Faculty of Business: Management
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Undergraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Requisite(s): 21555 Human Resource Management
These requisites may not apply to students in certain courses.
There are also course requisites for this subject. See access conditions.

Handbook description

This subject focuses on the strategic nature of human resource management (HRM) functions within various organisations and builds on general issues first raised in subjects relating to employment relations. It develops an appreciation of critical HRM issues through an exploration of conceptual issues such as alternative ways of viewing the HRM field, how HRM should relate to changes in the organisational environment, and the relationships between organisation strategy and HRM functions. The underlying concept considered in this subject is how an organisation in a changing environment can best manage its human resources in such a way as to provide long-term benefits to the organisation.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject students should be able to:

1. Identify, critically analyse and explain the relevance of the main schools of thought in strategic human resource management.
2. Discuss the relationship between strategic HRM and organisational performance, including the evaluation of HRM effectiveness and the barriers that can impede HRM effectiveness.
3. Describe ethical issues likely to arise in HRM research and practice and discuss how these issues may be resolved.
4. Explain the contemporary challenges faced by HR practitioners in establishing a strategic HRM function in relation to organisational change.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject forms part of the BBus major in Human Resource Management. It contributes to the objectives of that major by fostering in students the ability to relate HRM and policy to the strategic management of organisations in a changing environment. It provides the students with an understanding of strategic HRM by allowing the students to develop strategic functional skills (such as the design and analysis of research studies in HRM) and develop an understanding of the challenges of contemporary HRM issues (such as ethics in HRM, knowledge management, new organisational forms and collaborative arrangements, e-business in HRM, evaluation of strategic HRM, and strategic international HRM) by exposing the students to a range of HRM issues, perspectives, theoretical frameworks, research and best practice. The general intention of the unit is to cover both critical and strategic perspectives on HRM. Within this broad expectation, students are encouraged to develop their own learning aims and activities.

Teaching and learning strategies

The class will meet weekly for three hours and class activities will include lectures, class discussion, case study analysis and group presentations. Students are encouraged to develop their own learning aims and objectives. Initially, students will develop a series of presentation topics (from weeks 8 to 13) using the Future Search Conference technique. It involves students working in small groups on a literature review of their chosen topic, with particular reference to the strategic management of human resources. The first part of class sessions will generally involve lecture material, which provides a theoretical basis for discussion, followed by student presentations on project workshops in the second half of the course. In the last part of the lecture, students are expected to analyse cases to evaluate the extent of strategic HRM in the case organisations.

There is a commitment to critical enquiry and intellectual debate in regard to the material covered, and students are encouraged to explore the relationship between the theories and research on strategic management and HRM by drawing on the knowledge from Business Strategy in the Core. Students are expected to have read the readings material before class each week, to facilitate discussion. From time to time, guest lecturers may be invited to present particular topics, and video and other media may be used where appropriate. This approach emphasises the context of HRM decisions and helps to develop a range of HRM-specific and strategic thinking and analytical competencies, which are critical to future success in management.

Content

• Introduction to Strategic HRM: Theoretical models in Strategic HRM (especially power and political frameworks and the resource-based view of the firm).
• Strategic International HRM: Introduction to strategic international HRM; expatriate and repatriate management.
• Measuring and evaluating HRM: Reasons for conducting a HRM effectiveness study; overview of techniques used in measuring and evaluating HRM research (including employee attitude surveys and HRM evaluations); barriers to effective HRM.
• Topics on Contemporary Issues in HRM: The relationships between effective HRM practices and current trends in management, such as ethical issues in HRM research and practice, knowledge management and organisational learning, quality focus, new organisational forms and collaborative arrangements, downsising, diversity management, environmental sustainability and e-business.

Assessment

Case study analysis (Individual)	20%
Written case study analysis (satisfying objectives 2-4).
Literature Review Project (Group)	30%
Group presentation of 45 minutes. A copy of the presentation powerpoint (including key references used in the research) should also be distributed to the class and the lecturer (Objectives 1-4).
Final Examination (Individual)	50%
The examination will comprise of a compulsory case study analysis plus a selection of short essay questions covering the content of the subject, including lecture and class activity materials, materials covered in student presentations, and articles in the set readings (Objectives 1-4).

Examinations will be conducted under University Examination conditions, and hence thoroughly address secure assessment concerns. A new case study is used in each semester. The case study analysis is also subjected to plagiarism detection software. The topics used in the literature review are derived from the Future Search activity to ensure contemporary issues are reviewed each semester.

Recommended text(s)

Storey, J. 2001. Human Resource Management: A critical text, 2nd edition, Thomson Learning: London.

The text will also be supplemented by a book of readings and a book of cases compiled by the course coordinator.

Indicative references

Becker, B.E., Huselid, M.A., and Ulrich, D. (2001). The HR Scorecard: Linking people, strategy, and performance. Boston : Harvard Business School.

Galang, M.C. (1999). Stakeholders in high-performance work systems. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 10: 287-305.

Gratton, L. (2000). Living Strategy: Putting people at the heart of corporate purpose. London: Financial Times Prentice Hall.

Wright, P., McMahan, G., Snell, S.A., and Gerhart, B. (2001). Comparing line and HR executives' perceptions of HR effectiveness: Services, roles, and contributions. Human Resource Management, 40: 111-123.