Postgraduate Course: Human Resource Management (CMSE11126)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | The way that people are managed is fundamental to the success (or otherwise) of organisations. It is therefore important to begin to understand the intricacies and complexities of managing people in the modern workplace. The course will consider the extent to which the terms of the debate on managing employees have shifted in recent years, largely driven by key changes in the economic, political, social and legal environment. In particular, the course will focus on developments in the key component parts of human resource management, such as strategic HRM, the labour market, recruitment and selection and training and development. |
| Course description |
Eight core HRM topics are covered in the course. They range from broader themes, for example the impact of HRM practices in general on employees and their experience of work and organisations, to more specific components of the employment relationship, such as selection procedures and the management of workplace conflict.
The course will comprise a mixture of formal lectures, group discussions and exercises. Guest speakers from academia and industry will also be invited to contribute to some of the lectures. The lecture programme will provide an overview of key debates in this area, supported by the recommended readings. The aim of the lectures is to identify key concerns, to be further evaluated in subsequent discussion sessions. The course will examine major themes in human resource management and draw heavily on practice, using various sources of evidence, including that from the lecturers own research and employment experience. The group discussions in class provide an opportunity for students to clarify their understanding of the issues raised and to critically reflect on important questions. In all aspects, students are encouraged to apply academic concepts and frameworks to real workplace problems. This overall approach is appropriate to the learning objectives of the course.
-To examine the roles and functions of HRM professionals.
-To explore the range of techniques and practices used by HRM professionals in all major aspects of managing employees.
-To explore the level of adoption of such techniques and practices, and to offer explanations for patterns of adoption.
-To consider whether it is possible to identify best practice in human resource management.
-To examine the effects of specific practices in terms of managerial and employee experience in the workplace.
-To critique and challenge some of the underlying assumptions of the literature and suggest new alternatives.
Student Learning Experience:
Tutorial/seminar hours represent the minimum total live hours - online or in-person - a student can expect to receive on this course. These hours may be delivered in tutorial/seminar, lecture, workshop or other interactive whole class or small group format. These live hours may be supplemented by pre-recorded lecture material for students to engage with asynchronously.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Organisational Behaviour (CMSE11089)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary.
Admission to students without Organisational Behaviour (CMSE11089) will be at the discretion of the HRM Course Organiser. |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Be able to describe and discuss the key elements of current debates in human resource management
- Be able to outline alternative approaches to specific policy areas, such as involvement initiatives or approaches to resourcing
- Be able to identify the scale and nature of adoption of specific human resource policies
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Reading List
Wilton, N. (2019) An introduction to human resource management, 4th edition, London: Sage
Recommended:
Grugulis, I. (2016) A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about human resource management, London: Sage.
Hall, L., Torrington, D., Taylor, S. and Atkinson C. (2020) Human resource management, 11th Edition, Harlow, UK: Pearson Education
Resource List:
https://eu01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/public/44UOE_INST/lists/26185554460002466?auth=SAML |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Cognitive Skills:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
- demonstrate that they can evaluate critically the strengths and weaknesses of particular human resource approaches in specific contexts
- be able to identify the likely effectiveness of currently proposed solutions to managerial and organisational dilemmas
- exhibit an awareness of the concerns and experiences of a range of organisational stakeholders
- be able to apply critical analytical skills to complex practical problems
- be able to summarise and explain alternative organisational choices
- be able to demonstrate considerable clarity in evaluating alternative human resource policy choices, both in writing and verbally
Subject Specific Skills:
After completing this course, students should be able to:
- be able to identify key constituent elements of the employment contract and relationship
- be able to identify alternative practices within these key constituent elements
- be able to assess the design, adoption and implementation of these practices and their impact
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| Keywords | MGMT-HRM |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Michelle O'Toole
Tel: (0131 6)51 5012
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Mary Anne Boeff
Tel: (0131 6)50 8072
Email: |
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