Module I, Spring 2012 (02/13 - 04/15/2012)

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

 

 

Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart & Wright (2008). Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage 6^th ed. McGraw-Hill International Edition.

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.

 

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:

 

Students should be able to:

 

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 (30%). 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. 1/3 of class participation grade is assigned to attendance and 2/3 to active participation.

 

(2) Group Case Project (30%). Students will be asked to form a team of 3 members to present one case study to the class. 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. 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.

 

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 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 and TA by the day (Sun/Wed 24:00PM) before your presentation.

 

(3) Individual Case Analysis (40%). 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 20. The written report should be approximately 6-8 pages in length, including exhibits and attachments, with 12-point font and one-inch margins.

 

 

 

 

 

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.

 

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.