School of Entrepreneurship & Business Innovation

Course Outline: MNG 4106 – Staffing & Performance Management

Course Credits: 3

Date of submission to AP&P:

Academic Year: 2020-2021

a) Name of lecturer, Office and Telephone #:

b) Course summary and mode of delivery:

With the discovery of oil and gas, new companies are entering the Guyanese business
sector. With the entry of these companies come new challenges, including significant
differences in earnings. Such differences create significant problems for local
companies and even among those that entering the economy. In addition, such
differences have the potential to further exacerbate the flight of human capital. In this
case, it is a flight towards better paying jobs and away from the less lucrative sectors.
This problem is particularly critical in areas where critical skills are in shortage and
cannot be easily replicated.

The shortage and shift in employment patterns also has implications for how
employees are evaluated and compensated. New market entrants bring new
compensation models, which must compete with the traditional models existing
within Guyana. With these new approaches come new questions about how
performance is to be assessed and managed. Unfortunately, Guyana has not done a
very good job of exploring and developing new Performance Management
techniques. Moreover, in an economy where trade unions continue to operate in very
traditional ways, issues of performance management remain a challenge.

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As students focusing on Performance Management (PM), you are forced to address a
few central questions: (1) What new performance management strategies must be
adopted in this new economy?; (2) What approaches to unions would be most
appropriate in seeking to embrace new and unique PM methods?; (3) How do we
address issues of expatriate and executive compensation?; and, (4) How do we match
industry conditions to these new performance management approaches? These are the
kinds of questions that confront us as PM specialists.

Performance Management is a senior-level management course that helps students to

develop an in-depth understanding of current issues that exist within the field and are
impacting practice. It is concerned with managing the process of compensating
employees for work in a manner that benefits both employer and employee. It is also
intended to demonstrate the importance both intrinsic and extrinsic compensation.
The goal of this course is to increase your effectiveness in strategically managing the
organization’s compensation process.

The methods of teaching include lectures, class discussions, case studies, written
assignments, relevant videos, and exercises. In this course, we will go beyond simply
imparting a new body of knowledge, to emphasize the development and use of
CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. As part of this learning process, students should
attend classes prepared to analytically and critically examine different Performance
Management issues and perspectives, integrate these perspectives with previous
course work, and formulate their own useful “mental maps.” As part of the
integrative process, you will discover that, throughout the semester, several issues
raised and discussed in other courses will become relevant. Learning to do so will be
of great value to students in your professional careers, graduate school, and everyday
life.

This course is designed to provide an understanding of staffing and performance

management as elements of effective labor and human resource practice. The
emphasis is on the acquisition, deployment and retention of a workforce in sufficient
quantity and quality to improve organizational effectiveness. The course will address
such issues as the link between staffing and organizational strategy, human resource

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 planning, job analysis, recruitment and selection of employees, methods and
techniques of performance appraisal, strategies for improving performance and
employment law.

c) Reasons for introducing the course:

I. Based on recent industry developments.
II. Need to update knowledge of industry practices

d) Are there similar courses in the faculty? There are no similar courses in the faculty.

e) Co-requisites and Pre-requisites:

MNG 3102;

f) Learning Outcomes:

The students will have an opportunity to:

1. Apply concepts and theories related to staffing, job analysis and performance
management to contemporary, complex human resource staffing decisions.
2. Identify effective strategies for attracting and retaining employees.
3. Evaluate the hiring and performance evaluation process.
4. Adopt techniques that will increase the reliability of the evaluation process.

g) Contact Hours:

Contact hrs Number of Class size Mode of

per wk weeks delivery
Lectures 3 13 Virtual
Tutorials 0
Lab/ 0
practical

h) Methods of Evaluation/Assessment:
Course work 40 %
Case Analyses 20%
Final Project 30%
Final presentation 10 %

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 Total 100 %

i) Requirements to pass course:

j) Grading Scheme:

A - 75 – 100%
B - 65 to less than 75%
C - 55 to less than 65%
D - 45 to less than 55%
F - 0 to less than 45%

Grade Explanation
A The student has demonstrated a thorough understanding of the basic concepts of
Performance Management, and the work is consistently of a high quality. Here,
the student has demonstrated their use of critical thinking skills to discern
between relevant and irrelevant information, shown a grasp of the issues to be
considered, identified solutions that are realistic, and used language
appropriately.
B The student has demonstrated a fairly good grasp of the essential concepts and
theories of Performance management, and the work is of a good quality. His/her
ideas are well-reasoned, although there are occasional displays of poor logic
reflecting a lack of discipline and clarity.
C The student has demonstrated a marginal understanding of the key concepts in
Performance Management. Reasoning and logic is often inconsistent, and terms
are used inappropriately. The student occasionally produces good work, but
these instances are very rare. In effect, this student needs to develop a better
understanding of the concepts and work hard at applying them appropriately.
D The student consistently produces work of poor quality. Ideas are sloppy,
writing is poor, understanding and application of the basic concepts of
Performance Management are lacking, and there are frequent displays of poor
reasoning. This student has demonstrated a poor grasp of the materials, weak
reasoning, a lack of critical thinking skills, and solutions that are illogical.
F The student has demonstrated a total failure to grasp the material. The student
does not have a basic understanding of the concepts, uses terms inappropriately,
has poor writing and reasoning skills, and their work is consistently poor in
quality. This student appears to not have a grasp of the theories and concepts,
cannot formulate his/her ideas clearly, cannot distinguish between relevant and
irrelevant information, and has very poor problem-solving and writing skills.

k) Content:

Week Days Topic

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 1 Introduction to the Course: Developing an None
understanding of Performance Management

2 Strategic Compensation Chap 1

3 Contextual Influence on Compensation Policies Chap 2
4 Traditional Bases for Pay Chap 3
5 Incentive Pay Chap 4
6 Person-Focused Pay Chap 5
7 Building Internally Consistent Compensation Chap 6
Systems
8 Building Market-Competitive Compensation Chap 7
Systems
9 Building Pay Structures that recognize Employee Chap 8
Contributions
10 Discretionary & Legally Required Benefits Chap 9 & 10
10 Compensating Executives Chap 11
11 Compensating Flexible Employees Chap 12

12 Compensating Expatriates Chap 13

13 Presentations None
14 Presentations None

l) Required Readings:
Performance Management, 3/E, by Herman Aguinis, Indiana University, ISBN-10:
0132556383 • ISBN-13: 9780132556385 ©2013 • Prentice Hall •

m) Course-based Assessment Information:

This course uses lectures, current readings, case discussions and written analyses, team
projects. The class lectures outline and clarify the issues, theories, and frameworks that
are at the heart of Performance Management. To better inform you on the important
aspects of a topic, the readings are intended to provide the most up to date ideas
surrounding theories, frameworks, and practical experiences in dealing with some of
these aspects of this field. For example, a great deal has been written about the diversity.

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Yet, there is overwhelming evidence to suggest that these advantages are not easily
realized because of deeply embedded prejudices and attitudes.

It is often said that the best way to learn something new is to ‘get your hands dirty.’ To
better facilitate the learning process, we will spend significant time focusing on practical
Performance Management scenarios through - in-class case discussions, written case
analyses, and a final project that will expose students to both the subjective and objective
dimensions of the subject matter in this course. Many of your cases will be very current
and drawn from several sources. Finally, students will develop and test their collaborative
skills in the context of group research projects.

n) Class Policy:

• No one will be admitted to the class after 15 minutes of class time has elapsed.
Late intrusions are both disrespectful to your colleagues and have the effect of
altering the course of a discussion. I will do everything possible to use the
class time effectively and ask that you do the same. This includes arriving,
starting, and ending on time. Please respect your fellow students and professor
and do not disrupt the class in any way. (Disrupting the class may negatively
affect your participation grade).
• You are expected to do all the assignments and come to class prepared to
participate in the discussion. If you miss a class, it is your responsibility to
find out from classmates what materials were covered, what assignments
are due, and what handouts were distributed in class.
• All written work should be typed and is due at the stipulated time and
date. Please ensure that the cover page on your work includes your
student identification number, title of the assignment, course title and
number, and the professor’s name.
• Academic and personal integrity: Violations of honor codes and other
integrity problems are completely unacceptable. In doing
projects/assignments, you should cite all external sources of information

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 (including Internet sources), fully and completely. Under no circumstances,
should you "recycle" materials from another class or from students who took
the class in the past. To maintain fairness to all other students, violators of
academic integrity will be penalized by receiving failing grades for those
assignments and will be reported to the appropriate University authorities.

o) Class Participation:

Class participation allows students to help stimulate discussions and improve the learning
process, especially by presenting thought-provoking ideas. Unfortunately, students often
make the mistake of assuming that attendance and participation are synonymous.
Nothing can be further from the truth. Participation refers to providing “value-added”
input to the class discussion, adopting a critical perspective to issues raised in the
discussion, actively listening to lectures and the presentations of your colleagues,
and helping the class resolve issues that relate to the cases. One way in which this
value-added may be demonstrated input may be demonstrated is by linking business
articles to the issues under consideration.

Students should note that Performance Management problems can be solved in various
ways and there is no ‘one size fits all’ approach to doing so. If students adopt this
approach, then they will discover that there are several solutions to a problem and their
role is to (1) find the best solution to the problem, and (2) justify why alternative
solutions should be rejected. Often, the best solution becomes apparent over time. For
this reason, the fear of being wrong should not inhibit your participation. Instead, you
should come well prepared to each class – particularly for the case discussion classes –
and be ready to answer questions/ discuss your analysis. The goal of the class
discussions is NOT to come to a comfortable consensus but to deal with the complex
Performance Management issues that confront managers and learn about the
dynamics of Performance Management.

Let me remind you that Performance Management is not a lecture course. My role
is to that of a facilitator, i.e., to help you: (a) understand and apply Human
Resources Management, and (b) communicate and learn from your colleagues.

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Because your participation is so vital to the overall success of the class, everyone should
make an effort to participate in the discussions. In addition, a number of surprise quizzes
may be administered to gauge your advance preparation for the class.

p) Case Analysis:

During the semester, students will prepare several written case analyses as group and
individual projects. Groups will be formed at the beginning of the semester and will
comprise of no more than four (4) students. Membership will not be changed, unless the
instructor agrees that this is necessary. Such changes are most likely to occur if (1) a
student has dropped the class, and (2) there is some other unforeseen circumstance of
which the instructor is aware. Groups will be operated along the standard business
practices. As such, non-performing group members can be dismissed from the
group after consultation with the Professor. Non-performance includes failure to
attend a significant number of group meetings, a general lack of cooperation and respect
for other group members, and failing to perform assigned tasks. Any student dismissed
by a group MUST find alternative accommodation in another group. No individual
assignments will be accepted in place of a group assignment.

All groups will provide a written submission for the cases. In addition, any group
responsible for presenting the case analysis that week will include a powerpoint
submission with their written case analysis. The presenting group will have
approximately 15 minutes to present their case, after which the discussion will be open to
the class for another 10 minutes. Each group member is expected to orally participate in
the presentation. PowerPoint slides should be used for the presentation. Written case
analyses should be no more than 5 pages, excluding any appendices and diagrams
attached. All papers should be typed double-spaced using a 12 point font with a one inch
margin on all sides, including a cover page with the name of the case and the names of all
group members.

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The following criteria will constitute the core elements for evaluating the case analyses:
completeness, clarity of expression, relevance, integration, and insight. All written
assignments are due to be submitted via Moodle by the stipulated time. As seniors,
you are expected to have a well-developed writing, spelling and punctuation skills.
Considering the availability of word-processing tools, appropriate grammar,
punctuation, sentence structure, and spelling are expected.

During the first three weeks of the semester, we will complete a practice case analysis.
However, you should remember the following guidelines when conducting these
analyses:
(1) Read the case more than once. Figure out and explain the issues.
(2) You do not need to conduct outside research for the case analysis because all the
information you need to analyse the case has already been provided.
(3) Conduct a comprehensive analysis of the situation and develop alternatives. In other
words, make sure you consider the key external and internal factors affecting the
organization.
(4) Identify the best alternatives available to the organization using the case data, logical
reasoning, and creative thinking.
(5) Define and explain the course of action that you think the organization’s managers
should follow. (Your conclusions should fit logically with your analysis of the
situation).
(6) Show how the organization may implement your suggestions.

q) Final Project:

Groups are required to complete a final project that is due at the stipulated date and time.
The goal of this project is to help you to apply your knowledge and skills to an
interesting, current Performance Management situation which is relevant within a local
context. Your group will research an organization’s current situation, and identify and
discuss solutions to key human resources issues facing the organization. The group will
then present its human resources recommendations for the organization. The output of

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this process is a 15-20 page (double-spaced) report, which follows the stipulated
guidelines that will be provided. You are encouraged to conduct as much original
research as possible in addition to using the Internet and all library facilities available to
you in the area. All should be typed, double-spaced, using a 12 point font, with one inch
margins on all sides, and not exceed 20 pages, excluding the cover page and appendices. I
STRONGLY SUGGEST THAT STUDENTS PROVIDE ME WITH PROGRESS
REPORTS THAT CAN BE EVALUATED, THROUGHOUT THE SEMESTER. Please
provide me with the topic/issue your group will be researching no later than December
6th, 2020.

Like all other work, these reports will be evaluated on the basis of grammar, punctuation,
spelling, completeness, relevance, accuracy, clarity, integration, justification and insight,
as well as thoroughness of your analyses and the feasibility of your solutions. It is
strongly suggested that you keep in constant contact with your group members, and make
the instructor aware of any problems in this project. Remember that the instructor is here
as a resource to help you in the learning process.

Finally, it is important to note that, in many group assignments, students might find
themselves teamed-up with colleagues whose work habits leaves much to question. It is
what we normally refer to as shirking or the free rider problem. Such behaviour will
not be tolerated in this class. Accordingly, grades will be adjusted based on individual
participation in instances where such problems are brought to my attention. Any
variations in grades are the result of differences in individual performance as reported by
your group members, and observed by the instructor. If there are problems with group
members, the instructor expects that group members will attempt to resolve it as in any
business environment. If group members are unable to resolve these problems, the
instructor expects to be informed, at which time, the instructor will meet with all group
members. If the problem persists, then the instructor will impose a solution on the
individual(s). Remember that under no circumstances will students be allowed to
substitute individual work for group work.

r) GOOD LUCK.

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s) Staff requirements:

t) Budget:

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