MUST BE A FLYER
Mergers, Acquisitions, and Reductions in Force
Assignment Overview
Signature Assignment: Written Communication, Emphasized Level
In this assignment, your written communication skills will be assessed. The Written Communication rubric will be useful for this purpose. In MGT302, they were assessed at the “introduced” level. In MGT407, written communication skills were assessed at the “reinforced” level. Finally, in MGT491, your written communication skills will be assessed at the “emphasized” level. The skills needed in these three assignments build on each other and offer you the opportunity to enhance and practice your written communication skills. The grading rubric for written communication at the undergraduate level has been developed to measure student success in meeting the MGT491 SLP 3 expectations. Rubrics for the other two courses are included in their respective assignments.
In this course, MGT491, you will demonstrate the skills you have been practicing in the previous courses in the BSHRM degree program: quantitative reasoning, information literacy, and written communications. Previously, in Module 1, you demonstrated your quantitative reasoning skills. Quantitative reasoning is your analysis of a given set of metrics. In the Module 3 Case assignment, you demonstrated your information literacy skills by finding and selecting the right high-quality sources for a specific topic. In the Module 3 SLP assignment, you will demonstrate your written communications skills. Written communication is how you take information and explain it logically while rationally defending your views on the information presented in an assignment.
The following is a list of some of suggested resources available in the Trident Online Library related to the HR field.
Academic Research
Journal of Applied Psychology
Personnel Psychology
Academy of Management Journal
The Academy of Management Review
Professional Journals
Harvard Business Review
International Journal of Human Resource Management
HRMagazine
SLP Assignment
For each SLP question below, select three articles (published within the past five years), each from different peer-reviewed academic journals/magazines. Find articles that specifically address the following:
Mergers & Acquisitions: What main point(s) about merging companies does the author make particularly relating to HRM? Do you agree? Why or why not?
Reduction in Force (RIF): What main point(s) about RIFs does the author make particularly relating to HRM? What steps can HRM take to prepare employees for a possible RIF?
In your 2-page submission (not counting the cover page), create a 2-sided flyer that HR department staff can give to each person laid off due to Mergers & Acquisitions or a Reduction-in-Force. Include both a cover page and reference page for this assignment. These can be a separate document from the flyer. Experiment with using Microsoft Publisher or its equivalent free program found online for the 2-page flyer (a tri-fold flyer might work best for you—you could then put the references on the middle back column). Keeping the seriousness of the topic in mind, use color, but keep the flyer business-like without flamboyance. If you use a tri-fold template in Word or Publisher, plan your layout first so that once it is folded everything is in the right place.
Upload your assignment to the appropriate Dropbox. Be sure to review your TurnItIn Originality report. If the score is over 20%, you may not be writing in your own words and you will need to contact your professor and arrange to revise and resubmit your assignment.
Citation and reference style instructions are available at https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/. Also see Trident University’s Student Guide to Writing a High-Quality Academic Paper.
You will find the following useful as you critique sources:
Cornell University. (2015). Critically analyzing information sources: Critical appraisal and analysis. Retrieved from http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/skill26.htm
Cornell University. (2014). Evaluating Web sites: Criteria and tools. Retrieved from http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webeval.html
SLP Assignment Expectations
Your submission will be assessed on the criteria found in the written communications grading rubric for this assignment:
Context and purpose for writing
Content
Adherence to conventions in specific disciplines
Sources of evidence
Syntax control and mechanics
Timeliness
