MSc Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations / Course details

Understanding link between strategy and HRM continues to be essential for scholars and practitioners to make decisions about how to manage people effectively and add value to the firm. At the heart of this link is the relationship between competitive advantage and the added value of human resources, the development of employees as "resourceful humans", and the contribution of human resource management to performance. We draw on contemporary academic research and organisational practice to explore these connections. Underlying the unit is a desire to engage critically with the argument that employers are seeking to find ways in which to (a) develop holistic HRM practices that are integrated with other aspects of their business/strategy to enhance organizational performance, and (b) develop employees as a source of competitive advantage.

 

BMAN70231 Programme Req: BMAN70231 is only available as a core unit to students on MSc HRM & IR and MSc IHRM & CIR

BMAN70231 Programme Req: BMAN70231 is only available as a core unit to students on MSc HRM & IR and MSc IHRM & CIR

The aim of this course unit is to contribute to the understanding of debates about the relationship between HRM and strategy, seen in a holistic way that includes the interplay between HRM and organizational performance, with a view to understand how this interplay informs ideas about human resources as competitive advantage and added value.

At the end of the course unit students should be able to:
 

• Understand how human resource management intersects with the business strategy to add value to organizations.
• Explain models and frameworks of strategic HRM, such as best practice/high commitment, best fit/contingency and RBV traditions.
• Identify the contribution of line managers and HR specialists to develop the link between  HRM and organisational performance in order to support sustained competitive advantage.
• Understand how key HR functions, such as recruitment and selection, training and development, performance management, and employee involvement and participation - are practiced strategically in employing organisations.
• Assess the ways in which human resource management is influenced and shaped by factors both internal and external to employing organisations.
• Identify the strategic potential of different components of HRM to contribute to organisational performance and fair treatment at work.
• Provide advice on the application of different HR practices in employing organisations.
• Demonstrate the ability to collect and present information that can be used for HR decision-making by employing organizations.
   

Coursework essay (100%)

Informal advice and discussion during lectures and seminars. 
Responses to student emails.
Written and/or verbal comments after students have made a group or individual intervention/presentation.
 

Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donnelly, R. & Kynighou, A. (2020) Human Resource Management at Work: The Definitive Guide. CIPD.
Johnstone, S. & Rodriguez, J.K. & Wilkinson, A., (Eds.). (2022). Encyclopedia of human resource management. Edward Elgar Publishing.
Readings are recommended for each lecture and seminar.

 

Informal contact methods

Office hours