Business Administration - Human Resources

Organizations depend on the effective management of its human resources to achieve optimum results. In this course, you will learn how proper recruitment/selection strategies and training and development methods maintain an organization's competitive advantage. The integral role of job design and analysis in affecting compensation management and performance appraisal decisions will be examined. You will investigate a variety of employment, and health and safety laws as they relate to managing a diverse workforce. In addition, the fundamental principles of the union-management framework will be explored.

In this course, students will be provided an overview of the decisions that face Marketers in today's fast-paced and competitive business environment. Students will become acquainted with current Canadian marketing concepts, terminology and practices, examine strategies to apply them to contemporary marketing situations, and gain an understanding of how they affect an organization's profitability. This is a highly interactive course where students will participate in a variety of hands-on practical activities and projects to immerse themselves in the fundamentals of marketing.

In this course, students will be introduced to academic writing styles with a thematic focus on current issues. This course will help students to express themselves clearly and correctly in written form. Students will critically analyse assigned readings and express their thoughts. The course will also focus on the development of an academic paper utilizing the APA style of documentation.

In this course, students will be introduced to the accounting cycle and the preparation of financial statements. Topics include: preparing journal entries to record transactions and adjustments; preparing worksheets; preparing financial statements; accounting for merchandising activities; and valuing inventory.

In this course, students will be introduced to business in Canada, focusing on introductory topics for those interested in employment in a business management role. Topics of study will include the relationships between the areas of finance, human resources, marketing, and operations within an organization, business ethics and social responsibility, management concepts and practices, and an exploration of the entrepreneurial spirit.

In this course, students will begin with a review of basic arithmetic and algebraic manipulations, continuing with the following topics: ratios and proportions, percentages and the percentage formula, discounts, mark-ups and markdowns, payroll scenarios, break-even analysis and simple interest.

Students will apply accounting principles to select assets and liabilities as well as the capital/equity transactions involving individuals, partnerships, and corporations. In addition, students will learn the purpose and compute common types of financial statement analysis.

In this course, students will discuss small-scale economic phenomena. Students will examine the behaviours of individuals, households, firms, industries, and resource owners. Further, they will review the explanations for such things as prices and output of firms, and the choices of consumers in buying goods and services. Finally, they will examine technological change, costs, competitions and adjustments of markets to new conditions.

In this course, students will assess the impacts of human behaviour on organizational performance through the study of personal values and perceptions, motivational techniques, effective utilization of teamwork, conflict resolution options, negotiation processes, leadership styles, approaches to decision making, options for organizational structure, and change management. Students will learn to predict potential impacts of human resources policies and practices on employee behaviour as well as recommend management practices to effectively address specific employee behaviours.

In this course, students will enhance their writing skills to produce routine workplace correspondence in a business setting. Students will be exposed to handling instant messaging and texting professionally. They will also prepare different types of informal reports and business documents. Students will combine collaborative methods with advanced research, written and oral skills to produce and present an infographic.

In this course, students will develop their skills and understanding of business mathematics involving interest calculations, compound interest, annuities, loan financing, bonds and investment decision making.

This course builds on the foundation of Introduction to Marketing. Students will continue to examine current Canadian material on marketing and determine strategies for developing new products and services that are consistent with evolving marketing needs and principles of sustainability. Students will apply their knowledge in producing a marketing plan where they will set marketing objectives, develop a marketing mix and select marketing channels while examining the elements of integrated marketing communications and the communication process. Budgetary considerations will be taken into account and evaluation criteria identified. Students will also contribute to the development of pricing strategies and participate in conducting market research to provide information needed to make marketing decisions. The further development of analytical marketing skills will be emphasized through the use of problems and case studies. This is a highly interactive course where students will continue to participate in a variety of hands-on practical activities and projects to immerse themselves in the fundamentals of marketing.

In this course, students will have exposure to a comprehensive windows-based financial spreadsheet package to enhance their problem solving abilities. The package used will be Microsoft Excel for Windows. The student will use this as a tool to prepare calculations, reports, and presentations which are commonly performed in the modern office.

This course will introduce students to the purpose and history of occupational health and safety including accident causation and prevention and proactive health and safety maintenance techniques. Legislation governing occupational health and safety and Workers’ Compensation are explained. The interrelationship between occupational health, employment, absenteeism, illness, and the concerns of labour management will be examined. Students will also consider the leadership role of HR professionals in occupational health and safety.

This course will introduce students to the legal framework of labour relations in Ontario and in Canada. They will examine the law of master and servant, the right to organize, the process of certification, collective bargaining, conciliation and mediation, and unfair labour practices. Students will also consider the rights and freedom to strike or lockout, the role of economic pressures, picketing, and associated regulations. They will also identify changes to legislation, practices, and case law.

This course will introduce students to the human resources function of determining equitable compensation and benefits and how it relates to the attraction, retention, and motivation of qualified employees. Students will examine the philosophy and practical application of compensation and benefits administration. They will conduct a job evaluation to determine appropriate compensation and benefits. They will also consider the impacts of demographics, economics, government policies, organizational policies, and employee expectations on the overall compensation plan.

In this course, students will discuss large-scale economic phenomena. Students will examine the behaviours of individual nations in a global economics context. Further, they will review the explanations for such things as prices and output in aggregate for an entire economy. Finally, they will examine technological change, money and banking, and international trade.

This course provides students with an in-depth study of Canadian legal principles and practices related to discrimination in employment. Students will examine prohibited grounds of discrimination regarding employment, the employer’s obligation to accommodate to the point of undue hardship under Human Rights law, and the employer’s role in making the workplace accessible under the Ontario Accessibility for Ontarians Disabilities Act (AODA). Students will also consider strategies to address discrimination and harassment in the workplace and discuss the employer’s responsibility to ensure a harassment-free workplace.

In this course, students will learn how to effectively use the accounting information that is required by managers to plan, direct, and control the operations of their business organization. Students will gain an understanding of managerial accounting data pertaining to cost systems, cost behaviour, cost-volume-profit relationships, decision-making, and budgeting.

This course will provide students with an in-depth examination of the collective bargaining process between management and labour. Emphasis is placed on the practical procedures to be followed in the collective bargaining process. These include strategies, tactics of persuasion, back-to-work protocol, and methods of costing the agreement. Special attention will be given to the definition and understanding of common clauses in a collective agreement and their significance to the parties.

This course introduces students to computer technology applications that can enhance the management of human resources. They will examine a technology needs assessment, the software selection process, specific software applications for human resources purposes, system and data security, and analysis of human resources data from available reports. A significant part of the course involves hands-on use of human resources software.

This course introduces students to employee recruitment and selection and its link to organizational strategy. They will examine human resources strategies for identifying and selecting employees with the knowledge, skills, abilities and other attributes that will contribute to the organization's short-term and long-term effectiveness. Students will be introduced to critical legal and socio-economic requirements related to this aspect of human resources management. They will practice using assessment tools and develop interviewing skills when producing a comprehensive recruitment and selection plan. They will also develop a personal resume and cover letter.

This course presents a practical study of Canadian business law, including the legal and administrative systems, torts, contracts, employment laws, and general legal considerations that arise for a business. In addition, students will assess intellectual property, patent, trademark, copyright, and franchising laws and apply them to business cases.

This course emphasizes the importance of an organization’s human capital in creating a competitive advantage. Students will examine and apply effective training design in the development of a training program. They will conduct a needs assessment and develop a training proposal. They will be introduced to adult learning theories and a variety of training methods including the application of technology in training programs. Students will also apply effective collaborative techniques that promote team cohesiveness and ensure the design and delivery of a high quality training program. An essential element of the course involves the development of a personal professional development plan.

The course provides students with an understanding of the interrelationship between contract and grievance administration, the arbitration process, and collective bargaining. Students will recognize the grievance procedure as a tool for achievement of the critical labour relations function of attaining a peaceful and orderly settlement of day-to-day problems arising from the employer-employee relationship. The law and practices related to labour arbitration in Ontario and other jurisdictions will be studied through precedent cases.

This course will introduce students to pay equity and employment equity law. Pay Equity will focus mainly on the Ontario Pay Equity Act and emphasize maintenance of pay equity plans as well as Proportional Value and Proxy Comparisons. Employment Equity will examine current compliance policies affecting federally-regulated organizations and contractors. Students will study steps in an organizational audit for the purposes of employment equity.

This course focuses on the role of human resources management in supporting organizational strategy. Students will examine human resources forecasting, planning, and assessment along with a variety of techniques for managing work force adjustments. They will be introduced to the role of human resources in creating a company’s competitive advantage. Students will also study environmental scanning, management succession, human resources development, career planning, and the linkage between organizational strategy and its impacts on human resources management.

Students will develop the necessary mathematical skills for conducting descriptive and inferential statistical analyses with business applications. Topics will include data description and presentation, probability, probability distributions, sampling distributions, estimation, hypothesis testing, regression and correlation.

This course examines some of the international human resource strategies, policies, and practices required in companies that engage in global business activities. Students will examine the differences between domestic and international human resource management with particular emphasis placed on: the preparation of staff for successful international assignments; travel health and safety issues; effective staff recruitment, selection, and training; critical compensation and benefits considerations for expatriates; and performance management of staff while abroad.

In this course, students will examine the goals and objectives of financial management with emphasis on decision-making. Topics relate to working capital management, budgeting and control, sources and forms of financing, cost of capital and capital budgeting.

This four-month block placement with a large industrial or public sector establishment/union will provide the student with an opportunity to apply his/her theoretical knowledge and skills to the practical situation.