| Strategic Human Resource Management |
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MGT B827
Strategic Human Resource Management
| WELCOME TO THE COURSE |  |
Welcome to MGT B827 Strategic Human Resource Management, one of the elective courses of the Open University of Hong Kong MBA program. The course explores how managers can engage in decision making in their organization regarding the contribution which HRM concepts and frameworks can make to organizational practice, and in turn to the organization's overall effectiveness.
This course has been designed with a number of key purposes in mind. The most important one is to ensure that, by the end of the course, you will have developed competence, and can demonstrate that competence, in strategic thinking, planning and action with respect to choices about the sourcing, deployment, use and development of human resources. This will mean you will need to engage with issues at different levels including at the levels of individuals and groups, organisations and inter-organisational working, as well as at the level of international practice. The course also includes aspects of policies, organisational design and organisational culture.
We are engaged mainly in developing managers, not management scholars (though of course we do not exclude that). Accordingly, a critical engagement with your own experience and practice is vital. We aim to use theory as a tool to help prompt you to engage critically with practice, and to use practice as a tool to engage critically with theory.
The central dynamic of the course is a constant critical dialogue between course materials, wider readings and your own and your fellow students' experiences of practice. This course has the following characteristics:
more practice based in its reflections
suitable for the whole range of managers who have an opportunity, and in many cases a responsibility, to influence and shape HR policies including, but not solely confined to, HR specialists
geared to the needs of life-long learning by equipping you to learn skills that are sustainable - including, for example: an ability to make informed choices among a range of alternatives; being alert to the key variables to take into account; and being able to evaluate variables and to identify and evaluate multiple prescriptions
more international in its coverage
designed to allow you to evaluate frameworks, theory and prescriptions
structured to promote reflection on and learning from your own practices and experiences and those of others.
The intention is that this will make MGT B827 a rich learning experience and ensure that the course is rooted in the development of your professional practice whilst remaining academically rigorous and challenging. This aspiration has underpinned the design of the individual activities, their integration across the units and the course and their linkage to assessment tasks and requirements. The course does this through practice-focused learning, where you reflect critically on the course materials with reference to your own organization and experiences.
There is a focus on practical reflection in the reading you do in MGT B827. When you read within this course you will be reading with a clear purpose. In many cases, you will be introduced to a theme or approach through the unit text and often through additional articles in your Readings or the Concise Companion. There are also important resources, such as activities and readings, that you will need to access online.You will be asked to reflect on what you have read, usually through guided questions. Importantly, many of these reflection activities will require you to think about how the readings can be applied to your own organization or an organization you know well. These activities will feed into an investigative activity in each unit. In these ways, the aim is to set up an overall study dynamic that is anchored in - and driven by - your own experience and your developing practice.
You may be aware that materials used in this course, as in most other courses of our MBA program, are developed by the Open University Business School in the U.K. The language and vocabularies used are very sophisticated. You may therefore need more time than suggested to read the study units and to understand information contained in other materials. Although most examples are biased towards the foreign contexts, many of the companies discussed are internationally renowned and you should have little problem understanding the contexts in which these companies operate. In fact, you can take advantage of the information provided on foreign companies to enrich your international perspective on the current issues of HRM. You are strongly encouraged to search articles relevant to the Asian/Hong Kong context on the topics covered in the Study Units. Some of the journals/magazines that you should consult are appended below. You can use the OUHK's e-library to gain access to some of the journals.
Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources
Asia Pacific Journal of Management
British Journal of Industrial Relations
Human Resource Management Journal
International Journal of Human Resource Management
Personnel Review
International Journal of Employment Relations
Human Resource Management
Work, Employment, and Society
Human Resources (Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management (HKIHRM))
People Management (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, (CIPD))
China Staff
| ONLINE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT (OLE) | |
This course is supported by the Online Learning Environment (OLE). You can find the latest course information on the OLE. Activities included in the eight Study Units are placed on-line under the "Course Materials" section on the OLE. You are encouraged to spend some time to attempt these on-line activities when you are reading the Study Units according to the suggested course timetable. These activities are designed to reinforce your understanding of the course concepts, theories and models related to the Strategic Human Resource Management. Feedback to the on-line activities included in the Study Units could be accessed in this section on the OLE as well. Through the OLE, you can also communicate with your tutor, the course coordinator as well as fellow students. For details about the OLE and how to access it, please refer to the Online Learning Environment User Guide (http://ole.ouhk.edu.hk/help.html).
| COURSE AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES | |
Course Aims
MGT B827 is designed for senior management team who had to play a part in shaping an overall people strategy and making decisions of the strategic deployment of labour and human capital. Major issues covered which have impacts on people management included organizational forms and structures, work systems design, organisational culture, outsourcing, human resource development, and employee engagement.
Course Learning Outcomes
On completing the course, you are expected to be able to make reasoned and effective practical contributions to the formulation of human resource management strategies and be able to justify the bases of the choices made.
More specifically, students are able to:
Critically appraise the impact of increasingly global and changing context on the design of organisational form and the strategic management of human resources.
Critically examine and evaluate the concepts, theories, and models of SHRM, HR role, competencies and function, and their impacts on business outcomes.
Explain and critically discuss the significance of managing organisation change, shaping organisational culture, promoting business ethics and their HR implications.
Evaluate and analyse the concepts and theories in key areas of SHRM covering performance management and reward, capacity and learning development, as well as employee relations and engagement.
Critically examine and discuss the importance in evaluating the contribution of HR policies and practices to organisational success and how such evaluation can be done
| COMPONENTS OF THE COURSE | |
MGT B827 Strategic Human Resource Management consists of a number of related components. These components integrate well to provide a good coverage of the materials contained in the course.
The course has:
Eight specially written course units. They provide the backbone of the course. From these units you will be referred to other course components.
The Concise Companion to Strategic Human Resource Management. This is an edited reader by John Storey, Patrick Wright and Dave Ulrich, which contains a number of articles by leading theorists and thinkers in the field of SHRM. You will be instructed to read chapters from this book in the module activities.
Readings 1 and Readings 2 (Compilations of associated readings). You will have received a printed copy of articles and other required readings associated with the units. The activities will tell you when to read these. The Readings are in two parts. Readings 1 contains the readings for the first four units and Readings 2 has the readings for Units 5-8.
Assignment File. There are three written assignments for this course.
| STRUCTURE OF THE COURSE | |
As a consequence of the global nature of competition, it is increasingly important for managers in this domain of study and practice to be alert to the variety of human resource management systems in different parts of the world. Hence, this course is relevant for managers in any country and for those who work internationally.
You will have the opportunity to undertake some comparative HRM by exploring the range and divergence of practices across national boundaries. In addition, there will also be opportunities to address aspects of international HRM. This latter issue attends to the way organizations with an international reach try to achieve a balance between policies that are common across all parts and, therefore, maintain some coherence across the organization while also responding in an adaptable way to differences in national contexts. Aspects of comparative and international HRM appear at appropriate points throughout the course rather than being studied in a separate unit.
The course content covers the major areas of SHRM in 8 units. These are as follows:
Unit 1: An Introduction to the Theory and Practice of Strategic HRM
This unit introduces the meanings and scope of strategic HRM; the main frameworks and models; and examples of types.Unit 2: The Design of Organizational Forms
Unit 2 outlines the linkages between types of organizational structures and forms and HR practice; and adaptations of the bureaucratic form, as well as enterprise and agile forms.Unit 3: Managing with and without a Specialized HR Function
This unit examines the activities and contributions of HR departments; how an HR function can be structured and deployed; the advantages and disadvantages of outsourcing HR; and the HR competences that make a difference.Unit 4: Shaping Organizational Culture
Unit 4 discusses the nature of organizational cultures and why they are important; the ways in which and the extent to which organizational cultures might be managed and changed; and the link with leadership and strategizing.Unit 5: Building Employee Engagement
This unit considers the meaning of employee engagement and why it is thought to be important; the various methods used to achieve engagement, practical challenges, and collective forms of engagement with a workforce.Unit 6: Performance Management
Unit 6 introduces the idea of a performance management system (PMS), including: the elements of a PMS; target setting, monitoring and feedback; the range of reward strategies; redesigning the elements of a PMS; and the context of performance management.Unit 7: Building Capability
This unit looks at the theory of human capital formation and the reasons for and against training; the responsibilities and roles of the state, the employer and the individual in human capital formation; the range of methods of capability building; the idea of the learning organization; and corporate universities.Unit 8: Evaluating HR Policies and Practices
The final unit examines how and why to evaluate SHRM interventions; effectiveness and efficiency; the ethical dimensions of evaluation; and using evaluation techniques in your own context.
| ASSESSMENT | |
The assessment for this course comprises two components:
Continuous assessment, i.e. three tutor-marked assignments (TMAs)
One three-hour examination.
In order to pass the course, you must obtain marks of at least 40 per cent in each of these two components. Both components must be passed separately. All assignments are required to count towards your final score in the continuous assessment. If you fail to submit an assignment, a zero score will be registered. The continuous assessment of the course is weighted 40%, and the final end-of-course examination is weighted the remaining 60% of the overall course assessment.
Assignments
There are three required tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) in this course. These TMAs have both a summative and a formative purpose. They are used as a measure for awarding your course results but are also part of the learning process and are integral to the course design. Each assignment should be submitted to your tutor by the cut-off date shown on the Course Timetable.
The TMAs are distributed throughout the course and have the following weightings (out of 40% of continuous assessment):
TMA 01 10%
TMA02 15%
TMA03 15%
The TMAs require answers of around 2,500 to 3,500 words. You should note that your tutors are directed to deduct marks for any assignment exceeding the prescribed length.
Further details on the assignments can be found in the Assignment File.
How to submit assignments
You must use word processing software (such as Microsoft Word) to prepare the TMAs, and submit the TMAs via the Online Learning Environment (OLE). All assignments must be uploaded to the OLE by the due date.
Failure to upload a TMA in the required format to the OLE may result in the score of the TMA being adjusted to zero.
TMA extension policy
The assignment policy of the University as stated in the Student Handbook should be observed.
After an assignment is submitted via the OLE, it is your responsibility to check that the assignment has been successfully submitted. Extension applications due to any problem with
uploading will not be accepted. The University cannot accept any responsibility for assignments that are not received by your tutor due to any problem with submission via the OLE. As a precaution, you are advised to keep a copy of each assignment you submit.
According to the University's policy, no extension of the due date will be allowed for the final TMA. This policy will be strictly enforced. Any late submission of the final TMA will result in the score of the TMA being adjusted to zero.
Examination
Preparing for the examination
You will need to plan ahead to ensure you have adequate time to revise for the examination. A Specimen Examination Paper is included in a later mailing of MGT B827 course materials. You should review this as part of your revision.
Style of the examination questions
By the time you have completed this course, you will appreciate the importance of understanding both the theoretical and the practical issues associated with the strategic management of human resources in organizations. The examination will assess both aspects.
| TUTORS AND TUTORIALS | |
Tutors
Your tutor is your contact with the OUHK and more particularly the person who is there to help you with your study problems as they arise. It is important that you acquaint yourself with the consultation times when your tutor will be available by phone or other means. Do not hesitate to contact your tutor if you find that you have a problem understanding a particular point or idea, or related more generally to the academic side of the course. Tutorials, supplementary lectures, dayschools and/or surgeries are scheduled for this course, so be sure that you become acquainted with your particular meeting time and place. Your tutor will appreciate good preparation on your part for these meetings.
Tutors are required to start supplementary lectures and tutorial sessions on time. If a tutor fails to turn up 30 minutes after the scheduled starting time, students may assume that the session is cancelled and they should report the case to the Course Coordinator so that a make-up session can be arranged.
Supplementary lectures, tutorials, dayschools and/or surgeries
For distance learning students, supplementary lectures, tutorials, dayschools and/or surgeries are valuable resources. First, they provide a forum within which understanding of difficult ideas and concepts can be clarified by discussion and examples. Second, they are a setting where new ideas can be explored, and where practical HR management problems encountered by students in their workplaces can be shared as learning experiences with the group. Third, they are a way to build up networks so that informal discussions can be undertaken with fellow students by phone or email.
Supplementary lectures serve as a 'supplement' to the course materials to facilitate students' independent learning. Complicated concepts and theories will be selected and explained in the supplementary lectures. The choice of topics covered in the supplementary lectures, however, has no bearing on the content of the final examination. The examination scope will cover all the materials included in the course materials. Tutorials, dayschools and/or surgeries, on the other hand, are organised to encourage students to take more active participation in discussions with the tutors and their fellow coursemates. You will certainly benefit from meeting other students taking the course, as you will be able to discuss the course content and share ideas with them.
It is important that you make every effort to attend supplementary lectures, tutorial sessions, dayschools and/or surgeries organised for this course.
