The Capstone class requires you to create a professional, influential and comprehensive Capstone Project that incorporates the central lessons learned throughout the graduate program. Your project will address and resolve systematic problems within an organization and describe the fundamental role that a human resources department can and should play in building and advancing the interests of the organization.

The Capstone Project is due in Week 8. Each Capstone Assignment is a specific part of this final project. Review the Capstone Project description below and the grading rubric in the Module 8 folder. Also review the student course syllabus for each Capstone Assignment description so you understand all components of this final project. Below is the scenario you should use for this project:

Scenario

Ellard Williams, Incorporated, is a manufacturing firm founded in 1987 and based in the New England area of the United States. Almost 11,300 employees work for Ellard Williams, generating sales in excess of $200 million annually over the past 10 years while profits exceeded $15 million annually in seven of those years.

Over the past three years, however, a series of organizational mistakes, blunders, and mismanagement has affected the profitability of Ellard Williams. A recently completed strategic analysis indicates growth will slow, profits will fall, employee turnover will remain at higher than appropriate levels, and employee compensation will lag further behind the industry average. Employee motivation, performance and productivity has been identified as a critical deficiency within the organization, resulting in production delays, high defect rates in production, and management/employee confrontations that have been encouraged by three of the four labor unions representing almost 80 percent of Ellard Williams employees.

The strategic analysis indicated there were serious concerns about the competency and effectiveness of the 67-member human resource department. Labor management relations are strained, compensation practices change frequently and are seen to favor upper management, harassment and discrimination complaints have doubled over the past four years, performance appraisals are not completed, and the organizational culture stymies innovation and ingenuity. Consequently, management has lost confidence in the ability of human resources to be a strategic resource within the organization.

You are the founder of a respected human resource consulting firm. You have been contacted by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Ellard Williams, Inc. who is requesting that your firm consider providing assistance and guidance to Ellard Williams in the following areas:

Role and Function of an HR Department (Module 1 Capstone Assignment)

• Present the purpose and role of human resources in a large manufacturing organization
• Assess the five most important duties/responsibilities of an effective human resources department, detailing how these duties and responsibilities specifically support and enhance the organization’s ability to meet its strategic objectives

Environmental and Organizational Factors (Module 2 Capstone Assignment)

• Present the major social, economic, and technological issues that will impact an organization in the next 3-5 years.
• For each social, economic, and technological issue, offer one strategy that an organization should consider to take advantage of this issue or mitigate its impact on the organization’s future performance or profitability.

Unions/Labor and Management Relations (Module 3 Capstone Assignment)

• Explain the impact that unions have on the operations of an organization
• Describe the principle reasons labor/management relations are challenged and result in conflict
• Recommend three strategies an organization should follow to promote positive and conducive relations between unions and management

Compensation (Module 4 Capstone Assignment)

• Explain the main reasons that employees are motivated to perform in the workplace. In other words, what are the strategies or actions that motivate a typical organizational employee?
• Describe the role of compensation in the workplace, including its effect/impact on employee performance
• Create a compensation plan or model for Ellard Williams to adopt that will meet the needs of the employees, help attract talented employees, and not be cost prohibitive to adapt. Your compensation plan or model should reflect aspects of your motivation philosophy. Note: At present, Ellard Williams does not have the financial resources to compensate employees at market; therefore, its compensation plan or model must reflect this limitation

Recruitment and Selection (Module 5 Capstone Assignment)

• Explain the critical mistakes to avoid in the recruitment process, mistakes that may have resulted in the recruitment challenges at Ellard Williams. This information would be beneficial to tailor the recruitment processes at Ellard Williams with current realities in the marketplace
• Describe the general recruitment process that should be followed to attract the most talented employees, regardless of the type of organization. In particular, present the three most important steps or strategies that should be utilized to create a broader and more talented pool of candidates (for example, a strategy could be for a human resources representative to visit high schools, colleges, civic clubs, or local events to promote the organization).
• Summarize the traits and characteristics of the most qualified applicant to a typical firm. A concern at Ellard Williams is that it may not be hiring the right person for the position and the CEO has requested that your consulting firm present Ellard Williams with a summary of the traits and characteristics that the most talented and effective applicant hired by a typical organization should have in order to best propel the organization forward

Team-Oriented Culture and Organizational Health (Module 6 Capstone Assignment)

• Propose specific strategies a human resource professional can enact to create a more team-oriented, collaborative culture in the organization
• Propose specific tools or tests a human resource professional can utilize that will assess the health of the organization or highlight potential negative issues within an organization. By doing so, human resources can more proactively address a situation before its effects the team-oriented culture of the organization, which then affects organizational productivity

Executive Summary (Module 7 Capstone Assignment)

• Present the principle finding identified in the Capstone assignments you’ve developed throughout the course
• Summarize the knowledge and skills that a competent human resources professional should possess and describe how the knowledge and skills can be acquired
• Recommend strategies for transitioning the current human resources department at Elllard Williams from a purely transactional/process-oriented role within the organization to one in which it is a strategic partner in determining the future of the organization

Your consulting firm has agreed to provide assistance and guidance to Ellard Williams, and will present the CEO with an instructive and comprehensive report in eight weeks. Starting this week and continuing in each week, one component of the report will be presented by the consultant (student), with feedback provided by the CEO (instructor). In the eighth (final) week, all components of the report will be compiled, along with closing notes and information, and submitted to the CEO (instructor).

Final Submission Requirements:
Incorporate the feedback received from your instructor on each Capstone Assignment into a comprehensive Capstone Project. Your FINAL paper should meet the following requirements:

• Include a 2-3 page Executive Summary
• Be 21-28 pages (including Executive Summary) in length, incorporating all of the above assignments
• Include at least 14 different scholarly sources