TIM 306 - 001

Human Resources Management: Travel Industry

Fall 2021
Tues/Thur 12-noon – 1:15 pm
Zoom live class sessions will be announced app. 24-hours in advance

Lenna Shulga, Ph.D.

Phone: 808-956-5474 Office hours (Zoom or GRG219): Wed/Fri: 11:30 am – 1:00
Email: shulga@hawaii.edu pm or by appointment

Course Description:
This course will provide students with a comprehensive overview of human resources management with
particular emphasis on the travel industry. Students will gain an appreciation for human resources as a
strategic asset and will examine contemporary issues, development and theories in the field.
Prerequisite: TIM 101

Textbook:
Walker, John, and Nicholas Thomas, Human Resources Leadership in Hospitality, 2018, Ed. 1; Kendall-
Hunt. ISBN 9781524950385

Additional reading may be handed out in class throughout the semester or put on reserve in the library.
Students are expected to read these materials.

Course Learning Outcomes: Upon completion of the course students should be able to do the following.
 Students will master communication of human resource topics to other organization leaders and
managers as demonstrated through their presentation capstone project. (PLO 2)
 Leadership & Teamwork will be demonstrated in the collaboration for the final capstone project and
in various activities formatted in team environments. (PLO 4)
 Critical & Creative Thinking will be encouraged in the assessments and online discussion
participation.
(PLO 3)
 We will examine the global and ethical ramifications in organizations through a human resource lens.
(PLO 1&5)
 We will develop mastery in written and oral communication skills necessary in the travel industry
though various communication assignments. (PLO 2)

TIM Program Learning Outcomes for the Bachelor of Science Degree

1. Knowledge and Global Perspectives
Identify and demonstrate skills relevant to the operational areas of hospitality and tourism management.
2. Effective Communication
a) Demonstrate effective oral communication skills
b) Demonstrate effective written communication skills
3. Critical Thinking
a) Analyze situations and develop alternative options to resolve identified issues.
b) Synthesize appropriate information to develop reliable, valid, and logical arguments.

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 4. Leadership and Teamwork
a) Demonstrate effective leadership skills or traits of a leader.
b) Work productively, respectfully, and professionally as a team member.
5. Ethics and Stewardship
a) Apply ethical behavior.
b) Evaluate the importance of host cultures to the global travel industry and utilize sustainable
practices.

Curriculum Track Specific Learning Outcomes: Knowledge and Global Perspective

For Tourism/Transportation Track
Ta) Describe and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the major modes of transportation.
Tb) Explain transportation operations and management, as well as related global, environmental,
technological, regulatory, and risk management issues faced by transportation professionals.
Tc) Describe the elements of the tourism system and explain their interrelationships.
Td) Identify and define sustainability issues for the tourism system and explain how they can be
addressed.
For Hospitality Track
Ha) Analyze external and internal environmental factors that affect hospitality organizations.
Hb) Identify, explain, and apply management concepts, principles, and processes in operational areas of
hospitality organizations.

Grading System
Grading for this course will be based upon the following criteria:

Quiz 1 50
Grading
Quiz 2 50
Scale:
Quiz 3 50
A 475 - 500
Quiz 4 50
A- 450 - 474
B+ 431 - 449
Individual Project - Presentation 100
B 416 - 430
B- 401 - 415
Team Project – Zinnia Negotiations 100
C+ 375 - 400
C 350 - 374
Team Project – Executive “ASK” Presentation 100
D 300 - 349
TOTAL 500

The instructor reserves the right to assign the final course grade.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITES

1. Be prepared. This means having read the assigned pages in the textbook before class meetings.
2. Attendance at all class meetings is expected. It will be difficult to follow the course without regular
attendance.
3. Keep up to date. If for some reason you miss a class meeting you are responsible for all information
and material covered in class. You will need to arrange with another student to get the missed
information and materials.
4. Actively participate in class discussions. This does not necessarily mean speaking out frequently, just
to be speaking out.

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 5. Ask questions, offer examples, make comments, think out loud, challenge others – these and similar
forms of participation help others as well as yourself.
6. Complete all assignments and examinations on the scheduled dates.

MISCELLANEOUS

 Please make every effort to attend online live class sessions.

 Articles read in class are LISTENING exercises and copies are only available to students with
documented disabilities.
 Drop Date – Please check the UH website for the university policy regarding dropping classes as well as
the Drop Date for this semester.
 Cell phones must be either turned off or set in a non-ringing mode during class live sessions.
 Dictionaries may not be used during quizzes since a number of test terms can be found in a dictionary.
 Students are to refrain from engaging in private/personal conversations during classes. This causes a
distraction during the lectures and interferes with other students who have paid for the course.

 Attendance policy: Regular attendance is expected for all synchronous class sessions, as noted on the
Course Schedule and Assignments. Unavoidable absences should be explained to the instructor,
preferably in advance, if at all possible = excused absences (5 in total). Specific circumstances (e.g.,
different time-zone) must be discussed with the instructor to receive the attendance policy exemption.
Attendance and participation are very important! Unexcused absences could result in the loss of class
points and a lower grade (6 sessions or above). Please be respectful of your classmates and the instructor
and show up for class on time.

 Academic integrity: Academic dishonesty shall be handled according to university policy. The UH
student conduct code provides good definitions of different conduct
(http://studentaffairs.manoa.hawaii.edu/policies/conduct_code/). Penalties in this course will be at
minimum that the student will fail that assignment or may be up to failing the course or be dis-enrolled
from TIM school. Some examples of misconduct that will result in these penalties include but are not
limited to:
a. Plagiarism: Each student’s work is expected to be original (if in case of group work, the
group’s work should be original).
b. Resorting to unauthorized resources during exams.
c. Using someone else’s work for one’s assignment that is supposed to be an individual’s work.

4 Quizzes – 50 points each

All quizzes are based on lecture materials, Power Point presentations, textbook, text reading assignments,
and other assignments that may be given by the instructor. It is in your best interest to read all materials
assigned for the class and participate in all online activities. Each quiz consists of multiple choice, true/false,
and scenario-based questions. Instructions to take the quiz will be posted on Laulima the day preceding the
quiz.

Four quizzes will be given on Laulima with each quiz containing 100 questions. Each quiz is worth 10% of
your final grade - 50 points. The final quiz is not comprehensive.

Oral Presentations (1 Individual + 1 Team)

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 Each student is required to prepare and deliver 2 presentations (1 Individual and 1 Team) by creating slides
and video recording on VoiceThread (www.voicethread.com) and posting link to presentations on Laulima
(Discussions). All presentations must be recorded maintaining the high level of business professionalism,
including presenter’s attire, the backdrop, the slides, and the language/presentation-delivery. Creating,
posting, and recording video oral presentations is a necessary skill-set to excel in modern hospitality and
tourism industry. Learning how to prepare and record powerful video presentations is a game-changer for
any person serious about his or her career. Moreover, “video CVs” are becoming an increasingly more
popular supplement to traditional resumes, which may help a job candidate to stand out from the crowd.

The due dates for each student or team project presentations, VoiceThread instructions, and separate rubrics
for each presentation will be posted on or before September 5, 2021.

Individual Project – 100 points (70 points presentation + 30 points online discussions)

Each student is required to prepare and deliver a 5-10 min presentation with 1 (one) focus areas:

- HR “Hot Topic”
- Pre-shift briefing

HR “Hot Topic” presentation (5-10 min)

A student may present a current “hot” topic in HR: a topic that is currently being discussed or influencing
hospitality, tourism, travel, transportation human resources. Current publications, journals, industry
examples, industry resources and other materials must be used to prepare for the presentation. Topics must
be related to human resources topics! in hospitality, tourism, travel, transportation! fields. Grades for
this project will be reduced if the hot topic does not relate to the field. The hot topic presentation is 5-10
minutes followed by discussion question(s) posted on Laulima under Discussions.

Topic Description
Time The presentation was high quality
and under 5 minutes
Important Operational Information Update on things happening in the
organization for the day that all
should be aware of
Goal for the day The goal was clear and connected
to a strategic goal of the
organization
Quick training tip on core value or This can be done by asking key
service essentials questions and encouraging
dialogue, doing an activity or a role
play
Recognition Recognition of a team member for
good works, anniversary or
birthday

Pre-Shift Briefing (5-10 min)

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 A student may prepare and conduct a pre-shift briefing/staff meeting. The goal of a pre-shift is to help
employees get focused to drive the business in the right direction for the day. Not only successful managers
use pre-shift briefings to announce important information that assists their teams during their shift, but also
successful managers use each pre-shift briefing as an opportunity to train their subordinates/staff. Thus, an
important component of each pre-shift briefing is a training tip that helps staff to achieve the goal of the day.
A meaningful training tip (or training tips) must be included in the pre-shift briefing recording, also
described in a short paragraph (2-5 sentences) and included in the Laulima post together with the link to the
recording.

A student will be provided with the scenario related to the daily activity of the hospitality, travel, tourism, or
transportation firm. The pre-shift presentation is about 5-10 minutes, followed by training tip(s) posted to
the class discussion on Laulima.

The details of the individual presentation assignments and presentation dates will be provided on
September 2, 2021. Students’ presentation schedule is included in the class schedule (subject to change!).

Individual Project Discussions

Each student must participate in 15 (TOTAL) discussions (2 points each = 30 points) for hot topic
presentations and/or pre-shift briefings, by deliberating the questions posed after the hot topic
presentations and/or tips posted by the classmates after briefings, as well as posting his/her own tips that
may help to achieve the goal established during the pre-shift briefing. A student may choose any 15
discussions posted by classmates on Laulima (see below: Discussion Participation Criteria).

IMPORTANT: Weekly discussions (for the presentations posted that week) are due Sundays by
midnight (11:59 pm). No credit will be given for late discussion posts.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 Jin, Sarah
 Lin, Lawrence
 Murray, Kayla
 Pablo, Deseree
 Wang, Princeton

Team Projects

Team assignments by September 5, 2021

Teamwork: It is essential to be professional when working with others. If the assignment requires teamwork
only those who contribute will receive credit for the assignment.

Peer Assessment: Team members will evaluate each other’s performance on all teamwork assignments. A peer
assessment will be emailed to all team members after each team project. Each team member will be evaluated
based on:

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 - Participation (your effort in decision making, goal setting, time- and other such activities through which
you show your commitment to achieving the successful completion of the team project).
- Contribution (actively help the team to successfully complete the project through contribution of your
skill, knowledge and other resources)

Team Project #1: Executive “ASK” Presentation (100 points = 80 points for presentation + 20 points for
discussion):
The goal of the Executive Presentation is to research an HR Issue and develop a creative recommendation to a
mock Executive Team regarding the HR Issue. An Executive Presentation will typically have important
business information in it and should have a solid “ASK” supported with data. What is an “ASK”? An ASK is
when you want to launch a company project and you need support, financial, equipment, time, knowledge and
other resources and/or approval to start the project. For example, recruitment and selection, may make an ASK
in their mock presentation for money to develop a social media campaign for recruitment or to use IT resources
to get the project finished.

The students must interview an executive in the travel/tourism/hospitality industry as a part of their research.
Teams/students are encouraged to contact a company/organization on their own. Only
companies/organizations within the travel/hospitality/tourism industry are allowed (e.g. airline companies,
hotels, transportation, travel, tourism).

The students should develop a set of questions prior to the interview so that they ask thoughtful questions and
get data that will be helpful to their presentation and newsletter. Each team should get their questions approved
by the instructor prior to the interview. The interview must be conducted face-to-face: over Zoom or Skype (or
in person following CDC and UH safety guidelines).

In addition, students must do a thorough research of current literature, theoretical approaches, and industry
practices on the assigned project. The assignment is designed to help students understand how their topic area of
HR can be implemented within the travel/tourism/hospitality industry.
Each team should get their research briefs approved by the instructor prior to the presentation outline
submission.

Students will be assigned one of the 12 designated human resources areas to focus on for their team project as
follows:

1 Workforce Planning
2 Recruiting
3 Selection
4 On-boarding / Orientation
5 Organizational Culture / Socialization
6 Training
7 Career Development
8 Compensation
9 Incentives and Benefits
10 Performance Management
11 Health and Safety
12 Employee Relations / Ethics
This is a TEAM project presentation will be recorded on VoiceThread, link posted on Laulima (including
discussion topics), and reviewed by industry judges.
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Each team should consist of approximately 4-6 students. The team project topic will be selected/assigned
within the first four (4) weeks of class.

Opportunities are limitless! The presentation can be delivered in any fashion that students see fit. BE
CREATIVE! You are encouraged to use video, activities, and role-plays in your presentations. The
presentation should follow this format. The times are approximations:
1. Introduction/Opening – What is your ask? (5 minutes)
2. Content to support your request: information could come from the textbook, online resources, or
interview (10 minutes)
3. Closing (5 minutes)

The team presentation is not to exceed 20 minutes in length. All team members should be involved and the
information from your research including best practices should be converted into a presentation format. The
use of quality presentation materials is encouraged, such as PowerPoint and/or handouts. Points will be
deducted from a group presentation that exceeds 20 minutes.

Your presentation should focus on your HR topic. You are encouraged to draw your own conclusions, based
on what you researched, and even make any recommendations or commendations on an organization if
they seem to utilize their HR practices well.

PLEASE NOTE: The presentation SHOULD NOT BE a re-gurgitation of content that was covered in class
but rather, how the organization you selected has INTEGRATED/APPLIED the theories we’ve covered in
class within their organization. This should be the underlying basis of your presentation and newsletter.

Newsletter: In lieu of a paper, groups need to hand in a 1-page newsletter to recap pertinent parts of their
interview with their industry expert. The audience of the newsletter is the employee base of the company that
the industry is employed. It should be eye-catching, interesting, with a professional layout and should feature a
number of stories. Here is a list of items you could possibly include:
1. An executive you interviewed and perhaps a photo
2. A list of 5-10 facts that you believe your audience needs to know from your interview
3. Trivia about the company
4. Best practices and/or trends for your HR topic

Every effort should be made to handle challenges with group dynamics within the group, however if there are
extraordinary difficulties, the instructor will become involved. Groups and/or individuals are encouraged to see
the instructor in helping to overcome any situational challenges.

The grade for the presentation project will be assigned based on the following criteria:

Presentation Possible Points- 80 points

Content 20
The ASK (with data supporting $$) 15
Virtual Presentation 20
Peer Review 10
Newsletter article 10
Discussion Question(s) 5

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 Total Points Possible 80

Discussions: A student must participate in 4 ASK discussions (5 points each = 20 points total), by deliberating
discussion points posted by the classmates-teams after ASK presentations (see below: Participation Discussion
Criteria).

Team Activity #2: The Zinnia Management vs. Labor Union Negotiations (100 points) –
case-study/simulation – Management (C)

This project is aimed to provide students with examples that can illustrate HR principles, provoke critical
thinking, discussion, and facilitate learning. This case-study and negotiations-simulation is designed to
incorporate “real life” hospitality and tourism situations that students might face in the capacity as a General
Manager (GM) or Human Resource Manager (HR Manager) of a hotel, event venue, travel agency,
transportation company, or restaurant.

A separate rubric regarding this case-study preparation and negotiations-simulation will be provided to the
students within the first 4 weeks of instruction.

Student-teams will be assigned to one of two roles and paired for negotiations (on or before September 30,
2021): The Zinnia Hotel Management or Local H-56 Labor Union. The live online class session will be
conducted to review the case-study materials. The teams will meet virtually to negotiate Collective Bargaining
Agreement. The teams will prepare a written case-study analysis, which will include the results of virtual
negotiations-simulation.

Reading the Zinnia Case-Study materials assuming pre-COVID-19 business environment (both teams):
a. Visit www.thezinnia.com
b. Read about The Zinnia Hotel (click on The Zinnia Website link)
c. Read about the Labor Union (click on Local H-56’s website link)
d. Read Corporate Intranet Pages (click on Corporate intranet pages link) – examine all links
e. Read Local H-56’s bargaining updates (click on the link) – examine all links
f. Read the Bargaining Agreement (uploaded on Laulima)

Every effort should be made to handle challenges with group dynamics within the group, however if
there are extraordinary difficulties, the instructor will become involved. Groups and/or individuals are
encouraged to see the instructor in helping to overcome any situational challenges.

Discussions Participation Criteria

50 points or 10% of your grade will be based on the quality and quantity of your postings and responses to the
Discussion Board.  You are expected to actively participate on the Laulima Discussion Board after each
presentation.
 
The following criteria will be used to evaluate your post and response to each discussion board assignment.
 
Interpretation Grading Criteria

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 Exemplary  Clearly demonstrated a connection between theory and practice.
 Aware of the needs of the community; frequently attempted to
motivate the group discussion; presented creative approaches to the
topic.
 Prompted further discussion of topic by relating to real life
experiences bringing in additional resources.
 Offered at least 100 words - a substantial and constructive
response to peers.
 Answered all questions posed to own postings in a timely manner.
Above Average  Partially demonstrated a connection between theory and practice.
 Positively interacted with members of the online community.
 Prompts further discussion by relating to real life experiences
bringing in additional resources.
 Offered at least 80 words – a substantial and constructive
response to peers.
Average  Attempted to demonstrate a connection between theory and
practice.
 Positively interacted with members of the online community.
 Offered at least 50 words - an acceptable response to peers.
Minimal  Post lacks little or no evidence that learning took place as a result of
this exercise. Writing that is based on personal opinion without
reference to authorizes in the field often fall in this category.
Demonstrated a misunderstanding of the connection between theory
and practice.
 Offered one sentence response to peers.
Proofreading Spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors indicate a lack of
proofreading.

* Discussion and response posts are measured by a student’s contribution to the virtual classroom discussion board. A student contribution
must add value to the course. A posting is determined to be of substance by containing information that supplements, contradicts,
questions, or furthers the discussion on a subject area contained in the course. Postings such as “me too” and “I agree” and other comments
not directly related to the discussion topic are not considered substantive notes for participation. In order to earn full credit for a posting,
you must offer quality, substantive comments and specific examples supporting your comments/ideas.

Services to students with disabilities:

If you are a student with a physical and/or mental disability and you have disability concerns, you are
encouraged to contact the KOKUA program on the ground floor of the Queen Lili‘uokalani Center for Student
Services. Syllabus/course description is also available in alternate format upon request for persons with print
disabilities. KOKUA's phone number is 956-7511.

Notice of Copyright for Course Syllabus and Lectures

During this course students are prohibited from selling notes to or being paid for taking notes by any person or
commercial firm without the express written permission of the professor teaching this course. The University
requires all members of the University community to familiarize themselves and follow copyright and fair use
requirements. You are individually and solely responsible for violations of copyright and fair use laws. The
University will neither protect nor defend you nor assume any responsibility for employee or student violations
of fair use laws. Violations of copyright laws could subject you to federal and state civil penalties and criminal
liability as well as disciplinary action under University policies.

Class Schedule (*subject to change!*)

Pre- Hot
Week Date Topic Reading
Shift Topic
1 24-Aug Introductions/Syllabus      
1 26-Aug Introduction to HRM and HR Leadership Chapter 1    

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 2 31-Aug Employment Law & Applications Chapter 3    
2 2-Sep Employment Law & Applications Chapter 3    
2 5-Sep Extra Credit Assignment is due by 11:59 pm: Personal Introduction
3 7-Sep Workforce Planning Chapter 4    
3 9-Sep Workforce Planning Chapter 4    
4 14-Sep QUIZ 1 Chapters 1, 3 & 4
4 16-Sep Recruiting Chapter 5    
5 21-Sep Selection Chapter 6    
5 23-Sep Selection Chapter 6    
Executive Interview Question Sheet Due and have interview date set (due by
5 26-Sep
11:59 pm)
6 28-Sep Training Chapter 7    
6 30-Sep Career Development Chapter 8    
7 5-Oct QUIZ 2 Chapters 5, 6, 7, & 8
7 7-Oct Employee Performance Chapter 11    
8 12-Oct Employee Compensation Chapter 9    
8 14-Oct Employee Compensation Chapter 9    
9 17-Oct ASK Project Research Briefs (due by 11:59 pm)
9 19-Oct Employee Incentives and Benefits Chapter 10    
9 21-Oct Employee Incentives and Benefits Chapter 10    
10 26-Oct QUIZ 3 Chapters 9, 10, & 11
10 28-Oct Labor Unions Negotiations prep Chapter 14    
Labor Unions Negotiations Prep - The
11 2-Nov Chapter 14    
Zinnia
11 3-Nov Labor Union Negotiations Plan (due by 11:59 pm)
11 4-Nov Health and Safety Chapter 13    
12 9-Nov Labor Union Negotiations (no class, simulation day or week)
12 11-Nov Veteran's Day (no Class)! Enjoy!      
13 16-Nov Employee Relations Chapter 12    
13 17-Nov The Zinnia Case-Study/Simulation Results Report due (11:59 pm)
13 18-Nov Employee Relations Chapter 12    
14 23-Nov ASK Project Prep Day - Outline due midnight (11:59 pm) - no class
14 25-Nov Happy Thanksgiving! (no class)      
15 30-Nov Ethics, Diversity, Inclusion Chapter 2    
15 2-Dec QUIZ 4 Chapters 2, 12, 13, & 14
16 7-Dec Team-Work Prep Day (no class) : ASK Project
16 9-Dec ASK Presentations (due by 11:59 pm)
  16-Dec ASK Discussions due by 11:59 pm

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