BUS 366 [HRIS] SPRING 2017 GUIDELINE- INDIVIDUAL RESEARCH PROJECT Notes: A. PURPOSE: This research project is a individual assignment, designed to facilitate your engagement with industry, in order to gain deeper insights into the various issues and processes involved in the planning, implementing and day to day use/ troubleshooting of an HRIS by HR / Other employees [and non-employees] at various levels within a chosen organization. -The project shall assume the form of an‘Audit’ of a chosen Co’s HRIS, and shall involve a comparison between theory and practice. B.THEORETICAL SCOPE: For theoretical comparisons, you are encouraged to use ANY, or ALL of the chapters of the prescribed text covered in the course, that adds value to your work [ie Chapters 1,2, 3, 4,5,7 & 16], and, the learning material uploaded on BB. C. WORD COUNT: Any number of words, subject to the final report / submission achieving the form of a complete, comprehensive work. HOWEVER, quality is more important than quantity, so do avoid ‘fluff/ unwanted padding’. D. REFERENCING: Clearly mention [in bold/italics] the chapter / page No’s of the text book, wherever references are to be made to the book. E. FORMAT / FONT SIZE /STYLE: This is a written assignment, with the final product that will be presented in a REPORT format [hardcopy], typed in Times new Roman, Font size 12. A softcopy also needs to be emailed.. G. DUE DATE : 30th April 2017, 1700 hrs
A grade shall be reduced for late submissions. H. MAIN PROJECT DETAILS - You must select and visit any one company / organization of your choice within the U.A.E., [size doesn’t matter], and meet with the HR Manager, and, at least any one other person working in the IT Dep’t of same company, or, the ‘go-to’ person in charge of administering / maintaining the Co’s IT [HRIS] system. Ideally, the company should not be a ‘holding company’ or a conglomerate, e.g. ADNOC Group, but could be a subsidiary of a holding Co., eg NDC / ADGAS etc. In case it’s not possible to visit the company, then you must arrange some means of contacting / communicating with the above persons, initially by phone, then email. Both these persons should have been with the organization for at least one year. As such one or two face to face meetings is the most ideal way forward. Ask them to tell you briefly about the following, and take notes of everything that’s discussed : I. Introductory / background details to be covered • The company’s history in brief; • Its employee strength [ie total number of employees] • Its current operations [what they do] • Their broad strategy [if they have one] in not more than 8 lines. • Their HR strategy [if they have one] in not more than 8 lines. • The organization and management structure [ask for an organogram]. This should clarify where HR-IT support is located. 
J. HRIS details to be covered in the report 
Note: PLEASE : do not use this as a ‘checklist’ to tick off, or, as a series of ‘questions and answers’ as used in an exam. Rather, use these as ‘tips’ and create as many more of your own, with the aim being to get a ‘total picture’ about ‘what’s happening’ with the HRIS of the Co, how are things going; what’s good and not so good; who’s happy and who’s not; what was followed and / or not followed; etc ‘. 
J1) Generalized details 1. SincewhenhasthecompanybeenusingthecurrentIT/Softwareprogramto manage its HR. 2. Whatisthenameofthepackage/softwarebeingused. 3. IsthesameanERPpackage,or‘standalone’HRMrelatedpackageonly. 4. Whatwasbeingdoneearlier,beforethecurrentpackagewasintroduced. 5. Whywasthecurrentpackageintroduced......Whatarethedetailedreasons. 6. Who were the key people [or decision makers], who decided to replace the old package, or, introduce a new IT system, for the first time... 7. Whoplayedtheroleof‘managementsponsor’,whetherdirectly,orindirectly.. 8. What was the decision making process like: Who were the key players and also other- non key players- involved. 9. Wastherea‘VendorEvaluation’[REFERTEXT]thattookplace,howwasthis done, if done, why wasn’t it done, if not done. 10.Who are the users and non-users of the package, in case the same is web- accessible. 11.Who were the HR / Functional specialists involved in decision making and implementation of the software. 12.What is the overall satisfaction level with the program......have attempts ever been made to ascertain satisfaction levels of users? Who are the happy/unhappy stakeholders, and why? 13.What portions of the software [percentage-wise] or generally, are not yet ‘activated’, or not used. What are these parts. 14.What activities [or functions], are being done ‘outside the system’, and why 15.What is the general opinion, about the ‘size/quality’ of the package: too big and too expensive for the company’s size and wants, or the opposite.. 16.Does the package meet / satisfy the ‘future plans’ of the company? 17.What are the approximate ‘initial costs’ [one off] incurred by the company [AED] on the package, and what are the recurring annual costs [AED]. Provide as much detail here, re ‘breakdown’. 18.Is the package being used for ‘traditional’ and ‘transformational’ HR activities too, or, mainly for transactional only. Please find out the truth ! J2. Specific Details to be covered [and linked to theory] : Note: Each of the following points / items, must be addressed in TWO PARTS: First- briefly state what the theoretical definition, or description of the item is, whilst quoting the chapter / page reference of the text book, and Second – Explain whether what’s ‘actually being done’ in the company converges or departs from theory. In case of ‘departures’, explain very briefly ‘why’. ..AND / OR explain, ‘ in the context of your chosen company’ how things agree, or disagree with theory [See No’s 1 & 4] Items / Topics 1. e-HRMmentalityorapproach[E.g.,‘Prescribedtext,Ch1,P18’] 2. Data,InformationandKnowledge
3. RelationalDBMSandthreetypesofdatasharing 4. HRISCustomers/Users[the‘twogeneralgroups’]
5. Planningforsystemimplementationx12steps
6. ProjectCreep
7. Fig4.1SDLC[SystemDevelopmentLifeCycle]x5phases 8. 3XComponentsofInformationSecurity[AlsoseeFig16.1] K. Analysis / Findings Based on the data / inputs you have managed to collect under sections J1 and J2, you must present your analysis / findings, regarding: 1.Whether the HRIS being used is adequate/appropriate/ inadequate/ too advanced etc. 2. Staff capability in using the HRIS effectively and training needs related. 3. Underutilized parts of the HRIS if any, and why 4. Overall, has a ‘professional’ approach to HRIS adoption been adopted, or ‘arbitrary’. 5. Any other aspect relating to the efficient / productive use of the package. Your submission should take a REPORT format, and include all normal headings, such as and including an executive summary, introduction, table of contents, conclusions, recommendations, references etc etc. L. Assessment Criteria [A rubric based on this shall be used for assessment] The project will be assessed on the following criteria: 1. The clarity / logical sequencing of your thoughts, and ability to provide a clear picture of the HRIS environment of the chosen Co. 2. Seriousness of effort, as evidenced by depth, original thinking, inclusion of own ideas, and not adopting a ‘ticking off checklist’ approach 3. Comprehensiveaddressingofkeyissues 4. Qualityofanalysisandrecommendationsprovided 5. The quality / relevance of links drawn between theory and reality, and explanations provided. 6. Originality: own words and style, rather than paraphrasing / borrowing heavily from cited sources. 7. Adherence to report format.