HRM30120 People at Work

Academic Year 2023/2024

This module is an introductory course in employment relations and human resource management (HRM). Its primary concern is to examine what management do when they manage people. It is not a techniques course, rather it is designed to develop an informed and critical understanding of how the management of people at work is undertaken, and with what consequences.

The module is intended to introduce students to academic debates in the field of employment relations and HRM and, in particular, to equip students with the means to critically appraise the normative prescriptive literature which is abundant in this area of management. That there is a gap between prescription and practice may not surprise, but the challenge of understanding why is considerable. Inevitably answers pivot on being sensitive to the context within which employers and employees work. Thus, a key element of this module will be to help students to understand how the national and international contexts of the enterprise influence the management of people at work.

Further, we emphasize that, just as in the ‘real’ world of work and business, there will be no ‘easy answers’ to some of the questions raised in this module. The nature of the phenomena under study is complex and their implications for people at work are uncertain. You will be expected to evaluate competing claims and evidence, to establish and present your line of analysis, and to provide coherent reasons for your conclusions.

The module is taught by members of the Human Resource Management and Employment Relations Group in the College of Business. Its focus reflects the Group’s academic heritage which takes cognizance of the interest of firms, employees, unions and the wider community.

Every week students will have a lecture on a topic covering the core theoretical concepts for the module. Lecture slides and readings will be posted on BrightSpace. It is important that students engage with the coursework on a weekly basis in order to familiarise themselves with theoretical foundations of the module and identify any aspect that may require further clarification.