Human Resource Management MSc

This module will equip students with an overview of the people profession, what it means to be a HR professional and the role of strategic HRM in influencing organisational effectiveness especially within the changing world-of-work. As people professionals, we need to be experts in our knowledge of people, of work and of change. An important part of this is having core knowledge of a range of people practices, and understanding how different practices impact each other and work together in an integrated way. This module will equip students with this knowledge alongside an understanding of HRM strategies and how these can influence motivation and engagement of employees. It will also introduce students to current “hot topics” on HRM practices in contemporary organisations. This module will support students’ development of subject specific and key transferable skills necessary for employment in positions related to the management of human resources.

This module will provide students with an understanding of the strategic role that learning, training and development plays in achieving desirable organisational, group and individual outcomes. The module draws upon the latest evidence-based knowledge, trends and practice to equip students with the ability to critically understand, evaluate and apply theories, concepts and tools relating to organisational, group and individual learning (online and face-to-face), training design and delivery, succession planning, organisational development and individual professional development. Students will also gain an appreciation for how human resource development initiatives are crucial for enacting organisational strategy and enabling innovation. Finally, they will recognise the importance of ethical and professional behaviour, continuous personal and professional development, as well as a commitment to equality of opportunity and diversity in the workplace.

The module will equip students with the fundamental skills, knowledge and understanding needed to enable sourcing, recruitment, and management of talent. The module will begin with an understanding of how HR professionals can attract and recruit individuals globally into the right role at the right time and cost. Students will develop skills on how to use relevant workforce planning data, the right sourcing approaches, and digital tools to tap into diverse candidate pools. It will further expose students to the need for resourcing activities to be focused on understanding the candidate experience, designing effective assessment and selection approaches, e.g. interviews, assessment centres, situational judgement tests etc. and, overall, how to make effective recruitment decisions. Students will then learn how to use workforce data, succession, and contingency planning tools to understand existing talent and how to retain talent, including current and future capability needs, talent gaps and how to fill these gaps using diverse talent pools. The module with further consider the role of technology in aiding recruitment and talent management. Finally, the module emphasises the importance of ethical awareness in decision making, with a particular focus on diversity, fairness and candidate reactions to the recruitment process.

This module critically explores the role of HRM and Organisational Psychology in achieving three of the United Nation’s sustainable development goals (SDG’s) i.e., SDG 5: gender equality, SDG 8: promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth through providing full and productive employment and decent work for all, and SDG 10: reduce inequality. This is achieved through examining the diverse nature of the current workforce across various dimensions, such as age, race, disability, gender, religion and belief, and sexual orientation, and the advantages that diversity can offer to employers. Legal, social and psychological frameworks underlying the management of diversity are considered, as well as the policies and practices that support equality and the management of diversity and inclusion (D&I) in the workplace. The module also enables students to: think critically about individual and organisational approaches to equality, diversity and inclusion; understand the underpinning social concepts such as stereotyping, discrimination, unconscious bias etc. and how these operate within the workplace; critically appraise the competing drivers for diversity influencing organisational strategy and policy in this area; appraise elements of diversity and their relationship with the labour market including an understanding of equal treatment and diversity approaches to equality both conceptually and in terms of workplace interventions; comparatively analyse equality, diversity and inclusive strategies to develop an inclusive culture. The module also covers the theoretical perspectives of D&I, whereupon students look into D&I data and how it can be used in the workplace to form evidence-based insights and create a more inclusive environment.

In a globalised and rapidly changing business context, today’s human resource professionals need to develop skills and behaviours that demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt, be strategic and analytical and influence change for a more ethical and inclusive practice. To achieve this, the HR practice needs to be evidence-based and principles-led with skills that allow for critical reflection. This module aims to build on the theoretical foundations of the programme and develop practitioner-focused core skills and behaviours, as outlined in the CIPD Profession Map, to enable students to become highly credible and impactful HR professionals. Taking a critical and analytical approach, students will build on knowledge gained from theory to interact and learn from HR professionals around the world, and to put that learning into practical work through real-world case studies. At the end of the module, students will be able to expand their professional network and demonstrate how they bring strategic value-addition through their roles as HR professionals.

In a globalised and rapidly changing business context, today’s human resource professionals need to develop skills and behaviours that demonstrate a willingness to learn and adapt, be strategic and analytical and influence change for a more ethical and inclusive practice. To achieve this, the HR practice needs to be evidence-based and principles-led with skills that allow for critical reflection. This module aims to build on the theoretical foundations of the programme and develop practitioner-focused core skills and behaviours, as outlined in the CIPD Profession Map, to enable students to become highly credible and impactful HR professionals. Taking a critical and analytical approach, students will build on knowledge gained from theory to interact and learn from HR professionals around the world, and to put that learning into practical work through real-world case studies. At the end of the module, students will be able to expand their professional network and demonstrate how they bring strategic value-addition through their roles as HR professionals.

This module will explore how to drive change for the good of organisations and employees, and the role of conflict in the context of the employment relationship. The module will commence with a theoretical and historical overview of traditional approaches to understanding and managing change and conflict. Students will then be introduced to the psychological contract framework as a lens through which we can gain an understanding of the employment relationship in contemporary organisations. Students will also learn how to build a case for change, engage people to enable sustained change, effectively manage conflict that arises from change, and continuously innovate and deliver change at pace to enable sustainability. As well as looking at cross cultural differences, students will learn about different tactics to handle conflict in different situations with an emphasis on first understanding the nature of the conflict and the related dynamics of power and resistance.

This module will equip students with the knowledge and understanding required as HR professionals to identify, gather, synthesise, analyse, interpret, report and present HR-related research in a professional, credible and ethical way that can aid insightful and evidence-based decision making. Students will learn about research design, framing of questions, literature review, methodology, data analysis and ethical considerations necessary for advancing scholarship in the field of HR. The module will further provide students with the skills required to enable the exploration of issues and problems in a methodical way, using data and analytics to shape solutions. Approaches will involve analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data in a meaningful way. Students will be exposed to both quantitative and qualitative research design and methodological approaches and will have the opportunity to develop skills in both areas through a series of seminars and practical workshops. The module will also enable students to critically evaluate academic papers and assess the effectiveness of research strategies and methods used in the literature, more generally. Moreover, it will prepare students to clearly communicate research ideas and findings to the wider practitioner community and society, contributing to reducing the gap between academic research and practice, thereby enhancing evidence-based practice.

This module will provide students with an understanding of the development of leadership theory together with a critical appreciation of its applicability in a range of business contexts and across different cultures. The module will equip students with an understanding of how effective leadership skills and behaviours can improve the quality of organisational functioning and enhance individual, group and organisational performance and innovation. It will enable students to build the foundations for effective decision making, workforce motivation and increased awareness of challenges that leaders face through the analysis of leadership attributes and skills. The module will also facilitate the development of interpersonal skills integral to effective leadership, including communication, intelligence, situational decision making, moral-based leadership, active and effective listening and the facilitation of collective and inclusive decision making. Additionally, it will critically examine the psychological, sociological, behavioural and cultural dynamics in operation in contemporary workplaces, which influence how leaders anticipate and respond to changing organisational environments.

This module will provide students with an understanding of the strategic and operational implications for managing performance and development, reward including benefits and executive remuneration packages, and workplace well-being within organisations. Drawing on relevant academic literature and organisational practice, students will learn how different performance management and development approaches impact engagement, and how they can be used to drive improvement; discuss the role of different reward and benefit approaches in attracting, motivating and retaining workers including executive remuneration packages and reporting; and consider well-being approaches to enable a resilient workforce and healthy working environment. The module will also consider recent trends in the sector and wider environment, international perspectives, and reflect on current and future technology and its impact on the workforce and people practices.

This module will build on the knowledge and skills acquired in ULMS875 HR Research and Analytics, integrating elements from the entire programme, to enable students execute an independent, applied, and significant piece of research in the field of Human Resource Management, under the supervision of an allocated member of academic staff. Key elements of professional competence are strategic awareness, a business orientation and a concern with adding value through human resource (HR) practice. Qualified HR professionals should be able to research relevant topics and write evidence-based reports that can persuade key stakeholders in the organisation to change or adopt a particular policy and/or practice. This module provides the opportunity for learners to demonstrate the ability to diagnose and investigate a contemporary business issue from an HR perspective, to locate the work within the body of academic knowledge, to collect and analyse data, to derive supportable conclusions, organise and discuss the findings, present results in a logical and clear manner, and to make practical and actionable recommendations for change, improvement or enhancement of current practice. The nature of this research project aims to enable students to further develop and embed their conceptual skills, data analytical skills, ethical awareness, critical evaluation skills, as well as their ability to effectively communicate their research findings to both an academic and practitioner audience.