BMA583

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Semester 1, 2012

Teaching Team:

Mr Stuart Schonell

CRICOS Provider Code: 00586B

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Contact Details

Unit Coordinator: Mr Stuart Schonell

Campus: Sandy Bay

Room Number: 323

Email: stuart.schonell@utas.edu.au

Phone: 03 6226 2409

Fax: na

Consultation Time: Flexible – send an email for an appointment

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Contents

Contact Details ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 2

Unit Description ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Page 4

Intended Learning Outcomes and Generic Graduate Attributes.…………………………………………… Page 5

Learning Expectations and Teaching Strategies Approach …………………….………………………………. Page 6

Learning Resources ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 6

Details of Teaching Arrangements ………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 8

Assessment …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 9

Submission of Coursework …………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 12

Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism ………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 13

Tutorial Program ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. Page 13

Study Schedule …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… Page 14

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Unit Description

The effective management of human resources is becoming an increasingly vital concern in organisations, whether they are professional practices employing only a few staff, multinational corporations, public sector or not-for-profit organisations. The impact of globalisation, increased competition for talented employees, skills shortages and changing expectations of the employment relationship pose increasingly complex challenges for all organisations. A sound understanding of human resource principles and concepts and how to implement human resource policies and procedures is of importance to human resource specialists and line mangers alike. Effective human resource management requires a thorough knowledge of, and skills in, various people management functions, together with the ability to meld these functions into a carefully planned, well-integrated program that will assist organisations achieve their objectives. In this unit you will examine current HRM topics and bridge theory and practice by examining issues

from both strategic and operational perspectives. There is a focus on students’ understanding of the

skills required to be an effective human resources specialist or people manager. HR matters are

examined from the perspective of managers, HR specialists and employees.

Pre-Requisite/Co-Requisite Unit(s)

Nil

Enrolment in the Unit

Unless there are exceptional circumstances, students should not enrol in BMA units after the end of

week two of semester, as the School of Management cannot guarantee that:

any extra assistance will be provided by the teaching team in respect of work covered in the

period prior to enrolment; and

penalties will not be applied for late submission of any piece or pieces of assessment that

were due during this period.

Enrolment in Tutorials and Workshops

Students will be able to enrol in tutorials electronically through MyLO. Tutorial enrolments will be

open until the end of the first week of semester (Friday 2 March 2012). Students who have not

enrolled in a tutorial by this time will be allocated a tutorial by the unit coordinator. Variations in

tutorial enrolments will not be permitted after this time.

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Intended Learning Outcomes and Generic Graduate Attributes

Intended Learning Outcomes Assessment Methods

Graduate Attribute Outcomes In this unit you will learn: In assessing this unit I will be looking at your ability to:

Broad knowledge of Human Resource Management’s function within an organisation including HR’s role and responsibilities in people management and strategic business decision making:

Identify and describe key elements of human resource management.

JIT Case Studies

The assessments and teaching activities in this

unit have been designed to develop the following

graduate attributes in students:

Knowledge - Intermediate levels of knowledge

specific HRM and the ability to apply that

knowledge to diverse business situations in both

Australian and international contexts. Lifelong

learning skills in pursuit of professional

development.

Communication - Written communication skills

of a quality and manner appropriate to real world

business situations and audience needs. The

ability to orally communicate an argument in a

succinct and logical manner and articulate it to

individuals and culturally and linguistically diverse

groups in an engaging and confident way.

Problem solving - Effective problem-solving

skills including the ability to apply logical thinking

and HRM theories and principles to a range of

multi-dimensional business related problems. An

awareness of when additional information is

needed and the capacity to locate, analyse and

use it.

Global perspective - The ability to connect and

collaborate with diverse people and a respectful

approach to their cultures and traditions.

Social responsibility - The ability to apply

ethical values to business decision making.

Explain the relationship between HRM, other business functions and employees.

JIT Case Studies

Explain HRM’s strategic role in organisations. JIT Case Studies

Assess an organisation’s HR department activities against best practice HR principles, considering context.

JIT Case Studies Capstone

Knowledge of human resource management theory and principles and the ability to apply theory and principles to practical HR situations:

Research, analyse and evaluate current HRM literature and HRM theories and principles.

JIT Literature Review

Apply research findings to case examples to identify possible people issues and suggest context relevant resolutions.

JIT Case Studies Capstone

To accomplish HR practices:

Recognise and apply various human resource management practices to achieve business outcomes.

JIT Case Studies Capstone

Demonstrate a capacity to integrate the functions of HRM in order to achieve strategic HR business goals.

JIT Case Studies Capstone

To communicate in oral and written formats in the language/lexicon and standard of an HR professional:

Participate in oral discussions by applying theory, concepts and required readings to case examples.

Case Studies

Communicate in a written format using the lexicon/language of HRM and following Harvard referencing conventions.

JIT Case Studies Capstone

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Learning Expectations and Teaching Strategies/Approach

Expectations

The University is committed to a high standard of professional conduct in all activities, and holds its

commitment and responsibilities to its students as being of paramount importance. Likewise, it

holds expectations about the responsibilities students have as they pursue their studies within the

special environment the University offers. The University’s Code of Conduct for Teaching and

Learning states:

Students are expected to participate actively and positively in the teaching/learning

environment. They must attend classes when and as required, strive to maintain steady

progress within the subject or unit framework, comply with workload expectations, and

submit required work on time.

Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S)

The University is committed to providing a safe and secure teaching and learning environment. In addition to specific requirements of this unit you should refer to the University’s policy at: http://www.admin.utas.edu.au/hr/ohs/pol_proc/ohs.pdf.

Learning Resources Prescribed Text Kramar, R. Bartram, T. De Cieri, H. Noe, R. Hollenbeck, J. Gerhart, B. Wright, P. 2010, Human Resource Management in Australia (4th ed.). McGraw Hill Unit Materials will be provided to you through MyLO, including PowerPoint presentations, mini

lectures, readings, and case studies. The Unit materials should be used in conjunction with the

prescribed textbook.

Recommended Texts

Dessler, G. Griffiths, J. & Lloyd-Walker, B. 2007. Human resource management (3rd ed.). Frenchs

Forest: Pearson.

Gomez-Mejia, L.R., Balkin, D.B. & Cardy, R.L. 2012. Managing human resources: (7th ed.). Upper

Saddle River: Pearson.

Nankervis, A., Compton, R. & Baird, M. 2011. Human resource management: Strategies & processes

(7th ed.). Victoria: Thomson.

Journals and Periodicals

Apart from books, you will find it valuable to get into the practice of reading relevant articles from journals and periodicals (including newspapers and magazines). The following ref ereed journals publish articles concerning ethical and social issues related to business and management practice.

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Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources

Australian Financial Review (periodical)

Australian Journal of Psychology

HR Focus (periodical)

HR Monthly (periodical)

Human Resource Management

Human Resource Management Journal

Journal of Human Resources

Personnel Management

Personnel Psychology

Personnel Review

Useful Websites http://www.utas.edu.au/mgmt/student.htm http://rphrm.curtin.edu.au/index.html http://www.ahri.com.au

My Learning Online (MyLO) MyLO software has been incorporated into the delivery of this unit to enhance the learning experience by providing access to up to date course materials and by allowing for online discussion through this web based environment. To access MyLO from your own computer you will need the appropriate software, and hardware to run that software. See Learning Online at http://uconnect.utas.edu.au/ for computer software you will need. Note: Older computers may not have the hardware to run some of the required software applications. Contact your local IT support person or the Service Desk on 6226 1818 if you experience difficulties. The School of Management has prepared a MyLO Information Sheet which includes access guidelines and contact information. It is available to download as a word document from the School of Management website at http://www.utas.edu.au/mgmt/student.htm. Privacy Policy and Notice The School of Management takes the utmost care to protect the privacy and security of your personal information and to ensure its accuracy. If you have any concerns about your privacy in MyLO please contact the coordinator of this unit or view the University of Tasmania MyLO Privacy Policy Statement available from the university website at http://www.utas.edu.au/coursesonline/privacy.htm.

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Details of Teaching Arrangements

This unit comprises a mixture of lectures, workshops and online interactions via MyLO (the

UTAS learning management system). The teaching and learning resources are based around

seven modules of content.

Each week you are expected to pre-read the weeks chapter/s prior to attending the lecture.

The lectures are only one hour and it will be assumed you have read the related chapters in

the prescribed text. Workshops will also cover that week’s lecture and reading materials. In

between the lecture and workshop you are expected to complete case studies relating to

that week’s topic/s. 55 per cent of your marks for the unit are attributed to these case

studies.

As the average study time recommended for a unit in the MBA is approximately 10 hours

per week, you might expect to spend about 130 hours of your time on this unit over the

semester. This means that most of your time should be allocated to working through the

modules, assigned reading and assessment tasks.

Lectures

1 hour per week – at the beginning of the week.

Workshops

1 hour per week – at the end of the week.

Communication, Consultation and Appointments

I am available for consultation most times however you can email me to make an appointment or

just turn up to room 323.

Study Week

This unit is scheduled to include a study week. The purpose of the study week is to allow students

the opportunity to consolidate their studies thus far, and to research/complete coming assignments.

The study week for this unit will be held in week 6.

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Assessment

Assessment Schedule

In order to pass this unit you must achieve an overall mark of at least 50 per cent of the total available marks. Details of each assessment item are outlined below.

Assessment Item Value Due Date Length

JIT Assignment

5% Weekly from week 2 75 words per week

Weekly Case Studies

55% Weekly from week 1 Participation

Literature Review

15% April 16 1200 words

Capstone

25% June 8 2000 words

Assessment Item 1 – Just in Time Questions

Task Description:

Each Sunday by 5pm (starting week 2) you must email me the answers to three questions related to the lecture on the next day. The questions are:

1. What did you find most interesting about the readings for this week? 2. What did you have most trouble understanding from the readings for

this week? Specific chapter questions (one question per week):

3. Chapter 3: Is the employment contract the same as any other contract for the sale of services? Justify.

Chapter 5: What are the modern day influences on Australia’s history of compulsory compliance?

Chapter 15: The ‘sickie’ is embedded in Australian workplace culture. How far should a manager go in investigating whether or not an employee is really sick or is just having a day off?

Chapter 6: How is job analysis and design related to the strategic goals of business?

Chapter 8: What is the difference between concurrent and predictive validation designs?

Chapter 10 and 17: What actions can be taken to manage underperformance and why is termination not a preferred option?

Chapter 11 and 12: What is the purpose of a training needs analysis and how can it be used in career management?

Chapter 13 and 14: What is the role of the AFPC and does this role spill over to performance based pay systems?

Chapter 9: How can the results of diversity management be measured? Chapter 16: What are the major issues for effective management of

repatriates? Chapter 18: What are the major advantages and disadvantages of the

balanced scorecard for measuring the HR contribution? Assessment Criteria:

See learning outcome table

Task Length:

Less than 100 words per week

Due Date:

Weekly

Value: 5%

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Assessment Item 2 – Case Studies

Task Description:

Case studies are to be completed each week in between the lecture and the workshop. The workshop revolves around that week’s case study/s. You will be assessed on your contribution to discussions and on the preparation you have undertaken towards this contribution.

Assessment Criteria:

See learning outcome table and rubric

Task Length:

See rubric

Due Date:

Weekly

Value:

Making the link between HRM and performance in healthcare 5%

When the only way is up

HRM in Australia 5%

Qantas grounding

How social is your network 3%

The Headhunter 13%

HRM and the mining industry 12%

Teacher wages to be linked to test results 5%

Web exercise

Work-life balance 3%

William Chen 5%

HRM outsourcing

What is the future of HR 4%

Assessment Item 3 – Literature Review

Task Description:

The literature review requires you to research, analyse and evaluate current HRM literature concerning 2 areas of HRM:

1. Ethics and HRM 2. Employment relations

This is a 1200 word assignment so around 600 words should be devoted to each topic.

Assessment Criteria:

See learning outcome table and rubric

Task Length:

1200 words

Due Date:

April 16 @ 5pm

Value:

15%

* Word Limit: The word count includes such items as headings, in-text references, quotes and

executive summaries. It does not include the reference list at the end of the assignment.

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Assessment Item 4 – Capstone Task Description:

This is a photo-story case study. Watch and analyse the case depicted and write a report to the business’s managing director recommending improvements for the firm’s HR performance. The report will need to include:

An executive summary

A critical analysis of the firm (from the perspective of HR)

Recommendations backed up by literature including reasons for solutions chosen.

Assessment Criteria:

See learning outcome table and rubric

Task Length:

2000 words

Due Date:

June 8 @ 5pm

Value:

25%

* Word Limit: The word count includes such items as headings, in-text references, quotes and

executive summaries. It does not include the reference list at the end of the assignment.

Special Consideration and Student Difficulties

If a student is experiencing difficulties with their studies or assignments, have personal or life

planning issues, disability or illness which may affect their course of study, they are advised to raise

these with their lecturer in the first instance.

Should a student require assistance in accessing the Library, visit their website for more information

at http://www.utas.edu.au/library/.

Students who have completed their examinations and who feel that they have been disadvantaged

due to illness or other circumstances affecting their study, may fill out a form to request that their

lecturer takes this into consideration when marking the examination. Forms should be submitted

directly to the relevant school, accompanied by appropriate supporting documentation, as soon as

possible after the completion of the examination. Granting of special consideration is at the

discretion of the lecturer and school. The relevant form can be found at the following website:

http://www.studentcentre.utas.edu.au/examinations_and_results/forms_files/index.htm#eits

Students with a non-English speaking background may be permitted to take a bilingual dictionary

into an exam. This dictionary must not be annotated – that is, it must have no notes written in it.

Students must request permission from the Student Centre in order to use a bilingual dictionary.

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Submission of Coursework

Lodging Coursework All Coursework must have the School of Management Assignment Cover Sheet, which is available as

a blank template from the School of Management website at

http://www.utas.edu.au/mgmt/student.htm. All assignments must include the tutor’s name on the

assignment Cover Sheets when they are submitted. If this is not done the assignment will not be

accepted and therefore will not be marked.

Please remember that you are responsible for lodging your Coursework on or before the due date.

We suggest you keep a copy. Even in the most ‘perfect’ of systems, items sometimes go astray.

Assignments must be submitted electronically through the relevant assignment drop box in MyLO.

All coursework must be handed in by 2.00pm on the due date.

Requests for Extensions

Written Coursework:

Extensions will only be granted on medical or compassionate grounds and will not be granted

because of work or other commitments. Requests for extensions should be made in writing to the

unit coordinator prior to the due date. Medical certificates or other evidence must be attached and

must contain information which justifies the extension sought. Late assignments which have not

been granted an extension will, at the lecturer’s discretion, be penalised by deducting ten per cent

of total marks for each full day overdue.

Assignments submitted more than five days late will normally not be accepted by the unit

coordinator.

Faculty of Business Late Assessment Policy

A full copy of the Faculty of Business late assessment policy is available from the Faculty homepage

at http://fcms.its.utas.edu.au/business/business/policies.asp.

Academic Referencing and Style Guide

Before starting their assignments, students are advised to familiarise themselves with the following

electronic resources. The first is the School of Management Guide to Writing Assignment, which can

be accessed from the following site - : http://www.utas.edu.au/mgmt/student.htm. The guide

provides students with useful information about the structure and style of assignments in the School

of Management.

The second is the Harvard Referencing System Style Guide, which can be accessed from the UTAS

library (http://utas.libguides.com/content.php?pid=27520&sid=199808). The Harvard Referencing

System will be used in all School of Management units, and students are expected to use this system

in their assignments.

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Academic Misconduct and Plagiarism

Academic misconduct includes cheating, plagiarism, allowing another student to copy work for an

assignment or an examination, and any other conduct by which a student:

(a) seeks to gain, for themselves or for any other person, any academic advantage or

advancement to which they or that other person are not entitled; or

(b) improperly disadvantages any other student.

Students engaging in any form of academic misconduct may be dealt with under the Ordinance of Student Discipline. This can include imposition of penalties that range from a deduction/cancellation of marks to exclusion from a unit or the University. Details of penalties that can be imposed are available in the Ordinance of Student Discipline – Part 3 Academic Misconduct, see http://www.utas.edu.au/universitycouncil/legislation/. Plagiarism is a form of cheating. It is taking and using someone else’s thoughts, writings or

inventions and representing them as your own, for example:

using an author’s words without putting them in quotation marks and citing the source;

using an author’s ideas without proper acknowledgment and citation; or

copying another student’s work.

If you have any doubts about how to refer to the work of others in your assignments, please

consult your lecturer or tutor for relevant referencing guidelines, and the academic integrity

resources on the web at http://www.utas.edu.au/tl/supporting/academicintegrity/index.html.

The intentional copying of someone else’s work as one’s own is a serious offence punishable by

penalties that may range from a fine or deduction/cancellation of marks and, in the most serious of

cases, to exclusion from a unit, a course or the University.

The University and any persons authorised by the University may submit your assessable works to

a plagiarism checking service, to obtain a report on possible instances of plagiarism. Assessable

works may also be included in a reference database. It is a condition of this arrangement that the

original author’s permission is required before a work within the database can be viewed.

For further information on this statement and general referencing guidelines, see http://www.utas.edu.au/plagiarism/ or follow the link under ‘Policy, Procedures and Feedback’ on the Current Students homepage.

Tutorial Program

The tutorial program for this unit commences week 1 of semester. See Study Schedule for more

information.

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Study Schedule

Week Start of Week Text Chapter Topic Assessment

1 27 February 1 & 2 HRM in Australia & Strategic HRM

Making the link between HRM and performance in healthcare (p.47 Kramar) When the only way is up (p.84 Kramar)

2 5 March 3 & 5

The legal context for HRM and Employment relations

HRM in Australia (p.105 Kramar) Qantas grounding (handout) 3 12 March

4 19 March 15 Ethics and HRM How social is your network (p.563 Kramar)

5 26 March 6 & 8

Analysis and design of work; Recruitment and selection

The Headhunter (handout and video) 6

2 April STUDY WEEK – Mon 2 April to Wed 4 April; Thurs 12 April and Fri 13 April

Mid-Semester Break – 5 April to 11 April

7 16 April 8 Recruitment and selection

The Headhunter (handout and video) Literature Review due 5pm 16th

8 23 April 10 & 17 11 & 12

Performance management; Managing employee turnover and retention; Learning and development & career management

HRM and the mining industry (handout and video)

9 30 April

10 7 May 13 & 14 Managing compensation & performance related pay

Teacher wages to be linked to test results (p.503 Kramar) Web exercise (p.534 Kramar)

11 14 May 9 Managing diversity and work-life balance

Work-life balance (p.330 Kramar)

12 21 May 16 Contemporary issues in HRM (including International HRM)

William Chen (p.584 Kramar) HRM outsourcing (handout)

13 28 May 18 Evaluating and improving the HR function

What is the future of HR (p.655 Kramar)

Examination Period: 9 June – 26 June NO EXAM: Capstone due 8th of June @ 5pm