MN5421: MANAGING PEOPLE IN GLOBAL MARKETS

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1 MN5421: MANAGING PEOPLE IN GLOBAL MARKETS MODULE TYPE/SEMESTER: Optional (20 Credits) Semester 1 MODULE CO-ORDINATOR: Dr Andrew Timming MODULE TUTOR CONTACT DETAILS: Dr Andrew Timming art2@st-andrews.ac.uk Mr Martin Dowling mjd11@st-andrews.ac.uk Office Hours: Monday, 1pm-3pm, 401 Gateway AIM: At the end of the module, students should be able to: understand the complexities of managing people in global markets and organisations; critically assess the processes of globalisation and internationalisation in relation to HR processes; classify HR strategies and be able to utilise them in the context of multinational organisations; determine the key differences between human resource management and international human resource management TEACHING PROGRAMME: Week 1: Introduction to the Module and IHRM Thursday 19 September, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Tutor: Mr Martin Dowling 1. Introductions 2. Outline of the module 3. Assessment aspects outlined Individual Essay: 25% Group Assignment: 25% Final Exam (two hours): 50% 4. Introduction to International Human Resource Management 5. Exercise: In groups, answer discussion questions on pg. 20 in Dowling et al. Week 2: The Changing Nature of Work Thursday 26 September, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Tutor: Mr Martin Dowling Lecture: Throughout the world, in both developed and developing countries, work is changing and the changing nature of work throws up major issues of relevance to managing people. Among the main issues, we can identify work intensification and growing insecurity with attendant problems of stress at work and of establishing work-life balance for employees and their managers. Globalisation is also associated with pressures to offshore and outsource work to the cheapest suppliers and associated problems of poor working conditions and potential exploitation of labour.

2 Week 3: The Multinational Corporation in the Global Political Economy Thursday 3 October, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Tutor: Dr Andrew R Timming Lecture: This lecture will examine globalisation and its processes, the varieties of capitalism (VoC) framework, the predominant typology for analysing multinational corporations and the concept of the global mindset. Week 4: Strategic IHRM and the Transfer of Best Practices Thursday 10 October, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Lecture: This lecture will look at the nature of strategic IHRM, the various forces of isomorphism, the concept of benchmarking of best practices as well as the strategy of coercive comparisons. Week 5: Recruitment and Selection of Expatriates Thursday 17 October, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Lecture: This lecture will give a general overview of how to recruit and select expatriate managers effectively in multinational corporations. It will pay particularly close attention to best practices in staffing expatriates. Week 6: Expatriate Performance Appraisal Thursday 24 October, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Tutor: Dr Andrew R Timming Lecture: This lecture will outline the steps for carrying out an effective performance appraisal of international expatriates. The key differences between international and conventional expatriate performance management will be articulated. Week 7: Expatriate Training and Development Thursday 31 October, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Lecture: This lecture will outline best practices for assessing and meeting the training and development needs of international expatriates. In particulate, we will focus on how to create crosscultural competence to ensure the success of an international assignment. Week 8: Expatriate Compensation Management Thursday 7 November 10AM-1PM, LR4

3 Lecture: This lecture examines best practices in international compensation and benefits management. It will look at how HR managers in multinational corporations can created a reward package that motivates expatriates to achieve their goals Week 9: Industrial Relations and Voice Thursday 14 November, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Lecture: This lecture compares and contrasts comparative industrial relations and international HRM. It also examines employee voice in an international context. Week 10: The Ethics of IHRM Thursday 21 November 10AM-1PM, LR4 Tutor: Dr Andrew R Timming Lecture: This lecture will examine some of the key ethical approaches and debates in the context of IHRM. It will use case studies to illustrate the point of how HR managers need to consider the ethical implications of their actions. Week 11: Revision Session Thursday 28 November, 10AM-1PM, LR4 Tutors: Dr Andrew Timming There will be no lecture this week. Students can attend this revision session in order to ask questions and prepare for the final examination. ASSESSMENT: Individual essay, maximum 2000 words (excluding references). Assessment Weight = 25% One group-based assignment, max words (excluding references). Assessment Weight = 25% Unseen examination, TWO hours. Assessment Weight = 50% Individual Essay: To be submitted on Monday 4 November 2013 at 12 noon. One hardcopy to be submitted to the Postgraduate Office on Level 3 of the Gateway and one copy to be submitted electronically via the Module Management System (MMS). Individual essay, maximum 2000 words (+/- 10%), excluding references and appendices

4 Topic: Compare and contrast the main influences on people management in TWO countries of your choice, explaining how these influences are expressed in the main directions of HRM. Group Assignment: To be submitted on Monday 25 November 2013 at 12 noon. One hardcopy to be submitted to the Postgraduate Office on Level 3 of the Gateway and one copy to be submitted electronically via the Module Management System (MMS). Step1: Choose a work team of about 5 or 6 people. We will start this process on the first meeting. Six people are a maximum. Four people are a minimum. Step2: Pick any (real) British-based company. It must have its headquarters in the UK. It can be a large multinational or a small or medium sized enterprise. Do some background research about the company to understand its market situation and current challenges, especially in relation to the HR function. Now pick and justify any international market to which you plan to expand (either greenfield or brownfield). Step 3: Write a short report for your CEO. In it, you need to assess the current people management challenges within the UK, justify the need for an international expansion and articulate a clear plan, consisting of best practices, for establishing an effective HR function in the new country. The submission is to be presented in the form of a polished company report, but references are also necessary to back up your approach. Length of the written submission: 3000 words (+/- 10%), excluding references and appendices. Assessment Weight: 25%. Potential Sources: Internet search Interviews with people known in the industry Company databases Company reports Financial and business press, such as Financial Times, The Economist, Fortune, Business Week, etc. But keep the use of popular sources to a minimum! Industry and Trade Journals (to take one example, for airlines, the Journal of Air Transport Management) Specialist industry or sector books eg Bamber G et al (2009), Up in the Air: How Airlines can Improve Performance by Engaging their Employees, Cornell University Press Specialist academic journals, such as those noted above

5 EXAMINATION: Further information and guidance to be provided in due course. READING AND TEXTBOOKS: Key Readings: The main textbook is: Dowling, P.J., Festing M. and Engle A.D., (2013), International Human Resource Management, 6 th ed, Andover: Cengage Learning (hereafter: Dowling et al). It is strongly recommended that students purchase this textbook or at least have ready access to a current edition. The course uses case studies drawn from the book and the general outline of the book is followed in the series of lectures. Please note, though, that at postgraduate level students are expected to consult a wide range of sources both for broadening knowledge of the area and for specific assessment exercises. Other books which provide detailed and analytical perspectives on strategic and international HRM and related topics include: Boxall P. & Purcell J., (2008) Strategy & Human Resource Management, 2 nd edn, Palgrave. This text adopts a critical approach. Branine, M. (2011) Managing Across Cultures, Sage. This comprehensive text reviews international HRM issues from a worldwide/country perspective. Bratton, J. & Gold, J. (2012) Human Resource Management: Theory & Practice, 5th edn. Palgrave. A good text on the general aspects of HRM with a useful chapter on international HRM. Legge K. (2005), Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities, Palgrave. A now classic and critically acclaimed text. Harzing, A-W. & Pinnington, A.H. (2011), International Human Resource Management (3 rd lot like the required text, but longer and more in-depth. ed). Sage. A Students should also get into the habit of regularly consulting leading appropriate journals available in the library. These include, but are not limited to: British Journal of Industrial Relations (BJIR) Work, Employment & Society (WES) Industrial Relations Journal (IRJ) European Journal of Industrial Relations (EJIR) Economic and Industrial Democracy (EID) International Journal of Human Resource Management (IJHRM) Human Resource Management Journal (HRMJ)

6 Human Relations (HR) Human Resource Management Review (HRMR) Harvard Business Review (HBR) Business Strategy Review (BSR) Strategic Management Journal (SMJ) Sloan Management Review (SMR) Journal of Management Studies (JMS) Organization Studies (OS) Of these, the International Journal of Human Resource Management is possibly the most useful. It offers highly appropriate articles based on current research. Please note a number of readings will be provided through the course and will be made available on Moodle.