Course Information Form (CIF) The CIF provides core information to students, staff teams and others on a particular course of study. Section 1 - General Course Information Course Title Qualification Intermediate Qualification(s) International Human Resource Management MA Postgraduate Certificate Postgraduate Diploma Awarding Institution University of Bedfordshire Location of Delivery Mode(s) of Study and Duration Core Teaching Pattern AA (University Square Campus) 12 months Full Time 15 months Full Time CP3 & CP6 FHEQ Level Level 7 Professional, Statutory or Regulatory Body (PSRB) accreditation or endorsement PSRB Renewal Date University of Bedfordshire Employability accreditation Route Code (SITS) Subject Community UCAS Course Code Relevant External Benchmarking N/A N/A N/A MAIHRAA/ MAYHRAAF HRM N/A QAA Subject benchmarks, Masters level Business and Management (2007),http://www.qaa.ac.uk/en/Publications/Documents/Subjectbenchmark-statement-Masters-degrees-in-business-andmanagement.pdf QAA Master s Degree Characteristics (March 2010), which can be found at: http://www.ehea.info/uploads/submitedfiles/5_2013/113542.pdf Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development Course Information Form (CIF) - February 2014 - QAP0021 Page 1 of 10
Section 2 - Published Information Material in this section will be used on the course web site to promote the course to potential students. The text should be written with this potential audience in mind. Course Structure The Units which make up the course are: Unit Code Level Credits Unit Name Core or option SHR027-6 7 15 International Business Environment Core PRO017-6 7 15 Leading and Developing People in Core Organisations SHR029-6 7 15 International and Comparative Human Core Resource Management SHR030-6 7 15 Employee Engagement Core SHR031-6 7 15 Personnel Resourcing Core SHR032-6 7 15 Human Resource Development Core SHR058-6 7 15 Reward Management Core SHR033-6 7 15 Engaging with Research Core LNG002-6 7 15 Communication in Business Core SHR054-6 7 45 Applied Human Resource Management Core Project Why study this course With globalisation and increased global competition, there is a growing recognition that an organisation's success is critically dependent upon effective management of its employees. To be competitive and meet increasing challenges, it is increasingly vital to have skilled, committed and empowered employees who gain satisfaction from meeting the goals of the organisation. The human resource management practitioners can play a vital role in bringing their special expertise to bear on the challenges presented. This course gives you the opportunity to develop as an HR practitioner from an international perspective, and to develop specialist knowledge and expertise in human resource management (HRM) for national and international practice, with an emphasis on strategic issues. More specifically, this Masters programme gives students the opportunity to explore some debates about the employment relationship that are fundamental to organisations, attempt to answer the questions posed, while allowing students to develop their skills and understanding to enable them to contribute in an effective way to organisational success. More specifically, this HRM course provides students with essential knowledge, understanding and skills required to be effective HR practitioners. Through critical analysis and investigation they develop an understanding of the business and international context within which HR operates, as well as the role of HR in driving organisational performance. Course Summary Educational Aims The course aims to equip you with the knowledge and understanding of excellent practice in Human Resource Management (HRM) across the various specialist areas of this field and across national and international contexts, and to develop your generic management capabilities to ensure you are able to contribute to the progression of a business. The course also aims to develop your professional competence and skills of analysis to manage and work with complex data for business decision making and problem solving, and to analyse complex people management and development problems critically, rationally and rigorously, and to make informed decisions by creatively and systematically applying the knowledge and understanding of HR concepts and practice. Overall, the course aims to enhance your lifelong learning skills, continuing personal and professional development capacity, to enable you to work with self-direction and originality as thinking performers, thus contributing to business performance and society as a whole. Entry requirements Standard entry requirements for UK students http://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/postgraduatestudy Students from the European Union - http://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/eu/guides Course Information Form (CIF) - February 2014 - QAP0021 Page 2 of 10
International students - http://www.beds.ac.uk/howtoapply/international/apply PSRB details Graduate Impact Statements The course has been designed to develop graduates who are able to: 1. Operate across a spectrum of complex environments which require the selection and application of a range of appropriate tools, techniques and information sources. 2. Act within an autonomous or group based environment to both formulate and apply decisions and to accept responsibility for the outcomes of the decision making process. 3. Demonstrate a deep and systematic understanding of the subject matter and undertake independent analysis to evaluate the interrelated issues contributing to its development. 4. Design, develop and implement a programme of substantial, independent research to address relevant areas of theory and practice through the application of the relevant research methodology. 5. Apply acquired knowledge in a flexible and creative manner to resolve a range of complex people management issues and demonstrate competencies in effective communication and strategic management across different organisational and national contexts. Higher Education Achievement Report - Additional Information The embedded Practice weeks, will enable you to work on practical/real issues in business and human resource management. It will also enable you to identify and understand how best practices in the field are applied by different organisations. The Applied Human Resource management project is an applied piece of work that integrates theory, systematic enquiry and organisational practice. It will provide you with an opportunity to identify a real HR issue and use your skills and knowledge to research the relevant question and investigate a 'live' people management issue or problem, and provide useful recommendations that seek to persuade businesses to change or adopt a particular policy or practice. Throughout the course you will develop as a 'thinking performer'. Learning and Teaching The teaching and learning approach will be to build upon experiences that you will have developed and experienced through your previous studies at degree level. You will be encouraged to reflect critically on your previous experiences to assess the theory and other learning material presented in the course, and make suggestions as to the best way to apply your learning. At Masters level you will be expected to be an autonomous learner and to take responsibility for your own learning and development. The learning methods used are designed to help and enable you to work in complex and unpredictable fields and to continuously review your own learning needs. You will be supported to achieve this through contact with your tutors, as well as your fellow students. The underpinning philosophy of the face-to-face lectures, presentations and seminars reinforce the concept of a thinking performer who displays and offers a high level of expertise in your professional field and can apply a depth of knowledge and systematic understanding of HR principles and practice within a business organisation. You will be enabled to develop a critical insight into the world of people and organizations and how best to manage them within the modern global infrastructure. Formal teaching will use a range of teaching and learning approaches including lecture/seminar presentations/discussions (where the lecturer seeks opportunities to develop informal discussion and debate as the lecture progresses) the use of case studies and problem solving, individual and group presentations, and individual tutorial support for the project. A flexible and technology-enhanced approach to learning activities is adopted to ensure that you will have the opportunity to personalise your learning according to your preferred learning style and to support your personal development. There will be an emphasis on group work, particularly informally in the seminars and presentations, throughout the course. This approach to learning is further reinforced by the use of the online virtual-learning environment BREO. The facilities of BREO enables you to collaborate with your fellow students, and is especially helpful when you are new to the studying in Higher Education in the UK. You will be encouraged to meet tutors individually if you have any problems or areas needing clarification. Writing the major research project gives you an opportunity to develop the ability to think systematically and conceptually, construct a sustained reasoned argument and to analyse, synthesis and criticise business and human resource management ideas. You are required to take the project in order to have an opportunity to engage in substantive research in your chosen topic; to engage in writing of a professional scholarly kind and to draw on the learning experiences from your unit studies. Course Information Form (CIF) - February 2014 - QAP0021 Page 3 of 10
The learning strategy will ensure that there is progressive advancement of knowledge and understanding throughout the programme, supporting personal responsibility for learning and continuing professional development. The continuous improvement of strategic and operational competence is embedded in the course curriculum and the commitment to lifelong learning supported by the University will be ensured. The course team have worked to ensure that the learning experience is realistic for you and will help to ensure you are able to contribute actively and professionally in your future employment. You will not just acquire subject knowledge and understanding but you will develop wider capabilities that will ensure you have the credibility of a future strategic manager. Developing your employability Throughout the course the focus will be on the identification, analysis, evaluation and application of different exogenous and indigenous factors that influence firms' business environment and their approach to the management of human resources nationally and across borders. Embedding these transferable skills within the course is a conscious decision to, not only develop academic thinking, but also to prepare you for the demands that will be encountered in professional practice. In addition to which the range of learning and assessment tasks which you will undertake enables you to develop a range of communication skills, both as an individual and as a group. It encourages and develops your ability to engage confidently and appropriately with the subject area and audience reporting their actions autonomously and competently. The preparation and conduct of the major HRM project requires not only the application of HRM knowledge to a broad ranging and complex issues and necessitates additional skills including time management, management of pressure to deadlines, concision in writing plus the ability to follow an idea from conception through to final delivery. Department (s) Management and Business Systems Assessment The overall strategy is to achieve a balance between the assessment of academic understanding and evaluation, and the assessment of competences and skills that are valuable in organizations. Assessments are structured to ensure that the course and unit aims and objectives are achieved and clear indications are given on the assessment brief relating to the specific learning outcomes. The assessments are designed to test and assess knowledge and understanding of the appropriate subject matter, as well as to demonstrate the capabilities embodied in the learning outcomes of the subject areas/units comprising the course. Assessment is organised to be motivational as well as an integral learning opportunity and is benchmarked to ensure that the standards of the University are upheld. Your tutors will ensure that formative continuous feedback are built into the units of study to ensure that progressive feedback is given to you to help build confidence, skills and knowledge on a continuous basis; a common method of achieving this is through group work and feedback involving self-assessment and constructive criticism during the formal tutorial sessions. Each unit has at least one summative assessment and such assessments provide formal feedback and reflect measures of achievements linked to the formal learning outcomes of each unit. Assessment strategies will focus on developing wider attributes and skills as well as testing knowledge and understanding. You will be encouraged in the face-to-face sessions to continuously self-assess your progress and for the formal assessments; you will have detailed assessment briefs clearly articulating the task and expectations required to obtain a pass level and the higher grades. You will receive focused, meaningful and timely feedback designed to build confidence and motivation and to support further learning. After Graduation Career: On completing this course you are likely to progress into one or more of the following areas: Professional generalist role in the human resource management field; Professional roles in a specialist field within human resource management: employee resourcing, employee reward, employee relations, employee development; Management positions within the human resource management and development function; Further study: Consultancy positions concerned with the management and development of employees; Professional roles within organisations concerned with public policy matters relating to employment affairs Course Information Form (CIF) - February 2014 - QAP0021 Page 4 of 10
On completing this course you are likely to progress onto: Higher degree by research (e.g. PhD) Professional doctorate (e.g. DBA) Student Support during the course You will undergo an induction programme upon entry to the degree to introduce the key features of the University and specific aspects of the course. The induction programme is carried out both at the School of Law and at University level. Throughout the course, you will have access to the Academic Advisory Service within the Faculty, as well as central services provided by the University e.g. student counsellors and the Student Union. Full information about these services will be provided in the course handbook and in the Law Subject Community. English language support is also available anyone who require additional support in the use of English language. You are encouraged to approach staff should you have any difficulties (including special learning difficulties). All members of staff are required to post outside their offices regular times when they are available to meet you ( office hours ). In addition to the regular office hours, you may take an appointment to see any member of staff, including the Head of Department. For further information with regard to referral arrangements and other matters concerning the support we offer during the course, see http://www.beds.ac.uk/studentlife/student-support/sid, and the Law Subject Community. Students with disabilities The University of Bedfordshire is committed to supporting students with disabilities, and we do all we can to ensure we are accessible and welcoming to all. The Disability Advice Team is always available to discuss any issues you may have and provide solutions and services. The University Health and Well Being team gives access to the University's specialist counselling service, to health advice, disability and dyslexia specialist assistance. For further information, please visit: http://www.beds.ac.uk/studentlife/studentsupport/health/disabilities Course Information Form (CIF) - February 2014 - QAP0021 Page 5 of 10
Assessment Map Unit Code C/O 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 LNG002-6 C CW- Port SHR027-6 C WR-I F G CW- CS PRO017-6 C CW- F G EX CS SHR031-6 C CW- F G EX-CS CS SHR029-6 C WR-I F G WR- Bus SHR030-6 C CW- LR F G CW- CS SHR032-6 C CW- CS F G CW- RW SHR058-6 C PJ- Coll EX-CS (F) SHR033-6 C WR-I F G SHR054-6 C WR-I FG PJ- Proj/ CW- RW CW-CS Case study CW-Port Portfolio CW-LR Literature review CW-RW Reflective writing EX-PT Summative in-class test EX Exam PJ-Proj Project report PR-Coll Collaborative activity WR-I - Individual report WR-Post - Poster WR-Bus Business report F Feedback to students G Provisional grades released Course Information Form (CIF) - February 2014 - QAP0021 Page 6 of 10
Section 3 - Academic Information This section will be used as part of the approval and review process and peer academics are the target audience. Course Learning Outcomes Upon successful completion of this course, graduates should be able to:- 1. Demonstrate a strategic and systematic understanding of current and relevant HR research and key debates within the field of HRM (all modules) 2. Critically reflect and develop constructive solutions to business problems within a business organisation to enable you to operate as a business partner with other key managers (all modules) 3. Evaluate published research and current expert thinking, to assess its relevance to challenging business scenarios and to apply this understanding as a key change agent within your organisation (all modules) 4. Extrapolate from existing practice and research to synthesise and create new and revised approaches to established HR and business practice to maximise profitability and maximise people contribution 5. Understand and be able to apply practically some research techniques to enable you to systematically research and investigate key HR issues and to identify reasoned and creative business solutions (Project) 6. Develop confidence to enable you to communicate persuasively and influentially at all hierarchical levels within the organisation, both orally and in writing 7. Understand and evaluate the role of strategic HR partner and business leader, and to apply current and relevant research and practice to ensure the sustainability and the credibility of the function within the organisation (all modules) 8. Demonstrate the qualities and capabilities expected of a professional manager and to work in partnership with senior managers within your business to successfully measure, develop and maximise organisational people potential. Course-specific regulations N/A Teaching, Learning and Assessment The key strategy that underpins the approach to teaching, learning and assessment is the development not only of specialist skills and knowledge in the field of HRM but also the development of a range of transferable skills in the student cohort, and as part of developing students' employability. Assessments are used to test powers of analysis, synthesis, criticism and argument. Also, the ability to communicate and engage confidently in academic and professional communication will be tested. All written coursework assessments and the compulsory major project draw upon your research skills in terms of identifying and locating relevant primary and secondary sources. These will also build in a summative manner on the skills developed via the Core modules in Semesters one and two. As the learning process requires effective engagement with information drawn from a wide range of media, all assessments, therefore, test your ability to manage information from this range, and your ability to access and synthesised information from a range of media; to demonstrate management of that information and appropriate and effective communication of that information The major project is used not only as the medium to test the student s ability to analyse, synthesise, criticise and construct an argument independently, but also provides a vehicle to develop creative as well as intellectual abilities. It will also enable the demonstration of management of information; application via making decisions in a complex and, potentially, unpredictable situation and an awareness of ethical implications. Written communication skills are assessed through written course work in the forms of problem solving exercises, literature reviews, formative exercises and the project. Time-constrained examinations test the ability to write coherently and concisely under pressure. All of these activities will require you to demonstrate autonomy, self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems Additional Academic Information Course Information Form (CIF2013-4) Page 7 of 10
Peer-assisted learning (PAL) Initial Assessment International Business Environment (SHR027-6); Individual Report in week 6. Improving students learning In studying this Master's course, an integrated approach to learning is adopted in which formal taught aspects of the academic discipline is blended with independent study. As this course attracts a large number of international students with diverse backgrounds, the initial phase of the course is to introduce academic content alongside a range of skills which will support the presentation of work, the research process and academic writing. Students will be taught how to improve their learning progressively, starting with Communication in Business unit in the first semester. All support services will be available to students and information on how to access them will be provided. Beyond that, the course is designed in a way to gradually improve student learning through lectures, seminars and individual contact hours. All informative material and resources will be uploaded on BREO and all staff will be available during designated office hours or by appointment. Feedback on student assessment will be given in a timely manner and according to University regulations. We will help students to take on the responsibility of improving their own learning by providing uninterrupted support in the early stages and by developing their independence throughout the course. The outcome of this continuous process will be well informed students and independent learners, able to manage their own career and continuing learning. Academic Integrity Throughout students' study on the course great effort is made to ensure that students are well versed in the correct and appropriate methods to accurately and precisely reference materials and the standards required for good academic practice. The induction programme deals with a number of issues which can arise during a period of study within the University of Bedfordshire and therefore students are made familiar with the different forms of academic misconduct, how to ensure work is consistent with good practice, and the serious consequences for committing academic misconduct. The units Communication in Business and Engaging with Research are designed to deal with many aspects of academic integrity and as such lay the foundation for techniques that will be employed to support research enquiry and academic writing. In particular, the Communication in Business Unit will develop your understanding and approach to research in the first stage of your studies, while the Engaging with Research Unit will focus on more in-depth knowledge of research and its application to prepare you for conducting your Applied Human Resource Management Project in the Final/Masters Stage of your studies. Overall, the research techniques provided include the identification of secondary and primary and secondary sources and their application in research and the utilisation of Harvard referencing standard. This approach is continually reinforced throughout the course experience and many units will demand the effective application of skills in respect of information sources, academic presentation and referencing. HEAR implementation TBA Internationalisation The focus of this international human resource management course is on the International Environment and the Management of Human Resources in different international markets and in international organisations operating in different sectors. In this sense an opportunity is taken throughout the individual units and the Course Information Form (CIF2013-4) Page 8 of 10
course itself to draw comparison between HRM practices across countries, the approaches of multinational companies to the management of their human resources across borders, and the different international business environments that impact upon international and global business. Sustainability TBA Course Information Form (CIF2013-4) Page 9 of 10
Section 4 - Administrative Information This section will be used as part of the approval and review process and peer academics are the target audience. Faculty Portfolio Department/School/Division Course Coordinator UBBS PG (HRM) Management and Business Systems Dr Faten Samar Baddar Version Number 1/15 Approved by (cf Quality Handbook ch.2) University Approval Panel Date of approval (dd/mm/yyyy) 17 February 2015 Implementation start-date of this version (plus any identified end-date) 2015/16 Form completed by: Name: Faten Samar Baddar Date:..09.01.2015 Authorisation on behalf of the Faculty Teaching Quality and Standards Committee (FTQSC) Chair: Date:... Course Updates Date (dd/mm/yyyy) Nature of Update FTQSC Minute Ref: Course Information Form (CIF2013-4) Page 10 of 10