| Course | HRM-5700 The Effectiveness of a Market-Connected Culture |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Module 2 written assignment: organizational culture and intellectual capital |
| Length | About 651 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Thomas Edison State University |
| Program | Master of Science in Human Resources Management |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HRM 5700 Module 2
Science for Whom? Intellectual Capital and a Market-Connected Culture at Meridian BioLabs
Student Name
Master of Science in Human Resources Management, Thomas Edison State University
HRM-5700: The Effectiveness of a Market-Connected Culture
Mentor Name
Month Day, Year
Science for Whom? Intellectual Capital and a Market-Connected Culture at Meridian BioLabs
Introduction
In a knowledge economy, much of a firm's value lies in intangible assets that never appear on its balance sheet. Meridian BioLabs owns laboratory equipment, but clients pay for the expertise of its scientists, its methods and its relationships. Last year two long-standing pharmaceutical clients moved work to competitors, citing slow communication and studies designed without enough attention to their regulatory timelines. This assignment examines Meridian's intellectual capital and culture to explain that loss.
Intellectual Capital
Researchers commonly divide intellectual capital into three parts. Human capital is the knowledge, skill and experience of employees. Structural capital is the knowledge that stays when employees go home: methods, databases, procedures and culture. Relational capital, sometimes called customer capital, is the value of relationships with clients, suppliers and partners. Subramaniam and Youndt (2005) found that these forms of capital contribute differently to innovation, and that social capital, the knowledge embedded in relationships, was especially important for both incremental and radical innovation, interacting with human capital in ways that individual expertise alone could not.
Meridian has invested heavily in human capital and modestly in structural capital, but it has treated client relationships as a sales function rather than as knowledge. Scientists rarely speak with clients, so they learn about client needs secondhand.
| Form of capital | Meridian's position | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Human capital | Strong | Most scientists hold doctorates; low turnover among senior staff |
| Structural capital | Moderate | Validated methods, but lessons from past studies are poorly recorded |
| Relational capital | Weak | Two major clients lost; client contact handled only by project managers |
Reading Meridian's Culture
Schein (2010) separates culture into what can be seen, such as structures and routines; what people say they value; and the unspoken assumptions everyone takes for granted. Meridian's artifacts include laboratory notebooks reviewed for scientific rigor, publication awards on the walls and project meetings dominated by technical detail. Its espoused values emphasize scientific excellence and partnership with clients. Its underlying assumption, revealed in how decisions are made, is that good science will satisfy clients by itself. When a client asked for a faster interim readout, scientists treated the request as a threat to rigor rather than as information about the client's regulatory deadline.
Market Orientation as Culture
Narver and Slater (1990) treated market orientation as a culture made of three parts: attention to customers, attention to competitors and cooperation across departments to deliver customer value. They found it positively related to profitability. Kohli and Jaworski (1990) described the same idea as behavior: generating market intelligence, spreading it across departments and responding to it. Both views explain Meridian's problem. The lab generates little intelligence about clients' needs beyond the contract specifications, spreads what it learns only through project managers and responds slowly because scientists do not see client timelines as their concern. A market-connected culture would treat knowledge of the client as part of scientific knowledge.
What HR Can Do
Human resources can shape culture through the practices that signal what the organization values. Four changes would help. First, include client focus in hiring criteria and interviews for scientists, alongside technical skill. Second, bring senior scientists into client meetings at the start and end of each study, so they hear client priorities directly. Third, add client outcomes, such as on-time delivery and client feedback, to scientists' performance reviews and recognition. Fourth, create rotations in which scientists spend time with the business development team, building relational capital and understanding of the market. These changes leave Meridian's commitment to rigor intact while changing the assumption that rigor alone serves the client.
Conclusion
Meridian's intellectual capital is strong in people and weak in relationships, and its culture assumes that excellent science sells itself. Market orientation research shows why that assumption costs clients. HR practices that bring scientists closer to clients would build relational capital and move the culture toward one that is connected to its market.
References
Kohli, A. K., & Jaworski, B. J. (1990). Market orientation: The construct, research propositions, and managerial implications. Journal of Marketing, 54(2), 1-18. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299005400201
Narver, J. C., & Slater, S. F. (1990). The effect of a market orientation on business profitability. Journal of Marketing, 54(4), 20-35. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299005400403
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (4th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Subramaniam, M., & Youndt, M. A. (2005). The influence of intellectual capital on the types of innovative capabilities. Academy of Management Journal, 48(3), 450-463. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2005.17407911
What the HRM 5700 Module 2 instructions ask for
The second HRM-5700 written assignment covers organizational culture in a knowledge economy and intellectual capital. Expect questions on the forms of intellectual capital, how culture affects whether knowledge is shared and used, what it means for a culture to be connected to its market and how human resources shapes culture. Three of the six assignments use cases, so this one may hand you an organization to analyze instead. Since there is no textbook, support the analysis with journal research and apply it to one named employer. Plan to identify evidence for each claim about culture rather than relying on impressions. Expect at least one question asking how culture can be observed or measured, so be ready to name evidence.
How the HRM 5700 Module 2 example is put together
The paper begins with a business problem, lost clients, and sets out to explain it. A section defines three forms of intellectual capital with research support, and a table rates the company on each with evidence. A culture section applies Schein's three levels, showing how an unspoken assumption shapes behavior. A market orientation section uses two classic studies to explain why the culture costs clients. Four HR practices follow, each aimed at the weakness found. The analysis moves from intangible assets to culture to action, so each step supports the next. The recommendations keep the lab's commitment to rigor while changing the assumption that rigor alone serves the client, which makes them realistic for a scientific culture.
HRM 5700 Module 2 rubric: what earns full marks
The culture paper is marked on correct intellectual capital and culture concepts, how deep the analysis goes, how specifically it fits the chosen employer and how strong its journal sources are. Answers that identify an underlying assumption and show its effect on behavior demonstrate a real understanding of culture. Connecting market orientation to the course title shows integration. Recommendations should be specific HR practices that follow from the analysis. Headed sections and properly referenced journals earn the rest. Mentors also value answers that recognize culture changes slowly and that HR practices work by changing everyday signals over time. Using research to connect intellectual capital to outcomes such as innovation or profitability strengthens the argument. Evidence for each cultural claim, such as how decisions are made, distinguishes analysis from opinion.
Common HRM 5700 Module 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Students lose points by describing culture only through stated values, by listing forms of intellectual capital without assessing them or by recommending a culture change program with no specific practices. Others cite the course title without defining market orientation. Use Schein's levels to find assumptions. Rate each form of capital with evidence. Define market orientation from the research. Recommend HR practices that change what people do. A free first sample using your own HRM-5700 Module 2 organization is available on request. Describe what people actually do, not only what the company says it values. Use one or two classic sources on market orientation and one on intellectual capital. Keep recommendations specific, naming the practice, who carries it out and what it signals to employees.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Thomas Edison State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More HRM 5700 and Master of Science in Human Resources Management sample papers
- HRM 5700 Module 1: Written Assignment: Knowledge Management in Theory and in Practice
- HRM 5700 Module 3: Written Assignment: Learning From Projects and From Clients
- HRM 5700 Module 4: Written Assignment: Knowledge Loss as a Project Risk
- HRM 5700 Module 5: Written Assignment: Leadership, Trust and Knowledge Sharing
- HRM 5700 Module 6: Final Project: Knowledge Management and Change at a Research Lab
- HRM 5500 Module 3: Discussion: Which Hiring Data Actually Matter?
- HRM 6000 Module 4: Written Assignment: Keeping Staff and Measuring What HR Does
- HRM 5600 Module 4: Final Project: A Learning System for Entrepreneurial Behavior
- HRM 6100 Module 5: Written Assignment: Separation, Retention and Employment Law at Costco
HRM 5700 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free HRM 5700 Module 2 sample paper?
The lab's culture paper is printed in full here, from the map of its intellectual capital and Schein's levels to four HR recommendations.
What are the three forms of intellectual capital?
Human capital, the knowledge of employees; structural capital, the knowledge built into systems and processes; and relational capital, the value of relationships.
What is market orientation?
A culture and set of behaviors focused on understanding customers and competitors and coordinating across functions to create customer value.
What are Schein's three levels of culture?
Visible artifacts, espoused values and unspoken basic assumptions; the third layer is the hardest to shift.
How can HR change organizational culture?
Through hiring criteria, performance measures, rewards, development and roles that signal and reinforce what the organization values.