Course overview
- Study period
- Semester 2, 2024 (22/07/2024 - 18/11/2024)
- Study level
- Undergraduate
- Location
- St Lucia
- Attendance mode
- In Person
- Units
- 2
- Administrative campus
- St Lucia
- Coordinating unit
- Business School
Business acumen and a strategic mindset are essential tools for contemporary HR practitioners and leaders. These attributes must build on a depth of understanding of different areas of HR practice, informed by evidence, as well as the linkage of HR strategy and business strategy, to support the growth of local, regional and globalizing organisations and the development and wellbeing of the people that work within them. This course integrates and synthesises the fields of Strategic Management and HRM, with a particular emphasis on how strategic HRM shapes the formulation of effective business strategies and is essential to their implementation. We examine how HRM helps organisations to operate cost-effectively, legitimately and flexibly and to build and maintain competitive advantage. Topics include general principles and frameworks in strategic HRM, how HRM strategies and systems vary across important organizational, industry and societal contexts, how to design HR strategies for manufacturing, services and multinational firms and the role of culture, changing employer-employee relationships and technology in shaping the workplaces of the future. We also incorporate ethical perspectives, diversity and inclusion and the development of problem-solving, consulting and stakeholder management skills to equip graduates for an exciting and challenging career leading in the area of people and work.
The focus of this course is on the challenges faced by organisations in terms of staffing, developing, retaining and motivating their workforce. The starting point is the internal and external environment faced by today's organisations in terms of global competitiveness, technological change and industrial transition. The main body of the course examines the central elements of a strategic approach to HRM that attempts to manage the workforce to effectively deal with the complexities of modern organisational environments. The lectures and seminars emphasise the importance of theory and its real world application to organisational contexts through the use of case studies. Students will be encouraged to develop their analytical skills through an appreciation and understanding of the systems and processes of HRM and how they contribute to organisational success.
Course requirements
Assumed background
Before attempting this course, students are advised that it is important to complete the appropriate prerequisite course(s) listed on the front of this course profile. No responsibility will be accepted by the School of Business, the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law or The University of Queensland for poor student performance occurring in courses where the appropriate prerequisite(s) has/have not been completed, for any reason whatsoever.
Prerequisites
You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:
MGTS2604
Incompatible
You can't enrol in this course if you've already completed the following:
MGTS7603 or 7706 or 7809
Restrictions
Quota: Minimum of 35 enrolments
Course contact
Lecturer
Mr Alexander McBroom
Course staff
Tutor
Dr Kohinur Akter
Timetable
The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.
Additional timetable information
Please note: Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email business.mytimetable@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details:
Full Name
Student ID
Course Code
Aims and outcomes
This course is an introduction to the area of Strategic Human Resource Management (SHRM)ﾠand focuses on issues relevant to both specialist practitioners and line management. The course has a dual emphasis: the theoretical basis and applications relevant to employees and other stakeholders. This course seeks to improve reasoning skills and abilities in the design, implementation and evaluation of SHRM.
Learning outcomes
After successfully completing this course you should be able to:
LO1.
Explain SHRM theories, frameworks, models and general principles.
LO2.
Apply SHRM concepts and models to diagnose, design, implement and evaluate SHRM policies and practices across the organizational, industry and societal contexts.
LO3.
Communicate recommendations for improving SHRM policies and practices in both written and oral form, individually and collectively in a team.
LO4.
Evaluate the social and ethical implications of particular SHRM practices.
LO5.
Apply and evaluate the core functions of SHRM with the aim of leveraging individual, team and organizational productivity and well-being.
Assessment
Assessment summary
| Category | Assessment task | Weight | Due date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio, Reflection | Topic evaluation portfolio | 30% |
7/08/2024 - 23/10/2024
Submission is due by 5 pm on the following day of the corresponding seminar session. |
| Presentation |
Workshop presentation
|
30% |
5/08/2024 - 21/10/2024
Submit the presentation materials by 5 pm on the day before the presentation session. Present during one of the seminars in the weeks from Week 3 to Week 13. |
| Paper/ Report/ Annotation |
Case study Practical
|
40% Individual |
15/10/2024 10:15 am
8:00 am to 10:15 am |
Assessment details
Topic evaluation portfolio
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Portfolio, Reflection
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
7/08/2024 - 23/10/2024
Submission is due by 5 pm on the following day of the corresponding seminar session.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
Topic evaluation (30 marks)
If your team is NOT presenting in the scheduled seminar session (W3-W13), each student will individually prepare and submit a topic evaluation. Students evaluate the topic content presented by the workshop presentation team, by completing topic evaluation worksheets that are available in the weekly folder of Learning Resources on course Blackboard. Completion of topic evaluation worksheet is based on learning from workshop presentation, the previous week's lecture, the previous week's weekly case study analysis. Students are required to submit six (6) topic evaluations in writing, choosing from a pool of nine (9) choices. Each submission is worth 5 marks.
This is an individual assignment; any copying or plagiarism is equivalent to cheating on an assignment and will be handled as such.
Topics and a template for Topic Evaluations are available in the Assessment section on the course Blackboard.
Length: no longer than three (3) pages (1.5 lines spacing, 12-point font size)
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Submit via submission links in the Assessment section on course Blackboard
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
You will receive a mark of 0 if this assessment is submitted late.
Late submission is NOT available.
Workshop presentation
- Team or group-based
- Mode
- Oral
- Category
- Presentation
- Weight
- 30%
- Due date
5/08/2024 - 21/10/2024
Submit the presentation materials by 5 pm on the day before the presentation session.
Present during one of the seminars in the weeks from Week 3 to Week 13.
- Other conditions
- Peer assessment factor.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
In teams of 4 to 5 students, you will design and run a workshop of 25 minutes duration to present to the class in seminar sessions. All team members have to be involved in the presentation.
The aim of the workshop is to teach the class an element of the content presented by the lecturer in the previous seminar. In this way, student learning of the main concepts will be reinforced.
In the workshop you will:
- Teach the class a specific topic closely aligned with the main content of the relevant lecture (to be agreed with the lecturer before proceeding).
- Demonstrate how this topic can be/is put into practice.
- Engage the class in identifying how the content can be applied to their particular business/industry/field of expertise.
Submission: Please submit the presentation materials via submission links in the Assessment section on course Blackboard, by 5 pm on the day before the presentation session.
Group formation: Attendance at the Week 1 seminar for allocation to a group is CRITICAL for this assessment item. Non-attendance will result in exclusion from the assessment item, unless for medical or compassionate grounds for which documentation must be supplied.
AI Statement:
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
Please submit the presentation materials via submission links in the Assessment section on course Blackboard, by 5 pm on the day before the presentation session.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Case study Practical
- In-person
- Mode
- Written
- Category
- Paper/ Report/ Annotation
- Weight
- 40% Individual
- Due date
15/10/2024 10:15 am
8:00 am to 10:15 am
- Other conditions
- Time limited.
- Learning outcomes
- L01, L02, L03, L04, L05
Task description
This assessment consists of a capstone case study analysis, which will be completed individually and submitted on the Blackboard site. The aim of the assessment is for students to apply and integrate SHRM theories and frameworks to articulate by analysing a case scenario/materials. You will individually select and develop your own solutions(s) for the case company.
You will be expected to respond to the focal questions in a short-answer essay format.
The format of the focal questions will be similar to those of the weekly case analyses. The content of the questions may cover any of the lecture topics and/or readings discussed throughout the course, requiring a cumulative understanding of course content.
Notes:
1. The case study will be provided to you at the beginning of Week 11, to give you sufficient time to review the case material and allow clarification. The case study questions will be provided at 8 am on 15 Oct (Week 12). You will get 2 hours to work on and submit the case study questions.
2. This is an open-book assessment. You will be allowed to access any online, printed or written resources. You are expected to commit yourself to academic integrity and assure you are generating your own responses.
3. More details about the assessment will be discussed in class and posted to our course Blackboard site.
This assessment task evaluates students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI). Students are advised that the use of AI technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.
Submission guidelines
The assignment must be submitted in exam booklet in person.
Deferral or extension
You may be able to apply for an extension.
Late submission
A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.
Course grading
Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.
| Grade | Cut off Percent | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 (Low Fail) | 0 - 29 |
Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 2 (Fail) | 30 - 46 |
Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 3 (Marginal Fail) | 47 - 49 |
Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes |
| 4 (Pass) | 50 - 64 |
Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 5 (Credit) | 65 - 74 |
Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 6 (Distinction) | 75 - 84 |
Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes. |
| 7 (High Distinction) | 85 - 100 |
Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes. |
Additional course grading information
Grades will be allocated according to University-wide standards of criterion-based assessment.
Supplementary assessment
Supplementary assessment is available for this course.
Learning resources
You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.
Library resources
Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.
Learning activities
The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.
Filter activity type by
Please select
| Learning period | Activity type | Topic |
|---|---|---|
Week 1 |
Seminar |
Introduction Introduction to the course, discussion of learning objectives, learning activities and assessments, and group allocation in relation to Case Study Practical Assessment. |
Week 2 |
Seminar |
The goals of human resource management Understand the goals and tensions in human resource management Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 3 |
Seminar |
Strategy and strategic management Discuss strategic problems facing firms and the process of strategy management Learning outcomes: L02, L03, L04 |
Week 4 |
Seminar |
Strategic HRM: 'best fit' or 'best practice'? Discuss best fit and best practice schools Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 5 |
Seminar |
Strategic HRM & sustained competitive advantage Examine how HRM can help generate and sustain a competitive advantage based on the Resource-based view of the firm. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 6 |
Seminar |
Building a workforce: interest alignment To discuss the challenges that managers face in aligning their interests with those of workers as they try to build and renew a workforce. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 7 |
Seminar |
Management power,employee voice & legitimacy To understand the contested nature and changing contours of employee voice and management style in employee relations Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 8 |
Seminar |
Workforce performance and the black-box of HRM To understand the black box of factors that links HRM to such business outcomes as productivity, quality and profit. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 9 |
Seminar |
HR strategy in manufacturing To analyse HR strategy in manufacturing. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Mid Sem break |
No student involvement (Breaks, information) |
In-Semester Break |
Week 10 |
Seminar |
HR strategy in services To analyse HR strategy in private sector services Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03 |
Week 11 |
Seminar |
HR strategy in multinational firms To analyse HR strategy in multinational firms. Examine local adaptation and social legitimacy in multinational firms. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 12 |
Seminar |
Case Analysis Practical (Practical Assessment #3: In-class Case Analysis Practical. Attendance is mandatory. Learning outcomes: L01, L02, L03, L04 |
Week 13 |
Seminar |
Course Reflection & Major themes of the course Course wrap up, reflection on the major themes of the course and learning during the semester. This seminar also provides information about the final assessment. Learning outcomes: L01, L04 |
Policies and procedures
University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:
- Student Code of Conduct Policy
- Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
- Assessment Procedure
- Examinations Procedure
- Reasonable Adjustments - Students Policy and Procedure
Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.