Syllabus
Fall 2016

*Preferred contact method: Email! stan.malos@sjsu.edu

[Please be sure to include “Bus 157” in your subject heading!]

 

Text:

Employment Law for Business (8^th Ed. Bennett-Alexander & Hartman; Irwin/McGraw-Hill, 2015; an electronic or rental version of this textbook may be available at lower cost). 

Overview:

This course provides in-depth exposure to legal issues that arise in managing the employment relationship. A basic understanding of human resource practices, business law (including at least some exposure to employment law at the introductory level), and the U.S. legal system is assumed.

Learning Objectives:

1. Mastery of / ability to apply substantive knowledge of professional HRM practices (understanding and managing legal aspects of the employment relationship);
2. Mastery of / ability to apply professional written and verbal communication skills
3. Mastery of / ability to apply professional critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Prerequisite:

This course is restricted to HRM or I/O Psychology majors who have successfully completed Bus 150 (Fundamentals of Human Resource Management) or its equivalent.

Workload:

There will be lots of reading and a rapid pace. You are responsible for learning the basic substance of the text on your own outside of class. Our limited class time will be spent discussing legal cases, text scenarios, practical questions, and updates on California law. Acquiring substantive knowledge of the law is a minor objective of this course; the basics of most employment laws are straightforward. Developing the ability to recognize the factual situations in which problems arise in practice, and the critical thinking and research skills needed to manage and resolve resulting problems, is our primary goal.

*Preparation:

Please read the assigned text and prepare assigned cases for each class period. Read all of the general descriptive material in each chapter, and read and FIRACT the cases assigned on the course schedule.

Class Conduct:

Class preparation and participation is critical. Class members will be called upon to present their analyses of questions, cases, and current issues. As time permits, we may also conduct simulations and role playing exercises to provide practical experience in management situations (e.g., harassment allegations, performance appraisals, promotion decisions, salary reviews, layoffs and RIFs) that tend to generate the thorniest issues in employee relations and human capital management.

Policy on Use of Electronic Devices in the Classroom:

Please observe the course policy on Professionalism in the Classroom or expect to be asked to leave. In addition, it is highly recommended that no electronic devices of any kind are to be used in class. Accepted industry practice increasingly disdains bringing laptops, cell phones, and other devices to meetings; behavioral research supports the notion that taking notes by hand facilitates learning much more than electronically and helps you integrate the material into your own thought processes rather than simply copying it down. If you do need to text or take a call, please wait until a break or leave the room where necessary. 

Course Grading:

Grades will be awarded based upon a weighted combination of the following: 

Written Assignment—At Will	50 points
Exams	400 points
Class written HW & Prep Oral Participation in class* [*required at least once or lose the 50 pts--so plan ahead!]	50 points 50 points
Web Research FIRACTS LRP Initial Fact Situation	50 points 50 points
Legal Research Paper (LRP)	300 points
Peer Reviews of LRP	50 points
--------------------------------	-------------
Total Points Available	1000 points

Final scores are transformed to letter grades as usual; "A"s go to those with scores in the 90s, "B"s to those in the 80s, etc. Extra credit may be available via random collection of homework or other options as discussed in class.

Exams:

Exams will consist of a combination of multiple choice and true/false/info sufficiency questions, as well as written short answer questions on some. Use a big blue scantron (T&E-0200).

Class Preparation and Participation:

Class preparation and participation will be evaluated based on the substance and frequency of contributions to class discussions and preparation level (you earn points here both by submitting typed FIRACTS on a regular basis and participating in class discussions). Instructor and self-evaluations will be used. Active participation is required for full credit. 

Legal Research Paper:

You will conduct online legal research advise management (1+ page fact situation of your creation—make it up!-- plus 4 pages of legal case law analysis; maximumof 6 total pages, including facts and legal analysis--see separate links for details) to solve a realistic management problem in the employment context. Primary case law will used to compare the facts and legal analyses of those cases with your fact situation to predict the outcome and make recommendations to management as to how to handle the situation and improve practices in the future. Here, you will learn how to independently investigate and evaluate your and your organization's potential liability in situations that evolve out of managing the employment relationship, and to apply professional critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills to express the results of your findings in written form.