Definitions of HRM Essay

Introduction and Overview Definitions of HRM. The employment relationship. Commitment and control. Internal fit. Textbook: Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart and Wright (2012) Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage. Chapter 1, pp. 2-68. Examples of exam questions: How and why has the role of the HR department been changing in Western firms since the 1980s? How far and for what reasons would you agree that the debate over the differences between HRM and personnel management is all ‘hot air? Lecture 2 Analysis and Design of Work Job analysis; Job design; employee involvement; quality circles; team working Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 4, pp. 154-190. Examples of exam questions: Who benefits from employee involvement? Compare quality circles and team working with regards to their impact on the economic outcomes of a company. Lecture 3 Personnel Selection Selection criteria, Big-5 personality dimensions, selection methods, predictive validity, reliability Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 6, pp. 230-267. Examples of past exam questions: Critically discuss the use of interviews as a primary basis for selection decisions. What criteria should be considered in selecting new employees to support firm performance? How do interviews fare in evaluating these criteria? Lecture 4 Performance appraisal Competitive Advantage. Chapter 8, 338-393. Examples of past exam questions: Critically evaluate performance appraisal at work. What are the purposes of conducting performance appraisals? How might appraisals differ depending on the purpose? Lecture 5 Pay Systems Content of pay systems; selecting pay systems; pay and firm performance; pay outcomes for employees. Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 1 1, pp. 0-519. Examples of exam questions: Which factors should HR managers take into account in designing a fair pay system? Evaluate options for the design of pay systems for different employee groups. Lecture 6 Human Resource Planning, Flexibility and Turnover Human resource planning; the model of the flexible firm; contingent employment; temporary work; employee turnover Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapt er 5, pp. 191-211 and Chapter 10, pp. 440-478. Examples ot exam questions: ‘Temporary agency workers are hired to protect the employment security of the core workforce. Discuss critically. Contingent workers facilitate the use of high commitment management systems. Discuss. Lecture 7 Strategic Human Resource Management: Best Practices vs. Best Fit Strategic HRM; models of HRM; best practice and business strategy models Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 2, pp. 70-105. Examples of exam questions: Evaluate the relationship between the business and the human resource management strategy of a firm. Contrast and evaluate the concepts of horizontal and vertical fit in human resource management. Lecture 8 Strategic HRM: The Resource- ased View and Stakeholder Models Continuation of lecture 7: strategic HRM; resource-based view; institutional / stakeholder perspectives on HRM Textbook: To what extent do managers have a strategic choice with regards to human resource management? Critically discuss the implications of the resource-based view of the firm for designing HRM strategies. Lecture 9 Equal Employment Opportunities Competitive Advantage. Chapter 3, pp. 106-153. Examples of past exam questions: Do women have equal opportunities at work? What actions might employers take to address any inequalities? Evaluate human capital theoretical explanations of the gender earnings gap. Lecture 10 Industrial Relations Introduction to industrial relations; purposes of collective organization; effects of unions; recent trends in industrial relations Textbook: Competitive Advantage. Chapter 14, pp. 598-647. Examples of exam questions: What are the consequences of a lack of effective worker representation, be it through trade unions or some other form of worker representation at the workplace? Why do workers Join trade unions and what are the effects of union activity? How has this changed in liberal market economies in recent years?