SLP Written Communication Emphasized Level

Module 3 – SLP
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 suggested resources available in the Trident Online Library related to the HR field. Note that you are not required to use only these sources, although the ones you select to use must be found in the Trident Online Library databases.
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:
1. Mergers & Acquisitions: What main point(s) about merging companies does the author make particularly relating to HRM? Do you agree? Why or why not?
2. 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. Be selective and add pictures that reflect your message. 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.
Written communication is not just about word selection and grammar. It is also about selecting the right information that sends the correct message to the receiver. Keep this in mind as you determine the message you want to send to your employees. Select the appropriate terminology and wording that provides your employees with an adequate amount of information to set them at ease regarding a potential reduction in force, merger, or an acquisition opportunity at your organization.
Upload your assignment to the appropriate Dropbox. Be sure to review your TurnItIn Originality report. If the score is over 15%, 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 Introduction to APA.
You will find the following useful as you critique sources:
Herring, J. E. (2011). Chapter 3: Evaluating websites, Figure 3.1, p. 38. In Improving students’ web use and information literacy: a guide for teachers and teacher librarians. Facet Publishing. Available in the Trident Online Library, EBSCO eBook Collection.
Lack, C. W., & Rousseau, J. (2016). Chapter 4: What is critical thinking? In Critical thinking, science, and pseudoscience: Why we can’t trust our brains. Springer Publishing Company. Available in the Trident Online Library, EBSCO eBook Collection.
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