Handbook

The course is an introduction to the theory and practice of human resource management (HRM).  HRM is ‘strategic’, in the sense that it seeks to ensure that human resources are deployed in the service of organisational strategy. It takes place within an employment relationship, yet it is characteristic of the latter that the interests of employers and employees may not necessarily align perfectly. There is often a gap between the ‘rhetoric’ and the ‘practice’ of HRM – between ‘rhetoric and reality’. The course critically examines the power dimension and ethical implications of HRM as well as its ‘practical’ functions within organisations. It is hoped that students expect to emerge from the course with understanding of both.