Students
HRM 328 – Strategic Human Resources Management
2016 – S2 Evening
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Associate Professor Louise Thornthwaite
Contact via louise.thornthwaite@mq.edu.au
Building E4A Room 653
Wednesday 3-5 pm or by appointment
Tutor
Jo Attard
Contact via TBA
TBA
Tutor
Fran Caflisch
Contact via TBA
TBA
Rebecca Young
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|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
48cp including (HRM201 and HRM250)
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
3cp from HRM300-HRM317
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is aimed at teaching students to apply knowledge and skills gained in human resources management (HRM) in an integrated way to organisations. The unit reviews and applies theoretical perspectives on strategic HRM to case studies of organisations. It provides the intellectual and practical tools for students to evaluate various approaches to the conception, planning, implementation and evaluation of strategic policy and practice in key functional areas of HRM. The major activity and assessment task in the unit is a group-based consulting project involving a review of contemporary HR issues to develop strategic responses in case studies. Students will develop graduate capabilities in critical, analytical and integrative thinking and effective communication.
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Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Understand the role of HR metrics, measurement and evaluation in strategic decision making.
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
- Be an informed and critical consumer of HR products (e.g. Consultancy services)
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due | Groupwork/Individual | Short Extension | AI assisted? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participation/Coursework | 10% | weeks 2-13 | No | ||
| Individual Essay | 30% | Wednesday 14 September, 4.30pm | No | ||
| Group Debate | 20% | weeks 9-13 as scheduled | No | ||
| Final Examination | 40% | 14 Nov-2 Dec period | No |
Participation/Coursework
Due: weeks 2-13
Weighting: 10%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
The Tutorial Programme is an integral part of this unit. Students are required to attend 80% of the tutorials to complete this Unit satisfactorily. Tutorials give students an opportunity to clarify material covered in lectures and readings, explore and apply key concepts in discussion, exercises and case studies, and prepare for the assessment for this unit. The tutorial program is divided into two parts.
PART ONE: (6 marks allocated)
Weeks 2-8 will involve discussions in class. Discussions will be based on set readings located on ilearn. Completion of tutorial homework encourages students to be engaged and active learners in discussions. Students are required to complete three written one page answers to questions set between week 3 and 8 inclusive (ie 6 weeks). These questions will be based on the readings set for the class. The questions are set out in the Lecture and Tutorial Schedule on ilearn. Three of these six weekly exercises will be sighted for a mark allocation of 2% each. This amounts to 6% of the total marks for the Unit. Students may choose which weeks (between 3 and 8) they have their homework sighted. Students will be asked to show the work to the tutor at the start of the class as evidence of completion - this will be registered on the roll. Students will also be required to hand in their page of work to the tutor at the end of the tutorial. You are asked to remain in class for the duration of the class during time the material will be discussed collectively.No e-mail submission will be accepted. No extension will be granted. While all students are encouraged to participate in every tutorial, those students who have registered their homework for the given tutorial can expect to be asked questions pertaining to the material. Where students are unable to answer questions relating to their homework, the mark of 2% may be reduced but a minimum mark of 1% (per tutorial homework) will nonetheless apply.
PART TWO: (4 marks allocated)
In weeks 9-12 debates will be conducted. All other students (non-participants for the debate) will be required to be attentive as they will be asked to judge and critique each team’s performance using the Debating Peer Assessment Form (go to iLearn and look under ‘Assessments’). Students must download and print this assessment form and bring to each tutorial. This student assessment is to be handed to the tutor at the end of class. This will be taken into account when determining each student’s individual tutorial participation mark. The peer reviews will form 4% of the mark for the Unit. Students will be awarded 2% for each of two peer reviews. Students may choose which week their peer review gets sighted. Students will be asked to register on the roll at the beginning of class if they want their peer review for that debate to be included in their assessment. All peer reviews will be collected at the end of the tutorial.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Understand the role of HR metrics, measurement and evaluation in strategic decision making.
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
Individual Essay
Due: Wednesday 14 September, 4.30pm
Weighting: 30%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
This assessment item is an individually written assignment in which students will be required to critically analyse a particular strategic human resource issue or issues, using concepts covered in the Unit and scholarly literature to support their analysis. This essay has a maximum word limit of 2000 words. References are not included in the word limit. The essay topic will be posted on ilearn in week 2.
The assessment criteria are outlined in the essay marking rubric located on ilearn. Students are expected to use at least 8 scholarly references in their analysis. Scholarly references generally include refereed journal articles and academic books/chapters. Students may use sections and subsections,in organising their essay but are not required to do so. This is purely a matter of choice! The objective is to produce a piece of individually written work that is organised in a logical and coherent manner, addresses the essay question in a focused way and uses scholarly references to support and substantiate the analysis.
The essay must be submitted through Turnitin by 4.30 pm Wednesday 14 September (week 7). Students must also submit a hard copy by 4.30 Wednesday 14 September in the box provided at the Student Office.
Extensions/penalties
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. No submission will be accepted after solutions have been posted.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
Group Debate
Due: weeks 9-13 as scheduled
Weighting: 20%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
Group debates are a key feature of the Unit. In the tutorials, students will be formed into teams for the purpose of engaging in a debate. Teams will have a maximum of 4 members. This is worth 20% of the final mark for the Unit. Note that individual knowledge gained from students' involvement and engagement in the debate will be assessed in the final exam as well. [See the details for Assessment Task 4 for more information on this]
Each debate will consist of two teams: an affirmative team that upholds the proposition and a negative team that opposes it. Debates will be scheduled for the last five weeks of semester. The number of debaters on each side should be equal and the time allowed for each side should be the same. Two objectives of the debates are that students develop an understanding of both sides of controversial strategic human resource management issues and have an opportunity to apply concepts in understanding the strategic and policy implications of the issues. The Debate Topics and Detailed Instructions and Guidelines for the conduct of the debates will be provided in separate documents lodged on ilearn in a file titled 'DEBATES'.
The formation of teams will occur in the week 3 tutorial and allocation of Debate Topics will occur during the week 4 tutorial. There will need to be an even number of groups in each tutorial. Note. No change of schedule or extensions will be granted unless the group provides a written request to their tutor (copying in the Convenor) at least two weeks prior to the tutorial in which they are scheduled to provide their presentation. Any rescheduling will only be granted under exceptional circumstances and subject to acceptance of the other team.
The structure of the debates is outlined in the detailed instructions. Each team will have an opportunity to present their first speech (5 min) a second speech (5 min) and then a rebuttal (5 min). As each of these will be 5 minutes - the total time allocated = 30 minutes. A chairperson presides over the debate and keeps time. The debating team's presentations are evaluated by the rest of the class and by the instructor. The criteria for evaluation will include the quality of the analysis, reasoning and evidence, organisation, rebuttals, and delivery. Final marks will be determined by the tutor. The marks for individual members in each team will usually be the same. However, marks may be adjusted where individual contributions demonstrably vary.
Each team should conduct research on its topic. Because of the current nature of the debate topics, you are encouraged to consult current periodicals (eg Harvard Business Review, Forbes Magazine) in addition to academic journals and books. Articles which the Convenor has placed on ilearn for each topic covered in the Lecture Program will also be useful.
In preparing for the debate and presenting speeches, students must keep in mind that this is a Strategic Human Resource Management Unit. Theoretical concepts concerning Strategic HRM, and particular issues and challenges concerning the formation, implementation, effectiveness etc of HRM strategy will be relevant. Demonstrating an understanding of this relevance will be rewarded. Using examples of existing organisations may also make a strong contribution to a team's case - you can find illustrations of how particular companies approach the different aspects and issues of strategic HRM through looking at company websites, case study excerpts in text books, periodicals and journals.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Understand the role of HR metrics, measurement and evaluation in strategic decision making.
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
- Be an informed and critical consumer of HR products (e.g. Consultancy services)
Final Examination
Due: 14 Nov-2 Dec period
Weighting: 40%
Groupwork/Individual:
Short extension 3: No
AI assisted?:
A two hour exam will be held during the university exam period. Students will be required to answer as essay-style question and a series of short answer questions pertaining to a short case scenario. The essay-style response is expected to be a minimum of 2 pages in length. The essay-style question will examine students' knowledge and understanding in relation to the group debate activity. The case scenario/questions will assess students' understanding of functional areas of SHRM, and issues associated with management and organisation of SHRM in different corporate contexts.
Exam attendance: The university exam period for Session 2, 2016 is from 14 November - 2 December. You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/exam
The Macquarie University examination policy details the principles and conduct of examinations at the University. The policy is available at: http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/examination/policy.htm
IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE LECTURER TO MOVE THE EXAM TIME - PLEASE DO NOT ASK.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Understand the role of HR metrics, measurement and evaluation in strategic decision making.
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
- Be an informed and critical consumer of HR products (e.g. Consultancy services)
Delivery and Resources
Classes
This Unit is taught through lectures and tutorials. Classes are held each week of semester unless the class falls on a public holiday. Each lecture is two hours and tutorial, one hour. Lectures provide not only a consolidated account of major concepts and issues in relation to each topic - they also include discussion, questions and answers, brainstorming and other activities. The powerpoint slides posted on ilearn provide the framework for the material covered in classes, but are not and are not intended to be a complete record.
The timetable for classes can be found on the University web site at: https://timetables.mq.edu.au.
Students should attend lectures and tutorials. This is not a distance education course. Attendance will be taken in lectures and tutorials. If students do not attend classes, it is assumed that they will undertake considerable independent research to make up for material covered in classes.
Unit Schedule
A Unit schedule is includes as a separate document on ilearn. This is where students will find the weekly schedule of lectures and tutorials as well as details of the required reading.
Required and Recommended Reading
Please note: This is a capstone course. Students are required to take considerable responsibility for their own learning. It is expected that every student will already know how to locate materials in the library, using e-journals and other resources. There is a textbook set for the Unit (see below) but this does not cover every topic. Note that the textbook is not a standard textbook in appearance, but is the most thoughtful book available on this subject. A detailed reading list pertinent to each topic is located on ilearn. Students are responsible for locating these readings in the library – teaching staff will not be doing this basic research task for students. Readings with an asterix are those which provide the most substantial cover of a topic and/or the most crucial issue(s). Students need to make their own judgments about how much reading they do, and which readings they select.
Textbook
Boxall, P and Purcell, J., (2015) Strategy and Human Resource Management, 4th ed., Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke.
Technology Used and Required
Access to a personal computer is required in order to access announcements, course documents and learning materials on ilearn. Students should check ilearn at least once a week. Messages may also be posted to your Macquarie University student email accounts, so these should be checked at least weekly also.
Unit Web Page
The web page for this unit can be accessed via http://ilearn.mq.edu.au Please check the ilearn site at least weekly for announcements and to access teaching and learning materials loaded onto the site as the course progresses.
Research and Practice
This unit provides practice in applying research findings in your assignments. It also provides opportunities to conduct your own research through journal articles, texts and online data bases.
Satisfactory completion of this Unit will require:
- participation in group work
- attendance at classes. Note. It is assumed that students who fail to attend are undertaking considerable independent study to make up for material not accessed through classes
Unit Schedule
A Unit schedule is included as a separate document on ilearn. This is where students will find the weekly schedule of lectures, tutorials and details of required readings.
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Understand the role of HR metrics, measurement and evaluation in strategic decision making.
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
- Be an informed and critical consumer of HR products (e.g. Consultancy services)
Assessment tasks
- Participation/Coursework
- Individual Essay
- Group Debate
- Final Examination
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Understand the role of HR metrics, measurement and evaluation in strategic decision making.
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
- Be an informed and critical consumer of HR products (e.g. Consultancy services)
Assessment tasks
- Participation/Coursework
- Individual Essay
- Group Debate
- Final Examination
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Understand the role of HR metrics, measurement and evaluation in strategic decision making.
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
Assessment tasks
- Participation/Coursework
- Individual Essay
- Group Debate
- Final Examination
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Understand the importance of thinking strategically about HRM from different theoretical perspectives and the implications for the roles of HR professionals
- Identify key strategic areas of HR practice and their potential contribution to the success of the organisation in terms of value, performance and employee wellbeing
- Think critically about the challenges facing HRM in specific contexts including industry sector, multidivisional and multinational firms
Assessment tasks
- Participation/Coursework
- Individual Essay
- Group Debate
- Final Examination
Changes from Previous Offering
The assessment structure has been changed for this offering of HRM328 in two ways:
1. Assessment of tutorial activity has been formalised in the following way.The tutorial program is divided into two parts: part one involves discussions around set readings and part two involves formal debates among students groups. Previously, students were previously required to read compulsory readings for the discussion sessions, but most failed to do so and came to tutorials completely unprepared. Students were also required to complete peer reviews of debate sessions, and many felt that there contributions went unrewarded. From semester 2, 2016, completion of homework for the discussions in part one will be assessed (6% of total for Unit), as will students' peer reviews of debates in part two of the program (4% of total for Unit). This change has been instituted in order to provide a more objective foundation for the participation marks, while also contributing to more informed and engaged discussion in tutorials - and hopefully, by extension, also in lectures.
2. The group project (the debates) now includes an assessment of individual knowledge of equal value to the group debate itself. Thus the group debate is worth 20% of the total marks for the Unit and the Exam will now include a question worth 20% of the total marks of the Unit which will assess individuals on their understanding and knowledge pertaining to their debate.
Research & Practice, Global contexts & Sustainability
Additional Recommended Reading
On the ilearn site, students will find a Reading List which contains recommended readings for each topic covered in the Unit. The Unit relies heavily on recent scholarly journal articles and also classic theoretical and research publications.
There are also a number of excellent texts on the subject which cover some, but rarely all the topics in the course. Strongly recommended books include:
- * Boselie P., (2010), Strategic Human Resource Management: A Balanced Approach, McGraw-Hill, Berkshire. (*)
- * Armstrong, M. (2011) Armstrong's Handbook of Strategic Human Resource Management, Kogan Page Publishers.
- Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A., (2002) People Management and Development: Human Resource Management at Work, 2nd ed, CIPD, London.
- Mello, J. (2010) Strategic Human Resource Management, Cengage Learning.
- * Millmore, M, Lewis, P. et al (2007) Strategic Human Resource Management, Prentice-Hall, Essex.
- Salaman, G. Storey, J., and Billsbery, J., (2005) Strategic Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice, Sage, London.
- Schuler, R. and Jackson, S., (2007) Strategic Human Resource Management, 2nd ed, Blackwell.
- Stone, R., (2010) Managing Human Resources, John Wiley & Sons, Milton.
- Storey, J., Wright, P., and Ulrich, D., (2009) The Routledge Companion to Strategic Human Resource Management, Routledge, Abingdon.
Note. * where this book examines topics covered in the course, the relevant chapter is listed in the reading guide.
Journals recommended for HRM study include:
- Human Resource Management Journal
- International Journal of Human Resource Management
- Academy of Management Journal
- Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources
- Work, Employment and Society
- Australian Journal of Management
- California Management Review
- Economic and Labour Relations Review
- Harvard Business Review
- International Journal of Employment Studies
- Labour & Industry
- Personnel Journal
- Personnel Management
- Personnel Review
Key research databases for your study of human resource management include:
- Ebsco host: Academic Search Elite Business Source Premier
- Psychology and behavioral sciences collection
Also search the websites of well-known consulting organisations such as Watson Wyatt, PWC, Deloitte, DDI, Hewitt Associates etc. These can be an excellent source for information on contemporary techniques and practices.
Additional Recommended Reading
On the ilearn site, students will find a Reading List which contains recommended readings for each topic covered in the Unit. The Unit relies heavily on recent scholarly journal articles and also classic theoretical and research publications.
There are also a number of excellent texts on the subject which cover some, but rarely all the topics in the course. Strongly recommended books include:
- * Boselie P., (2010), Strategic Human Resource Management: A Balanced Approach, McGraw-Hill, Berkshire. (*)
- * Armstrong, M. (2011) Armstrong's Handbook of Strategic Human Resource Management, Kogan Page Publishers.
- Marchington, M. and Wilkinson, A., (2002) People Management and Development: Human Resource Management at Work, 2nd ed, CIPD, London.
- Mello, J. (2010) Strategic Human Resource Management, Cengage Learning.
- * Millmore, M, Lewis, P. et al (2007) Strategic Human Resource Management, Prentice-Hall, Essex.
- Salaman, G. Storey, J., and Billsbery, J., (2005) Strategic Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice, Sage, London.
- Schuler, R. and Jackson, S., (2007) Strategic Human Resource Management, 2nd ed, Blackwell.
- Stone, R., (2010) Managing Human Resources, John Wiley & Sons, Milton.
- Storey, J., Wright, P., and Ulrich, D., (2009) The Routledge Companion to Strategic Human Resource Management, Routledge, Abingdon.
Note. * where this book examines topics covered in the course, the relevant chapter is listed in the reading guide.
Changes since First Published
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 28/07/2016 | The deadline for submission of the Individual Essay on Wednesday 14th September is at 4.30pm (and not 5pm) |