Course description

Title of the Teaching Unit

Human Resource Management

Code of the Teaching Unit

21GE015

Academic year

2024 - 2025

Cycle

Number of credits

Number of hours

Quarter

Weighting

Site

Anjou

Teaching language

English

Teacher in charge

DE RIDDER Marine

Objectives and contribution to the program

The course provides an overview of the broad field of human resources management. It means understanding what human resources professionals do, their purposes, activities, and responsibilities. We will also look at the current challenges they are facing (digitization, individualization/personalization, talent shortages, etc.). The course also aims to help students understand how research in this field supports the development of HRM practices in line with more responsible management.

The main objective is to give participants a thorough knowledge of HR matters in order to be able to describe, analyze, and reflect in a rigorous manner on the characteristics of HR policies and practices in a given context. It is essential to understand that there is not one way of handling HR and that organizational constraints must be taken into account to give orientations in this matter. Second, we expect students to develop a capacity to analyze HR-specific problems and working situations. Current HR developments should be treated in a personal, practical way.

At the end of the course, participants are expected to:
• Master the HRM terminology and be able to explain HR concepts
• Describe an HR policy or practice, knowing that the same term does not necessarily refer to the same reality in different organizations
• Situate the HR function in the global functioning of an organization and differentiate HR policies according to the organizations analyzed
• Be able to describe the evolution of HR functions in different historical periods, and identify the various points of view according to specific contexts.

Competency Goals :

CG 1 Disciplinary Knowledge
CG2 Operational
CG3 Responsible
CG5 Aware of complexity / Critical Mind
CG6 Communicate orally and in writing in several languages

Prerequisites and corequisites

A good command of English.

Content

Bloc 1 – Fundamentals

General Introduction to HRM

Historical approach of the HR function

Classical models and theories

Bloc 2 – Activities, practices, and policies

2.1. HR traditional activities

2.2. HR practices associated with current challenges.

Bloc 3 – Applications

3.1. Being a responsible (HR) manager

3.2. Contextualization and cases

Teaching methods

The course is based on in-class presentations to provide the theoretical background. There will also be time for discussion and preparatory exercises. Students are therefore expected to play an active role in the classroom sessions. Intermediate assessments are scheduled at the end of each course block. There will also be opportunities for discussion with special guests from the professional world (HR director, union representative…).

Assessment method

Intermediate assessments: 20% each
Written exam during the session: 60%

For the August/September session:
Written exam during the session: 100%

References

See the reading folder on Moodle.