Strategic Human Resource Management
(3 credits)
Module I, Spring 2011 (02/21 - 04/23/2010)
Monday/Thursday, 15:30 – 17:20
Room C104
Instructor: Prof. REN Ting, PhD
renting@phbs.pku.edu.cn, C412
Office hour: Monday/Thursday, 14:00 - 15:00 or by appointment
Recommended Text:
Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright (2008). Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage 6th ed. McGraw-Hill International Edition.
Course Description
This course is about the theories and practices of strategic human resource management (SHRM) and its contribution to organizational effectiveness. The key foci are put on the following aspects: (1) How to think systematically and strategically about managing human assets in organizations; (2) How to gain organizational competitive advantage through strategic implementation of specific approaches to human resource management; and (3) How to manage human resources in different environments, especially in the global context. The course adopts the managerial perspective and covers a wide range of human resource topics.
Course Goals and Outcomes
The course employs a set of teaching methods, including lectures, class discussion, case analyses and presentations, to help students achieve the learning goals.
Upon completion of this course, students will:
- Gain an overall understanding of the theories and practices of SHRM, and the relationships with organizational strategy.
- Obtain the insights on the factors that influence how organizations/companies implement strategically human resource practices.
- Acquire a set of analytic skills to manage and improve the performance and motivation of the workforce in organizations/companies.
Students should be able to:
- Demonstrate comprehension of key concepts and theories through active involvement with class discussions and accurate responses in exams.
- Apply analytic skills in simulated settings relating to various aspects of SHRM theories and practices.
- Synthesize multiple perspectives and theories of SHRM by writing short analyses and presenting group exercises.
- Evaluate the efficacy of different theoretical models of SHRM in case studies.
- Enhance teamwork skills through group projects.
Course Structure and Requirements
To maximize learning in this course, students are expected to attend lectures, actively participate in class activities, conduct independent work in all the individual assignments and exams, and contribute significantly to group exercises. Students are strongly encouraged to bring questions and thoughts to the class. The overall performance will be evaluated on the basis of individual achievement as well as the contribution to group tasks. Specifically, final grades in this course will be assigned on the basis of performance on the following items:
| (1) Class Participation | 20% |
| (2) Team Case Presentation | 20% |
| (3) Individual Case Analysis | 20% |
| (4) Mid-term Exam | 20% |
| (5) Team Rebuttal | 20% |
(1) Class Participation (20%). Students are required to attend every class and be on time. Regular absences or lateness will result in an attendance/participation grade of zero. Excessive absences will result in a grade of Fail for this course. To maximize the benefit of collective and interactive learning in class, students are expected to raise challenging questions and participate constructively in class discussion. Class participation grade is divided equally between attendance and active participation.
(2) Team Case Presentation (20%). Students will be randomly selected to form a team of Three (3) members. The assignment is to present and discuss One (1) Case Study to the class (15 minutes). The objective of this activity is to help you understand the knowledge introduced in class in a practical business context, analyze and synthesize relevant issues from various angles, and apply the problem-solving techniques to the real management conflicts.
Cases regarding real life HR management issues in real business context will be assigned according to the content of the class sections. Your task is to read the case, present it to the class, and discuss it using your own approach. You are encouraged to explore resources for relevant data and information. You are required to conduct a PowerPoint presentation to the class. The presentation should be a collaborative work output by ALL the group members.
The presentation should include, but not limited to, the following items:
1) Brief introduction of the company and the business.
2) Discuss the HR managerial issue and why it’s important.
3) Use theories and models introduced in class to analyze the issue raised in your case.
4) Focus your analysis on the questions raised in the case.
5) Apply solutions to conflicts when applicable.
The grade each group member receives for the case study presentation is the same as the grade assigned to the group. Please email your PowerPoint slides to the instructor by the day before your presentation.
(3) Individual Case Analysis (20%). Each individual student is required to conduct a mini case analysis of a real Chinese organization or company that will serve as a point of reference for the material we read and discuss in class, and analyze in depth the HR managerial issue(s) of your interest. Students should submit electronically the final written report to the instructor by Apr 23rd. The written report should be approximately 6-8 pages in length, including exhibits and attachments, with 12-point font and one-inch margins.
(4) Mid-term Exam (20%). The mid-term exam consists of a set of objective questions (multiple-choice and true/false questions) and short-answer questions, based on the materials covered in the class lectures. There will be no makeup exam unless the instructor has granted you a written permission.
(5) Team Rebuttal (20%). The focus of the last four sessions of the class is on the theoretical aspects of SHRM. As a growing field, many theories and practices of SHRM are subject to fierce debate among academics and professionals. In this exercise, students are asked to form a second team of Three (3) members. Each team is responsible to summarize a theoretical aspect of SHRM through the reading of assigned articles, and present it to the class. Each two teams will take sides on a controversial SHRM topic and conduct a rebuttal against each other.
The written summary and presentation should include, but not limited to, the following aspects:
- The central framework, model or argument of the theoretical perspective.
- Strengths and/or weaknesses of the perspective.
- The context or situation that gave rise to the perspective.
- General practical implication of the perspective.
- Particular implication to China’s HR practices.
Teams should prepare for a PowerPoint presentation to the class. PPT slides and written summary should be emailed to the instructor by the day before the presentation. The written report should be approximately 6–8 pages in length, including exhibits and attachments, with 12-point font and one-inch margins. Handouts are not required for the presentation. Individual performance for the team project (20%) is evaluated according to the quality of presentation, rebuttal and written summary.
Class Schedule
◆ Schedule subject to minor changes
|
Time
|
Topic
|
Assignment
|
|
Feb 21
M
|
Introduction to Course
Organization Strategy & Human Resource Management
|
|
|
Feb 24
Th
|
Strategic HRM Overview |
|
|
Feb 28
M
|
Job Design & Human Resource Planning
|
|
|
Mar 3
Th
|
Workforce Recruiting & Staffing Activities
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Mar 7
M
|
Training & Development
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Mar 10
Th
|
Performance Management
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Mar 14
M
|
Compensation: Theory & Foundation
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Mar 17
Th
|
Compensation: Pay for Performance
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Mar 21
M
|
Employee Benefits
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Mar 24
Th
|
Mid-term Exam | |
|
Mar 28
M
|
Employment Relations, Employee Separation & Retention, Downsizing & Outsourcing |
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Mar 31
Th
|
International HRM: Theory & Foundation
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Apr 4
M
|
International HRM: Practices
|
Team Case Presentation
15 min.
|
|
Apr 7
Th
|
Guest Speaker | TBD |
|
Apr 11
M
|
Team Rebuttal 1: Alignment of HRM & Competitive Advantage | |
|
Apr 14
Th |
Team Rebuttal 2: Strategic HRM & Firm Performance | |
|
Apr 18
M
|
Team Rebuttal 3: Global Dimensions of Strategic HRM | |
|
Apr 21
Th
|
Team Rebuttal 4: Role of HR Department & Professionals | |
|
Apr 23
Sun
|
Due: Individual Case Analysis |
Other Course Policies
Scholastic Dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; or altering, forging, or misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying of data, research procedures, or data analysis. Scholastic dishonesty is a major offense for students. Scholastic dishonesty or plagiarism in any form or in any portion of a student’s work may warrant a grade of Fail for the course and notification of a student’s departmental advisor. Students are encouraged to discuss with the professor any questions or concerns they may have regarding scholastic dishonesty.
Diversity
It is the policy of the School that respect for diversity is evident in and out of the classroom. To be able to enjoy the learning experience, you need to be very careful with the use of language. When writing your papers or presenting your project, please make sure you use appropriate language. An inappropriate language example is the language that you don’t want to hear from someone else. Appropriate language observes inclusiveness. Language inclusiveness refers to the use of language that assumes equality of gender and the equal importance of members of all cultural groups. Gender inclusiveness means that usage such as “he” and “man” as generic references to humanity or people in general, are not appropriate. While avoiding such use is sometimes awkward, or may differ from your writing habits, it is possible to do so. Therefore, I suggest that you use plurals (e.g., “workers…they,” rather than “worker…he”), some combination of pronouns (e.g., (s)he, s/he, he/she) or alternative words (e.g., “people” rather than “mankind”). Cultural inclusiveness, on the other hand, means that classroom work will not assume that class members come from the same cultural group. Respect for the diversity of the class and the multicultural world in which we operate will be expected.