Business Law Question

Review the

Seminar Paper Format, Schedule, and Other Requirements

.

Submit your final Seminar Paper.

You must submit your Seminar Paper to

TurnitinLinks to an external site.

before turning it in to the instructor. TurnitinLinks to an external site. is a program that analyzes content of papers for originality and proper citation and attribution of sources. It is used in this course primarily to help you identify any problems of excessive or uncited material from other sources. Your instructor will provide you with the class ID, password, and other pertinent information.

Seminar Paper Format, Schedule, and Other Requirements

The Seminar Paper involves three stages of work:

Your proposed topic and a brief, one-paragraph explanation are due with Lesson 9.

An outline of the paper and a partial bibliography are due with Lesson 11. Your instructor will provide you with information about outline format. If the instructor has any concerns about your proposed topic or outline, they will share them with you promptly. If you submit the topic or outline before the due date, please let the instructor know so they can give you feedback before you proceed with your research and writing.

The paper itself is due in the week of Lesson 14. No other assignments are due that week.

Selecting a Topic

Pick a subject that interests you. There are lots of ways to find one. You could, for example, choose a topic related to material that we’ve covered in HRER 811.  Possibilities include

the extent to which employers can (or should be able to) mandate private arbitration of employment-related disputes or prohibit employees from filing collective claims;

Title VII and sexual orientation and transgender status;

whether states should be able to enact their own immigration-related laws and the impact of those laws;

the NLRA and employer social media policies (and pitfalls);

trends in public sector labor law; and

labor and employment issues related to globalization of manufacturing and services.

Or you could write about something that we didn’t cover in HRER 811. Potential topics include

employment rights and the lack thereof in the gig economy (think Uber);

proposed regulation of workplace bullying;

the rights of and the challenges posed by veterans who leave and return to the workplace;

the use and potential abuse of unpaid student internships under the FLSA;

drug testing issues for public and private sector employers, especially in states that have legalized the use of marijuana, which remains a controlled substance under federal law;

employers and HIPAA;

the Railway Labor Act, which also covers the airline industry;

the Mine Safety and Health Act;

the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (“Landrum Griffin”);

health insurance continuation under COBRA;

ERISA and 401(k) plans; and

unemployment insurance law.

Keep in mind that these ideas are just examples. Lots of other topics would make for an excellent Seminar Paper. Some students select a topic to help them better understand an issue that’s come up in their workplace or a topic their employer wants them to learn more about. The only requirements are that the topic relates strongly to employment or labor law and that it interests you.

ResearchingConduct your research using the internet, journals, newspapers, the Penn State University Libraries online (including its CCH Cheetah Labor and Employment Law materials), and any other acceptable resources. Make sure to use at least seven resources other than the HRER 811 or HRER 501 reading assignments and textbooks. The School of Labor Studies and Employment Relations does not view Wikipedia as a valid source for academic work.  While it can be a useful tool to find general information on subjects or as a starting point for research, students should not cite Wikipedia as a source in their papers, reports, assignments, and so on.

Here are some websites that may be useful:

The Employment Law Information NetworkLinks to an external site. publishes legal updates prepared by management labor and employment law firms.

OnLaborLinks to an external site. is a labor law blog written from an employee and union point of view by Harvard Law School professors Benjamin Sachs and Jack Goldsmith.

Cornell Law SchoolLinks to an external site. provides a not-for-profit legal website with information about labor and employment statutes, regulations, and cases.

The EEOC websiteLinks to an external site. has information about Title VII and other federal laws administered by that agency.

The Department of Labor websiteLinks to an external site. provides information about a variety of labor and employment issues.

The NLRB websiteLinks to an external site. has information about its decisions, rules and procedures, and other legal updates.

Formatting the Paper

The paper should be approximately 3,000 words of narrative discussion, excluding the title page, a table of contents, and bibliography (12 double-spaced pages in length, using 12-point font). Citations may follow either APA format (e.g., “Colvin, 2009, p. 251”) or the format used in legal periodicals.

You can access the APA style resources guide via a link in the course Syllabus.

If you decide to use a legal periodical format, please follow the Bluebook, known more formally as

A System for Uniform Legal CitationLinks to an external site.

.

Writing the Paper

The Seminar Paper assignment gives you an opportunity to use an important HR skill set: the ability to master legal material and think critically about how it applies in the workplace. After completing your research, think about what you’ve learned and how it relates to the real world. Be sure to organize your thoughts before you try to start writing the paper. This is where your outline will come in handy—either as submitted with Lesson 11 or as modified based on your additional research.

Once you’re ready to start writing the paper, do the following:

Create a cover page that includes the title of your paper, your name, and the name of this course.

Start the paper itself with the heading Introduction, and briefly explain your topic and its relevance to labor and/or employment law.

Follow the Introduction section with a narrative format in which you convey your research and your critical thinking about the topic.

Make sure the paper has internal headings and subheadings.

Observe the Academic Integrity rules that apply to this class.

Finish your discussion with a Conclusion section.

End the paper with a bibliography.

Because research, critical thinking, and writing are important components of this assignment, the paper must be original work that you’ve done for HRER 811. Please do not submit something that you prepared for another course or for another purpose.

Using Turnitin

Again, a reminder that per the Syllabus, you must submit your paper to TurnitinLinks to an external site. before submitting it into the instructor. Turnitin is a program that analyzes content of papers for originality, proper citation, and attribution of sources. It is used in this course primarily to help you identify any problems of excessive or uncited material from other sources. Your instructor will supply you with the class ID, password, and other pertinent information.

Seminar Paper Evaluation

The Seminar Paper will be evaluated based on the following:

the underlying research (quality, accuracy, variety, depth, etc.);

the essence of the paper (for example, whether it presents a well-reasoned discussion, clearly explains its main points, reflects critical thinking about the topic and its impact on the workplace, discusses whether the law(s) should be changed and in what way or why not, etc.); and

the structure of the paper (organization, grammar, spelling, syntax, etc.).

Outline for workplace bullying
A. Introduction
A.
Topic/focus of the essay
The focus of the essay is workplace bullying. The essay analyzes workplace bullying through the
lens of multiple industries. Workplace bullying refers to a situation whereby negative acts at
work sum up to a pattern of systemic mistreatment (Caponecchia et al., 2019).
B.
Thesis Statement
Workplace bullying is a backward phenomenon with emotional, medical and social-economic
consequences making it imperative to find interventions that can curb the vice.
B. Body
I.
First paragraph description
Workplace bullying is prevalent across all genders and a managerial position does not offer
protection against bullying
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
A research study conducted in Cyprus among health care professionals indicated negligible
differences in workplace bullying across genders. Most workplace bullying emanated from
colleagues (Chan et al., 2019). Additionally, 9.4% of the research participants in managerial
positions were bullied by their subordinates (Zachariadou et al., 2018).
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
The article “Gender matters: Workplace bullying, gender, and mental health” aims to identify the
role gender plays in workplace bullying. The findings from the research indicate that a higher
percentage of women self-label themselves as bullied at workplaces (Rosander et al., 2020).
However, upon observation by a third party, a higher percentage of men is bullied based on the
exposure to negative acts.
II.
Second paragraph description
It is vital to understand the reasons for workplace behavior. Bullies target people they perceive to
be threatening.
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
In his article, Gary Namie asserts that being subservient, being technically gifted than the bully,
having more influence than the bully and reporting crimes are the main reasons for workplace
bullying (Namie, 2007).
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
The hypothesis that receives most backing from the research is that there is a correlation between
interpersonal conflict and workplace bullying (Yeow, 2010). The authors explain interpersonal
conflict in the form of personal interests, perceptions and values.
Consequences of workplace bullying
III.
Third paragraph description
Emotional/psychological consequences of workplace bullying
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
Stress and mental distress are considered as the aftermath of workplace bullying and the effects
can be felt up to two years later (Sansone, 2017).
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
Past cross-sectional studies indicate that workplace bullying has adverse effects on the
psychological health of employees (Boudrias et al., 2021). The psychological health of
employees was portrayed in mental health disorders such as depression and burnout.
IV.
Fourth paragraph description
Medical consequences of workplace bullying
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
In his article, Sansone asserts that in addition to psychological issues associated with workplace
bullying, subjects are likely to experience general health complaints (Sansone, 2017).
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
Past cross-sectional studies indicate that workplace bullying has adverse effects on the health and
functioning of employees.
V.
Fifth paragraph description
Socio-economic consequences of workplace bullying
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
In his article, Sansone asserts that in addition to psychological issues associated with workplace
bullying, subjects are likely to have high rates of absenteeism and low turnover among
employees (Sansone, 2017).
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
Workplace bullying is associated with socio-economic issues such as absenteeism (Chane
et al., 2021).
Intervention strategies to workplace bullying
VI.
Sixth paragraph description
Primary interventions to workplace bullying
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
The article “Insights into workplace bullying: psychosocial drivers and effective interventions”
offers primary interventions for organizations (Escartin, 2016). These are named as best practices
and include training programs for employees
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
The article ‘Prevention and treatment of workplace bullying” defines primary intervention as
measures whose aim is to prevent the occurrence of bullying in an organization (Zapf & Vartia,
2020).
VII.
Seventh paragraph description
Secondary interventions to workplace bullying
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
Secondary interventions aim to reduce the extent of the bullying process and equip employees
with the knowledge of how to deal with bullying cases (Escartin, 2016). An example is following
up on zero tolerance programs to bullying and allowing feedback between different hierarchical
positions.
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
Secondary intervention in this context refers to dealing with the already escalated
conflicts (Zapf & Vartia, 2020). The article focuses on leadership and team building as the main
factors that can be used at this level.
VIII.
Eighth paragraph description
Tertiary interventions to workplace bullying
A. Summary of first piece of supporting evidence/information
Tertiary interventions refer to approaches aimed at reducing the consequences of bullying once it
has taken place (Escartin, 2016). This mainly involves offering support to the affected parties.
B. Summary of second piece of supporting evidence/information
The article by Zapf and Vartia refers to tertiary prevention measures as interventions aimed at
creating sustainable solutions (Zapf & Vartia, 2020). This approach is mainly used in cases
whereby the victim and perpetrator will continue working together.
C. Conclusion
A. Restatement of thesis
With the applicable interventions, it is possible to end workplace bullying and create a culture of
positivity at the workplace
B. Concluding remarks
The war against workplace bullying is a continuous process that will require stakeholders from
different industries to be part of the solution.
References
Boudrias, V., Trépanier, S., & Salin, D. (2021). A systematic review of research on the
longitudinal consequences of workplace bullying and the mechanisms involved.
Aggression and Violent Behavior, 56, 101508. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2020.101508
Caponecchia, C., Branch, S., & Murray, J. P. (2019). Development of a taxonomy of workplace
bullying intervention types: Informing research directions and supporting organizational
decision making. Group & Organization Management, 45(1), 103-133.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601118820966
Chan, C. M., Wong, J. E., Yeap, L. L., Wee, L. H., Jamil, N. A., & Swarna Nantha, Y. (2019).
Workplace bullying and psychological distress of employees across socioeconomic
strata: A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 19(S4).
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-6859-1
Escartin, J. (2016). Insights into workplace bullying: psychosocial drivers and effective
interventions. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 9, 157-169.
Namie, G. (2007). The challenge of workplace bullying. Employment Relations Today, 34(2),
43-51. https://doi.org/10.1002/ert.20151
Rosander, M., Salin, D., Viita, L., & Blomberg, S. (2020). Gender matters: Workplace bullying,
gender, and mental health. Frontiers in Psychology, 11.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.560178
Sansone, R. A. (2015). Workplace Bullying: A Tale of Adverse Consequences. Innovation in
Clinical Neuroscience, 32-37.
Yeow, J. A., Chin, T. S., Ng, P. K., & Yong, W. Y. (2010). The Causes of Workplace Bully in
SMEs. Conference: Global Conference on SME and EntrepreneurshipAt: Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Zachariadou, T., Zannetos, S., Chira, S. E., Gregoriou, S., & Pavlakis, A. (2018). Prevalence and
forms of workplace bullying among health-care professionals in Cyprus: Greek version
of “Leymann inventory of psychological terror” instrument. Safety and Health at Work,
9(3), 339-346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2017.11.003
Zapf, D., & Vartia, M. (2020). Prevention and treatment of workplace bullying. Bullying and
Harassment in the Workplace, 457-495. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429462528-18