Managing Human Resources in a

Business Context

Module Handbook 2022/2023

Module Code: MN7367

University of Leicester School of Business

Module Leader
Chandrima Roy (cr311@leicester.ac.uk)

Page 1 of 12
 MN7367 Managing Human Resources in a
Business Context

2022/2023

Table of Contents

Teaching Staff........................................................................................................................4
Module Aims..................................................................................................................4
Intended Learning Outcomes.........................................................................................5
Delivery Mechanisms.....................................................................................................5
Reading Strategies..........................................................................................................6
BOOK Reading list...............................................................................................................6
JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS.....................................................................................6
Lectures..........................................................................................................................7
Week 1:..........................................................................................................................8
Module Introduction.............................................................................................................8
What is HRM?......................................................................................................................8
Week 2:..........................................................................................................................8
Role and Status of HRM Function: Frameworks and Approaches........................................8
Week 3:..........................................................................................................................8
HRM and Labour Market.....................................................................................................8
Week 4:..........................................................................................................................8
HRM and Employment Law.................................................................................................8
Week 5:..........................................................................................................................9
HRM, Globalisation and Competition & Assessment Literacy Session...............................9
Week 6:..........................................................................................................................9
People Analytics and Workforce Planning
Recruiting and Selecting Employees....................................................................................9
Week 7:..........................................................................................................................9
Organisational Culture and Climate......................................................................................9
Organisational Change and Development.............................................................................9
Week 8:........................................................................................................................10
Motivation, Work behaviours & Performance....................................................................10
Performance Management and Appraisal...........................................................................10
Week 9:........................................................................................................................10
Managing Rewards and Remuneration
Diversity, Inclusion and Employee Well-Being.................................................................10

Page 2 of 12
Week 10:......................................................................................................................10
HRM, Strategy and Analytics.............................................................................................10
The Changing World of Work and Skills of HR Professionals...........................................10
Seminars.......................................................................................................................11
Seminars as a delivery mechanism.....................................................................................11
Role of the student..............................................................................................................11
Role of the tutor..................................................................................................................11
Assessment...................................................................................................................12
Module review..............................................................................................................12

This handbook is intended for the guidance of students taking this module in
2019/2020 academic year. Whilst the details contained in this handbook represent
teaching staff intentions at the time of writing, it is in the nature of higher education
that some module information, such as syllabus, reading lists and assignments, may be
subject to modifications during the teaching of a module. Teaching staff reserve the
right to make such minor changes in the matters covered by this publication and will
endeavour to publicise any such changes as widely and timely as possible.

Page 3 of 12
Teaching Staff

Chandrima Roy, Room 2.15, Brookfield House, Brookfield Campus, London Road
cr311@leicester.ac.uk

Office hours –

Mondays On-campus and online on Microsoft Teams from 3 PM to 4 PM (15:00 to

16:00 hrs) UK time

Thursdays On-campus and online on Microsoft Teams from 1 PM to 2 PM (13:00 to

14:00 hrs) UK time

Your first point of contact with respect to queries and questions is the Managing
Human Resource in a Business Context on Blackboard page. If you cannot find what
you are looking for there, then please feel free to contact Chandrima Roy
cr311@leicester.ac.uk

Any feedback regarding the course, its content or functioning should be addressed to
Chandrima Roy in the first instance. Thereafter, issues can be raised through your
programme leaders (Dr. Eimer Sparham and Dr. Dan Bishop) and departmental L&T
Director Ms. Jane Partridge (jap51@leicester.ac.uk).

Module Aims

The module aims to explore and analyse some of the

fundamental changes presently affecting the world of work
in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, and to evaluate their
implications for established institutions and patterns of
industrial/employee relations, and the management of
people and HRM practices. It also seeks to provide an
appreciation of the different and often competing
perspectives, which are necessary to understand
contemporary organizational dynamics and how it shapes
labour market, people management and HRM practices. This course provides wider
understanding of Human Resource Management in the business environment of the
organisation and its macro political, economic and legal context. The more turbulent
and uncertain the macro context becomes, the more important it is to grasp the
complexity of changing organisational dynamics and its impact on managing people
and maintaining employment relationship. There are different viewpoints and often
competing perspectives used to understand/interpret contemporary organizational
dynamics arising from the current developments in the macro context. The module
aims to develop students’ knowledge and understanding around these competing
perspectives and differing viewpoints and encourages them to engage in critical and
reflective discussions required to effectively manage human resources in
organisations.  

Intended Learning Outcomes

Page 4 of 12
 1. Critically evaluate a variety of theories and practices of human resource
management (HRM), drawing on critical and sustainable approaches to work,
employment, and management. 
2. Critically evaluate the concepts of ‘good practice HRM’ and ‘strategic HRM’
3. Explain and evaluate the impact of issues, benefits and risks associated with
different ethical perspectives, diversity, inclusion and intercultural
appreciation, upon HRM practice and strategy.
4. Explain and evaluate the inter-relationships between HRM, and actors within
its environment, and the benefits and risks of these inter-relationships;
including internal stakeholders and customers within the organisation,
governments, employee unions, regulators and external stakeholders at local,
sectoral, national, and international levels.
5. Explain and analyse the relevance and impact of employment law in relation
to HRM, and how the associated risks can be managed.
6. Critically Analyse the use and impact of data and evidence in strategy,
decision-making and workplace planning.
7. Explain and evaluate approaches to the management of employee well-
being.   

Delivery Mechanism

The module is delivered through a mixture of lectures, seminars and student-centred

learning as follows:

Number Frequency Duration

Lectures 20 2 per week two hours each
Seminars 5 Over the term one hour
Guided Self-Study Continuous Over the term 255 hours

 There are five seminars for this module – these should be on your timetable

 Each seminar is of one hour duration. The seminars will be conducted by Dr.
Zhonglin Liu (zl293@leicester.ac.uk)

 The purpose of seminars is to explore some of the key themes and concepts in
greater depth. You will also have the opportunity to interact and engage
directly with other students. Seminars will also provide guidance on
assignments.

 There will also be activities for you to complete in seminars, which will
require you to prepare in advance. You will receive more information about
these on Blackboard module site.

Page 5 of 12
Electronic Resources
Please use the MN7367 site on Blackboard to access lecture slides, reading materials,
seminar preparation materials, assessment documents, important announcements and
other student resources.

The module leader will also have regular ‘office hours’ when the module leader will
be available for you to contact if you have any questions or concerns. See Blackboard
for details under the section ‘Live Session’.
Lecture materials will be uploaded on Blackboard every week at least 48 hours prior
to the lecture. Seminar materials will be uploaded one week prior to the scheduled
seminar session.

Reading Strategy

It is necessary to assume that students either have or will quickly obtain a basic
overview of the subject area. There is no comprehensive text which is followed or
which can be sensibly recommended for the course as a whole. Nevertheless, some of
the suggestions below are to offer some help but the list is by no means exhaustive. You
will be expected to use up-to-date material wherever possible and appropriate when
preparing your essays, and in examinations. If in doubt, speak to your module leader or
seminar tutor. Secondly, we would always encourage you to use relevant journals and it
makes sense to check out these in the university library as soon as possible.

BOOK Reading list

 Wilton, N. (2016) Human Resource Management. London: Sage (the 2013

edition will be acceptable).
 Collings, D.G. and Wood, G. (2009) Human Resource Management: A
critical approach, London, Routledge.
 Kirton, G. and Greene, A.M. (2016) The Dynamics of Managing Diversity: A
Critical Approach (4th edition). London: Routledge.
 Watson, T. (2017) Sociology, Work, and Organisation, London: Routledge
 Bolton, S.C. and Houlihan, M. (eds.) (2007), Searching for the Human in
Human Resource Management: Theory, Practice and Workplace Contexts,
Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN-13: 978-0230019355.

JOURNALS AND PERIODICALS

You will also be expected to demonstrate that you are aware of current thinking and
research, and the best way of doing this is via journals and periodicals. The best way to
find these journals is, quite simply, to check the library resources. Almost all journals
are now on-line and downloadable. Search for on-line journals with ProQuest or
EBSCO. See Andrew Dunn, (ULSM librarian, located in library) if you need
assistance.
When reading an article, always have a look at the abstracts (at the start the article)
first; they give a potted summary.

 British Journal of Industrial Relations (BJIR)

Page 6 of 12
  Industrial Relations Journal (IRJ)
 Work, Employment and Society (WES)
 New Technology, Work and Employment (a companion journal to the IRJ)
 European Journal of Industrial Relations
 Organization
 Gender, Work and Organization
 Journal of Management Studies (JMS)
 Sociology
 Economic and Industrial Democracy
 Sociological Review
 Capital and Class
 Human Relations
 Human Resource Management Journal
 Industrial Law Journal
 International Journal of Human Resource Management
 International Labour Review
 Labour and Industry

Consult Andrew Dunn (ULSB librarian in the library) if you need assistance or contact
him @ ad158@leicester.ac.uk

Lectures

Two lectures every week of two hours duration each.

Week Lectures

1  Module Introduction Lecture 1

 HRM: Theories and Concepts - Lecture 2
2  Role and Status of HRM Function: Frameworks and
Approaches - Lecture 1 & 2
3  HRM and Labour Market - Lecture 1 & 2

4  HRM and Employment Law - Lecture 1 & 2

5  HRM, Globalisation and Competition – Lecture 1

 Assessment Literacy Session – Lecture 2
6  People Analytics and Workforce Planning – Lecture 1
 Recruiting and Selecting Employees – Lecture 2
7  Organisational Culture and Climate – Lecture 1
 Organisational Change and Development – Lecture 2
8  Motivation, Work behaviours and Performance – Lecture 1
 Performance Management and Appraisal – Lecture 2
9  Managing Rewards and Remuneration – Lecture 1
 Diversity, Inclusion and Employee Well-being – Lecture 2

Page 7 of 12
 10  HRM, Strategy and Analytics – Lecture 1
 The Changing World of Work and the Skills of HR
Professionals – Lecture 2

Seminars

For this module you will have five one-hour seminar sessions
Week Seminars
03 (w/c 17th October 2022) Best practice' human resource management:
perfect opportunity or dangerous illusion?
05 (w/c 31st October 2022) Academic Writing/Assessment Support

07 (w/c 14th November 2022) HR Professional Role Tensions

09 (w/c 28th November 2022) Future of HR is RH (Respect for Humanity

at Work)
11 (w/c 12th December 2022) HRM in the digital age – digital changes
and challenges of the HR profession

Exam guidance and preparation tips

All material for seminar preparation will be uploaded on Blackboard. Prior to

attending the seminar, it is important that you complete preparatory work that will be
uploaded on Blackboard. The success on this module is determined by your
willingness to engage and work hard.

Please check your timetable for your seminar time and location

Seminars as a delivery mechanism

Seminars are large group sessions within which small group work and discussion take
place. They are your chance to test ideas, raise issues, challenge assumptions and
discuss differences in perception. They are designed as a safe environment in which to
engage in directed learning. Students will typically work in groups of 5-6 people.
Ideas, questions and conclusions developed in the small groups will tend to be shared
(at the end of sessions) with the entire seminar. This means that students benefit from
the intensity of small group discussion and the knowledge generated by a larger
forum. Seminars start from the basis that all statements are open to question, and any
opinion may be put forward as long as they can be substantiated, and do not cause
deliberate offence on the grounds of age, disability, race, gender or sexual orientation.

Role of the student

The success of any seminar is dependent on the input of its participants. Key in this
respect is the student. To get the most out of the seminars (to have meaningful
discussions and learning experiences) you will need to undertake the core reading and
have completed any preparatory work prior to attending the seminar.

Page 8 of 12
Role of the tutor

Each session is led by a tutor. The role of the tutor is to set the ground rules for each
session, describing the aims and broad structure. The tutor also work the room
providing assistance and guidance during set exercises/discussions. The tutor will
provide information where possible, or direct to sources of information. The tutor is
there to guide discussions, not dominate them. The tutor will bring the session to a
conclusion, drawing out key themes and the themes’ relation to the learning
objectives.

Assessment

This module employs a range of methods to assess your

progress and motivate learning. 

50% Coursework - 3000 word essay. The Assessment Brief

will be made available on Blackboard soon.

50% Examination - all students will be asked to take the

exam in order to pass the module. Exam guidance and
preparation tips will be provided in the last seminar.

Essays must be submitted via Turnitin. Further details relating to submission will be
provided to you via the Post Graduate Study Office well in advance of submission
deadline.

Assessment results and feedback

Please refer to your MN7367 module site on Blackboard for coursework submission
deadline and exam date, and for dates when marks will be returned. You will be
notified via your University email account when marks and feedback is available for
you to view with details on how to access it. If you would like to speak to your tutors,
to ask any questions or clarify any doubt, please email or check during online office
hours.

Module review

This module will be evaluated by the School of Business through an online survey,
which all students are expected to complete at the end of the module.

Page 9 of 12
Please ensure you read and have the module handbook handy with you either in hard
copy or electronically.

Hope that you will enjoy studying this module and that it will make a valuable
educational contribution to your chosen programme.

Page 10 of 12
 Grade Mark Theory & Literature Analysis Critical Evaluation

100 A perceptive and intellectually nuanced Assignment demonstrates a creative and

Synthesises disparate literatures with
95 confidence to offer a new way of
seeing an issue or context.
85
Draws on a wide range of relevant
78 literature
Distinctio
n Arguments are nuanced and well
supported by a variety of literatures.
75
Demonstrates excellent knowledge of
relevant theories and concepts
72 Conclusions are reasoned and justified
by evidence.
68 Draws on a good range of relevant
literature.
65 Arguments are presented logically and
Merit coherently within a clear structure.
Demonstrates a good knowledge of
62 relevant theories and concepts
integration of theory and practice that
demonstrates independent thought.
An insightful and perceptive analysis that
demonstrates both the depth and breadth of
the issue.
Excellent integration of theory into practice
such that new contributions to knowledge
are emergent.
Excellent examples provided to illustrate
nuanced issues
Good levels of analysis demonstrated which
lead to a perceptive analysis of the issues.
Good integration of theory into practice.
Good number of relevant examples
provided.
engaged command of the literature and
the issues in context such that new
contributions to knowledge are
considered possible.
Excellent evidence of sound judgement
based on supported arguments.
Addresses assignment brief in full
Logical, nuanced and complex
argument presented.
Sense is made of the issues identified
with the support of relevant literatures.
Good evidence of sound judgement
based on supported arguments.
Addresses assignment brief
Logical argument presented.
Consistent attempts to make sense of
the issues identified with the support of
relevant literatures.

Draws on an adequate range of Adequate levels of analysis demonstrated Adequate evidence of sound judgement
relevant literature but with some lapses into descriptions or based on supported arguments.
58 practice.
Arguments are supported by a variety Adequately addresses assignment brief
of literatures. Adequate use of theory to makes sense of
practice. Adequate logic but argument can
Pass Demonstrates adequate knowledge of sometimes be difficult to follow
55 relevant theories and concepts
Adequate number and/or depth of examples Adequate attempt to make sense of the
provided issues identified with the support of
relevant literatures.
52

Demonstrates an inadequate
48 knowledge of key theories and
concepts
Meagre or inadequate use of
45 supporting materials and literatures
Limited evidence of reading
No analysis but descriptive of practice. Little recognition of the demands of the
assignment
Minimal links between theory and practice
Fails to address the assignment brief in
Irrelevant or obscure examples provided. full
No obvious structure or argument
presented

42
Unsupported assertions and value
judgements made
30 No evidence that the most basic No evidence of understanding of underlying No recognition of the demands or scope
course material has been understood principles and argument bears no relevance of the assignment
Fail to the question.
No evidence of reading Complete misunderstanding of the
Irrelevant or no examples provided. issues
15
Irrelevant material cited.
No attempt to link theory and practice. No obvious argument

Page 11 of 12
 Unsupported assertions and value
0
judgements made

Page 12 of 12