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Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Human Resource Management (Online)

MGMT 3240-30I

Course: MGMT 3240-30I
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: MHRH
CRN: 10432

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 the Canvas course and/or purchased through the SUU Bookstore.

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

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

Quizzes – 14 required (10% of overall grade)
To help motivate students to keep up with textbook 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 Honorlock Resources) 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 slightly different versions of each chapter quiz and the questions assigned at random per student attempt. Students will have ten (10) minutes per quiz attempt and quizzes must be completed by the assigned due date. 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 exams (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.

Recorded Lectures (10% of overall grade)
Within nearly all modules are recorded lectures, which are placed after the chapter reading and quizzes within each module. These recorded lectures do not merely parrot the material from the textbook. Instead, as would be the situation in a face-to-face class, these recorded lectures build on what students have read from the textbook, contextualize concepts, draw links between topics, and provide additional material. Like tracking attendance, this portion of the grade will represent the extent to which students watch these recorded lectures within Canvas each week. See the Class FAQs for more information about which lectures count towards this grade, how the grade is calculated, etc.

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, associated lectures, plus three course packet readings.
  • Midterm exam #2 will cover Chapters 5 – 9 from the textbook, associated lectures, plus one course packet reading.
  • The final exam will primarily cover Chapters 10 – 14 from the textbook, associated lectures, plus two course packet readings. However, this exam 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.

All exams will be available on Canvas, using Honorlock (the University’s online proctoring software for exams). There are three main rules for the exams:
  1. They will be timed and will submit automatically at the conclusion of the allotted time.
  2. Like the quizzes, students may use the textbook, readings, and notes they have created, but students may not communicate or exchange information in any way (including but not limited to text messages, phone calls, WhatsApp, GroupMe, Google Docs, email, etc.) about the exam with any person or group (roommates, family, friends, classmates, etc.). Violation of this policy at any level–even attempting to do so–will be considered unethical behavior and will subject students to the penalties of academic integrity/misconduct described elsewhere in this syllabus.
  3. Late exams will not be accepted and make-up exams are not usually permitted, except in extraordinary circumstances, and only if arrangements are made in advance.
^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 semester, 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 in Canvas within Module 3 (the week before the first case analysis paper is due).

Course Outline

  • Week 1 are Modules 0 & 1 
    • Module 0 = overview of Canvas course and modules + review of syllabus, Class FAQs, and Honorlock Resources, concluding with the course introductory quiz, all due by end of week.
    • Module 1 = covers Human Resource Management (Chapter 1). Involves readings, recorded lectures, 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). Involves readings, recorded lectures, and two chapter quizzes, all due by end of week.
  • Week 3 is Module 3 = covers Employment Law and Performing a Case Analysis. Involves readings and recorded lectures, all due by end of week.
  • Week 4 is Module 4 = involves one recorded lecture and submission of Case Analysis #1, all due by end of week.
  • Week 5 is Module 5 = covers Job Analysis and Design (Chapter 4). Involves reading, recorded lectures, one chapter quiz, and Midterm Exam #1, all due by end of week.
  • Week 6 is Module 6 = covers Talent Recruitment (Chapter 5) and Talent Selection (Chapter 6). Involves readings, recorded lectures, and two chapter quizzes, all due by end of week.
  • Week 7 is Module 7 = covers Talent Development (Chapter 7) and Performance Management and Appraisal (Chapter 8). Involves readings, recorded lectures, and two chapter quizzes, all due by end of week.
  • Week 8 is Module 8 = involves reading and recorded lecture of case study #2, and submission of Case Analysis #2, all due by end of week.
  • Week 9 is Module 9 = covers Employee Engagement (Chapter 9). Involves reading, recorded lectures, one chapter quiz, and Midterm Exam #2, all due by end of week.
  • Week 10 is Module 10 = covers Managing Compensation (Chapter 10) and Managing Benefits (Chapter 11). Involves readings, recorded lectures, and two chapter quizzes, all due by end of week.
  • Week 11 is Module 11 = covers Labor Relations & Employee Rights (Chapter 12) and Workplace Health, Safety & Security (Chapter 13). Involves readings, recorded lectures, and two chapter quizzes, all due by end of week.
  • Week 12 is Module 12 = covers Global HRM (Chapter 14) and Motivation Theory. Involves reading, recorded lectures, and one chapter quiz, all due by end of week.
  • Week 13 is Module 13 = involves reading and recorded lecture of case study #3, and submission of Case Analysis #3, all due by end of week.
  • Week 14 is Module 14 = covers Career Management and Case Analysis #3 Breakdown. Involves reading, recorded lectures, and the 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 an online-only course, there is no required attendance. The main difference between an online course and an in-person course is the extent to which the student is taking responsibility for how they get work done. In an in-person class, the student would see me (instructor) multiple times per week, which would allow me to help students manage their work. In an online environment, this rests entirely on the student's shoulders. Thus, an online class allows students the flexibility to complete their work when they want, but if they try to do their homework all at the last minute, it's unlikely that this student would be as successful than if they were more disciplined.

I STRONGLY ADVISE that students not rely too heavily on the “To Do List” or the “Calendar” in Canvas for completing assignments; 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 in due in Canvas that day. That won't work in the student's favor as most assignments take notable prep time). When I receive emails 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, recorded lectures, 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.