HR Best Practices Paper: 25% of course grade
Each student will conduct an in-depth analysis from an HRM perspective on an organization of their choice, either U.S.-based or abroad. The selection of an organization must be approved by the professor in advance and is on a first-come, first-served basis to avoid overlap.
Students have the autonomy to select the specific HR practices to include in their papers, as some organizations will have more information available about certain workforce best practices they invest in that they believe make them “shine”, such as work-life balance, managing diversity, training and development, employee benefits and wellness, career development, mentoring, etc.
Papers should be a minimum of 7 double-spaced pages (including title page and references page, which means the content should be at least 5 full pages) in length and presented in APA format. Each paper should include a minimum of five credible references that may include business magazines (e.g., Bloomberg, Time, Forbes), newspapers (e.g., The New York Times, Wall Street Journal), professional publications (e.g., HR Magazine), and peer-reviewed research journal articles (e.g., Academy of Management Journal).
NOTE: If there are any spelling or grammar errors, the final paper will automatically receive a zero, and returned to the student for corrections. If a corrected version is submitted no later than the conclusion of week seven, the revised paper will be reviewed and re-graded accordingly.
Papers should be structured as follows:
Title Page
An introduction of the organization, its products and services, history, mission, and vision
An introduction of the best practices discussed, and an in-depth analysis of each best practice
Your perspective on the value of these practices, based on your analysis
Are the practices meaningful and impactful to the workforce, or just “fluff” to make the organization look good?
Are there findings from your resources to support the usefulness and relevance of these practices?
Do these practices have real-world sustainability (cost-effective, management supported), or will they probably be short-lived efforts? Why do you believe this?
How do these practices make the organization successful and a competitive force in their respective industry?
Conclusion – tie everything together and make concluding remarks
References Page
Grading Rubric: Research Paper
I. Structure and Mechanics: 40 points
Paper meets the minimum required length.
/20
Paper follows APA format standards for title page, page numbers, spacing, in-text citations, and references page.
/20
Paper is free of spelling and grammar errors.
AUTOMATIC ZERO
II. Content: 40 points
Topic is relevant to course material, and the introduction provides sufficient background on the topic and previews major points.
/5
The content is comprehensive, accurate, and /or persuasive.
/10
The paper develops a central theme or idea, directed toward the appropriate audience.
/5
Major points are stated clearly, are supported by specific details, relevant examples, or analysis, and are organized logically.
/10
Direct quotes from references comprise less than 5% of the paper content.
/5
The conclusion is logical and reviews key points in its wrap-up.
/5
III. Style: 20 points
Paragraph transitions enable seamless logical sequence and flow from one idea to another throughout the paper.
/5
The tone is formal and appropriate to the content and assignment.
/5
Sentences are clear, well-constructed, and complete (no fragments)
/10