MAN4301 – Human Resource Management

Final Exam Essay Instructions

Why we should love HR?

Remember that before our first class, we all read the article “Why we hate HR” that was published in 2005? It has been more than a decade since that article was published and there were drastic changes during the past 14 years. The editor of the journal now comes to you, and asks you to write a brief article choosing either one of the following options: Option 1: A rebuttal article entitled “Why we should love HR”. Option 2: An article entitled “Why we still hate HR”. You could talk about:

• Your perspective in general: o Do you agree/disagree with the arguments made by the original article? What

are some arguments that you find wrong/inaccurate/biased? Are there any opinions that you find still apply today? Why or why not?

• Evidence that supports your argument: o What are some reasons/evidence that can support your argument? Why is HR

important to employees and the general functioning of organizations? o Or if you choose option 2, talk about something like: why you think organization

can function properly without HR. • The current status

o How can we make organizations to recognize the importance of HR? What should HR professionals do to better serve the purpose of the organization?

• The future of HR o Where do you see the field of HR going in the next 5 to 10 years?

**Feel free to cover any topics/evidence/discussion points as you see fit in your article. The general idea is to convince the reader whether we should love HR, or why we still hate HR. the above list simply entails a few questions/ideas that you could cover in your article, but it should not limit your talking points, nor should it define how you structure your article. Write the article in your own style and make it appealing and convincing!! When writing the article, make sure you:

• Think about all the topics we have covered, such as recruitment, job analysis, selection, performance management, training and development, turnover, compensation, diversity

and discrimination, strategic HR and cross-cultural/global HR management when you write the article. Cover as many topics as possible in your article.

• Include cases and/or observations of the significant incidents/changes in the last decade that, in your opinion, changed the role of HR in organizations (e.g., technology, automation, increasing emphasis on health and work-life balance…). Try to insert brief (i.e., 2-3 sentences) cases or examples throughout the article when you are trying to make a point.

• The format would be a journal article – imagine how it would appear in a business journal. Use languages that are professional and straightforward.

• Write it in essay format, not answering questions one by one. Make a cohesive story line – have 3 to 6 main themes and/or subtitles like the article “why we hate HR”, it’s a better way showing that you have a good logic flow.

*Again, what I have listed above are just some typical approaches I thought of, and you do not have to follow it. You could be creative in writing, but the ultimate goal is to convince the reader. Formatting and logic flow:

• The article should be 800-1200 words. • Use sub-headings (see the original article “Why we hate HR” for example) to describe

the main themes. • I have posted some additional articles as resources – there’s no need to read all of

them, but in case you want some supplemental ideas, that is a great starting point. • Upload through Turnitin on Canvas – the system will run plagiarism analysis. You could

use materials online but make sure you say it in your own words and cite the source (changing “I want to” to “I prefer” is not called paraphrasing!!). You can use any format you are comfortable with (e.g., APA, MLA, etc.). I am aware that there are a number of articles online – those are great resources for you to get some ideas. But at the end of the day, I want to hear what you have to say, NOT what you can find online.

• Plagiarism will be taken very seriously in this course. Do not risk it!!! Click here to see more information (e.g., what is classified as plagiarism and self-plagiarism, how to paraphrase, etc.). You are not “off the hook” simply because you cited everything. The article can and should be built on other people’s ideas, but it should also include your original thoughts.

• Use FREE services from FIU writing center to edit your essay/article before submission.