Employee Relations

Topic: Should Congress allow unions to form with only a “card check” (see the Employee Free Choice Act) procedure instead of a secret-ballot election? What are the advantages? Disadvantages? Why hasn’t the Act passed?
Study Books Used in Class:
Description: The purpose of this assignment is to strengthen your research skills and expand your knowledge. You will need to research material beyond the class readings to investigate an Employee Relations topic in more depth. You will examine an aspect of labor law in depth and report your findings in an 11-13 page paper (not including the title page and reference list). Scholarly sources from academic libraries should dominate your research. Of course, you may use online libraries, such as the one at Given much of the information available via the web is not screened for accuracy, you should be careful in selecting information from this source. In other words, website information should be used sparingly and only appropriately (i.e., to describe a specific company’s program or report a governmental policy). APA should be used to reference your sources.

 

Administrative preparation

_____The paper is posted by November 8, 2011 (EST) to your individual assignment folder. Per the syllabus, a grade penalty can apply if the document is late.

_____An abstract is not included. (Instead, the Introduction orients the reader and the Summary highlights the key points.)

_____Pages are numbered in the lower, right corner.

_____The paper is double-spaced and contains 11-13 pages of text. (The page limit asks you to think about what is most important and to communicate it concisely. This is a valuable business skill since managers often have time to read only the executive summaries or the first page of a resume! Note: This does not mean that substance should be sacrificed; it just means it should be presented concisely.)

_____A 12-point font is used, and margins are reasonable.

_____You have submitted the paper to turnitin.com. Instructions are in the Course Content area under Turnitin.com Instructions. Everyone must have a turnitin.com report. You should adhere to a requirement of no more than 25% quotations. The service will generate an originality report giving you a percentage. You should submit your paper to turnitin.com early enough to allow yourself time to re-write portions as necessary to come in under the 25% requirement. You will be able to submit your paper multiple times to receive an originality report. Papers exceeding the 25% requirement may be downgraded.

*Please do not forget that you can use the university’s Effective Writing Center (EWC). Information about the EWC is contained in the Course Content area. It is highly recommended that you utilize this service.

GRADING RUBRIC:
Goal—10%
_____The purpose of the paper is clearly stated.
_____The topic is related to this class. (This should not be a problem since you selected one from a provided list.)
_____The focus and scope are clearly and reasonably defined. (State the key questions you are planning to answer.)
Organization (Outlining before writing helps to detect problems.) –65%

_____The introduction tells the reader the purpose, scope, and agenda of the paper.
_____The introduction indicates the relevance of the topic.
_____The introduction is designed to catch the reader’s interest.
_____The body of the paper contains substantial content and represents a significant literature review. In other words, the material extends substantially beyond the course readings. Issues are discussed thoroughly. All the major constituent groups’ perspectives are examined.
_____The body of the paper is not merely a summary of the literature. Rather, the paper shows an understanding of the material by synthesizing the material in a clear, analytical manner.
_____Special terms are defined.
_____Points are logically sequenced.
_____Points are well supported with logic, data, and/or examples.
_____Conclusions demonstrate integrative, critical thinking.
_____The summary shows the purpose has been achieved and recaps the key thoughts.
_____The summary gives psychological closure.
Delivery (Having someone else read a draft helps to detect errors.) –20%

_____Citations are given for non-original material, using APA format for the in-text citation as well as the reference list.
_____Technical aspects of writing (i.e., grammar, sentence structure, paragraphing, and spelling) are correct.
_____Academic style (i.e., appropriate diction, clarity, smooth transitions, and an audience-oriented approach) is demonstrated.

Reference List—5%
_____The references conform to APA format.
_____Sufficient number and quality of references.