Assignment details
For Assessment 2, students will be required to write 1,500-word essay on one of set group of topics identified in the Assessment 2 Essay Handout. Review the Assessment 2 Essay Handout for details.

Instructions

For this task, students are required to develop an essay outline addressing the following points:

• identify the topic chosen for the essay
• briefly describe the response to at least 3 sub points of the topic
• Identify relevant models, concepts, theories and/or literature resources at address the topic chosen.
• Identify at least three relevant journal articles that support the chosen topic.

Rationale

This outline is used to ensure students have clearly identified the essay topic, have an understanding of the essay goals and outcomes and understand the research and analysis requirements for authoring the essay.

Students must also be prepared to discuss their essay topic and address any relevant questions from the lecturer.

Submission:

The essay outline will be submitted through a wiki, blog or relevant online submission portal.

Word limit:
300 words

Assessment 2 – Essay

Rationale
Essays test a student’s ability to assess information, formulate arguments, and critically evaluate different alternatives to issues or problems.

Instructions
In this assessment students must write a 1500-word essay on one of the following topics:

1. Employee engagement is a global issue, with levels of below 30percent being reported globally. Discuss what factors contribute to employee engagement and how HR can take a strategic role in enhancing employee engagement.

• Define employee engagement, referring to related terms such as job satisfaction, motivation and other related concepts.
• Outline the factors which may have contributed to the reducing levels of employee engagement in the current work environment this will include demographic factors and also workplace factors.
• Outline and discuss how HR can strategically contribute to the assessment and effective management and enhancement of employee engagement to contribute to organisational goals and outcomes.

2. What is HR’s role in performance management and performance appraisal and how can this role assist organisations to achieve strategic goals?

• Explain the key characteristics of performance management and performance appraisal making a clear distinction between these.
• Discuss the challenges associated with these processes from managers and employees perspectives
• Indicate how these processes can contribute to organisational goals and outcomes
• Outline and discuss the role of HR in these processes and ways in which HR can make a contribution to the achievement of strategic goals through these processes.

3. Downsizing aims to achieve greater organisational efficiency by job elimination however there are often negative outcomes from a poorly designed and implemented policy and approach.

• Define and explain what the downsizing strategy is referring also to alternative strategies.
• Outline the processes required when downsizing is implemented referring to legislation and requirements in regard to the protection of employee rights.
• Discuss how downsizing can be implemented and the challenges which can be faced by organisations in terms of employees both those who are retrenched and those who remain. Clearly explain the negative effects of poorly implemented downsizing policies in the short and long term.
• Throughout discuss the role of HR in this process and how the HR role can effectively assist the implementation of organisations strategic goals whilst also considering the needs of each of the relevant stakeholders in this process.

The precise wording and scope of the essay should be discussed and agreed with the subject coordinator by the end of Week Eight.

Students are required to undertake the following in conducting students analysis:

1. Refer to and apply relevant models, concepts, theories and literature in the field of human resource management.
2. Students are expected to incorporate relevant research and theory from the broader human resources literature (e.g., journal articles and/or books), not just the text and course materials (in addition to ‘other’ sources, students r reference list should include a minimum of three journal articles)

Essay Section Headings

The essay submission must be developed with section headings as listed below with the relevant content, research and analysis included under each heading:

• Introduction
• Background of topic identified
• Arguments for and against selected topic
• Applicability of approach
• Impact of concepts of selected topic
• Examples of selected topic dilemmas explained
• Analysis of how HR value adds or manages the selected topic
• Relevant models, concepts, theories and literature in the field of human resources
• Supporting research and theory from human resource management literature, journals, etc.