-benefits, applicant tracking). This presentation will require you to research an HRIS application and describe current practice, software, and future developments as they relate to that application. Each presentation will be evaluated (by faculty and peers) on both content and presentation quality. A written summary will be maintained for future reference.

Database Projects

Key Faculty Member: M. Fogelman

The class will be divided into teams to design and develop a complete database application. This process of design and development closely mirrors the type of professional activity that you will be expected to develop as a graduate of our program. Teams will make presentations of their applications late in the first semester. We strongly advise all team members to be ACTIVE participants in all phases of the project. What you learn in this exercise you will need in the future.

HR Practice Assignments

Key Faculty Members: C. Champagne and M. Buenau-Ciccone

There will be at least five small HR assignments during the semester. These assignments are designed to help you learn and practice HR techniques. You will be given only one or two weeks to complete the assignments, and in most cases you will present your applications in class. HR assignments will include, but are not limited to the following: (a) HR careers and interviewing skills, (b) reengineering HR systems, (c) downsizing strategies and alternatives, (d) job analysis, and development of a selection system. Assignments will be graded at the discretion of the faculty and may include a peer-rating component.

Team Training Project

Key Faculty Member: G. Yukl

Teams of 3 persons will design a short course or workshop involving several hours of formal training in some type of interpersonal skill, cognitive skill, or complex technical operation. The content of the training program will be determined when my part of the class begins. Each team will prepare a preliminary outline of its proposed training program and meet with me to review it. Then each team will prepare a detailed module description that includes the specified requirements provided in my syllabus. Finally, each team will make a presentation that includes a brief description of the objectives and design of their workshop, followed by a presentation of a part of it that would be interesting to the other students (who will serve as trainees). The primary written deliverable for the team is a workshop description like the samples that will be provided.

Oral Briefings

Each student, as part of a team, will be required to participate in an oral briefing. This briefing is designed to test your expertise and to develop your communication skills. The briefing will cover the topics covered in class, assigned readings, outside presenters, etc. The faculty will assume the role of senior executives or clients discussing HRM activities and options with MBA HR experts. You will be required to "think on your feet" and respond to questions. Your will be given a case context from which to base your answers. You will receive feedback on both your content knowledge and communication style.

Master Syllabus Overview, Release 1.0
READ VERY CAREFULLY!!

Note: This schedule is tentative and subject to change. Weplan to invite a number of guest speakers during the semester and may need to rearrange classes to accommodate their schedules. In addition HRIS training, IHRIM meetings or other events often require schedule changes.

Reading assignments will generally be handed out one week prior to class.