HRM in Modern Organizations, 7.5 credits

Main field of study

Course level

Advancement level

Course offered for

• Master's Programme in Business Administration - Strategy and Management in International Organisations

Entry requirements

• Bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen within Business Administration or Economics
  or
  A bachelor's degree equivalent to a Swedish Kandidatexamen with/and at least 60 ECTS (two semesters of full-time study) of Business Administration-related courses (for example Accounting, Marketing, Organization Theory, Strategy, Finance, HRM)
• English corresponding to the level of English in Swedish upper secondary education (Engelska 6)
  Exemption from Swedish

Intended learning outcomes

After completion of the course, the student should on an advanced level be able to:

• Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of contemporary organizing, such as project-based organizations and temporary work, as a context for human resource management.
• Identify an empirical issue with theoretical and empirical relevance to the course content and use appropriate qualitative methods to collect and compile relevant empiricaldata about this issue.
• Create an empirical description that illustrates an issue that is theoretically and empirically relevant in relationto the course content.
• Apply and integrate relevant theoretical frameworks to analyze and critically examine an empirical situation and explain key learning points from such an analysis in relation to human resource management in contemporary work and organization.
• Demonstrate an ability to make judgements and arguments informed by relevant social and ethical perspectives.

Course content

The course takes its point of departure in the link between human resource management (HRM) and strategy using resource-based and knowledge-based views of the firm as a theoretical foundation. This discussion continues into a focus on contemporary changes in the landscape of work and organization. Organizations and working-life are increasingly characterized by project-based and temporary logics, which creates both opportunities and challenges on strategic as well as on operational and individual levels. In relation to this, the course focuses   on HRM challenges related to project-based and temporary work and organization, as well as the roles of and relations among key players in the delivery of HRM practices. Critical management perspectives and ethical aspects are also discussed, and students explore and analyze HRM challenges in practice through dialogue with practitioners and in a minor qualitative field study. The field studies draw on the advantages of an international student group to get empirical insights from various parts of the world.

In the course, students will get to practice and develop their teamworking skills to participate in qualified research and development work, as well as their autonomous work abilities to integrate knowledge in order to analyze and critically examine complex phenomena and explain their conclusions and arguments.  

Teaching and working methods

The teaching is primarily campus-based and consists of lectures, seminars, workshops, group work and individual work. Apart from scheduled activities, independent self-studying is necessary. 

Language of instruction: English

Examination

The course is examined through

• oral and written individual seminar presentation, grading scale: EC
• written presentation of team assignment, grading scale: EC
• individual written assignment, grading scale: EC

To pass the course (ECTS grade E), it is required to achieve Pass on the seminar presentation and at least E on the other examinations.

To get a higher grade on the course, it is required to achieve Pass on the seminar presentation and grades on the other examination according to the following:

The final grade of the course is a weighted mean of the ECTS-graded examinations, where the written presentation of team assignment is given the weight 0.45 and the individual written assignment is given the weight 0.55.  

Detailed information about the examination can be found in the course’s study guide.

If special circumstances prevail, and if it is possible with consideration of the nature of the compulsory component, the examiner may decide to replace the compulsory component with another equivalent component.

If the LiU coordinator for students with disabilities has granted a student the right to an adapted examination for a written examination in an examination hall, the student has the right to it.

If the coordinator has recommended for the student an adapted examination or alternative form of examination, the examiner may grant this if the examiner assesses that it is possible, based on consideration of the course objectives.

An examiner may also decide that an adapted examination or alternative form of examination if the examiner assessed that special circumstances prevail, and the examiner assesses that it is possible while maintaining the objectives of the course.

Students failing an exam covering either the entire course or part of the course twice are entitled to have a new examiner appointed for the reexamination.

Students who have passed an examination may not retake it in order to improve their grades.

Grades

Other information

Planning and implementation of a course must take its starting point in the wording of the syllabus. The course evaluation included in each course must therefore take up the question how well the course agrees with the syllabus. 

The course is conducted in such a way that there are equal opportunities with regard to sex, transgender identity or expression, ethnicity, religion or other belief, disability, sexual orientation and age.

If special circumstances prevail, the vice-chancellor may in a special decision specify the preconditions for temporary deviations from this course syllabus, and delegate the right to take such decisions.

About teaching and examination language

The teaching language is presented in the Overview tab for each course. The examination language relates to the teaching language as follows: 

• If teaching language is “Swedish”, the course as a whole could be given in Swedish, or partly, or as a whole, in English. Examination language is Swedish, but parts of the examination can be in English.
• If teaching language is “English”, the course as a whole is taught in English. Examination language is English.
• If teaching language is “Swedish/English”, the course as a whole will be taught in English if students without prior knowledge of the Swedish language participate. Examination language is Swedish or English depending on teaching language.

Department