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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Human Resource Management (Face-to-Face)

MGMT 3240-01

Course: MGMT 3240-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: MHRH
CRN: 10431

Course Description

The study of effectively selecting, utilizing, assessing, and developing human resources as well as the role of the human resource department in administering human resources in a changing and demanding environment. (Fall, Spring, Summer) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Prerequisite(s): MGMT 3180 - Prerequisite Min. Grade: D- Registration Restriction(s): None

Required Texts

Textbook
Mastering Human Resource Management, by Derek Crews, 2nd Edition. ISBN 979-8-88794-971-1. This is a customized textbook, so there is a unique URL and link for students to purchase/rent the book by students within Canvas and with the SUU Bookstore.

Course Packet
The course packet (consisting of three cases and three course readings) can be purchased by students a link within Canvas.

Learning Outcomes

Rest assured that HR management is a much more important, existing and dynamic field than the course description suggests. After all, an organization is only as good as the people it has and its ability to align those individuals’ efforts toward a common goal. Thus, HR management – when done well – is a strategic resource that helps to identify, obtain, develop, and manage human capital: the knowledge, skills, and abilities that people bring to every organization, and on which every organization relies.

In this course, we will examine a wide range of HR-related issues, from the hiring process to training and compensation, including some of the potential legal pitfalls along the way, with a focus on how organizations leverage HR into a business asset.

Course Requirements

Discussion Responses – 30 required (10% of overall grade)
In each class period, we will engage in discussion topics about the materials we are learning about in the textbook and course packet cases, which may include material from textbook chapter podcasts, the “What Do You Think?” sections mid-chapter, and the “Theory-In-Practice (TIP) Exercises” and “Case Study” sections at the end of each chapter. These discussion topics will provide an opportunity for students to both engage with fellow classmates and practice critical thinking skills on the topics at hand. Think of this also as the “attendance or participation” points for the class.

Sometime during our in-person class period, I’ll distribute a piece of paper that gives students a prompt or situation for them to consider on that week’s topic. At the end of each class period, students will then, physically and individually, write out a legible response to the prompt or situation and turn it into me at the end of class. Students should discuss the prompt with others in the class prior to writing their response and turning it in at the end of class.

Here are the criteria for full credit on these discussion responses:
  • Must be legible – If I can’t make out the student’s name and/or what they are saying, either due to poor penmanship or poor spelling/grammar, points will be deducted. Satisfactory penmanship and clear on-the-spot thinking/writing is becoming a lost art in today’s AI-centric society, but these are qualities that should be practiced and modeled more. This is particularly true in HR management, where managers or employees randomly show up in HR and expect them to quickly have or create the answers needed to move forward, hence why I’m having students complete these assignments in this manner.
  • Must attend class – Because I’m giving these discussion prompts out in class, students must attend class to participate and get these points. On that front, I understand life also happens and students may be unable to attend every class due to illness, student-athlete trips, etc. As such, only 30 of these discussion response papers will count towards a student’s final grade, out of the 38 total times we meet F2F during the semester (34 of which will include a lecture + 4 dedicated study hall days to work on assignments, ask questions, etc.). This gives students some latitude to miss a few days of class without their absence from class negatively impacting this grade directly.
  • Each discussion response must be at least 2-3 sentences or a small paragraph and be devoid of punctuation/spelling/grammar errors, where I can see the student has put some thought into the response. Citing from the textbook or case study as part of their response (example: Textbook, ch. 1.7 or Textbook Podcast, ch. 3 or Is It Fair case, pg. 2) will be viewed favorably as I’m grading these.

Quizzes – 14 required (10% of overall grade)
To help motivate students to keep up with readings, there are fifteen (15) total quizzes for this course that will all be completed within Canvas: one introductory quiz covering the course syllabus and objectives (as well as the Class FAQs) and fourteen (14) chapter quizzes covering material from each assigned chapter of the textbook. The introductory quiz will not count towards the student’s quiz grade, but a passing score of 8/10 or higher on the introductory quiz is prerequisite to the student getting access to the other modules and course materials (hence why this is part of Module 0).

All fourteen (14) chapter quizzes will count towards the student’s grade, as they cover materials that are important for students to comprehend and apply within management. The quiz questions will be similarly formatted to the exams, so quizzes also help prepare students for the exams by serving as “knowledge checks”. Chapter quizzes will consist of ten (10) randomly picked multiple-choice questions from the textbook chapter, meaning there will be different versions of each chapter quiz and the questions assigned at random per student attempt. Students will have ten (10) minutes per quiz attempt. To make sure students are doing the very best they can in this course, I give students two attempts to complete each quiz by the assigned due date (with a 20-minute gap required between each attempt). The highest score per quiz will count towards the final grade.

Students are encouraged to attempt each quiz twice, both to increase their potential score and to use the quiz as preparation for the exam (as the questions for each quiz attempt will vary to a degree). For quizzes, students may use their textbook, personal notes, and Canvas course materials, but students may not use other online sources nor communicate with others while taking a quiz. While these are open-book quizzes, students should resist the temptation to simply find the answers while skipping the reading; after all, the point of the reading is to help student learn the material and this reading/quiz preparation will prove valuable to the students, given that the exams have different criteria as outlined below.

Exams: Midterms (10% each of overall grade^) and Final Exam (20% of overall grade^)
To demonstrate student understanding and mastery of the HR management principles that we’ll be studying, there will be three exams for this course: two midterm exams and one final exam.
  • Midterm exam #1 will cover Chapters 1 – 4 from the textbook + three course packet readings
  • Midterm exam #2 will cover Chapters 5 – 9 from the textbook + one course packet reading
  • The final exam will primarily cover Chapters 10 – 14 from the textbook + two course packet readings but will also include some review questions from both midterms. Thus, students should consider this final exam as “comprehensive-lite”, for study purposes.
The exams consist of a combination of true/false questions and multiple-choice questions.

Midterm exams will be available on Canvas and are timed, so they will submit automatically at the conclusion of the allocated time (if not submitted before time expires). My F2F classes are required to take these midterm exams within the SUU Testing Center, so students should familiarize themselves with the Testing Center’s hours of operation so that they can plan accordingly in the weeks when exams will be available. Unlike quizzes, students are NOT allowed to use their textbook or course packet while completing exams; they are, however, allowed to create one 8.5x11 “notecard” that they can take with them into the Testing Center and refer to while completing the exam. Please note the Testing Center will take these notecards from students at the conclusion of the exam, so if students desire a reference copy, they should make a copy in advance of going to the Testing Center.

The final exam will take place in-class during our scheduled final exam day and time. Students should bring a scantron sheet and No. 2 pencil (along with their final exam “notecard”) with them as they will need these items to complete the final exam. As the final exam only allows these materials, students need only bring these materials to class that day (no computer or other materials). Like the midterm exams, the final exam is also timed, which I will manage manually, so if students pick any day to be on time to class, this would be the one.

^To make sure students are doing the very best they can in this course, I offer the following:
  • If a student scores better on the final exam than on a midterm exam, I will drop the lowest midterm exam grade and add the weight to the final exam score.
    • For example: Student Z scores 77% on midterm exam #1 and 64% on midterm exam #2, then achieves an 85% on the final exam. Upon seeing this, I will adjust grading to reflect an 85% as 30% of Student Z’s exam grade and 77% as 10% of Student Z’s exam grade, while ignoring the low 64% score.
  • To earn this benefit, students must have completed both midterms in good faith and on time (or with an extension worked out with me, pursuant to the late policy). My judgment about what constitutes “good faith” will be final.

Case Analyses (20% each of overall grade)
Business cases involve detailed factual scenarios detailing complex problems faced by real business leaders (and are found in the course packet the students purchase). These assignments provide an opportunity to apply the course material to solve a real-life business problem.

Students will be given an opportunity to analyze and prepare written responses to three cases during the term, with the highest two scores being included in their final grade. If a student turns in all three cases on time and in good faith, the third case will receive a 5% grade bonus, after which I will then drop the lowest case analysis score. There are no specific page limits, but a complete analysis almost certainly requires several pages (5+ pages is typical) to fully address the solution(s) to the problems presented and explain their implementation timeline of the solution. The grading focus on these assignments is on how well a student uses the data from the case and our course material to solve the problem, not whether the student got a “right” answer or if the student wrote a sufficiently long essay.

More information about these assignments and how to prepare them will be provided closer to due dates.

Course Outline

  • Week 1 are Modules 0 & 1
    • Module 0 = overview of Canvas course and modules, review of syllabus and Class FAQs, concluding with the course introductory quiz, all due by end of week.
    • Module 1 = covers Human Resource Management (Chapter 1). Involves readings and one chapter quiz, all due by end of week.
  • Week 2 is Module 2 = covers Strategy and Workplace Planning (Chapter 2) and Equal Employment Opportunity (Chapter 3). Reading of both chapters and chapter quizzes for both, all due by end of week.
  • Week 3 is Module 3 = covers Employment Law and Performing a Case Analysis. Involves readings, all due by end of week.
  • Week 4 is Module 4 = Case Analysis #1 due, and covers Job Analysis (Chapter 4), all due by end of week.
  • Week 5 is Module 5 = covers Job Design (Chapter 4) and Sourcing (Chapter 5). Reading of Chapter 4, quiz, and completion of Midterm Exam #1, all due by end of week.
  • Week 6 is Module 6 = covers Talent Recruitment (Chapter 5) and Talent Selection (Chapter 6). Reading of both chapters and quizzes for both, all due by end of week.
  • Week 7 is Module 7 = covers Talent Development (Chapter 7) and Performance Management and Appraisal (Chapter 8). Reading of both chapters and quizzes for both, all due by end of week.
  • Week 8 is Module 8 = reading of the second case study, with Employee Engagement, part 1 (Chapter 9); Case Analysis #2 due by end of week.
  • Week 9 is Module 9 = finishes Employee Engagement (Chapter 9) and Managing Compensation, part 1 (Chapter 10). Reading of Chapter 9, quiz, and Midterm Exam #2, all due by end of week.
  • Week 10 is Module 10 = finishes Managing Compensation (Chapter 10) and covers Managing Benefits (Chapter 11). Reading of both chapters and quizzes for both, all due by end of week.
  • Week 11 is Module 11 = covers Labor Relations and Employee Rights (Chapter 12) and Workplace Health, Safety & Security (Chapter 13). Reading of both chapters and quizzes for both, all due by end of week.
  • Week 12 is Module 12 = covers Motivation Theory and Global HRM (Chapter 14). Reading of chapter and quiz, along with reading of third case study, all due by end of week.
  • Week 13 is Module 13 = Case Analysis #3 due, Career Management and reading from course packet, all due by end of week.
  • Week 14 is Module 14 = Final Exam

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

A student's grade is assessed by their output, not a personal evaluation of them or the amount of effort the student or I believe they put in (although generally, putting more effort into an assignment translates into a better product and, therefore, a better grade). I am happy to meet with students at any time during the semester to discuss their performance and how they might improve moving forward. Thus, emails at the end of the semester asking for grades to be adjusted upward or additional assignments for more points will not be granted. Please note: this policy (indeed, all of the policies in this syllabus) are not subject to the pressures students may face from family, financial aid, sports, jobs, etc. While I understand these are real pressures (having experienced some of them myself), basic principles of fairness and integrity prohibit me from incorporating them into the grading process.

This is a course designed for undergraduate business students. As I anticipate that students intend to enter the professional world following their glorious SUU student experience, it's time (if students haven't already) for students to think about the professionalism that will define them in the working world. When people hear a students name, what do they think? Is the student a consistent, reliable, and purposeful contributor? Do they give their best effort in a timely manner and are proud to submit the work that carries their name? Or is the student unreliable, problematic, or contentious? Marketers call the process of developing reputations "building a brand," thus students should adopt the following acronym while in this class: WWIDITWARJ ("What would I do if this were a real job?").

What does this acronym mean in this class/course environment? A few examples may suffice:
  • First, please note that late work, absent an extreme emergency, is either not accepted (in the case of discussion responses and reading quizzes) or heavily discounted (20% per day on exams and/or written assignments). Part of this is to encourage students to meet their professional obligations, part of it is for the student's own benefit (to help keep them on track), and part of it is out of courtesy to me (grading) and their classmates (fairness). To use some extreme examples, things like “my father died” would qualify as emergencies that could justify late work; things like “I waited until the last minute and now I can’t find the materials I need” do not. Also, consider the timing of the notice: it is much better to say, “I was diagnosed with pneumonia this morning and I’m worried about being able to complete this week’s quiz and assignment on time”, than it is to email, “I was sick last week and couldn’t do the work” after the deadline has passed. Students are asked to put themselves in the position of a manager; what would justify an employee coming in and offering late work? With that said, I offer several opportunities for students to improve their grade by replacing a low midterm score with the final exam score if it's higher, counting only two of three case analysis assignments, and allowing two attempts on quizzes with highest score counting.
  • Second, I am more than happy to communicate with students outside of class and will endeavor to respond to emails/messages promptly. However, I do have a few requirements:
    • Contact me by email - I prefer direct email rather than Canvas (my email address is above) because it helps me keep track of our discussions, though Canvas email does work. I don’t get notifications of other types of communications (like comments on assignments or announcements), and I can’t respond if I don’t see them.
    • I do not respond to email that is unprofessional, rude, or demanding. Before students send me an email on any topic, they should ensure that they have taken care to use appropriate tone, punctuation, and spelling. Note that if the student is trying to meet these obligations, they almost certainly have.
    • I respond most promptly to emails during the workweek (Monday - Friday, 8 am – 5 pm), so this is when students should also be communicating with me if they need something. I will occasionally check my emails over the weekend, but this is rare and is not the expectation. Thus, if a student is struggling with questions about an assignment that is due over the weekend, an email sent to me on Saturday or Sunday will likely not get this student the help they need in the timeframe they need it in, so the student should plan accordingly to ask their questions and/or communicate with me during regular University business hours.
    • Students should ensure that they have read the syllabus, Class FAQ, course announcements, etc., so that they have consumed the information I’ve already provided. Again, what would a student do if they were a manager and one of their subordinates asked a question they (as the manager) have already addressed, or did so rudely?

Attendance Policy

As a F2F course, there is no required attendance, though each class period will have a discussion response assignment that is passed out and due by the end of class, so attendance (to secure these points) is strongly encouraged. In an in-person class, the student sees me (instructor) multiple times per week, which would allow me to help students manage their work.

I STRONGLY ADVISE that students not rely too heavily on the “To Do List” or the “Calendar” in Canvas for the assignments due there. Rather, students should work through the Module for each week. Why? Well, because there’s a reason I put things in the order I do. Each item typically builds on the next, and this is clearly reflected in the Modules. When students rely too heavily on the “To Do” or “Calendar,” this "order of operations" may not be reflected in the same way and it often leads to lack of planning (e.g., students only begin working on assignments when they see the assignment is due in Canvas that day. This won't work in the student's favor as most assignments take notable prep time). When I receive emails or office visits from students who are having difficulty in the course and/or not understanding course requirements, they are nearly always failing to use the Modules for guidance.

Modules are generally structured with an overview, followed by chapter readings, a chapter reading quiz, any assignments (when applicable), any exams (when applicable), and a summary. Each module is structured to "start" on a Wednesday (corresponding with when the semester starts) and "close" on a Tuesday, making that week's information applicable for an entire week and following the layout of the academic calendar. This will also mean that most due dates in Canvas for the course will be on Tuesday, unless denoted otherwise because of campus holidays or closures.

My suggestion is that students should work through each module each week, in the order the materials are listed in the module. I have organized them this way on purpose, both to build a common and predictable pattern for students to work from (thus making the coursework an easy habit to adopt each week) and ensure students stay on task with what they need to be successful in each module/week of class.

Course Fees

N/A

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.