PA 7343

Human Resources Management

Spring 2006

Credit Hours: 3
Instructor: Greg Carpenter
Phone: 972-941-7614
Email: gregc@plano.gov

Overview
Dealing with people is the most difficult challenge that managers face. Public Sector
managers are no exception. Many supervisors and managers were promoted into their
positions based upon technical abilities, efficiency, and work ethic. Unfortunately, those
skills are not a predictor of success in the area of interpersonal relations. Human
resources managers spend a great deal of time dealing with the fallout from mistakes
that are made by technically competent supervisors and managers.

This class will focus on the issues that face public managers and/or HR directors in the
day to day operations of departments within public sector and non-profit organizations.
It will provide a variety of tools, techniques and principles aimed at improving the quality
of human resource management, ultimately affecting overall organizational
effectiveness. Today’s managers will find the topics covered in this class to be
essential to the effective operation of quality public sector and non-profit organizations.

Required Texts:
Evan M. Berman, James S. Bowman, Jonathan P. West, Montgomery Van Wart. 2001.
Human Resource Management in Public Service : Paradoxes, Processes, and
Problems, Thousands Oaks: Sage

T. Zane Reeves. 2006. Cases in Public Human Resource Management (2nd Edition),
Belmont, CA: Thomson-Wadsworth

Course Requirements:

Active Participation
You are expected to attend class and actively participate in class discussion. You will
also be expected to read and respond to weekly postings on WebCT. In order to be
prepared for class you will need to carefully read the assigned chapters, case studies
and/or handouts prior to class. Be prepared to discuss the topics that are covered in
the readings. Attendance in class is important to your learning and to the learning of
your fellow students. If you must miss class, let me know in advance. Absences may
affect your final grade.
Case Studies on WebCT
Most weeks one or more case studies will be assigned as part of the readings. Most of
the case studies will come from the Reeves book. All students will be required to read
the case studies and will be required to write a reaction paper on one case (as assigned
by instructor) each week and post it to WebCT. The reaction paper should be brief and
to the point. Reaction papers must be submitted by Friday, prior to the class in which
the case will be discussed.

Threaded Discussion
Students should also read and respond to the reaction papers of fellow students. Each
week, part of the participation grade will be based upon responses to the reaction
papers of other students in class. The reaction papers will be included as part of a
weekly presentation in class regarding the case.

Case Presentation
Each week a different student(s) will be responsible for leading the discussion on the
case studies. The discussion should include a brief summary of the case (4-6 minutes),
including comments from student reaction papers on WebCT. The summary should be
followed by an interactive discussion with the class, addressing alternative solutions and
their possible consequences.

Papers
You will be required to prepare a paper of 6–8 pages on one of the subjects covered
during the course of the semester. The objective of this paper is for you to explore an
area of human resources management that is of interest to you while allowing you the
opportunity to exercise and improve your professional research and writing skills. You
must cite at least four different academic sources in the paper, all drawn from books
(other than the text), or peer-reviewed journals. Other sources, such as Internet sites,
may be included in your research but do not count towards the four academic sources.
Any standard documentation technique is acceptable as long as it is consistent and
complete.

You need to confirm the subject of your paper with the instructor prior to the third class
session.
Examinations:
The objective of examinations will be to determine your understanding of the material
and will focus on concepts. They will not be an exercise in rote memory. Be prepared
for short answer and essay questions.

Example of a short answer question:

Explain the difficulty in providing a one-size-fits-all policy of dress and grooming to the
staff of a government agency.

Example of an essay question:

Discuss the major factors that affect the quality of recruitment.

Grades:
A = 100 – 90 In class participation 10%
B = 89 – 80 Threaded discussions 10%
C= 79 – 70 Case Studies 15%
F = Less than 70 Case presentation 10%
Research Paper 15%
Midterm Exam 20%
Final Exam 20%

UTD Policy on Cheating

Policy on Cheating: Students are expected to be above reproach in all scholastic
activities. Students who engage in scholastic dishonesty are subject to disciplinary
penalties, including the possibility of failure in the course and dismissal from the
university. "Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism,
collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in
whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act
designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts."
Regents' Rules and Regulations, Part One, Chapter VI, Section 3, Subsection 3.2,
Subdivision 3.22.
Schedule
January 9 Introduction

January 16 Martin Luther King Holiday

January 23 Chapter 2: Case 13:
Legal Rights and Responsibilities: Doing Sexual Harassment
the Right Things Right
Case 14:
Ethnic Discrimination

January 30 Chapter 3: Case 1:

Recruitment: From Passive Posting to Recruitment and Selection
Aggressive Head Hunting Case 2:
Promotion
Chapter 4:
Selection: From Civil Service Case 7
Commissions to Decentralized Decision Merit System Standards
Making

Confirm subject of research paper with

instructor.

February 6 Chapter 5: Case 3:

Position Management: Judicious Plan or Job Evaluation
Jigsaw Puzzle?

February 13 Chapter 6: Case 4

Compensation: Compensation
Vital, Visible, and Vicious

Chapter 7: Case 6
Family-Friendly Policies: Fashionable, Benefits
Flexible, and Fickle

February 20 Chapter 10: Case 9

Unions and the Government: Protectors, Collective Bargaining
Partners, and Punishers.
Case 10
Collective Bargaining

Case 11
Labor-Management
Relations
February 27 Midterm Exam No WebCT Posting

March 6 Spring Break No WebCT Posting

March 13 Chapter 9: Case 19

Appraisal: A Process In Search of a Performance Evaluation
Technique

March 20 Handout – Performance Management Case 23

Documentation in Discipline

Handout – Manager/Employee Interaction Case 26

Off-Duty Conduct

March 27 Conducting the Performance Appraisal Handout –

Meeting. Difficult Conversations

No WebCT Posting

April 3 Chapter 11: Handout –

Quality and Productivity in the 21st Century: HPT Principles and Models
Continuous Improvement

No WebCT Posting

April 10 Chapter 8: Case 20

Training and Development: Creating Employee Development
Learning Organizations and Training

Research Paper Due

April 17 Succession Planning: No WebCT Posting

Creating a sustainable organization

April 24 Final Exam No WebCT Posting