RESEARCH PAPER TOPICS – BA 453 HRM

The primary objective of your paper is to do “research” in a specific area of HRM. Such research requires the formation of a “research question” with a narrow focus to facilitate in-depth exploration and often entails a blend of field and literary research. You can elect to do primarily field or literary research. Some suggested topics are below, but you are encouraged to find one which excites your intellect and/or is relevant to your future business career.

FIELD RESEARCH – requires contacting a company or companies, identifying their current HR policy issues or HR concerns, selecting only one, developing a list of interview questions based on a brief review of research in that HR area, and then conducting an interview to explore the matter in depth. It is NOT merely a report of the conversational narrative of the interview. It is a thorough critique with recommendation for improvement.

1. Critique a current HR policy or issue in a specific company and make recommendations for improvement. Examples of policies are: recruiting, hiring, orientation, training, succession planning, career planning, team development, performance review, equal employment opportunity, pay incentives, a specific type of employee benefit or perk, corrective/disciplinary action, OSHA compliance, and safety recognition.

2. Describe a current HR strategy in a specific company and how it enhances their competitive advantage in business. Discuss strengths and weaknesses of the strategy. Examples are: HR employment planning, performance management system, organization design/development, compensation planning, quality of work life (QWL), promotion of diversity, and team building.

3. Interview a HR Manager in a specific company and identify the major issues facing him/her and how they plan to address them. Generally, this is a three