HRM20050 Comparative Human Resource Management

Academic Year 2023/2024

This module is designed to provide students with an opportunity to explore human resource management from a comparative perspective. Employers, workers, unions and other economic actors are regulated by international and national institutions in each country. Comparative human resource management studies the nature of human resource management in context, generally taking into account these institutional and cultural elements in each country. The approach to comparative human resource management taken in this module is not deterministic and presupposes that economic actors – be it employers, workers, unions, etc. – can gain or lose power to achieve their aims and interact with each other. In other words, we assume that economic actors’ behaviour is influenced by institutional and cultural national features but they are by no means cast in stone. Towards the end of the module, different HRM approaches taken by multinationals to navigate context will be explored more specifically.

This module is delivered face-to-face. The lecturer will present a new topic every week, followed by instructions for a small group activity.

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Curricular information is subject to change

What will I learn?

Learning Outcomes:

• Critically understand comparative institutionalism and the study of HRM&ER practices;
• To evaluate the institutional and cultural theoretical lenses underpinning Comparative HRM;
• Critically assess the institutional and cultural context in Liberal Market Economies, Coordinated Market Economies, Mediterranean Market Economies and China and their impact on HRM practices;
• Reflect analytically on the formulation and dissemination of human resources management practices in MNCs operating in different locations;
• Develop an awareness of potential ethical and complex dilemmas that may arise in managing people in different contexts;
• Demonstrate a good understanding of significant and specific areas of international HRM strategy and practice comparatively.

Indicative Module Content:

1. Introduction & MNCs as global employers
2. HRM&ER: the institutional context
3. HRM&ER in Liberal Markets Economies
4. HRM&ER in Coordinated Market Economies
5. HRM&ER in Mediterranean Market Economies
6. HRM&ER in China
7. Practical Case 1: American Factory
8. HRM&ER: the cultural context
9. International Managers
10. International Integration of HRM in MNCs
11. Practical Case 2: Smurfit Kappa
12. Individual Assignment Recap & Module Review

How will I learn?

Student Effort Type	Hours
Lectures	24
Autonomous Student Learning	90
Total	114

Am I eligible to take this module?

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.

Module Requisites and Incompatibles

Incompatibles:
HRM20020 - Employment Relations, HRM30070 - HRM in Multinationals, HRM30100 - International HRM, HRM30120 - People at Work

How will I be assessed?

Assessment Strategy

Description	Timing	Open Book Exam	Component Scale	Must Pass Component	% of Final Grade
Assignment: This will involve one or two academic essays due at the end of the term.	Coursework (End of Trimester)	n/a	Graded	No	70
Continuous Assessment: Group work: in-class group entries.	Throughout the Trimester	n/a	Graded	No	30