Human Resource Management MA

Core Modules

• Organisational Psychology in a Social Context

  Human Resource (HR) professionals and managers operate within increasingly complex and changing organisational and contextual circumstances in the public, private or third sectors. This is exacerbated by the variety of organisational types and size that contribute to national wealth creation in terms of the services and goods they provide and produce. This module provides you with understanding of market and business contexts in the operational, tactical, and strategic HR function, along with issues of the modern organisation. You'll examine the cultural, political, and social contexts that organisations operate within, both from an internal and external perspective. Further, you'll discover how economic forces affect and influence organisational practices, and their impact upon the HR function and its practices. You'll explore globalisation and how the changing demographics and social environments impact on organisational strategy and the HR function. Plus why ethical and democratic practices are needed to meet the changes of complex business and economic practices or the management of human resources in more dignified ways. Finally, you'll see how HR can contribute to and influence the strategic direction of organisational practice in the pursuit of welfare profit, as well as monetary profit.

• Work and Employment in a Social Context

  Job design and work organisation are important concerns for the HR function in all sectors of the economy. Traditional social theory tends to over-simplify the complexities of contemporary work practices, so an understanding of the social context of work and employment is vital to the performance of HRM effectively. In this module, you'll reflect on both traditional and contemporary organisation of work and place the development of the concepts of work and employment into their social contexts. The amount of regulation covering the employment relationship and the workplace has grown substantially in volume and complexity in recent years. As such, you'll gain a comprehensive understanding of employment law and employment relations in terms of theoretical perspectives, debates and practices in national and international contexts, and from a theoretical and behavioural competency perspective. The purpose is to provide you with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to brief and support organisations on the consequences of current and future developments in employment law/relations, and to give up-to-date, timely and accurate advice concerning the practical application of key legal principles of UK employment law. This will relate to collective and individual employment relations, the actions of employers, employees and their respective organisations, and offer support and advice to management regarding best practice. You'll need to reflect critically on theory and practice and take into consideration both legal and ethical issues.

• HRM Research Methods

  You'll prepare to undertake a piece of business or management research for your Masters Postgraduate Major Project by developing appropriate knowledge, understanding and transferable intellectual and practical skills. Emphasis is on developing the skills most likely to lead to successful completion of relevant research within your chosen organisation. Skills such as the ability to frame research aims, generate research questions/hypotheses, and research objectives, the ability to generate a conceptual framework, to select and justify a particular research design and methodology and the ability to act as an ethical researcher in both national and international business are all central features of this module. Core practical skills such as being able to generate and analyse quantitative and qualitative data are crucial. By developing this knowledge, understanding and transferable intellectual and practical skills the true aims of conducting research will be realised. The confidence you'll gain through cognitive and practical research will further develop your employability and professional skills.

• Strategic HRM in a Global Context

  It is essential that HR practitioners are strategically aware, business orientated and concerned with adding value through human resource practice. This module provides you with the rigorous framework of knowledge and understanding of people management and development in a global context that you'll need. You'll debate about theory and practice, evaluating which will help you to become an effective manager as well as an effective HR specialist. Planning and decision making is a core aspect of business strategy and this module will look at the accounting and finance information that is used in planning and in support of the decision making process, in the short and long terms, and control against those plans. You'll also draw on aspects of organisational behaviour, and the risky, uncertain and quickly-changing environment in which many organisations operate. Another aspect you'll investigate is the extent to which HRM can be seen as a global phenomenon. You'll develop the knowledge and project management skills to enable you to perform business management tasks effectively and efficiently, including thinking and decision making skills, the management of financial information and how to manage budgets. Throughout the module you'll develop and apply technical strategic, performance management and development concepts to encourage creative decision-making, encouraging confidence to provide clear and cogent advice on the management of human resources as part of a team whilst appreciating the cultural trends and impact of decisions in a diverse global market.

• Contemporary Issues in HRM: Problems, Scenarios and Solutions

  It is essential that HR practitioners are strategically aware, business orientated and concerned with adding value through human resource practice. You’ll be familiarised with contemporary research problems, and will be required to evaluate and critically appraise a range of information, investigate and adopt suitable theoretical frameworks, research methods, and process and analyse data to produce a coherent and justified solution to the problem(s) identified. Planning and decision making is a core aspect of business strategy and you’ll look at the accounting and finance information that is used in planning and in support of the decision making process, in the short and long term, and control against those plans. You'll also draw on aspects of organisational behaviour, and the risky, uncertain and quickly-changing environment in which many organisations operate as well as investigating the extent to which HRM can be seen as a global phenomenon. We'll help equip HR professionals with the knowledge and project management skills to enable them to perform business management tasks effectively and efficiently, including thinking and decision making skills, the management of financial information and budgets.

• Postgraduate Major Project

  This major project module allows you to engage in a substantial individual primary and/or secondary research project focussed on a topic relevant to your business degree and specialist subject area under the supervision and guidance of a member of academic staff. Supervisors will discuss with you the contemporary research problems and issues based on your research and practice, and you will conduct literature reviews, evaluate and critically appraise a range of information, investigate and adopt suitable theoretical frameworks, research methodologies and methods, and process and analyse data to produce a coherent and justified solution to the problem(s) identified. Throughout the module your supervisor will support you in terms of content and skills development so that you can work semi-autonomously on your individual research project. This is achieved through regular supervisory meetings throughout the year, which will allow for individual discussion of the tasks that will have to be completed in order to develop the project smoothly.