Reference no: EM133672495

Data, Metrics, Reporting and Analytics

Overview
In this Unit, students are introduced to common human resource (HR) data, metrics and analytics that guide decision making in order to support strategic organisational goals. Human resources are the most critical asset. The department that manages human resources is generally the most important in an organisation. This Unit aims at reviewing HR department's role in aligning HR management to an organisation's strategic goals and making a positive impact on the future of the organisation. The Unit introduces HR data and metrics, efficiency, effectiveness and business outcome measures of HR management processes, descriptive HR analytics and data visualization, and predictive HR analytics. The Unit would enable students to make meaningful HR policy recommendation to an organisation using HR data and metrics.

Learning outcome 1: Explain how a system of inter-related functions/departments work, and demonstrate sound knowledge of HR data, metrics, and analytics

Learning outcome 2. Demonstrate descriptive and prescriptive HR analytics knowledge and skills

Learning outcome 3. Apply HR metrics and analytics in the real-world scenario to address management problems

Learning outcome 4. Generate a business case for HR initiatives through evidence-based analytical reports

Learning outcome 5. Work collaboratively with team members including communicating effectively, developing a project and demonstrating time management skills

Assessment 1 - Essay based on scholarly articles/books

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION

You will be required to choose from the following topics for your assignment.

Topic 1: Role of HR analytics in aligning HRM to an organisation's strategic goals
OR
Topic 2: Knowledge and skills of HR data, metrics, and analytics are essential for today's HR professionals

These are very broad topics. You can focus on a certain aspect of the topic. Do ensure that the focus you place and the examples you choose are relevant to this Unit. Word length - 1,000 words (plus or minus 10%). The word count should not include cover page, reference list and appendix (if any). The word count needs to be identified on the front cover of the assignment. A minimum of 5 scholarly articles/books must be cited for the topic of your choice. The assignment must be submitted via LMS on or before the due date.

Assessment 2 - Data Analysis Report and Presentation

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION
This assignment will be undertaken in a group of 4 - 6 students depending on the size of the class. In weeks 1 & 2, you will negotiate with other students to form a team. The team need to select a Team Coordinator who will inform their tutor of the names and student IDs of the team members no later than the end of the class in Week 3. The Team Coordinator liaises with team members to organise team meetings for this Assignment. For external students, you can do the assignment individually or with other external students.
You will be provided with a detailed Excel sheet with consolidated data of an organisation which has two business divisions in four locations. The CEO wants to enhance organisational performance in profitability, and believes that HRM is the key to achieve this goal. The CEO suspects that there are differences in HRM practices and performance across the four locational branches and between the two business divisions, and asks you to investigate. You, as the HR Manager, are required to do the following:
Using the data provided in the SampleDataFile downloadable from the LMS site, choose 2 or 3 metrics from
1) basic staff characteristics (e.g., education & work experience), 2) efficiency measures (e.g., time to fill & salary), 3) effectiveness measures (e.g., performance at 90 day & speed to competency), and 4) business outcome measures (e.g., profitability, productivity, Bradford factor - profitability must be included), which you think are important to organisational performance in profitability. So, choose 8-12 metrics in total.
Using Chart/Table/Dashboard, demonstrate the differences, if any, in these metrics across the four locational branches and between the two business divisions to verify the CEO's suspicion.
If any differences are found, propose possible explanations from an HR manager perspective.

Submit a Data Analysis Report package including 1) an executive summary of 500 words in Microsoft Word format to summarise your main findings; 2) PowerPoint presentation slides; and 3) an Excel file with Dashboard. The PowerPoint presentation should include the following:
Introduction (1 slide)
Describe the metrics chosen and explain why (1-2 slides)
What do the data tell us about these metrics in the four locational branches and the two business divisions of the organisation? (6-10 slides)
Conclusion (1 slide)
Give an 8 - 10 minutes presentation using PowerPoint (you can switch to the Excel file while presenting the Dashboard).
If it is impractical for all groups to present in class, your tutor may decide to allow some groups to submit a video recording of their presentation (this is usually in the case for large classes with more than 50 students). Please follow your tutor's instruction on the submission instructions.

In Excel, the same presentation results can be achieved through various means (Tables, Chart, and Dashboard). Use your own ingenuity to go beyond the previous sessions and develop the best ways to present the most important information to the CEO and achieve the best visualisation effect possible. If you are stuck, press F1 function key on your keyboard to get Excel help or google your query to get even more fantastic ideas.

Assessment 3 - HR Policy Recommendation Project

ASSESSMENT DESCRIPTION
The HR Policy Recommendation Project is an extension of Assignment 2, and will be undertaken individually. The Project needs to propose possible correlations between each of the business outcome metrics (dependent variables) and other metrics (independent variables) you have chosen in Assignment 2, test these relationships using predictive analytics techniques (regression), and provide recommendations on how the organisation should improve staffing practices to enhance organisational performance (when you run regression with profitability being the dependent variable, you also need to include other business outcome metrics such as productivity as additional independent variables). In writing up the Project, you are advised to refer to what are discussed in the seminar on "Predictive Analytics in Action" and Chapter 6 of the textbook, and apply predictive analytics methods (regression) to justify your policy recommendations.
The Project should be 2,000 words in length (plus or minus 10%), excluding cover page, reference list and appendix (you must include the original regression output in the appendix). If you need to use Charts/Tables/Dashboard already presented in Assignment 2, please put them in the appendix. You need to submit the Project in Microsoft Word format via LMS. An assignment cover sheet must be attached to the assignment.

The Project should include the following:
Introduction
Describe the key metrics and propose possible causal relationships between them.
Analyse relationship between key HR metrics using predictive analytics methods (you must specify the regression models you use, and explain the key regression output. The original regression output must be attached as an appendix).
Provide recommendations on HR policy to enhance organisational performance.
Conclusion

GUIDELINES for SUCCESS
To do well in this assignment, you need to work independently on the basis of the team-based Assignment 2, apply regression method to analyse possible correlations between the chosen metrics, and make HR policy recommendations based on the regression results and relevant academic sources.