The HR Changemaker project

MHR523 Introduction to Human Resources Management

Individual Assignment: The HR Changemaker Project

DUE: February 13th by 11:59 pm ET (Submit on D2L)

Purpose

Human Resources Management is not just about hiring and firing; it is a key driver of social change and organizational sustainability. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity by 2030 .

In this assignment, you will act as a consultant. Your task is to select one HR-related challenge connected to a specific SDG, analyze the problem, and propose evidence-based HR strategies that can contribute to the solution. You will move beyond simply describing an issue to proposing how organizations can actively address it.

The Assignment Task

1. Select one SDG from the Appendix at the end of this document.
2. Identify a specific HR challenge related to that goal (e.g., for SDG 5, the challenge might be the glass ceiling preventing women from reaching upper management levels). I encourage you to focus on HR content from a single chapter in the textbook so that you can go deeper into that concept (rather than name dropping concepts from multiple chapters).
3. Research evidence-based practices using peer-reviewed journals accessed through the .
4. Write a 5-page proposal arguing for a specific HR intervention that helps address this challenge.

Note: I recognize that complex global problems cannot be solved by a single policy. Your goal is to demonstrate how effective HRM can make a measurable, positive contribution.

Research and Source Requirements

To support your proposal, you must include at least four (4) credible sources.

• At least three (3) of these must be from peer-reviewed academic journals.
• You must also integrate relevant course concepts (drawing from the textbook/lectures).
• Sources must be cited using .

Generative AI and Author of Record Policy

You are permitted to use generative AI tools (e.g., ) to assist you in brainstorming, outlining, drafting, and editing this assignment. However, you are the Author of Record. This means you bear full responsibility for the accuracy and integrity of the content submitted.

Be aware of the following with respect to your use of generative AI:

1. Hallucinations: Generative AI frequently invents facts and fabricates citations. It is your responsibility to manually verify every claim and reference.
2. Generic Content: AI tools often produce generic advice. To succeed, your proposal must be specific, evidence-based, and deeply integrated with MHR523 course concepts.
3. Penalty for Fabrication: If your essay includes a citation that does not exist, or if a citation is attributed to a source that does not actually contain that information (e.g., a quote that doesnt exist in the source document), you will receive a grade of zero (0) for the References portion of the rubric.

Note: You are notrequired to use generative AI tools as part of this assignment.

Essay Tone and Structure

Adopt a professional Business Proposal tone. This means being persuasive, direct, and solution-oriented. Avoid passive language. Instead of saying It is hoped that this policy might help, say This policy contributes to SDG 5 by reducing bias in the selection process.

Structure:

• Introduction: Clearly define the SDG and the specific HR problem you are addressing. Include a thesis statement outlining your proposed contribution. You are encouraged to explicitly state your thesis (e.g., The thesis of my essay is…). Remember that this is not a creative writing class and you will not earn marks for prose you may actually lose marks for making your essay harder to follow if you get too creative.
• The Evidence (Problem Analysis): Use your research to explain why this problem exists. What are the root causes? (e.g., Is the lack of diversity due to recruitment bias or retention issues?).
• The Contribution (Proposed Solution): Detail your proposed HR practices. How do they help address the problem? Use evidence to support why this approach works.
• Conclusion: Summarize the main points and highlight the potential business and social value of your proposal.

Formatting Guidelines

• All references should be cited using APA.
• All references must include a functioning hyperlink to the source. If a source cannot be verified via the link provided, it will be treated as invalid.
• CLICK ON EVERY LINK YOU INCLUDE TO ENSURE IT DIRECTS YOU TO THE SOURCE IT SHOULD.
• You must use 12pt Times New Roman font and double-space with regular (2.54 cm) margins.
• Essays longer than 5.5 pages (excluding title page and works cited page) or those not meeting the font, margin and/or spacing criteria will be subject to a mark deduction.

Submission Guidelines

• All assignments must be completed in Google Docs. You must add your TA as an editor of the document so that they have access to edit history.
• All papers should be submitted in a Word document or PDF to the appropriate Dropbox folder on D2L no later than 11:59 pm on the due date.
• To submit your assignment to D2L, it should be in a MS Word or PDF document. For instructions on submitting your assignment see:
• Students are responsible for ensuring that submitted documents are able to be opened and read in order to be graded. Written documents submitted in formats other than PDF or DOC/DOCX or documents that are corrupted or otherwise cannot be opened will receive a grade of 0. You can review your submissions to D2L assignment dropboxes to ensure that they can be opened prior to the assignment deadline.
• All assignments will be automatically checked by Turnitin.
• Assignments submitted after the due date (i.e., 11:59 pm) will NOT be accepted.

Sustainable Development Goals (Topic Selection)

You must select one of the following goals as the framework for your project. Note that some SDGs have not been included in this list because they have limited application to HR for the purposes of this assignment. If you want to select one of the SDGs that is not included on this list then you must email your instructor for approval.

SDG 1: No Poverty

• Focus: The role of employers in providing economic stability.
• Potential Topics: The impact of Living Wage policies vs. Minimum Wage; Financial literacy benefits; Addressing working poverty through benefits design.

SDG 2: Zero Hunger

• Focus: Supporting basic needs and food security.
• Potential Topics: Addressing food insecurity among low-wage workers; Corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs for community hunger; Reducing waste in employee cafeterias.

SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

• Focus: Moving beyond basic safety to holistic well-being.
• Potential Topics: Addressing the mental health crisis and burnout; Psychological safety in toxic cultures; The impact of financial stress on employee health; Substance abuse support programs.

SDG 4: Quality Education

• Focus: Lifelong learning and skill development.
• Potential Topics: Apprenticeships and tuition reimbursement as tools for social mobility; Upskilling for automation; Removing degree requirements to improve access to jobs (Skills-based hiring).

SDG 5: Gender Equality

• Focus: Removing systemic barriers for women and non-binary employees.
• Potential Topics: Closing the gender pay gap; Addressing the Motherhood Penalty via parental leave policies; Removing bias from performance reviews; Women in leadership.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

• Focus: Ensuring work is productive and offers a fair income, security, and social protection.
• Potential Topics: Ethical management of the Gig Economy; Preventing modern slavery in supply chains; Youth employment programs; Safe working environments.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

• Focus: Fostering innovation and resilient workforce structures.
• Potential Topics: Strategic workforce planning for new Green Economy roles; Training employees for digital transformation and AI adoption.

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

• Focus: Empowering and promoting the social, economic, and political inclusion of all.
• Potential Topics: Neurodiversity in recruitment; Anti-racism strategies in leadership selection; Wage gaps based on immigrant status; Inclusive onboarding for diverse talent.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

• Focus: How work arrangements impact the broader community.
• Potential Topics: The impact of remote/hybrid work on community sustainability; Employer-sponsored housing or transit subsidies; Disaster preparedness and workforce resilience.

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

• Focus: Ethical procurement and waste reduction in the workplace.
• Potential Topics: Sustainable procurement policies (supply chain ethics); Paperless office initiatives and change management; Reducing e-waste in IT HR policies.

SDG 13: Climate Action

• Focus: Integrating environmental stewardship into the workforce culture.
• Potential Topics: Green HR practices (hiring for sustainability values); The carbon impact of remote work policies; Employee advocacy and Green Teams.

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

• Focus: Governance, ethics, and protection of rights.
• Potential Topics: Whistleblower protections and non-retaliation cultures; Anti-corruption/Anti-bribery training; Eliminating harassment and violence in the workplace.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

• Focus: Collaboration beyond the organization.
• Potential Topics: Corporate volunteering and community partnership strategies; Industry coalitions for training standards; Cross-sector mentorship programs.

Individual Assignment: The HR Changemaker Project – Marking Rubric (Out of 100 and worth 20% of your final grade)

Criteria

Meets Standards (80% and above)

Approaching Standards (60-79%)

Below Standards (50-59%)

Unsatisfactory (Less than 50%)

Introduction (15%)

Provides a clear context connecting the HR issue to the chosen SDG. Includes a persuasive thesis statement outlining the proposed contribution.

Introduction is provided but the link to the SDG or the specific problem is unclear. Thesis is incomplete.

Introduction is provided but lacks a clear thesis or context.

Introduction is poorly written or missing. No clear focus identified.

Problem Analysis & Proposed Contribution (40%)

Problem: Thorough analysis of root causes supported by research.

Contribution: Proposes specific, evidence-based HR strategies that clearly address the issue. Integrates course concepts effectively.

Problem: Good discussion of the issue.

Contribution: Proposes relevant strategies, but details are lacking. Connection to course concepts is generic.

Problem: Discussion is superficial.

Contribution: Strategies are vague or not supported by evidence. Few or no course concepts included.

Discussion relies on inaccurate or fabricated information. No evidence of legitimate research. No attempt to link the topic to relevant course concepts.

Conclusion (15%)

A detailed conclusion effectively summarizes the argument and the potential impact (social/business value).

Conclusion provided but lacks detail or impact analysis.

Conclusion attempts to summarize but misses main points.

No conclusion provided or insufficient detail.

Writing Fluency and Tone (10%)

Professional, persuasive proposal tone. Clear, direct, and engaging. Formal English with varied sentence structure.

Professional tone is attempted but inconsistent. Some vocabulary issues but easy to understand.

Tone is too informal or passive. Some difficulty in understanding.

Significant errors in word choice or grammar that obscure meaning.

References (20%)

Each reference is correctly cited, verifiable via hyperlink, and effectively used to support the argument. The majority of claims are supported by citations.

References are cited and verifiable, though formatting may have minor errors. Some claims are made without citations.

References are cited, but links are difficult to access or formatting is inconsistent. Many claims are made without citations.

Most claims are made without citations.

Fewer than the required number of sources are used.

Automatic 0: One or more sources are fabricated, hallucinated, or cannot be verified