Human Resource Management MSc

Royal Holloway, University of London

This module will describe the key principles of academic integrity, focusing on university assignments. Plagiarism, collusion and commissioning will be described as activities that undermine academic integrity, and the possible consequences of engaging in such activities will be described. Activities, with feedback, will provide you with opportunities to reflect and develop your understanding of academic integrity principles.

In this module you will develop an understanding of some of the major areas of international human resource management and employment relations policy within multinational companies. You will look at the strategies and structures of large corporations, as well as competing arguments about the impact of national and regional differences on international human resource management. You will consider some of the principal national business systems that influence multinational decisions ? including those of Germany, Japan, the UK and the USA ? as well as the role of global labour regulation through agencies such as the International Labour Organisation.

By the end of the dissertation, you should be able to plan and manage a project; define the aims of this project; identify the data sources and methods appropriate to conduct the project; identify the potential pitfalls to conducting such projects; execute the dissertation plan; and construct an effective argument with the dissertation.

In this module you will develop your analytical research skills so that you are better prepared for your dissertation project. You will look at approaches to management research and the assumptions upon which they are based, and consider how to critically evaluate primary and secondary data sources. You will examine how to choose appropriate quantitative and qualitative research methods for data collection and subsequent analysis, and how to conduct research in a systematic and critical reflective manner. You will also analyse the ethical implications of research investigations and their impact upon findings.

In this module you will critically evaluate national and regional differences in the regulation of labour and their implications for international human resource management practitioners. You will look at the nature of the employment contract, as well as specific areas such as discrimination, recruitment and termination law. You will also consider the transnational regulation of business practices, and adopt a broader conception of the 'human resource' by considering issues such as the regulation of economic migration, international labour standards, and human rights law.

In this module you will develop an understanding of the unique managerial challenges created by differences between, and within, countries for business operations. You will see how even within regions which have removed formal barriers to the flow of goods, finance, labour, and knowledge, a variety of differences (institutional, legal, cultural, identity, and so forth) remain. You will look at how these multi-level, multi-dimensional differences shape the contexts of ongoing transnational operation, and consider the nature of reorganisational programmes in tackling the issues faced when operating across borders.

In this module you will develop an understanding of how knowledge creation and innovation are the foundations of social and economic progress. You will examine how organisations learn, create and utilise knowledge, and respond to the competitive pressures of a globalising knowledge-based economy. You will focus on the relationships between societal institutions and the micro-dynamics of organisational learning and innovation, developing a critical understanding of the theories and perspectives of organisational change and innovation, and their implications for change management practice. You will look at the issues facing firms in the knowledge-based economy and concepts of organisational learning and knowledge creation. You will consider the nature and process of organisational change, the role of change agents, and the complex dynamics of change management.

In this module you will develop an understanding of the foundational issues and concepts in the theory and practice of human resource management. You will examine the nature of the employment relationship and the regulation of work and employment, and consider the relationship between human resourcing policies and economic/political environments, labour markets, product markets, forms of work organisation, and corporate performance.

In this module you will develop an understanding of theory, policy and practice in the field of strategic international human resource management. You will look at the major current themes and debates in the field, going beyond operational approaches to managing people, focussing on core international human resource issues and functions at the strategic level. You will consider the integration of organisational strategy and international human resources management, exploring how the issues and problems in managing a global workforce can be conceived strategically and operationalised through organisation practice.