The purpose of human resource management (HRM) is to ensure that an organization has the right number and mix of workers. Human resource (HR) practiti

Unit 1: Introduction

Learning Objectives:

When you have completed Unit 1, you should be able to:

1. Identify the major functional activities of human resource management.
2. Understand the three main business strategies organizations can adopt.
3. Articulate how the interests of employers and workers both converge and conflict.
4. Explain how human resource practitioners use power to advance employer interests.

Introduction

The purpose of human resource management (HRM) is to ensure that an organization has the right number and mix of workers. Human resource (HR) practitioners achieve this goal by engaging in a continuum of activities, that includes:

1. Job Analysis and Design
2. Human Resource Planning
3. Recruitment and Selection
4. Compensation & Benefits
5. Orientation and Development
6. Evaluation and Performance Management
7. Ending the employment relationship.

We will explore each of these major HRM activities in this course. Before doing so, it is useful to consider the content in which HRM takes place. This unit introduces that context by examining employment relationships in Canada.

Learning Activity 1.1: Reading and Key Terms:

Read Chapter 1 of the textbook. Once you have finished reading, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and define each term listed there in one or two sentences.

These terms may be tested on the final examination. You may wish to review the instructions for the Final Examination so that you can be thinking about them as you work through the subsequent course units.

Learning Activity 1.2: Discussion Questions:

After you have finished reading Chapter 1, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 100- to 200-word answers to the Discussion Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 1.3: Self-Reflection:

After you have finished reading Chapter 1, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 200- to 500-word responses to each of the Self-Reflection Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 1.4: Selecting an Organization to Study:

Select an organization that you will study in this course and write a two-page description of it. This description should include:

• A name for the organization and the province or territory in which it operates (you may fictionalize the name).
• The good(s) or service(s) that this organization produces and its business strategy.
• A diagram of the organization’s structure showing the jobs performed by workers, reporting lines, and how many workers perform each job.
• A one-sentence description of each job.
• How you know and/or will find more information about this organization.

If you have questions about whether the organization you have selected is appropriate, please contact your tutor and share your draft description. Hold onto this description because you will need to submit it as part of Written Assignments 1 and 2.

A Note on the Course Assessments:

In this course, you will complete two written assignments. Each assignment requires you to complete a series of typical HR tasks (e.g., writing a job description). Write up the results of each task as a short memo and submit these memos to your tutor. These memos will form the basis of the two oral quizzes. At this point, you may wish to review the instructions for Written Assignment 1 and Written Assignment 2 so that you can be thinking about them as you work through the subsequent course units.

In order to complete the required HR tasks for each assignment, you will need to select an organization to write about. An organization appropriate for this course will have the following characteristics.

• Familiarity: You will need to know (or be able to find out) a reasonable amount of information about the organization. You might select an organization for which you, a family member, or a friend has worked or volunteered.
• Size: The organization should have between 15 and 50 employees (not contractors) performing at least five different jobs. A job is a collection of duties. For example, the jobs in a restaurant might include busser, cleaner, cook, host, manager, and server. If your organization has more than 50 employees, you may wish to focus on only one portion of the organization (e.g., a single department or functional area).
• Complexity: The organization should produce at least one good or service, the production of which requires the work of at least three jobs. Continuing with the restaurant example, serving a customer a meal (the service) requires the work of a host (seating, processing payment), server (taking order, delivering food), cook (preparing food), and a busser (clearing and re-setting a table).

In some of the subsequent Learning Activities, you may need to make up information (e.g., the name of a supervisor, exact job titles and duties, staffing numbers). This extemporization is entirely acceptable in order to complete the activities.

Unit 2: Employment Relations & The Law:

Learning Objectives:

When you have completed Unit 2, you should be able to:

1. Explain what the common law is and what obligations it places on employers.
2. Provide advice about the statutory requirements around compensation, pay equity, and workplace safety that affect your organization.
3. Assess and control a workplace hazard in your organization.

Introduction

HR practices are regulated by a complex web of laws, policies, and rules. HR practitioners are often tasked with ensuring their organization and its processes comply with such laws. In this unit, we’ll be examining how the common law and statutory law affects employment in Canadian workplaces. The information presented in this unit has significant implications for recruitment (Unit 5) and selection (Unit 6) as well as compensation (Unit 8) and performance management (Unit 9).

Learning Activity 2.1: Reading & Key Terms

Read Chapter 2 of the textbook. Once you have finished reading, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and define each term listed there in one or two sentences. These terms may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 2.2: Discussion Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 2, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 100- to 200-word answers to the Discussion Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 2.3: Self-Reflection Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 2, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 200- to 500-word responses to each of the Self-Reflection Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 2.4: Legal Analysis

Write a one- to two-page memo to your manager about the statutory laws regulating employment in your organization. When completing this activity:

• Use the laws applicable to the jurisdiction in which your organization operates.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo should address:

• The applicable minimum wage(s).
• Overtime rules, including any premiums and thresholds.
• Pay-equity requirements.
• The enumerated grounds upon which employment discrimination is prohibited.
• The process for handling work refusals due to safety concerns.

For advice about how to write an effective memo, please consult this tip sheet on memo writing .

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• Do you think your jurisdiction’s minimum wage is adequate? Why or why not? What criteria are you using to make that assessment?
• Why do you think governments typically require employer to pay workers a premium for overtime?
• Do you think your jurisdiction’s pay equity requirements are adequate? Why or why not?
• Which enumerated ground do you think workers are most likely to be discriminated upon? Why do you think this ground would be the most common basis for discrimination?
• What factors do you think will affect a worker’s willingness to refuse work that they think is unsafe? How could governments or employers make it more likely that workers would refuse unsafe work?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to the memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be awarded 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Minimum-wage information
• Overtime information
• Pay-equity information
• Enumerate-grounds information
• Work-refusal information

Learning Activity 2.5: Hazard Assessment

Write a one- to two-page memo to your manager that identifies and recommends how to control a workplace hazard. When completing this activity:

• Ensure you identify a specific hazard (e.g., “the workers use Mr. Clean”) rather than a broad category of hazards (e.g., “the workers use chemicals”).
• You may wish to seek out additional information about the hazard you have identified to assist you in understanding the potential harm, its risk, and its controls. 
• Ensure you recommend a specific control strategy (e.g., “glue down the loose tiles to eliminate the tripping hazard”) rather than a vague strategy (e.g., “eliminate the tripping hazard”).
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must:

• Identify a specific workplace hazard one or more workers in the organization is facing.
• Specify the type of hazard, describe the source of the hazard, and identify the ill-health and/or injury that the hazard may cause the worker(s).
• Assess the risk posed by the hazard using the simplified risk assessment tool in the textbook.
• Identify three ways to control the hazard, using the hierarchy of controls.
• Recommend a specific control and provide a rationale for the control.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• Why has the employer not controlled this hazard before now?
• What control strategies are there for this hazard?
• What criteria did you use when you selected your recommended control?
• How will the employer and workers react to your recommendation? Why will they react in these ways?
• To what degree (i.e., how well) does your recommended control strategy actually protect workers from the hazard?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to the memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Type and source of hazard
• Potential health effect
• Risk assessment
• Three potential controls
• Recommended control rationale

Unit 3: Workflow, Job Analysis, and Design:

When you have completed Unit 3, you should be able to:

1. Map an organizational workflow.
2. Conduct a job analysis.
3. Write a job description and job specification.

Introduction

This unit introduces you to workflow and job analyses. A job is a collection of duties that a worker is hired to perform. For example, a cook may order supplies, supervise kitchen staff, and coordinate and/or perform meal preparation in a restaurant kitchen. A job exists because its duties are necessary for an organization to carry out one of more of its business processes. A business process is a series of tasks are arranged to complete a piece of work, such as serving a customer a meal. This arrangement of tasks is often called a workflow.

In this unit, we will examine how to map an organizational workflow. This will include identifying how different jobs in the organization contribute to that workflow. We will perform a job analysis on one of these jobs to determine its duties, responsibilities, and working conditions as well as the requisite knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) of workers in the job. Finally, we will use this job analysis to develop a job description and job specification that will inform the recruitment and selection processes in Units 5 and 6.

Learning Activity 3.1: Reading and Key Terms:

Read Chapter 3 of the textbook. Once you have finished reading, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and define each term listed there in one or two sentences. These terms may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 3.2: Discussion Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 3, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 100- to 200-word answers to the Discussion Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 3.3: Self-Reflection Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 3, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 200- to 500-word responses to each of the Self-Reflection Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 3.4: Workflow Analysis:

Write a two-page memo to your manager that sets out a stratified workflow of an important business process in your organization. When completing this activity:

• Diagram out the stratified workflow, either by hand or using a computer program (such as the draw function of Word). It may be easiest to begin by diagramming the workflow and then, later, stratifying it by job.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• An explanation of how the workflow fits into the organization and the rationale for its selection.
• The data sources, collection methods, and verification strategy used.
• A visual representation of a stratified workflow map.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• Why did you select this workflow to document? What other workflows might you have documented?
• What data sources did you use to create this workflow and why did you select them?
• How did you verify that your workflow map is correct and why did you choose this approach?
• How might the organization use the workflow that you have documented?
• Looking at the stratification of work (i.e., who does what?), which job in this workflow appears most important and why?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Explanation of workflow’s role in organization
• Rationale for selection
• Workflow map
• Stratification of workflow
• Data sources, collection method, and verification strategy

Learning Activity 3.5: Job Analysis

Write a one- to two-page memo to your manager that contains a job analysis. When completing this activity:

• Analyze a job from the workflow analysis you completed in Learning Activity 3.4.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• An explanation of how the job fits into the workflow, the number of positions that perform this job, and the rationale for its selection.
• The data sources, collection methods, and verification strategy used.
• A job analysis similar to the one in Feature Box 3.3 of the textbook.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• What criteria did you use when you selected this job to analyze? Why did you use these criteria?
• What data sources did you use to create this job analysis and why did you select them?
• How did you verify that your job analysis is correct and why did you choose this approach?
• How might the organization use the job analysis that you have documented?
• What part of writing the job analysis was the hardest for you? What made this difficult?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Employee info and purpose
• Responsibilities
• Education, skills, and experience
• Physical demands
• Mental demands

Learning Activity 3.6: Job Description and Job Specification:

Write a one- to two-page memo to your manager that contains a job description and job specification. When completing this activity:

• Use the job you completed a job analysis for in Learning Activity 3.5.
• Please leave information about compensation blank. You will determine the appropriate compensation in Unit 6.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A job description and specification similar to Feature Box 3.4 in the textbook.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• Who are the audiences for this job description and specification?
• Which job duties were obvious and which job duties were less apparent?
• How you determine what the job duties and functions were?
• Why did you select the working conditions that you listed?
• Which qualification(s) do you think applicants are least likely to possess? Why do you think that?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Job identity
• Job summary
• Duties and functions
• Working conditions
• Job specification

Unit 4: HR Planning & Strategy

Learning Objectives

When you have completed Unit 4, you should be able to:

1. Forecast your organization’s labour demand.
2. Forecast your organization’s labour supply.
3. Perform a gap analysis and develop related HR objectives.

Introduction

Workers move into, within, and out of an organization every year. HR practitioners often participate in or lead an organization’s HR planning process:

1. Forecast Labour Demand
2. Forecast Labour Supply
3. Gap Analysis and Objective Matching
4. Planning
5. Evaluation

This process facilitates an organization forecasting future demand for and supply of workers in order to identify gaps (i.e., future worker surpluses and shortages) and then to develop a plan to address these gaps. In this unit, we’ll examine different labour demand and supply forecasting techniques and how their results can be used to develop HR objectives.

Learning Activity 4.1: Reading & Key Terms

Read Chapter 4 of the textbook. Once you have finished reading, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and define each term listed there in one or two sentences. These terms may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 4.2: Discussion Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 4, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 100- to 200-word answers to the Discussion Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 4.3: Self-Reflection Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 4, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 200- to 500-word responses to each of the Self-Reflection Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 4.4: Labour Demand Forecast

Write a one-page memo to a new manager summarizing the projected labour demand for your organization over the next year. When completing this activity:

• Use the information about your organization’s current employee complement you developed in Learning Activity 1.4.
• Assume a 10% increase in the demand for your organization’s good(s) or service(s).
• Use a ratio analysis to forecast the labour demand for next year.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A summary of the current employee complement.
• Your assumptions about growth and its impact upon the organization’s need for labour.
• Potential sources of error.
• A labour demand forecast similar to that presented in Table 4.3 of the textbook.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• Is projecting labour demand worth the effort for your organization? Why or why not?
• What factors might cause this projection to be incorrect?
• Given the possible sources of error, how confident are you in the accuracy of this projection?
• What strategies might you employ to improve your confidence in this projection?
• Overall, how useful did you find this technique for projecting labour demand? Why do you say that?   

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (10 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Summary of current employee complement
• Assumptions about growth
• Potential sources of error
• Accuracy of demand forecast
• Clarity of presentation of demand forecast

Learning Activity 4.5: Internal Labour Supply Forecast

Write one- to two-page memo to your manager summarizing the projected internal labour supply for your organization next year. When completing this activity:

• Use the information about your organization’s current employee complement you developed in Learning Activity 1.4.
• Identify the number of workers currently in each job and the percentage of workers in each job that will be in the same job, a different job, and have exited the organization by next year. You may find out or extemporize this information about your organization.
• Use a Markov analysis to forecast the labour demand for next year.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A summary of the current employee complement.
• Your assumptions about employee retention and attrition for next year.
• Potential sources of error.
• A labour supply forecast similar to that presented in Table 4.4 of the textbook.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• Is projecting internal labour supply worth the effort for your organization? Why or why not?
• What factors might cause this projection to be incorrect?
• Looking at the analysis, which job are you most concerned about staffing for next year? Why are you concerned about this job?
• Looking at the analysis, which job are you least concerned about staffing for next year? Why are you unconcerned about this job?
• What questions do the patterns in the analysis suggest might be worth looking into further?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Summary of current employee complement
• Assumptions about supply
• Potential sources of error
• Accuracy of supply projection
• Clarity of supply projection

Learning Activity 4.6: Gap Analysis and HR Objectives

Write a one- to two-page memo to a new manager that summarizes a gap analysis for the next year and presents HR objectives to close the gap. When completing this activity:

• Use the projected labour demand and supply you developed in Learning Activities 4.4 and 4.5 to inform your gap analysis.
• Identify at least three options for addressing the worker shortages, including identifying the pros and cons of each option.
• Recommend an option(s), provide a rationale for your choice, and include HR objectives consistent with the option(s) chosen.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A gap analysis presented in a manner similar to that in Table 4.5 in the textbook.
• Three options with pros and cons.
• A recommended option with rationale.
• At least two HR objectives formatted in a manner similar to that in Table 4.6 in the textbook.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• What was the first option to address the worker shortage that came to mind? Why do you think that was the first option that came to mind?
• Which of the three options are you least comfortable with and why?
• What was most challenging about writing the rationale for your recommendation? Why was that the case?
• How do you expect your boss will react to your recommendation? Why do you think that?
• Was the process of writing an HR objective helpful? Why or why not?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Gap analysis
• Options
• Recommendation
• Rationale
• Learning Objectives

Unit 5: Recruitment

Learning Objectives:

When you have completed Unit 5, you should be able to:

1. Develop a recruitment strategy for a position in your organization.
2. Write a job posting and advertisement for a position.
3. Determine how to evaluate the effectiveness of your recruitment strategy.

Introduction

Recruitment is the process of securing a pool of applicants from which to select new employees. This unit examines how HR practitioners develop recruitment strategies, the various methods available to recruit an adequate pool of applicants, and ways to evaluate the effectiveness of a recruiting strategy.

Learning Activity 5.1: Reading and Key Terms:

Read Chapter 5 of the textbook. Once you have finished reading, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and define each term listed there in one or two sentences. These terms may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 5.2: Discussion Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 5, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 100- to 200-word answers to the Discussion Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 5.3: Self-Reflection Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 5, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 200- to 500-word responses to each of the Self-Reflection Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 5.4: Recruitment Strategy

Write a one-page memo to your manager that outlines your strategy for recruiting for a position and how you will evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed strategy. When completing this activity:

• Use job you completed the job analysis for in Learning Activity 3.5.
• Use the gap analysis you created in Learning Activity 4.5 to determine how many hires you need to make to this job.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A clear plan about how you intend to fill the vacant position(s), including the specific methods you will use and a rationale for your choices.
• A process for receiving applications that addresses applicant privacy concerns.
• A plan to evaluate the effectiveness of your recruitment strategy, including one or more specific measures you will use and the rationale for their selection.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• How did the nature of the position and the number of positions to be filled affect your recruiting strategy?
• What are three trade-offs that you made in designing your recruitment strategy? Why did you make the choices you did?
• What three changes would you make to your strategy if your organization was explicitly pursuing a goal of substantially increasing racial and gender diversity?
• What negative organizational outcomes were you trying to avoid when you designed a process that protected applicant privacy?
• What are two ways that you use the information from the recruitment metric(s) that you developed to improve future recruitment to this job?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Clear recruitment method(s)
• Rationale for method(s) chosen
• Process for receiving applications
• Protection of applicant privacy
• Evaluation measure(s)

Learning Activity 5.5: Job Posting and Advertisement

Write a two-page memo to your manager that includes a job posting for your organization’s website and an advertisement for the local newspaper. When completing this activity:

• Use the job description and job specification you created in Learning Activity 3.6.
• Ensure job posting includes the elements set out in Feature Box 5.3 of the textbook. You can leave out issues of compensation as they will be examined in Unit 8.
• Ensure the job advertisement is no more than 200 words long.
• Ensure that your job posting and advertisement do not discriminate on the basis of a protected ground as set out in Learning Activity 2.4.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A copy of the job posting for the website.
• A copy of the job advertisement for the newspaper.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• If you were a potential applicant, what information (other than compensation) that is not contained in the job posting would you find useful to have about the position and how would you use this information?
• What way could the organization address this desire for additional information? What are the pros and cons of doing so?
• What criteria did you apply to determine which information from the job posting to leave out of the newspaper advertisement?
• What two changes would make to your job posting if your organization was explicitly pursuing a goal of substantially increasing racial and gender diversity?
• How would you go about ensuring that neither the job posting nor the advertisement discriminated on the basis of an enumerated ground?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Completeness of job posting
• Accuracy of job posting
• Appropriateness of newspaper advertisement
• Accuracy of newspaper advertisement
• Absence of discrimination on basis of enumerated grounds

Unit 6: Selection

Learning Objectives:

When you have completed Unit 6, you should be able to:

1. Develop a candidate-screening process.
2. Develop a candidate-selection process.
3. Write interview questions that comply with human-rights requirements.

Introduction

Once a group of candidates for a job have been identified. HR practitioners often participate in and/or lead the processes of screening candidates and selecting the best candidate(s) to hire. This unit introduces the processes and methods practitioners can use to winnow a group of applicants down to a manageable number of qualified candidates who can then be assessed to determine which one(s) to hire.

Learning Activity 6.1: Reading and Key Terms

Read Chapter 6 of the textbook. Once you have finished reading, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and define each term listed there in one or two sentences. These terms may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 6.2: Discussion Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 6, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 100- to 200-word answers to the Discussion Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 6.3: Self-Reflection Questions

After you have finished reading Chapter 6, go the exercises at the end of the chapter and write 200- to 500-word responses to each of the Self-Reflection Questions. These questions may be tested on the final examination.

Learning Activity 6.4: Candidate Screening Process

Write a one-page memo to your manager proposing a candidate-screening process. When completing this activity:

• Ensure your screening process pertains to the job description and job specification you created in Learning Activity 3.6.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A clearly laid out, cost-effective, and non-discriminatory process that identifies who will screen-out unqualified candidates from further consideration and how that will take place.
• A process that ranks minimally qualified candidates so you can further evaluate only the screened-in candidates who are most likely to meet the organization’s needs.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• What are the major costs of your screening process to the organization?
• What were three trade-offs that you ended up making when you were designing this screening process? Why did you make the choices that you did?
• If your screening process screens in unqualified applicants, how is that most likely to happen? What could you do to prevent that?
• If your screening process screens out qualified applicants, how is that most likely to happen? What could you do to prevent that?
• What sources of error might affect your ranking process? How could you minimize these sources of error?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Clarity and appropriateness of screening process
• Cost-effectiveness of the process
• Process is non-discriminatory
• Relationship between screening criteria and job description and specification
• Process of ranking minimally qualified candidates

Learning Activity 6.5: Candidate Selection Process

Write a two-page memo to your manager that proposes a selection process. When completing this activity:

• Ensure there is an interview portion.
• Ensure the selection process is appropriate to the job description and job specification you created in Learning Activity 3.6 and avoids the errors outlined in Figure 6.4 of the textbook.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A clearly laid out process that identifies who will participate in which selection method(s) and the rationale for each method chosen.
• The decision-making process you will use to select the successful candidate(s) from among the minimally qualified candidates
• How the data collected during the selection process will be used to inform the decision-making process.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• The candidates at this stage were screened in as minimally qualified. How will you verify each candidate truly possesses the minimum qualifications and why did you choose this approach?
• What is the key information you need to elicit during the selection process to select the “best” candidate and how will you elicit this information? Why did you choose this approach?
• What are the candidates likely to think about the information you are soliciting and how you are soliciting it? Is there any risk they will opt out of the process and is this information so important that it is worth taking such a risk?
• What are the key sources of error that this approach will need to contend with?
• How will you decide which candidate is the best candidate? Why have you adopted this approach?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Appropriateness of selection methods
• Rationale for methods chosen
• Key sources of error
• Relationship between data collected and decision-making
• Appropriateness of decision-making process

Learning 6.6: Interview Questions

Write a one-page memo to your manager proposing a list of questions to ask applicants during an interview. When completing this activity:

• Ensure your questions pertain to the job description and job specification you created in Learning Activity 3.6 and avoid the errors outlined in Table 6.3 of the textbook.
• Ensure your questions are compliant with your organization’s human rights obligations.
• Ensure you consider how the applicant may view the questions you are asking.
• Ensure you properly cite the source of the information you use in APA format.
• Hold onto this memo as you will be submitting it as part of Assignment 1.

Your memo must include:

• A list of interview questions with time allocated for answers totalling 45 minutes.
• A brief explanation of what information each question elicits and how that answer feeds into the decision-making process you have set out in Learning Activity 6.5.

As you write your memo, consider these questions:

• What information is each question designed to elicit? Does each question actually elicit this information?
• How does the answer from each question contribute to your decision-making process in Learning Activity 6.5?
• Are the questions consistent with your organization’s obligation to ensure a process free from discrimination?
• How will candidates react to the questions you are asking? Is there any risk they will opt out of the process and is the information gained important enough to be worth this risk?
• Why have you sequenced the questions in the order you have used? If the interview ends due to time constraints two-thirds of the way through, will you have enough information to make a decision?

The marking rubric the tutor will apply to this memo is:

Preliminary Scan

Did student adequately cite sources? If yes, award 4 marks and continue. If no, return for revision.

Marking Rubric

Students will be award 0 to 3 points on each of the following criteria (25 possible marks).

• Quality of writing
• Organization of memo
• Questions elicit intended information
• Questions elicit information that informs decision-making
• Questions are not discriminatory
• Questions will not trigger candidate attrition
• Questions are appropriately sequenced