Revised 1/2002

PBS 105 - Personnel Management in the Public Sector (3 CR.)

Course Description

Studies modern public service, including personnel in government; personnel management, benefits and wages, staffing, and growth and development. Also examines issues of public personnel management, motivation, productivity, labor management relations, equal opportunity through affirmative action, and professionalism. Lecture 3 hours per week.

General Course Purpose

PBS 105 introduces the functions of public sector human resources management and provides an in-depth analysis of a major administrative process.

Course Prerequisites/Corequisites

No prerequisites or co-requisites. Students should be able to read and comprehend college level instructional materials.

Course Objectives

Upon completion of this course, the student should be able to:

  • Develop an understanding of the dynamic environment of public sector personnel
  • Understand the importance of and techniques for strategic management and planning or human resources
  • Understand the legal, political, and social issues of workforce diversity and equal employment opportunity
  • Develop an understanding and skills of the techniques for job analysis, recruitment and selection process, performance appraisal compensation and benefits, training and development, and collective bargaining in the public sector
  • Develop an understanding of the emerging issues and challenges of public sector personnel management

Major Topics to Be Included

  • History of Public Personnel Management
    • Civil Service Reform
    • Institutional Effects of Reform
    • Politics of Public Personnel
  • Position Management
    • Human Resources Planning
    • Position Classification and Pay
    • Recruitment, Selection, and Placement
  • Legal Environment of Public Personnel Management
    • Equal Employment Opportunity
    • Constitutional Issues
      • Individual rights vs. public service
      • Political Neutrality
      • Freedom of association
      • Equal protection
  • Public Sector Labor Relations
    • Development and Scope of Labor Relations
    • Process, Participants, Tactics, and Politics of Labor Relation
      • Employee rights
      • Unit determination
      • Scope of bargaining
      • Unfair labor practices
      • Grievances and strikes
  • Productivity
    • Managing Productivity
      • Comparisons with private sector
      • Measuring productivity
      • Productivity bargaining
    • Improving Productivity
      • Measurement techniques
      • Impact of participative management
      • Quality of work life
  • Human Resources Development
    • Training and Development
      • Training and personnel relationships
      • Training methods
      • Career development
      • Evaluating training
    • Performance Appraisal
      • Issues of performance appraisal
      • Approaches to performance appraisal
      • Legal issues of performance appraisal
      • Assessment centers.