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HR MANAGEMENT

Syllabus

EN IT

Learning Objectives

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

The course aims to provide students with the fundamental concepts and the main logical categories that make human resource management strategic for business success. The analysis of human resource management practices is integrated with perspectives drawn from disciplines other than strictly business and economics, in line with the objectives of the degree programme, which seeks to promote a comprehensive understanding of the managerial levers to be employed in order to achieve lasting conditions of organizational excellence. During the course, students will have the opportunity to practise, study and experiment with human resource management theories and practices, applying theoretical concepts to organizational practice.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
- acquire and demonstrate a command of advanced concepts relating to the management of people in organizations, with particular reference to individual dynamics;
- understand universalistic and contingency-based organizational approaches to the main human resource management strategies and techniques;
- identify the key theories and concepts for the effective and efficient management of human resources;

APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:
- apply theories concerning the individual and the organizational context to concrete work situations, such as current and/or prospective jobs, recruitment and selection advertisements and organizational situations presented in the form of a case, including situations that are new or unfamiliar with respect to those discussed during the course;
- contextualise theories concerning human resource direction and development systems and explain the ways in which the management of people within the organization acquires strategic relevance.

MAKING JUDGEMENTS:
- reflect on the social and ethical implications of human resource decisions, with particular reference to fairness in selection, performance appraisal and compensation systems;
- formulate sound judgements, including on the basis of limited or incomplete information, on the consistency between human resource management choices, individual characteristics and business strategies;

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
- produce written analyses of organizational situations, using the specialist vocabulary of the discipline appropriately;
- present their conclusions clearly and in argued form, making them comprehensible to specialist and non-specialist audiences and setting out the knowledge and the logical connections underpinning them.

LEARNING SKILLS:
- independently read and understand textbooks, scientific literature and professional or non-specialist publications in the field of human resource management, recognising their different degrees of reliability;
- select and correlate topics drawn from different sources, reconstructing the conceptual framework needed to address questions not covered during the course;
- formulate relevant questions on observed organizational phenomena, identifying the knowledge required in order to answer them.

Prerequisites

None

Program

The course is organized around four thematic sections, each covering two weeks of classes, and a concluding week. Each week corresponds to 6 hours of teaching, of which 4 hours of lecturing-based learning and 2 hours of interactive learning, for a total of 54 hours.
Section I – Conceiving People as a Strategic Resource (weeks 1-2, 12 hours)
1. Creating value through human resources (week 1, 6 hours)
2. Making human resource management strategic (week 2, 6 hours)
Section II – Securing Effective Employees (weeks 3-4, 12 hours)
3. Ensuring equal employment opportunity and designing productive and satisfying work (week 3, 6 hours)
4. Recruiting and selecting talented employees (week 4, 6 hours)
Section III – Improving Employee Performance (weeks 5-6, 12 hours)
5. Measuring performance, providing feedback and managing employee retention (week 5, 6 hours)
6. Training for improved performance and developing employees’ careers (week 6, 6 hours)
Section IV – Motivating and Managing Employees (weeks 7-8, 12 hours)
7. Motivating employees through compensation (week 7, 6 hours)
8. Designing compensation and benefit packages (week 8, 6 hours)
Week 9 – Aligning Strategy with Practice (6 hours)
9. Integrating the human resource management system and assessing its internal and external fit.
Total: 54 hours of teaching, of which 36 hours of lecturing-based learning and 18 hours of interactive learning. The chapter on labour unions is not part of the syllabus, as the industrial relations framework discussed in the textbook refers to the United States context.

Books

G. L. Stewart, K. G. Brown, Human Resource Management, Wiley, 4th edition (in previous editions the volume carries the subtitle Linking Strategy to Practice). Study covers the chapters corresponding to the topics listed in the syllabus; the chapter on labour unions is not part of the examination syllabus.

Bibliography

Additional material will be communicated on the online platform.

Teaching methods

The course will be delivered as a distance learning course on an online platform. The course will include:
- live and recorded lectures
- case discussions and videos
- talks by experts in the field
- live and asynchronous interactions on the course platform
- student assignments
- question-and-answer sessions.

Within the framework of the recalled methodologies, the course includes a total of at least No. 9 hours of teaching through web conference lectures (Didactic Delivery), and at least No. 9 hours of interactive teaching (participation in discussions, collaborative activities and case studies) to be conducted synchronously and asynchronously.
Question-and-answer sessions offer the possibility of expanding the spaces for in-depth learning and knowledge sharing, providing opportunities for further support of individual learning. By utilizing the potential of the digital medium, the course ensures maximum participation of all students, guaranteeing maximum possibility of inclusion.
To this end, therefore, the provision of teaching materials is also defined. Teaching materials will be made available online in three main ways, dependent on the type of material itself:
- the material necessary for self-study will be made available online at the beginning of the course;
- the material supporting interactive and delivery teaching will be made available weekly;
- the material for in-depth study through online case discussions will be made available during the course, with specific timing for each assignment and functional to ensure maximum student participation.
Finally, and again to ensure maximum student participation and inclusion, the course, through the provision of discussion forums with iteration in asynchronous form, offers the possibility for students to interact at times and in ways that best suit their needs.

Teaching methods

The course is delivered in blended mode, through the university platform. It integrates lecturing-based learning, interactive learning and self-study activities.
Lecturing-based learning comprises a synchronous component (DES), consisting of classes held on campus and by web conference, and an asynchronous component (DEA), consisting of video lectures recorded by the instructor, annotated slides, supplementary materials and talks by experts in the field.
Interactive learning (DI) takes place through discussion forums moderated by the instructor, individual and group assignments, case discussions, applied exercises and question-and-answer sessions, conducted both synchronously and asynchronously and accompanied by self-assessment activities. The question-and-answer sessions expand the opportunities for in-depth learning and knowledge sharing, providing further support for individual learning.
Self-study activities are aimed at studying the adopted textbook and the materials provided by the instructor, as well as at preparing for the interactive activities and for the assessment.
The three components are allocated 18 hours of synchronous lecturing-based learning, 18 hours of asynchronous lecturing-based learning and 18 hours of interactive learning respectively, for a total of 54 hours.
Teaching materials are made available online according to different schedules, depending on the nature of the material: materials required for self-study are published on a weekly basis; materials supporting lecturing-based and interactive learning are made available during the course; materials for in-depth study through case discussions are made available according to a specific schedule for each assignment. All materials remain accessible until the end of the academic year.
The use of asynchronous discussion forums allows students to interact at the times and in the ways that best suit their needs, fostering the participation of all. Adjustments to materials and activities are also provided for students with disabilities or specific learning disorders, agreed with the instructor in liaison with the relevant university services.

Exam Rules

The examination is written and consists of three open-ended questions of equal weight. The first two are aimed at assessing the knowledge acquired and the student’s capacity for conceptualisation and reasoning; the third is based on a short organizational situation, which students are required to analyse in the light of the human resource management theories and techniques covered in the course. During the course, students may earn bonus points, up to a maximum of 3, by developing case studies, carried out individually or in groups. The assignments are made available on the university platform, where the resulting papers may be submitted within the indicated deadlines, including by students who do not attend classes. Participation in this activity is optional and is not a requirement for passing the examination. The case studies serve to assess the ability to apply knowledge and to formulate independent judgements, as well as written communication skills, with specific reference to coherence and appropriateness of expression. Bonus points are added to the score obtained in the written examination; the final mark may not in any case exceed thirty points. Distinction (lode) is awarded to students who, having obtained the maximum score, demonstrate the ability to rework the course contents in an original manner. The results of the written examination are published on the university platform.
Criteria for the formulation of the final mark (out of thirty)
Fail: significant gaps and/or inaccuracies in the knowledge and understanding of human resource management practices; limited analytical and synthetic skills, with frequent generalisations; inability to relate the situations examined to the categories of the discipline; arguments presented inconsistently and in inappropriate language.
18-20: barely sufficient knowledge and understanding of the topics, with possible imperfections; sufficient analytical and synthetic skills and independence of judgement; only elementary application of the categories of the discipline to the situations examined; language not fully appropriate.
21-23: routine knowledge and understanding of the topics; correct analytical and synthetic skills, with logically consistent argumentation; ability to identify the main human resource management practices in the situations examined; reasonably appropriate language.
24-26: fair knowledge and understanding of the topics; good analytical and synthetic skills, with rigorously expressed argumentation; ability to justify the proposed management choices in relation to the organizational context; correct technical language.
27-29: complete knowledge and understanding of the topics; remarkable analytical and synthetic skills and good independence of judgement; ability to assess the consistency between human resource management choices, individual characteristics and business strategies; arguments presented rigorously and in appropriate technical language.
30-30L: excellent level of knowledge and thorough understanding of the topics; excellent analytical and synthetic skills and independence of judgement; ability to integrate different disciplinary perspectives in the analysis of the cases examined; argumentation expressed in an original manner and with full command of technical language.

The grade is communicated to students via platform provided by the University (Delphi). A student reception is scheduled for the explanation feedback of grades.

Attendance Rules

Attendance is not compulsory, although it is recommended. Teaching materials and interactive activities are made available on the university platform; the optional assessed activities are also accessible to students who do not attend classes.