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FIRST INTENSIVE

Date	8.30 – 9.30am	9.30am – 12pm	1.00pm – 2.15pm	2.30pm – 3.45pm
13 Feb 2014		Lecture 1	Tutorial Group 1	Tutorial Group 2
14 Feb 2014	Consultation	Lecture 2	Tutorial Group 1	Tutorial Group 2
15 Feb 2014		Lecture 3	Tutorial Group 1	Tutorial Group 2
17 Feb 2014	Consultation	Lecture 4	Tutorial Group 1	Tutorial Group 2
18 Feb 2014	Consultation	Lecture 5	Tutorial Group 1	Tutorial Group 2

SECOND INTENSIVE

Date	8.30 – 9.30am	9.30am – 12pm	1.30pm – 2.45pm	Tutorial Group 1
28 Mar 2014	Consultation	Lecture 6	Tutorial Group 2	Tutorial Group 1
29 Mar 2014	Consultation	Lecture 7	Tutorial Group 2	Tutorial Group 1
31 Mar 2014	Consultation	Lecture 8	Tutorial Group 2	Tutorial Group 1
1 Feb 2014	Consultation	Consultation

Note that tutorial times may change depending on the size of the class

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

1. Recognise and discuss the critical role that effective people management plays in building and maintaining competitive advantage in contemporary organisations.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of basic HR functions, and the theories, concepts, models, and methods that inform HR practice.
3. Apply HRM concepts and technical knowledge to the analysis of HRM problems, cases, and issues.
4. Write a research report that demonstrates an effective synthesis of research findings with relevant research literature.
5. Recognise and demonstrate the behaviours and attitudes required for effective teamwork.

The text book for the course will be:

Dessler, G., & Tan, C.H.,. (2009). Human resource management, An Asian Perspective (2nd ed.). Australia: Pearson.

PLEASE NOTE THAT YOU NEED THE TEXT BOOK BEFORE THE COURSE STARTS SO THAT YOU CAN DO PRE-READING

Reading is considered to be an essential part of the course, and students are expected to access and critically analyse the relevant literature. Apart from becoming familiar with the contents of the main text, students are also strongly urged to refer to academic journals in the area of (or relevant to) HRM. The following journals (all of which are available online from the Barr Smith Library) are recommended:

Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources (online)
Harvard Business Review (online)
Human Relations (online)
Human Resource Management Review (online)
Human Resource Planning (online)
International Journal of Human Resource Management (online)
Journal of Applied Psychology (online)
Journal of Human Resources (online)
Journal of Industrial Relations (online)
Personnel Journal (online)
Training and Development (online)

Please refer to MyUni for learning materials

This course is taught in intensive mode with two week long intensives. Each day there is a two hour lecture and a one hour tutorial. Tutorials are an important component of your learning in this course. Students are expected to attend all classes and ensure that they complete the required exercises and assignments before coming to class. Students are encouraged to actively participate in tutorial discussions as a way of developing sound communication skills, highly valued by employers and professional bodies.

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

The University expects full-time students (i.e. those taking 12 units per semester) to devote a total of 48 hours per week to their studies. This means that for a three-unit course you are expected to commit approximately 9 hours of private study outside of your regular classes. This time commitment will include reading the relevant text book chapter, preparing for tutorials, and other assessment tasks.

Day	Date	Lecture Topic	Prescribed Text Book Reading[1]
1	13 Feb 2014	Introduction to HRM	Chapters 1 - 2
2	14 Feb 2014	Strategic HR	Chapter 3
3	15 Feb 2014	Recruitment and Placement: Job Analysis; HR Planning and Recruiting; Employee Testing and Selection: Interviewing Candidates	Chapters 4 - 7
4	17 Feb 2014	Training and Developing Employees	Chapter 8
5	18 Feb 2014	Performance Management and Appraisal	Chapter 9
6	28 Mar 2014	Compensation	Chapters 11 & 12
7	29 Mar 2014	Employee Relations	Chapters 14 & 15
8	31 Mar 2014	Employee Health and Safety Managing Global HRM	Chapters 16 &17

Assessment item	Due date and time	Weighting	Related learning outcome
Individual assignment	Wednesday 12 March 2014	30%	2, 4
Group Presentations	28, 29, 31 March 2014	10%	2, 4, 5, 6, 7
Reports from Group Project	Wednesday 9 April 2014	20%	6, 7
Exam	5 May 2014 (to be confirmed)	40%	1, 2, 3, 4
Total		100%

Attendance

Statutory obligations in Singapore are such that attendance in person is a compulsory condition of passing a course. Our specific requirements are that students must attend at least 80% of class sessions to be graded for that course. For these purposes the first intensive week comprises 5 lectures and 5 tutorial sessions and the second comprises 3 lectures and 3 tutorial sessions.

Students failing to meet 80% attendance requirements will be automatically graded 0% Fail (F) on their transcripts.It is a requirement that students attend ALL tutorials.

To gain a pass in this course, a mark of at least 45% must be obtained in the examination as well as a total of at least 50% overall. Students not achieving the minimum exam mark will be awarded no more than 49%.

Individual assignment (weighting – 20%)

The Case of Oticon

Read the case at the end of this course outline and answer the following questions:

What does the case describe in terms of changes in the way that people worked at Oticon? (10%)

Explore the connection between the changes in the way that people worked and Oticon's overall business strategy. (20%)

Identify one HR topic which management would need to consider as a result of the changes at Oticon. Complete a literature review relating to the topic and on the basis of your research make recommendations to Oticon's management on its HR policy in relation to the topic. (50%) (Examples of topics: Compensation, training, performance management etc.)

What options are there for the design of the whole HR function at Oticon and what would you recommend to management in terms of the HR role? (20%)

Overall Word Limit: 1,500 words (The percentages above relate to the percentage of marks awarded to each question)

Assignment Due: Wednesday 12 March 2014

Group project (weighting total: 30% - presentation 10% and group report 20%)

Part A – Group Work
Interview a Firm Manager
In groups of 3 - 4 organise to interview a manager of a medium to large company or organisation (you should try to find one with more than 100 staff if possible). If you have a contact please follow up – otherwise your lecturer will help you to find one.
Before you go to the interview follow these steps:

1. Research the company or organisation using any sources available (published annual reports, newspaper or online reports)
2. Find out what has been written on the topic of HR strategy and on the HR operational area that you have chosen (see point 3e below) in the last 10 years by researching academic or practitioner journals and magazines (Adelaide Library Summon is a good starting point for your research). As a group you should find at least 10 peer reviewed articles.
3. Using the literature to help you, develop a set of questions to find out about:
   a. The firm – a little bit about what it does, whether it is public or private, government or not-for-profit.
   b. The number of staff and key areas of activity
   c. The firm's overall strategy: what are the key objectives?
   (note: you might find out some of this information from other sources)
   d. The firm's HR strategy
   e. Information about one area of HR operation. For example recruitment and selection; training and development; compensation; performance management

The interview

1. All group members must go
2. Take no more than one hour of the HR manager's time (don't be late!)
3. Either record the interview (but ask permission first) or take careful notes
4. If the manager would prefer anonymity assure him / her that you will not include organisation or company names in any report.

After the interview

1. Write up your notes and distribute to the whole group
2. Discuss your findings, identifying key points
3. Prepare a short presentation explaining to the class your key findings (to be presented on 28, 29 or 31 March 2014) Your presentation should be no more than 15 minutes long with 5 minutes for questions.

Part B Your report
Present your findings as a short research report (no more than 2,500 words) using the following structure:

• Title of the report: this should be a concise description of your report (no more than 10 words)
• Table of contents: list all major sections with page numbers (words don't count).
• Introduction: Set the scene for the reader by explaining the objectives of your report and how you intend to present your findings i.e. a brief structure of the report.
• Literature review: summarize your findings from the literature search. This section should be around 500 – 600 word and should be comprehensively supported by appropriate referencing.
• Firm Background In this section you should introduce the firm providing key information about its size and key business objectives.
• HR Strategy: Briefly explain the firm's HR strategy and how it supports the business strategy
• HR Operation: Briefly explain how the HR operation which you research supports the business strategy.
• Conclusion and recommendations: Using the literature write a short summary of your findings as well as some concise and practical recommendations for how HR strategy and operational practices might be improved.
• Supplementary material:
  o Reference list: use the Harvard Referencing Style
  o Appendix: attach a copy of your interview transcript and notes (not part of the word count)

Please note the following important points:

• The report should be in Times New Roman 12 point font (or similar) with 1.5 spacing. Overall presentation should reflect an appropriate business format.
• Unreferenced reports, or those that do not include a minimum of 10 references, will receive a grade of 50% or less. The quality of your references will impact your grade.
• The title page of your report should list the names of your team members and should include the following statement:
  "This report is based on materials compiled by group members of our team. We have all attended meetings and contributed to the research and writing of the report. By emailing this document to our lecturer we declare that this submission is our own work and does not involve plagiarism or collusion. We give permission for my assignment to be scanned for electronic checking of plagiarism."
  Group Reports due on Wednesday 9 April 2014

Examination (weighting – 50%)
There will be a 3 hour closed book examination during the examination period. Further details will be provided later in the semester.

1. Please note that all requests for extensions should be directed in writing to the Lecturer-in charge no later than 48 hours before the due date. Extension requests after this time will only be granted for exceptional circumstances. This does not include poor time management or poor file management.
2. Extensions to the due date of individual and group assessment may be granted under special circumstances. An extension request based on illness or on exceptional personal circumstances must include the "Supporting Statement / Certification Form" that is on p. 4 of the Supplementary Assessment application available at:
   Students applying for an extension based on medical reasons must visit their medical practitioner, with the approved University form, and have the medical practitioner complete it. A normal doctor's certificate will not be accepted.
3. All assignments are to be lodged at, or prior to, the due date and time. A late assignment where no extension has been granted will be penalised by a reduction of 5% of the mark given for each day, or part of a day, that it is late.
4. Assessment marks prior to the final exam will be displayed on the course website. Students are encouraged to check their marks and notify the Lecturer-in-Charge of any discrepancies.
5. Legible hand-writing and the quality of English expression are considered to be integral parts of the assessment process. Marks may be deducted in the final examination because of poor handwriting.
6. Students in this course are not permitted to take a DICTIONARY (English or English-Foreign) into the examination.

Presentation of Assignments

1. Students must retain a copy of all assignments submitted.
2. All individual assignments must be attached to an Assignment Cover Sheet and emailed to your lecturer (see below for copy).
3. All group assignments must be attached to a Group Assignment Cover Sheet and emailed to your lecturer (see below)
4. Students may not submit work for an assignment that has previously been submitted for this course or any other course.
5. Your lecturer can refuse to accept assignments that do not have a signed acknowledgement of the University’s Policy on Plagiarism:

This course is regularly revised and updated to reflect student feedback.