MMH230 Fundamentals of Human Resource Management - Analytical Essay Assignment Help

Description

This assessment task provides you with an opportunity to embed your learning from the Unit by examining a contemporary issue relevant to Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM) and analysing it using theory, empirical research evidence and other authoritative resources.

The topic is not only an academic exercise but also provides an opportunity to consider the implications of a significant global event for current SHRM strategy and practice.

Topic Statement:

In 2020 and 2021 ‘the COVID-19 pandemic placed flexible work arrangements, especially remote work, in the spotlight…… [w]ith unprepared employers…forced to implement flexible work options on the fly….’

In 2022, ‘as social distancing orders [and work from home mandates] are lifted, and businesses reopen, employee requests for flexible hours and remote-work arrangements will be part of the new normal’, leading HR experts to conclude that the future of work is hybrid.

(SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management) (2022) ‘Managing Flexible Work Arrangements’ SHRM Toolkits, accessed 28 February 2022.)

Task:

Individually, research and write an analytical essay, using relevant strategic human resource management (SHRM) theory, empirical research evidence and other authoritative sources to examine and critically evaluate the following:

1. What is hybrid work, and why do leading HR experts consider it the future of work?
2. What are the potential benefits of a hybrid work model for (i) employees and (ii) organisations?
3. What are the potential challenges – including those of a legal nature - of a hybrid work model for (i) employees and (ii) organisations?
4. How can HR best respond to issues arising from an organisation’s adoption of a hybrid work model?

Specific Requirements:

• A professional-looking document builds
• Ensure you use professional and academic language and not a casual or journalistic
• Ensure that you cover all aspects of the essay questions.
• Your essay should be presented in a reader-friendly way, so please ensure it:
  • has a title page (which shows the word count for the essay)
  • is written in essay format **
  • is in 12pt font
  • is 5 spaced with 2 cm margins on each side
  • has numbered pages
  • uses correct in-text referencing (Harvard system)
  • includes a reference list which begins on a new page and is correctly formatted (Harvard system)
    • See the Deakin University Referencing Guide (updated June 2021) for Harvard system Referencing requirements https://deakin.edu.au/students/studying/study- support/referencing
  • Include references to academic and rigorous sources that are reliable. Remember the Unit Reading List is a great place to start your

• In line with the Academic Misconduct information presented in the MMH230 Fundamentals of Human Resource Management Unit Guide, students who fail to provide any in-text referencing in their essay and/or fail to provide a list of references in their assignment will not be awarded a mark on this assessment

The Unit Chair will forward the assignment to the Faculty Academic Integrity Committee to consider, and it will make a determination as to whether or not the assignment has been plagiarised, and if so, impose a penalty considered appropriate for such an act of academic misconduct.

** Remember the three steps to structuring the logic of a good essay: (i) tell them what you’re going to tell them; (ii) tell them it; (iii) tell them what you’ve told them. So:

1. Have an introduction that introduces the topic and also sets out your key argument. Remember it’s not a mystery story where you wait to the end to surprise the reader with your conclusions!
2. Have a middle section that forms the main body of your essay. Have separate paragraphs for different Ensure that your paragraphs aren’t too short: they should consist of no less than around 6-7 sentences. When you move to a different question (see the four questions above), start a new paragraph. Include linking sentences between paragraphs so you’re not jumping from one theme to another.
3. Finally, have a clear concluding paragraph that summarises your essay and your key argument. Here you can also make a ‘forward-looking’ statement for SHRM strategy and

Learning Outcomes

This task allows you to demonstrate achievement towards the unit learning outcomes. The ULOs are aligned with specific graduate learning outcomes – that is, the skills and knowledge graduates are expected to have upon completion of their studies – and this assessment task is an important tool in determining achievement of those outcomes.

If you do not demonstrate achievement of the unit learning outcomes, you will not be successful in this unit.

It is good practice to familiarise yourself with the ULOs and GLOs as they provide guidance on the knowledge, understanding and skills you’re expected to demonstrate upon completion of the unit. In this way they can be used to guide your study.

Learning Outcome Details for this Task

Unit Learning Outcomes (ULO)	Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLO)
ULO 1: Your ability to identify and explain SHRM frameworks, theories, concepts, and processes, and the broader legal context within which SHRM is performed, as appropriate to the essay topic	GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities
ULO 3: Your ability to collect, integrate and critically analyse theoretical and empirical information using standard research techniques and produce a clear and logically written discussion around specific SHRM issues/scenarios, as appropriate to the essay topic	GLO3: Digital literacy GLO4: Critical thinking

 Submission

You are to submit your assignment in the individual Assignment Dropbox in the MMH230 CloudDeakin unit site on or before the due date.

When uploading your assignment, name your document using the following syntax: <your surname_your first name_your Deakin student ID number_MMH230.doc (or ‘.docx’). For example, ‘Jones_Barry_123456789_ABC123.doc’.

Submitting a hard copy of this assignment is not required.

You must keep a backup copy of every assignment you submit, until the marked assignment has been returned to you. In the unlikely event that one of your assignments is misplaced, you will need to submit your backup copy.

Any work you submit may be checked by electronic or other means for the purposes of detecting collusion and/or plagiarism.

When you submit an assignment through your CloudDeakin unit site, you will receive an email to your Deakin email address confirming that it has been submitted. You should check that you can see your assignment in the Submissions view of the Assignment Dropbox folder after upload, and check for, and keep, the email receipt for the submission.

Marking and feedback

The marking rubric for this task is below.

It is always a useful exercise to familiarise yourself with the criteria before completing any assessment task. Criteria act as a boundary around the task and help identify what assessors are looking for specifically in your submission. The criteria are drawn from the unit’s learning outcomes ensuring they align with appropriate graduate attribute/s.

Identifying the standard you aim to achieve is also a useful strategy for success and to that end, familiarising yourself with the descriptor for that standard is highly recommended.

Students who submit their work by the due date will receive their marks and feedback on CloudDeakin 15 working days after the submission date.

Extensions

Extensions will only be granted for exceptional and/or unavoidable circumstances outside the student’s control.

Students seeking an extension for an assignment prior to the due date should apply directly to the Unit Chair by completing the Assignment and Online Test Extension Application Form. Requests for extensions will not be considered after 12 noon, Monday May 9, 2022. Applications for special consideration after the due date must be submitted via StudentConnect.

Late submission

The following marking penalties will apply if you submit an assessment task after the due date without an approved extension: 5% will be deducted from available marks for each day up to five days, and work that is submitted more than five days after the due date will not be marked and will receive 0% for the task.

'Day' means working day for paper submissions and calendar day for electronic submissions. The Unit Chair may refuse to accept a late submission where it is unreasonable or impracticable to assess the task after the due date.

Calculation of the late penalty is as follows: this is based on the assignment being due on a Thursday at 8:00pm

• 1 day late: submitted after Monday 9/5 11:59pm and before Tuesday 10/5 11:59pm– 5% penalty (2 marks).
• 2 days late: submitted after Tuesday 10/5 11:59pm and before Wednesday 11/5 11:59pm – 10% penalty (4 marks).
• 3 days late: submitted after Wednesday 11/5 11:59pm and before Thursday 12/5 11:59pm – 15% penalty (6 marks).
• 4 days late: submitted after Thursday 12/5 11:59pm and before Friday 13/5 11:59pm – 20% penalty (8 marks).
• 5 days late: submitted after Friday 13/5 11:59pm and before Saturday 14/5 11:59pm – 25% penalty (10 marks).

Dropbox closes Saturday 14/5 after 11:59pm AEST time.

Support

The Division of Student Life (see link below) provides all students with editing assistance. Students who wish to take advantage of this service must be organized and plan ahead and contact the Division of Student Life in order to schedule a booking, well in advance of the due date of this assignment. http://www.deakin.edu.au/about-deakin/administrative-divisions/student-life

Referencing

Any material used in this assignment that is not your original work must be acknowledged as such and appropriately referenced. You can find information about plagiarism and other study support resources at the following website: http://www.deakin.edu.au/students/study-support

Academic misconduct

For information about academic misconduct, special consideration, extensions, and assessment feedback, please refer to the document Your rights and responsibilities as a student in this Unit in the first folder next to the Unit Guide in the Resources area of the CloudDeakin unit site.