Length: 1,500 words

(Marks will be divided -10% presentation, 20% essay)

Pick ONE of the topics below:

Human Resource Management in Australia

Traditional human resource management (HRM) practices were developed and administered by the firm’s HR department. Line managers are now playing a major role in developing and implementation HR practices. Why do you think non-HR managers are becoming more involved and developing and executing HR practices? In what ways you consider that HR managers can support line managers undertaking greater responsibility for the day to day use of HR?

Strategic Human Resource Management

Explain and examine the relationship between the HR function and the organisation’s business strategy in a company with which you are familiar. Suggest how HR may improve its contribution to the achievement of the firm’s business strategy.  Discuss the feasibility of outsourcing HR in this firm.

The legal context of HRM

Sexual harassment continues to be a significant issue in the workplace, although major inroads have been made in educating employees about it and putting preventive measures in place. Sexual harassment may involve a physical element (e.g. unwanted touching) and/or verbal taunts and teasing. Under basic human rights, individuals have the right to be free from any forms of harassment, meaning that there needs to be a feeling of mutual respect between people so that you treat someone as you would expect to be treated. What is involved in designing and implementing an anti-sexual-harassment policy in an organisation? Describe the steps you would take.

Recruitment and Selection

Discuss the relative merits of internal versus external recruitment. What types of business strategies might best be supported by recruiting externally and what types might call for internal recruitment? What factors might lead a firm to decide to switch from internal to external recruitment or vice versa?

Retention

What are the key stages in designing a retention plan for key personnel? Give an example of how an organisation you know well approaches retention. What problems have arisen around retention and how might this program be improved upon? Your paper should consider theories of job satisfaction.

Performance Management

How important is performance management in driving a successful business? In answering this question, you should analyse the performance management processes and the impact of those policies at an organisation you know well. What are some opportunities for improvement? Your answer should consider the interaction of the following performance management strategies: performance-based pay, performance appraisals, performance counselling, 360-degree development and feedback, career management considering both positive and negative implications of the system.

Compensation and Benefits at Two Leading Companies

Effective competitive compensation and benefits packages are integral to the attraction, motivation and retention of quality employees. In this essay and presentation, you should compare and contrast compensation and benefits programs for two large companies. Why are they different and how are they different? In what ways do they enable strategic goals to be realised? How could both these systems be improved to enhance business performance and employee productivity and satisfaction?

Pay for Performance

Your organisation has two business units. One unit is a long-established manufacturer of a product that competes on price and has not been subject to many technological innovations. The other business unit is just being started. It has no products yet, but it is working on developing a new technology for testing the effects of drugs on individuals via simulation instead of through lengthy clinical trials. Would you recommend that the two business units have the same pay programs for recognising individual contributions? Why or why not?

Employee Engagement

A key priority in the current HR agenda at many organisations is the challenge of finding and keeping employees who are highly engaged. An engaged employee is said to be highly committed, highly motivated and, is willing to recommend the organisation to others. What is the link between HR and employee engagement? How would you know if your employees are engaged? Your paper should identify engagement challenges and critique employee engagement initiatives at an organisation you know well.

Learning and Development

What are the key elements in creating an effective learning and development plan? Give an example of how an organisation you know well approaches professional development of key employees through learning and development. How might these programs be improved upon and their impact assessed?

International Human Resource Management

Repatriation management is viewed by many international HR managers as a difficult challenge. Discuss the major issues and requirements for effective management of repatriates.

NOTE:

There are two parts to the assignment, an essay and a presentation. Your essay should flow in terms of the presentation of information, with sentences and paragraphs appropriately structured and logically linked. You should reference your work accurately, preferably using the Harvard (in text) citation method and a references list cited at the end of your essay. It is expected that students will do additional research to support the course readings and textbook.

The presentation can be given as a power point presentation. Additional tips and help will be given in week 1.

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved

Marking criteria will be provided in class / iLearn.

Length: 3,000 words (excluding references)

For this assignment, you will analyse any media information in relation to human resources management (HRM)  and business performance in and any of the material that we cover in class. This data can be obtained from media-  in particular newspapers’ articles, local or overseas. I encourage you to seek a least one article that covers cross-cultural issues in HR and firm performance.You will need to scan the environment for suitable material. This material needs to be collated and presented in a report format with its relevance to strategic human resource management. Use a report format (extended dot points and tables are entirely acceptable), but also provide supporting materials to support your case. The objective of this assignment is for you to become aware of the strategic HRM issues and how they relate to not only firm performance but also the learning activities in this subject. The focus should be regularly scanning and analysing human resource management issues as they are reported in the international and local media. In class, I will cover further details on researching tactics and strategies that will enable you to tackle this assignment with confidence. The idea is to tie the material we cover in class to everyday world issues relating to human resource management. A thorough analysis of five articles is recommended.

No extensions will be granted. There will be a deduction of 10% of the total available marks made from the total awarded mark for each 24 hour period or part thereof that the submission is late (for example, 25 hours late in submission – 20% penalty). This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for disruption of studies is made and approved

Marking criteria will be provided in class / iLearn.

Duration: 2 hours plus 10 minutes reading time Format: Closed-book

A final examination will be held on the exam week (11 - 16 June 2018). Further information about the exam content and how to submit will be provided later in the course. Exams can take the form of case studies, multiple choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions or combinations of these approaches.