For this assignment, you will find a scholarly journal article in a top journal on an HR-related topic and write a formal paper on it. Make sure it contains rigorous quantitative statistical analysis. Structural equation modeling [SEM] is vastly preferred as easier to understand and to present [i.e., it usually has a diagram]. Helpful additional search terms include both AMOS and LISREL, which are the major software packages used to conduct SEM. Use regression analysis only if you cannot find anything that uses SEM. Try to avoid experimental design; the stats are far less intuitive and the settings are far less realistic.

The paper is limited to 4 pages, 12-point Times New Roman font, double spaced, 1-inch margins all around. Make sure your full name, sidn, the course number (Bus 159), and a meaningful title all are shown on a separate cover page [this does not count against the 4-page maximum]. Use the following format: Major research issue dealt with, summary of previous research on the topic [what we knew and didn't know before; the gap to be filled by this research], why the issue is important to contemporary organizations and HRM, how the research was designed and conducted, the results (see me twice for help on the statistics tables, but the narrative results or discussion are key to understanding the research), and, most importantly, a specific, useful, non-obvious take-home message for managers and HR professionals for improving employment practices overall. Attach hard copies of your article. Hand in your paper and the article just before you present.  

Choice of a good article is the most important part of this assignment. You must get the article pre-approved by me in person or by email in advance, and meet with me at least twice after you have read it a few times to discuss the statistics. See Step by step instructions for finding your “Current Topics” article for details. In general, you will:

1. Start with a Journal Search [visual review of the Table of Contents within one or more of the following]:
   1. Personnel Psychology [“P-Psych”]
   2. Academy of Management Journal [“AMJ”]
   3. Journal of Applied Psychology [“JAP”]
   4. Human Resource Management Journal [“HRMJ”]
2. A Journal Search is by far your best bet for finding a usable article, and will help acquaint you with research topics/areas of which you may not have been previously aware [that’s why we’re doing this!]; if and only if you cannot find something recent of practical value related to your area with a journal search, then try a Database Search [Google-type search using topic search terms that cut across multiple sources]. Either way,
3. Try very hard to find an article from one of the journals on my above list before defaulting to other sources
4. Make sure the article’s publication date [vs. journal copyright date] is within the last 5 years for current developments
5. Make sure the article contains actual quantitative data and performs statistical analysis [i.e., SEM or regression] on that data
6. Make sure the data [vs. the article] are not too old or irrelevant context [e.g., surveys workers in a 1985 Yugoslavian manufacturing plant]
7. Make sure you can extract a specific, practical, non-obvious take-home message that adds value to our knowledge of good HRM [Hint: If your take-home message is little more than a Bus150-level platitude that cannot survive the question “What would you pay a consultant for this advice?” you should keep looking! :-)]
8. When sending articles for possible approval, do not send me more than one article at a time; you are the one who needs to apply these criteria before asking me to confirm that the article is ok. Reread the criteria above and reevaluate your article one more time before sending it to me for approval. You have an absolute maximum of 3 chances to get an article approved, so make your choices count! Follow these directions carefully. Then see me in my office hours or in class to let me help you understand what you’ve got.
9. PDF is required; if you forward an article by email from a library database or other source, make sure to copy yourself with the message so you can tell if it’s gone through with the attached article. Don’t forget to include your topic area in the subject line and a proposed take home message in the body of the email so I can tell if the article is relevant. Emails that do not meet these requirements will not be responded to.