The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong

School of Business
Department of Management

HRM4011 Strategic Human Resource Management Course Outline

in Sem 2 AY2022-2023

Module Instructor: Dr Jody Wong

Tel: 3963-5678
Email: jodywong@hsu.edu.hk
Office: D756

1. Overview
The field of human resource management (HRM) has undergone a great deal of
change during the past 30 years. Today, many practitioners and researchers
argue that HRM should extend beyond its traditional focus on personnel
administration and adopt a more strategic perspective for managing employees.
It is believed that managing people effectively is an important ingredient of
organizational effectiveness. To achieve a long-term, sustainable competitive
advantage, organizations should effectively acquire, develop, and retain human
assets. In this course, you will develop an understanding of how human resource
strategies contribute to organizational effectiveness and a firm’s competitive
advantage. You will also be required to explore some contemporary issues about
HRM which might lead to organizational success or failure.

2. Module Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this module, students should be able to:
a. Learn and apply major models in strategic human resource management,
such as universalistic or contingency approach.
b. Demonstrate an understanding of strategic human resource practices and
how to design and implement them strategically in organizations to
influence organizational effectiveness.
c. Develop a regard for ethics, as they play a role in strategic human
resource decisions, and an ability to make judgments based upon ethical
and environmental considerations.
d. Identify and analyze human resource management problems in
organizations and develop strategic solutions to these problems.

3. Assessment Methods
Assessment methods / tasks % Contribution Due Dates
to Module
Assessment
A. Class Participation 10% Continuous
25% March 25 (Week 8)
B. Mid-Term Test
12:30 - 13:30
C. Group Project & Presentation 25% Week 14 and 15
D. Individual Final Project 40% TBC
100%

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4. Teaching Schedule (Subject to Change)

Week Date Topic

2 Feb 10 Introduction

3 Feb 17 SHRM Models and HRM Strategies

4 Feb 24 Strategic Workforce Planning

Design and Redesign of Work Systems

5 Mar 3 Staffing

6 Mar 10 Training and Development

7 Mar 17 Compensation

8 Mid-Term Test (No Class)

9 Mar 31 Employee Separation and Retention Management

11 Apr 14 Ethics and Human Resource Management

12 Apr 21 Introduction to International HRM

13 Apr 28 HRM in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

14 May 5 Group Presentation

15 May 12 Group presentation

5. Textbooks and References

• Bailey, C., Mankin, D., Kelliher, C, & Garavan, T. (2018). Strategic human
resource management. Oxford: Oxford University Press
• Mellow, J. A. (2019). Strategic human resource management. Boston, MA:
Cengage Learning
• Steward, G. L. & Brown, K. G. (2020). Human resource management: Linking
strategy to practice. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
• Any appropriate articles will be available for download from Moodle.

6. Group Project + Presentation (25%)

Students will be divided into 8 groups (depends on the number of students). You
are requested to analyze and compare two companies’ HR strategies. In addition,
you have to examine whether each company’s HR strategy aligns with its
business strategy. Moreover, you must evaluate the effectiveness of its HR
strategy. In this case, you are advised to find a company where you are currently
working or your internship company. A consultation session will be arranged after
the mid-term test.

7. Individual Final Project (40%)

Relevant information will be announced in due course.

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 Appendix 1
Assessment Rubrics for Group Project + Presentation (25%)
Assessment Outstanding Good Satisfactory/ Fair Marginal Unsatisfactory
Criteria (Grade: A to A-) (Grade: B+ to B-) (Grade: C+ to C-) (Grade: D+ to D) (Grade: F)
Content (80%) Very good understanding of Good understanding of Understanding of the Display inadequate Display no knowledge of
central topic and identification the central topic and central topic knowledge of the topic the topic
of the relevant issues; identification of relevant
insightful and stimulating issues

Display very good command Display good command Display sufficient Display insufficient Display poor and
of research in the subject of research in the subject command of research in command of research in insufficient command of
matter matter the subject matter the subject matter research in the subject
matter

Highly sensible & creative Basically sensible & Recommendation/ action Recommendation/ action Recommendation/ action
recommendations/ action creative recommendations/ plan is fairly logical and plan is not very logical plan is not logical and
plan (if appropriate) action plan (if appropriate) creative (if appropriate) and lacks creativity (if lacks creativity (if
appropriate) appropriate).

Displaying very good flow of Displaying good flow of Reasonably good flow of Poor flow of logic and Poor flow of logic and
logic and structure logic and structure logic and structure structure structure

3
Oral Very well organized; Well organized; Evidence Fairly well organized; Fairly well-organized; Poorly organized;
Presentation Evidence of planning and of planning and Some evidence of Little evidence of
(20%) integration of information integration of information; planning and integration planning and integration
of information; of information;

Excellent use of visual aids Good use of visual aids Appropriate use of visual Inappropriate use of No visual aids used/visual
aids visual aids aids used are of poor
quality
Excellent presentation style; Good presentation style; Acceptable presentation Presentation style needs
Highly creative presentation Creative presentation style with some creativity improvement and Poor presentation style
creativity with no creativity

All team members fully and All team members All team members Little evidence of
actively involved actively involved involved teamwork No evidence of teamwork