HRM 599 Week 7 Course Project

HRM 599 Week 7 Course Project

Course Project: Benefit Plan Design Analysis

 

Objective

The course project is designed to provide you with a real-life practical application of an organization’s Human Resource benefits program. You will create a written analysis of a real-world organization’s benefit plan design with suggested opportunities for improvement that use the concepts and knowledge introduced in this course.

Guidelines

The course project must be comprehensive and follow the following analytical stages.

• There are eight parts in this course project. Different parts are due during Weeks 1, 4, and 7.
• Papers should be formatted according to APA or MLA guidelines (12 point font; double-spaced; include a cover page, table of contents, introduction, body of the report, summary or conclusion, and works cited page).
• Even though this is not a scientific-type writing assignment and is mostly creative in nature, references are still very important. At least six authoritative, outside references are required (anonymous authors or web pages are not acceptable). These should be referenced according to APA or MLA guidelines.Six additional references are required for the Literature Review as stated below, for a total of at least 12 references.
• Appropriate citations are required following APA or MLA guidelines.
• All DeVry University Policies are in effect, including the Plagiarism Policy.
• Please post any questions about these papers in the weekly Q & A discussion topic.
• These papers combined are worth 310 total points and will be graded on quality of research topic, quality of paper information, use of citations, grammar, and sentence structure (see rubrics below).

Grading Rubrics

Part 1: Select and profile an organization for the benefit plan (40 Points)

There are a number of ways in which an organization and benefit plan can be selected. You have the option of looking at your current employer’s benefit plan, a previous employer, or a random organization of your choice whose benefit plan has a perceived need for either a revision of specific benefits, addition of needed benefits, or an overhaul of its benefits program. Provide a clear profile of your chosen organization as well as the organization’s current benefits program. Present key facts that are important in understanding your chosen organization’s benefits program.

Category	Points	%	Description
Profile	16	40%	Profiles the chosen organization in detail
Benefits Program	16	40%	Provides sufficient details on the organization’s benefits program
Formatting	8	20%	Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format; sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format; appropriate external sources utilized; no typing, spelling, or grammatical errors
Total	40	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 2: Statement of the issue (40 Points)

This section should present an analysis of the major benefits issue/issues. It should include a statement of the specific benefit plan you are addressing. Some questions to ask when formulating the statement of issue include:

1. Have I identified the basic issue or am I dealing with the symptoms?
2. What is the point of the paper?
3. If I have identified more than one issue, are the issues separate or related?

There are several sources from which the issues can be determined. They include business documents, such as employee surveys and competitive analysis reports; assessment questionnaires that can be created to probe for areas of benefit needs and employee desires; observations of how employees use or do not use their current benefits; and interviews with key management and selected employees to determine benefit issues.

Category	Points	%	Description
Basic issue	15	38%	Identifies the basic issue rather than symptoms
Purpose	15	38%	Describes the purpose of the paper and what will be accomplished
Relationships	10	24%	Describes relationships between major and minor issues to be addressed
Total	40	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 3: Literature Review (40 Points) HRM 599 Week 7 Course Project

Address what was discovered in the search of relevant literature, related articles, and the employee benefit text, as well as what was discovered in Part 2. This means not only reviewing theories, concepts, and studies discussed in the text or in class but also reviewing websites and what other writers have to say about benefit plans. Given the limited number of weeks that a term provides and the number of steps involved in the course project following the literature review, no more than two weeks should be spent in reviewing literature.

It is critical that those completing questionnaires, being interviewed, or providing information in any other manner be assured that their responses will be kept in the strictest of confidence and will not be discussed in whole or part to any member of the organization or outside the boundaries of the classroom. I recommend you begin your literature search by accessing the Keller’s Online Library. While you may use information obtained from HR-related websites, you must also obtain information from current scholarly journals, business publications, and newspapers. Six or more outside resources or references are required for the Literature Review in addition to at least six references for other parts of the project. This is a total of at least 12 references.

Category	Points	%	Description
Academic Resources and Relationships	20	50%	Identifies academic quality resources; identifies why resource is quality and explains the benefit of the resource and how it supports the resolution of the issue; shows relationships between different sources
Presentation & Review	12	30%	Presented in a manner that tells a story and ties individual sources together; explains how the literature review relates to issue identified in the company
Formatting	8	20%	Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format. Sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format; appropriate external sources utilized; no typing, spelling or grammatical errors
Total	40	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 4. Issue Analysis (40 Points)

Here, we are bringing Parts 2 and 3 together. This section should provide a detailed analysis of the benefits issue that was identified in Part 2. A major objective is to clearly illustrate how the concepts of the course and gained knowledge of benefits are being used, as well as to show what was learned from the literature review. Show that you are applying course material.

Category	Points	%	Description
Analysis	20	50%	Describes issue analysis and relates to previous discussions from literature review
Apply concepts	20	50%	Describes how concepts from the course help identify the true issue
Total	40	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 5. Issue Solutions (40 Points)

Create a developmental strategy. Offer several solutions or options that are appropriate for the benefits issue or issues. The solutions should follow logically from the analysis. The expected outcomes, positive and negative, should be addressed.

Category	Points	%	Description
Logical Solution	20	50%	Develops a logical solution based upon the literature review and class information
Pros and Cons	12	30%	Identifies all feasible solutions and provides pros and cons of each
Formatting	8	20%	Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format; sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format. Appropriate external sources utilized. No typing, spelling, or grammatical errors
Total	40	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 6. Solution and its Implementation (40 Points)

This segment should outline your recommended solution to the identified issue. The solution will be one or a combination of the solutions provided in Part 5. This part should be specific, stating what benefit plans are recommended, timing for implementation, and in what sequence. It includes not only what should be done, but also how it should be done. A specific solution should indicate what benefit is most appropriate for the issue and how it will be implemented in the organization. Some questions to keep in mind when writing the solution section include the following:

1. Has an awareness of the problem of implementation been addressed?
2. Have you been too general?
3. Does the solution and implementation address the issues identified earlier?
4. Does my solution take into account the identified pros and cons?
5. How will you evaluate the effectiveness of the implemented benefit plan?
6. What process checks or procedures will I put in place to institutionalize the improvement?
7. Was the realism of your proposed action plan assessed? For example, is there adequate time, money, and other resources for your solution?

Category	Points	%	Description
Addressed Problem & Solution	20	50%	The problem was adequately addressed; sufficient detail provided in solution
Plan & Measurement	12	30%	Sufficient detail provided in solution; identifies how success will be measured
Formatting	8	20%	Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format; sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format; appropriate external sources utilized; no typing, spelling or grammatical errors
Total	40	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

Part 7: Justification (40 Points)

This section of your analysis should, using course knowledge and concepts, tell why your solution and implementation would work. A major objective is to clearly show how you are applying course concepts and content to arrive at a workable solution and implementation for the issue identified. Some questions to ask when writing your justification segment include:

1. Have I applied the appropriate course material?
2. Do I support my conclusions and recommendations with appropriately referenced facts, quotes, readings, and class activities?
3. Does my justification recognize the pros and cons identified earlier?

Category	Points	%	Description
Pros and Cons	8	20%	Recognizes pros and cons from solutions
Conclusions	16	40%	Conclusions adequately supported
Course Materials	8	20%	Course material applied appropriately
Formatting	8	20%	Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format; sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format; appropriate external sources utilized; no typing, spelling or grammatical errors
Total	40	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.

 

Part 8: Reflection (30 Points)

Think about this assignment and write a well thought-out reflection statement about how this assignment influenced your thinking about benefits.

Category		Points	%	Description
Reflection Statement		24	80%	Reflection statement is substantive and detailed: your thoughts on the project overall, actions taken, choices made over the course of the project, what learning and growth has occurred, our thoughts on the role of project like this in developing professional understanding and competency.
Formatting		6	20%	Appropriately formats assignment in APA format or MLA format. Sources appropriately cited in APA or MLA format. Appropriate external sources utilized. No typing, spelling or grammatical errors.
Total		30	100%	A quality paper will meet or exceed all of the above requirements.
Best Practices

The following are best practices that should be used in preparing this paper:

• Cover Page – Include your name, who you prepared the paper for, course name, and date.
• Table of Contents – List the main ideas and section of your paper and the pages in which they are located. The illustrations should be included separately.
• Introduction – Use a header on your paper. This will indicate you are introducing your paper.
• Sub-Title each section – Use the section titles to indicate in the body of your paper each individual section (i.e. Statement of Issue, Literature Review, Issue Analysis, etc.) Each section should be clearly marked.
• Body of Your Report – Use a header titled with the name of your project. Example: “The Development of Hotel X – A World Class Resort”. Then proceed to break out the main ideas. State the main ideas, state major points in each idea, provide evidence. Break out each main idea you will use in the body of your paper. Sub-titles will help divide each individual section; separate group of paragraphs; or headers. Include the information you found during your research and investigation.
• Summary and Conclusion – Summarizing is similar to paraphrasing but presents the gist of the material in fewer words than the original. An effective summary identifies the main ideas and major support points from the body of your report. Minor details are left out. Summarize the benefits of the ideas and how they affect the industry.
• Work Cited – Use the citation format specified in the Syllabus.

Additional hints on preparing the best possible project.

1. Apply a three-step process of writing: Plan, Write, and Complete.
   2. Prepare an outline of your research paper before you go forward.
   3. Complete a first draft and then go back to edit, evaluate, and make any changes required.
   4. Consider using visual communication to further clarify and support the written part of your report. You could use example graphs, diagrams, photographs, flowcharts, maps, drawings, animation, video clips, pictograms, tables, and Gantt charts.