MGT511 Advanced Topics in Human Resource Management
Module 1 Discussion
Is Happiness Worth a Pay Cut?
Read the following:
I took the lower salary, and decided it was time to redefine success.
Is Happiness Worth a Pay Cut?
Work isn’t supposed to be the best part of your day. It serves a purpose: working earns us money which allows us to survive and, hopefully, extra income gives us the ability to do things we enjoy, too. The longer we work and the harder we try, the more money we make. With any luck, that extra spending money becomes fancy cars, bigger houses, designer shoes.
Several years ago, I left journalism in search of a bigger career. Journalism is a field I love, but a field known for overworking and underpaying its employees, so I left it, taking an editing job with a large company’s website. The pay was great; I moved from Washington, D.C., to a much cheaper city, and took home a hefty raise despite the cost of living being much lower in my new home. I enjoyed it for a while, going out to eat more often and ordering more expensive wines than I ever could before.
Once the excitement of “oh-my-gosh-I-can-afford-this” wore off, I began to learn that, in a different way, I was paying for that extra income. I didn’t feel challenged at work; I didn’t feel as though I had purpose.
I brought home my paycheck, but I’d left my happiness and sense of purpose behind in the old Washington Post building. I wanted to return to journalism, but to do so meant giving up my shiny, big-world salary.
I took the lower salary, and decided it was time to redefine success.
Success is taking on a challenge and finding a solution. It’s coming into a new position and doing it in a way that’s never been considered before. It’s surprising your boss with innovation. It’s having a fulfilling job and home life.
We spend less and save more now that we have less disposable income. I shop sales and never want to upgrade my MINI Cooper. Best of all, I’m happy to go to work, and I come home feeling grateful to do something I love. I’m satisfied with what I have: a job I enjoy, and time to enjoy being around my husband and our dogs. I have everything I need, and many things that make life a little bit better.
Source: Wile, K. (2017). Life lines: Is happiness worth a pay cut? Bizwomen. Retrieved from https://www.bizjournals.com/bizwomen/news/out-of-the-office/2017/06/life-lines-is-happiness-worth-a-pay-cut.html?page=all
First Post—Module 1
The wages/salaries we make are important for our livelihood, but just how important?
•             Have you worked a job where the pay, benefits, location, etc., were terrific, but you just were not happy? On the other hand, have you worked a job where the pay, benefits, location, etc., were not so hot, but you were still happy? (If these situations do not apply to you, does one or both describe something someone you know has experienced?)
•             Is there a job or career you would never pursue regardless of the pay offered to you? If so, what job and why?
•             Should employee happiness be one of the compensable factors employers should look at in their job evaluation process when determining the pay for a position? Why or why not?
Subsequent Posts—Module 1
•             After other classmates have posted, read through their contributions and enter individual responses to at least two classmates’ posts.
For all posts:
•             Introduce ideas/comments and research not previously mentioned by your peers.
•             Share your own personal experiences, if applicable.
•             Cite all sources (minimum of 2) utilized to prepare this module’s discussion.
Make interesting and informative contributions to this discussion forum.
 
MGT511 Advanced Topics in Human Resource Management
Module 2 Discussion
Discussion: Employee Benefits in Other Countries
First Post—Module 2
Step 1) Select a country (NOT the United States, Canada, Mexico, or China). Look up information about employee benefit practices in that country. Select specific employee benefits and compare and contrast them with similar benefits in the United States. Provide industry and/or employer examples (by name), if possible. Select a different country than your classmates. Also focus on different benefits (if possible) than those chosen by your classmates.
Step 2) Answer the following 5 questions using question and answer (Q&A) format for your response; in other words, include the original question along with your response. Within your post support your responses with information from at least 2 reputable sources (library and/or Web-based), and provide the full citation at the end. Use APA format for your references. Share your own personal experiences if applicable.
1              What country other than the United States, Mexico, Canada, or China did you analyze?
2              What specific benefit did you analyze? Describe it.
3              How does the benefit work in the United States?
4              How is the benefit in the country identified in Question 1 similar to the benefit in the United States?
5              How is the benefit in the country identified in Question 1 different from the benefit in the United States?
Subsequent Posts—Module 2:
After some classmates have posted, read through their contributions and enter individual responses to at least 2 classmates’ posts.
For All Posts:
•             Introduce ideas/comments and research not previously mentioned by your peers.
•             Share your own personal experiences, if applicable.
•             Cite all sources (minimum of 2) utilized to prepare this module’s discussion.
Make interesting and informative contributions to this discussion forum.
 
MGT511 Advanced Topics in Human Resource Management
Module 3 Discussion
Paid Time Off Benefit

As we see from the video, HMP Finance recommends employers to have generous paid-time-off policies.
•             If you were in charge of a business, what paid-time-off benefits would you implement to help retain and attract great employees? Why?
•             What would be the strengths and drawbacks of offering the paid-time-off benefits that you recommend?
Support your responses with information from at least two reputable sources (library and/or Web-based), and provide the full citation at the end. Use APA format for your references. Share your own personal experiences, if applicable.
Subsequent Posts—Module 3
After some of your classmates have posted, read through their contributions and enter individual responses to at least two classmates’ posts.
For All Posts:
•             Introduce ideas/comments and research not previously mentioned by your peers.
•             Share your own personal experiences, if applicable.
•             Cite all sources (minimum of 2) utilized to prepare this module’s discussion.
•             Make interesting and informative contributions to this discussion forum.
 
MGT511 Advanced Topics in Human Resource Management
Module 4 Discussion
Employee Incentives for Higher Productivity
First Post—Module 4
Step 1) Read the statement and report in full below:
“The U.S. construction industry has an enormous opportunity to improve the effectiveness of the incentives offered to employees for increasing return on their investment and driving the desired outcomes and behaviors” (FMI Management Consulting, 2013, p. 30).
http://www.fminet.com/media/pdf/report/IncentiveCompSurveyReport_2013.pdf
Step 2) Select a specific industry to focus on for this discussion. (The report was about the construction industry. However, you should branch out and select a different industry. Everyone should discuss a different industry, if possible.) IBISWorld is available from the Trident Online Library. You may find IBISWorld useful as you prepare for this discussion topic.
Step 3) Answer the following 4 questions below using question-and-answer (Q&A) format; in other words, include the original question along with your response. Support your responses with information from at least two reputable sources (library and/or Web-based) and provide full citation at the end. Use APA format for your references. Share your own personal experiences, readings, and research, where applicable.
1              What industry did you select?
2              What are some ideas on how to improve the effectiveness of using employee incentives in the workplace?
3              What are the challenges of offering incentives in your selected industry?
4              What are your recommendations on how to overcome those challenges?
Subsequent Posts—Module 4
After some of your classmates have posted, read through their contributions and enter individual responses to at least two classmates’ posts.
For All Posts:
•             Use ideas/comments and research not previously mentioned by your peers.
•             Mention your own personal experiences, if applicable.
•             Cite all sources (minimum of 2) utilized to prepare this module’s discussion.
•             Make interesting and informative contributions to this discussion forum.
 
MGT511 Advanced Topics in Human Resource Management
Module 4 Reflective Discussion
Reflective Discussion
In the Module 4 Reflective Discussion, please reflect on everything you have learned in this course, by addressing the following:
Paragraphs 1-3:
Given the readings and assignments in the course, identify and discuss three important concepts applicable to your work experience, profession, and/or career plans for the future. Describe how each applies.
Paragraph 4:
Which part(s) of the course (background materials, assignments, and so forth) helped to shape or reshape your perceptions of the role of HRM in the private sector?
Note: No outside research or citations are needed in your Reflective Discussion. Also, you need not respond to your peers’ posts.
After responding to the Reflective Discussion above, please complete an anonymous Course Evaluation Survey. Instructors are not able to view course evaluation reports until after the grade submission period is over. Thank you for your feedback.

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