Faculty of Business: Leisure, Sport and Tourism
Credit points: 6 cp

Subject level: Postgraduate

Result Type: Grade and marks

Handbook description

This subject provides students with an understanding of the conceptual basis of strategic human resource management as it applies to workforce planning for sport. The motivations and management of both the paid workforce and volunteers are examined in the context of the unique organisational characteristics of sport.

Subject objectives/outcomes

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

1. Analyse the conceptual basis of strategic human resource management as it applies to workforce planning for sport.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of the motivations and management of a pulsating and dynamic workforce including paid employees and volunteers.
3. Identify and manage the relationships between the workforce and key stakeholders in the sport industry.
4. Identify key issues such as changing technologies, sustainability, cultural inclusivity, and an ageing workforce and develop workforce planning strategies needed to account for them.

Contribution to graduate profile

Workforce planning identifies the characteristics and competencies needed of people to achieve desired outcomes. It ensures that those competencies are present in the workforce when and where they are needed. This subject provides a unifying link between the functional dimensions of sport management and the workforce required to plan, implement, manage and evaluate sport. The subject has a particular focus on recognising the complex interrelationships between the paid and voluntary workforce.

Teaching and learning strategies

The subject will be taught through a combination of lectures, case analyses, in-class presentations and workshops. Case studies from the sport industry will be used extensively to provide students with the opportunity to both examine and understand the relationships between theory and practice. Content for this subject will be supported by UTSOnline.

Content

• Introduction to strategic human resource management theory
• Principles of workforce planning
• Recruitment, training and mentoring
• Volunteer management
• Workers and the supplier-customer chain
• Managing the workforce in sporting organisations
• Worker motivations
• Event stakeholder relationships
• Performance evaluation and feedback

Assessment

Essay (Individual)	30%
This addresses objective 1.
Case Study (Group)	30%
This addresses objectives 1-4.
Written Examination (Individual)	40%
This addresses objectives 1-4.

The essay will be secure through a combination of continual revising of topics across semesters and multiple topic choice within each semester. Individuals are required to submit reference lists for their own work for each assessment task, which reduces the possibility for plagiarism. The case study will be secure through a statement of independent work on the cover sheet and a marking procedure aimed at detecting plagiarism. The examination will be conducted under University examination conditions, and hence thoroughly address concerns regarding secure assessment. The examination involves randomised selection from a large item bank each semester, and the re-ordering of responses for questions that are re-used.

Recommended text(s)

Chelladurai, P. (1999), Human Resource Management in Sport and Recreation, 2nd edition. Champaign Ill.: Human Kinetics.

Indicative references

Andrew, J. (1996), 'Motivations and expectations of volunteers involved in large scale sports events – a pilot study', Australian Leisure, March, pp. 21-25.

Allen, J., O'Toole, W., McDonnell, I. & Harris, R. (2002), Festival and special events management, 2nd edition. Sydney: John Wiley and Sons.

Cuskelly, G. (1995), Retaining volunteer administrators in sport. Canberra: National Sports Research Centre.

Farrell, J., Johnston, M. & Twynam, G. (1998), 'Volunteer motivation, satisfaction and management at an elite sporting competition', Journal of Sport Management, 12: 288-300.