BZR824 Managing Human Resources
Credit points: 30
Summary
This wide-ranging course covers all the main areas of human resource management (HRM)
and change management. It takes a strategic view of resourcing the organization (through
such policies as recruitment, job design, flexible contracting and business process
re-engineering), managing performance (through innovative reward and recognition
strategies) and increasing organizational capability (through training and development).
It also covers managing culture, learning and diversity in organizations and evaluating
the implications and outcomes of HR strategies in an international context.
Description
This course is for all managers whose success depends on the effective deployment and
development of people, whatever the size, sector or national context of their
organizations. It provides deep and wide-ranging coverage of all the main areas of human
resource management (HRM). These include human resource strategy in relation to
international business context and strategy; resourcing the organization (recruitment, job
design, performance management and reward systems); enhancing organizational capability
through training and development; orchestrating organizational change; evaluating the
effects and consequences of HRM strategies.
By the end of the course you should be:
- Able to make better decisions about the design of work structures appropriate to today's
conditions.
- Able to demonstrate the tangible benefits and pitfalls of different HR strategies.
- More capable of leading and contributing to successful change in the organization.
- More skilled in identifying necessary skills and in building people's capability to
achieve business goals.
- Alert to the difficulties inherent in much HR theory, and better able to discriminate
between HR approaches.
The course has ten units covering five areas:
Managing for performance outlines the main themes of the course and describes some of
the international and ethical aspects of managing people effectively in modern
organizations. It broadens your awareness of the choices facing organizations that are
trying to improve performance. In particular we ask what strategic benefit, if any, HRM
can bring to the achievement of business objectives.
Redesigning work and restructuring relationships analyses the shifting dynamics in work
patterns, contractual arrangements and organizational design. We look at the implications
of such trends as delayering, downsizing, compulsory competitive tendering, outsourcing,
business process re-engineering, teamworking, partnership arrangements and the human
‘fall-out' of mergers and acquisitions.
Learning and developing human capability asks whether the notion of the ‘learning
organization' is realistic and, if it is, what characterizes organizations that are good
at breaking unproductive patterns of behaviour and operating innovatively in a changing
marketplace. In the second half of this area we assess the potential of training and
development initiatives designed to enhance organizations' strategic capability and
performance.
Managing organizational change and evaluating its impact critically examines the
various methods and processes associated with strategic change in organizations, with
special attention to the complicating role of corporate culture. We examine ways of
justifying expenditure and measuring people's performance at the corporate, team and
individual level.
In Reviewing the business contribution of HRM we stand back and review the potential
contribution of HRM in the arena of strategic decision-making. This includes an assessment
of political context (such as the European Social Chapter) and its influence on HR
policies. We invite you to use your experience and to reflect on course concepts,
consolidated at the residential school and through a CD-ROM case study, to make your own
judgements about the role of HR in helping to bring about business benefits.
Vocational relevance
BZR824 is related to the N/SVQ in strategic management at Level 5.
Entry
You can take this course on its own, or as part of our MBA programme. To register for
the MBA you must, normally, have a degree or equivalent professional qualification, and
you should be aged at least 25 and have significant experience at middle management level
or higher. If you are taking the course as part of an MBA we expect you to have already
completed Stage 1 and the compulsory Stage 2 course BZR820 Strategy. If you are taking the
course on its own and have not studied for some time you might find it helpful to take a
course such as B654 The effective manager before you tackle study at this level. You could
also look at BZR713 Foundations of senior management or Professional Diploma materials to
give you some idea of the level of work required by BZR824.
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, audio CD, DVD, conferencing
facilities, website.
You will need
Video and audio cassette players; computer as described in our Personal Computing
leaflet and a subscription to an internet service provider.
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment
on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. You will contact your
tutor by telephone, correspondence, e-mail and computer conferences. We may also be able
to offer group tutorials or day-schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to
attend. Where tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the
course. Ask your Regional Centre if you need to know more before you decide whether to
register. Your Regional Centre will provide you with both general and certain specialist
help with your studies.
Assessment
There are two tutor-marked assignments and an examination.
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