Human Resource Management

The dissertation represents the culmination of the year's work and students work exclusively on the project between June and September. It allows a student to focus on a specific area of interest and undertake a sustained period of study on that theme. Often, students choose themes that link directly to their career ambitions, which can subsequently be used to showcase their interests and abilities to prospective employers. For most students this period of independent study is an opportunity to hone their research skills and enhance their intellectual powers.

The standard form of the dissertation is an organisational research project in which a student undertakes a case study of a particular organisation, which will involve engaging in live fieldwork. However, this is by no means the only form for the dissertation project, and research projects using a range of different procedures are allowable, including a library-based project.

Students are invited to begin consideration of their dissertation as early as possible and a series of workshops through the year provide support on developing and refining ideas into a coherent proposal. The dissertation work is then supported by an academic supervisor based in the Department and assigned according to area of research interest.

The module will introduce the students to the nature of knowledge within the organisation studies/management field, and the ways in which the literature can be researched and critically evaluated. It will then provide a systematic consideration of different approaches to research in the social sciences and in organisational studies in particular. This will include an evaluation of different research designs and methodologies, and of a range of methods likely to be particularly useful in organisational research such as: surveys, ethnography, case studies, interviews, questionnaires. The module will also address methods of qualitative and quantitative data analysis. Throughout, links will be made to the practical planning and execution of a piece of research.

This module introduces students to key theoretical perspectives to deepen their understanding of the employment relationship, how organisations operate and how they are managed. The module builds upon and criticises the perspectives by exploring the changing nature and different styles of managing Employee Relations, including issues related to individualism and collectivism in the workplace. We then turn to employee voice, exploring employee involvement and participation, followed by discipline, dismissal, negotiation, and bargaining. Finally, the module considers issues of equality and diversity at work and looks at employment relations within a global context.

This module introduces the major debates and perspectives on Human Resource Management. It critically examines controversies about the nature of HRM, placing it in context to understand how it developed and what it constitutes in contemporary organisations. The module examines those issues that are seen as central to the practice of HRM, such as recruitment and selection, performance management, and flexible working.

The module provides an insight into the HRM process, explored in a way that critiques its taken for granted ‘normality’, and unpacks the assumptions underlying this central organisational function.

This module examines the conceptual and cultural foundations of Human Resource Management.

• Where does its appeal come from?
• How is HRM done today – and what exactly does HRM do so successfully?

The answers to these questions are around us, all the time, everywhere – except we do not see them because we are accustomed to the assumptions of HRM.

In this module, we will investigate these assumptions and their roots, and so the task of HRM will appear in a different light. The essential question HRM has to answer seems simple: what is the value of a person’s work? The problem, of course, is that the relationship between work effort and the value of work is always indeterminate. How much is an hour of work worth? How much should anyone be paid so that work is ‘fair’ or ‘just’?

These essential questions cannot be answered independently; they depend on other crucial questions: What is the work that I have to do? What counts as the work covered by an employment contract? Where does effort begin and end? What does it mean, for instance, to be ‘committed’ to one’s job, to be ‘passionate’ company or team – in terms of effort? What does it mean to be creative or innovative? Who has ‘potential’? Are these part of the employment contract? What is work today, after all?

In essence this module aims to explore the significance and complications of managing human resources in the international arena. The management of employees is one of the key elements in the success of global organisations and over time managers have adapted a range of approaches to this task. This module will also provide useful insights on such processes. By the completion of the study you will be able develop the skills of analysis and critical evaluation through the examination of human resource issues utilizing HRM models and frameworks in the global context. It is also an opportunity to demonstrate team working, presentation and secondary research skills.

This module introduces contemporary organisations as institutional structures in which management functions. We begin by considering the formal organisation (and the role of management) which was developed through the twentieth century, and which provides the basis for much of our present-day understanding of organising.

The main part of the module deals with the contemporary situation, and it is argued that the present time is one of extraordinary change in organisations, which offers a considerable challenge to orthodox organisational theory. The material presented looks at what seems to be happening to organisations large and small. It examines a range of key issues in the contemporary organisation including bureaucracy, managerial control, technological change, leadership and management ethics as viewed through the lenses of current debates in social theory, management and organisation studies.

What is meant by change management and how to analyse organisational change is an important, contested and complex question. It is the focus of this course.

In recent decades, management gurus, consultants, politicians and academics have talked about a transformation of the workplace but what does this mean? A series of change initiatives have emerged such as Teamworking, Quality Management and Business Process Reengineering which can be understood as part of this transformation and a means to achieve it. This course aims to challenge accepted and simplistic understandings and practices associated with change. Our contention is that to understand what is going on necessitates a reflexive and critical appreciation of the contradictions, complexities and paradoxes of organisational change and interventions that seek to secure change.

The course aims to provide students with a theoretical and practical understanding of key ideas and perspectives in the management of organisational change. Throughout the course we will introduce concepts, theories and cases from studies of managers and organisations. Our focus is upon the development your abilities to analyse change management critically, systemically and reflectively.

As managers and others seek to initiate, implement and account for the impacts of change projects it is important that taken for granted assumptions and simplistic solutions about organisational life are both articulated, understood and rethought. Throughout the course prevailing assumptions in the managerial literature are examined and evaluated from a range of advanced social scientific perspectives. By the end of course you should have developed an understanding of the complex and contested nature and practice of the management of organisational change.

This module provides you with important resources for developing your postgraduate study and HR professional skills. Whilst we recognise that different people have different skills and abilities, everyone can benefit from reflecting upon and honing their study skills. For some this represents an important step in making the transition from undergraduate to postgraduate study, for others it will provide an opportunity to develop skills further. In all cases this module should have a positive impact on your levels of attainment across the course; so whilst it does not have a formal credit weighting on the course, it is a requirement that you participate fully in the module and that you submit the required evidence fully and on time. Also, participation in the module and the completion of the Lent term assessments is mandatory for those of you registering for the CIPD diploma. The Lent term workshops will focus on a range of skills and capabilities that are valued in the HR professional, covering issues such as recruitment and selection tasks, business analysis and negotiation.