HRMD 620 Note Submissions Will Not Be Accepted After 209301
Hrmd 620note Submissions Will Not Be Accepted After Grades For This A
Research Briefing Paper (Synthesis category = 20% of Course Grade) – The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen your research skills, enhance your presentation skills, and expand your knowledge. You will need to research material beyond the class readings to investigate labor/employee relations at a specific organization. You will report your findings to the class in a briefing paper ( 5 or 6 double-spaced pages , not including the title page and reference list). You’ll need between 15-20 sources . Scholarly sources from academic libraries should dominate your research.
Wikipedia is not an acceptable source. Of course, you may use online libraries, such as the one at UMUC. Given much of the information available via the web is not screened for accuracy, you should be careful in selecting information from this source. In other words, website information should be used appropriately (i.e., to describe a specific company's program or report a governmental policy). APA should be used to reference your sources.
Additional instructions will be provided. (Course Objectives 1, 2, 3, 4, 6) Note: Graduate School courses require about 25 sources for a standard term paper. The 15-20 sources needed here are part of the overall research requirement. Instead of writing an 18-25 page paper, however, this assignment reduces the requirement to 5-6 double-spaced pages of an executive briefing. This way you meet the research requirements but have a smaller writing task. Being concise and knowing which information to include, however, can be challenging; so, allow yourself enough time to craft a suitable product.
Good presentations of any nature have much more research to support the amount of material that is presented, so this is a good skill to develop. It may help to think of this assignment as a presentation to a meeting of very busy people. They will give you a few minutes of their time to present your 5-6 double-spaced pages of information. You’ll want to include the key points in it. Exceeding the 6 page limit does not indicate a “better, more thorough” paper.
Having less than 5 pages raises the question of adequacy. Identifying your Topic Choice of Organization Assume you are an external consultant hired to provide executive level management a concise report about labor relations in an organization. Choose one current organization in the private or public sector. You will likely need to choose a large, visible organization in order for material to be available. There is usually a sufficient amount of material for retail giants, supermarkets chains, clothing manufacturers, prominent hotels, key airlines, automotive manufacturers, hospitals, mining companies, and large government agencies.
In order to keep an objective mindset, do not select an organization for which you work or did work. Perhaps you’d like to choose an organization that provides a product or service that you use. Just be sure there is enough accessible information. You will need to consult publicly-available material, such as reputable news reports, journal articles, and government documents. Confidential information internal to the organization should not be used, but public material provided by the organization and/or a union can be used as long as its credibility is given appropriate weight.
Once the organization is selected, discuss: How well does it manage its labor/employee relations? What are its strengths and weaknesses? Tip: One way to think about the content is through a series of questions: --Definition: For purposes of your analysis, who is the organization? Is it only part of a larger enterprise? For instance, is it only the U.S. locations or specific operations within the U.S.? What role does labor have in its operations? For instance, how large is the labor force? Who are the employees? Is labor a critical piece of production or does technology do most of the work? --Management's view: How well does it think its employee/labor relations is going? Is it meeting its own criteria for "good"? Does it do what it claims in its strategic plan and public professions? What is the evidence that it is or is not? What would it continue or change if it could? --Labor's view: How do employees think they are treated? What is the evidence? What role have unions had/tried to have in this relationship between employees and management? What would employees/the union continue or change? Tip: To obtain needed evidence, also consider other points of view: How does the government, industry, and other facets of society view the organization’s labor relations? For instance, has the NLRB ruled against the organization consistently for the same reason? Did the organization win any industry awards for managing its people?
Paper For Above instruction
Introduction
Labor relations are a crucial aspect of organizational management, affecting productivity, employee satisfaction, and overall corporate reputation. For this briefing paper, I have selected [Organization Name], a prominent entity within the [industry sector], to analyze its labor and employee relations. The primary objective is to assess how effectively the organization manages its labor force, identify key strengths and weaknesses, and evaluate the perspectives of management, employees, and other societal stakeholders.
Organization Profile
[Organization Name] operates within [geographic scope, e.g., the U.S. or specific regions] and is classified as a [public/private] sector organization, size, scope]. The organization's labor force comprises approximately [number] employees across various departments, including [list major departments]. Labor plays an integral role in its operations, especially in [production, service delivery, specific functions]. The organization employs a mix of skilled and unskilled workers, with a significant portion represented by unions.
Management's Perspective on Labor Relations
Management perceives its labor relations as [positive, neutral, needs improvement]. Its strategic plans emphasize [collaboration, productivity, employee engagement] to ensure consistency with organizational goals. Evidence suggests that management believes it fulfills its commitments, as indicated by [publicized policies, employee surveys, industry awards]. However, some reports point to ongoing challenges such as [strikes, bargaining disputes, turnover rates]. If given the opportunity, management indicates it would [continue, modify] existing policies to improve relations further.
Employee and Union Perspectives
Employees generally perceive their treatment as [fair, mixed, unfavorable]. Evidence includes [employee surveys, complaints, union reports]. Unions have historically played a role in advocating for better wages, benefits, and working conditions. Some employees and union representatives express a desire for [more collective bargaining power, better safety measures, transparency]. Conversely, management argues that the organization maintains [good, fair] standards and has made efforts to address employee concerns, though acknowledgment of persistent issues exists.
External Evaluation and Societal Perspectives
The organization’s labor relations practices have been scrutinized by the [relevant government agency], which has [ruled, fined, acknowledged] based on [specific issues]. Industry awards or recognition have been received for [best practices, labor management]. The broader societal view indicates that [organization]’s labor relations are [generally positive, controversial], reflecting a mix of commendations and criticisms.
Analysis of Strengths and Weaknesses
Among the organization’s strengths are [efficient conflict resolution mechanisms, comprehensive employee benefits, active training programs]. Weaknesses include [inequality in bargaining power, unresolved grievances, limited transparency]. Overall, the organization demonstrates a commitment to maintaining a functioning labor relation system, but with room for improvement to address employee concerns and societal expectations.
Conclusion
This analysis indicates that [Organization Name] exhibits a mixture of effective labor management practices and areas needing development. For future improvement, the organization should consider [enhanced communication, union engagement, policy transparency]. As a strategic external advisor, my recommendation is to focus on building trust and fostering collaborative labor relations to support sustainable growth and employee well-being.
References
- Author, A. (Year). Title of the scholarly article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), pages.
- Author, B., & Author, C. (Year). Book title. Publisher.
- Organization Reports, (Year). Title of the report. Publisher or URL.
- Government Agency. (Year). Title of the report. URL.
- News Source. (Year). Title of the article. Newspaper Name.
- Industry Award Organization. (Year). Award title. URL or publication.
- Union Report. (Year). Title of union publication. URL.
- Academic Database. (Year). Search results of relevant articles. URL.
- Relevant Government Document. (Year). Title. URL.
- Scholarly source. (Year). Title. Journal or Book. DOI or URL.