International Human Resource Management (MSc/PGDip)

Course length: 12 months full-time. The course is delivered over four semesters.

Introduction

International human resource managers facilitate the interaction between international business planning and strategic human resource decision making. On completion of this course, graduates will have developed the critical thinking necessary to plan and manage international human resource strategies.
The MSc International Human Resource Management programme has been designed for those who have not formally studied for a degree in business or management and would like to both increase their understanding of a range of business and management subjects and also specialise in international human resource management.

Teaching, learning and assessment

Teaching is organised on a module-credit basis, involving approximately 1,600 hours of student effort and approximately 290 hours of staff contact. The course is delivered over two semesters of 12-week duration.
Learning methods include lectures, directed reading, workshops, seminars, practical and project work. Some modules include group work and teamwork activities.
Each course module is assessed individually, generally on the quality of written or visual presentation work, and to some extent on verbal presentations. Assessment methods may include reports, seminar papers, formal written examinations, in-class tests, project work, visual and verbal presentations, workshops, simulations, and practical exercises. The majority of assessments are based on individual assignments, but there is some assessed group work.

Course content

The MSc is based on the completion of the following compulsory module elements, plus elective module specialisations and an 80 page master's dissertation.
Compulsory module elements:

• Managing People introduces the key principles and practices that underpin the management of human resources. You will explore the scope and content of a human resource strategy, the methods of recruiting and selecting a workforce, the principles and practice of performance management, ethical dilemmas, the identification of training and development needs, and the ways in which human resource planning and work design are implemented.
• Business Strategy introduces you to the major concepts of business strategy and the analytical tools used to develop strategy in complex business environments. You will develop an understanding of how financial statements can be used to evaluate organisational and strategic performance, and how a range of stakeholders' interests impact on the development of business strategy.
• Principles of Accounting and Statistics provides the opportunity for you to develop core competencies in accounting, basic statistics and their integration in business decision-making. The module seeks to engender the development of an understanding of financial and quantitative information relevant to middle or senior managers, to enhance your effectiveness when operating in an international organisation. The module is primarily concerned with the analysis and interpretation of quantitative and financial information, not its production. The content of this module is used as a foundation for further study in other modules including Research Methods.
• Managing Business Operations explores the complex and interconnecting relationships between functional areas and the real world of business. You will learn how business operations and resources can be most effectively and efficiently managed in order to achieve competitive advantage, and how every organisation has to manage its operational activities, in order to add value by transforming inputs into saleable or useable output products and services.
• Organisational Theory and Design seeks to provide a framework for the understanding and analysis of organisations with particular reference to organisational design, processes and change. The organisation will be critiqued from a number of perspectives: individual, systems/contingency and cultural/social processes. These perspectives will encourage a critical awareness of organisational dynamics and will provide you with an evaluative framework in which to engage in independent problem solving.
• Strategic Human Resource Management (HRM) develops your understanding of the theoretical origins and underpinnings of human resource management. You will explore the links and possible co-dependencies between business strategy and strategic HRM, and you will be enabled to identify the relationship between achieving strategic objectives and the implementation of appropriate and coherent HR strategies.
• International Human Resource Management provides an understanding of the benefits of cross-cultural competence in the context of global people management. You will explore recruitment and selection, reward management, performance management, and talent and knowledge management perspectives at an enterprise, national and international level.
• Personal Development Plan addresses your individual learning needs and priorities, and explores the organisational and individual consequences of individual and collective actions and behaviours. Your personal effectiveness and capacity to recognise, adapt and apply relevant theory to the managerial context, and to personally learn from experience, will be improved by engaging in self-reflection and critical self-evaluation exercises.
• Research Methods enables you to develop the critical approach necessary to undertake a thorough, penetrating and evaluative analysis of a topic in academic literature. The module will enable you to think and construct arguments in a rigorous and analytical manner and to reflect critically on the philosophy, process and ethics of management research.
• MSc Dissertation is an individual research study of up to 80 pages based on a critical literature review. It will be an in-depth, rigorous piece of work on a topic chosen from a selection of academic areas that fall within the Business School's research themes or areas of academic interest.

MSc International Human Resource Management students are offered a choice of one elective from the two specialisations below:

• Managing Innovation and Change examines the consequences of the transition from the industrial to the information age, and how innovation has been the engine that has accelerated the rate of change. You will examine the linkages between theories of innovations, change management and competitive strategy, and their implications for the management of the human resource.
• Management and Organisational Learning explores the theories and concepts that underpin the management of knowledge and organisational learning, and examines the contribution of knowledge to competitive advantage in an organisation. You will explore the international framework for learning policy and its impact on organisational strategy, and will develop methods and processes for evaluating the effectiveness of learning strategies.

Quality

The Business School has an active programme of research based around four key research areas:

• accounting, governance and accountability
• human resource management and organisational behaviour
• international strategy and policy
• marketing and operations.

In addition, there are three cross-area themes:

• hospitality, leisure and tourism management
• entrepreneurship
• small and medium-sized enterprises.

The School maintains a rigorous and dynamic doctoral programme leading to the higher degrees of MPhil and PhD. Doctoral students join a supportive, friendly and multicultural research environment. Students have access to dedicated research suites providing workspaces, computers and storage, and a range of supporting activities, such as seminars and an annual residential research methods programme. Teaching staff are drawn primarily from the Business School but with some contributions from the wider University community. Visiting speakers from business and industry, local government, and consultancies and research bodies provide further input.

Admission

The programme attracts students from a wide range of backgrounds, disciplines and nationalities. Applicants are welcome from any academic discipline, as well as those seeking continuing professional development. Admission is normally open to those with a good undergraduate honours degree (or equivalent overseas degree from a recognised institution) or equivalent professional qualification, or other qualification.
Applicants who do not possess a good degree, but hold a Diploma, may be eligible for entry provided they have compensatory work experience and can demonstrate career development. Proof of English language competence is required if your main language is not English.
The course provides the opportunity to attain formal academic training and qualifications based on a diversity of professional backgrounds.