This module engages critically with contemporary challenges facing how people are managed in organisations, both nationally and in global contexts. The module positions human resource management and employment as a 'field of study', exposing students to a range of theoretical frameworks and critical perspectives on how HR practices are formulated, enacted and experienced. The module examines the relationship between organisational strategy, employer and labour agency, and how these influence organisational performance. Importantly, performance is considered beyond narrow economic measures to include impacts on workers, multiple stakeholders such as trade unions, and wider society. Through this approach, students are encouraged to critically evaluate the role of HRM in addressing contemporary social, ethical, and global challenges.

This module examines contemporary human resource management in terms of national and global contexts, focusing on the relationship between organisational strategy, HRM practices, and performance. It explores competing theoretical perspectives on HRM and, adopting a stakeholder perspective, it critically analyses its impact on workers, organisations, and wider society. Key themes include competing perspectives and theories on HRM, inequality and precarious work, employee voice and power, sustainable and green HRM, and the promotion of decent work across in national and global multinational settings.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Critically evaluate key theoretical frameworks and debates in contemporary Human Resource Management in national and global contexts. Analyse the relationship between organisational strategy, HRM policy, and organisational performance, recognising multiple dimensions of performance and multiple key stakeholders. Assess the impact of HRM practices on different groups of workers across diverse national, institutional, and organisational contexts. Apply critical HRM concepts and frameworks to analyse real-world organisational cases and employment issues.

On successful completion of this module, students will be able to: Demonstrate ethical awareness by evaluating HRM decisions in relation to key stakeholders, social justice, sustainability, and decent work principles. Reflect critically on personal values and responsibility, and their future potential to impact positively on the world of work and broader society.

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Drawing on research, this module explores competing theories and different approaches to how people are managed in organisations, reflecting both national and global contexts. It develops a critical approach to learning to embed deeper reflective understanding and knowledge of lived contemporary employment and HR experiences. The content provides opportunities for in-class interaction, especially during tutorials. The module promotes collaboration, proactivity and action learning on the part of students as a means of stimulating critical evaluation of management practice and to encourage creativity and innovation in the student experience, encouraging them to become articulate (strong inter and intra-personal skills, empathetic, collaborative) and courageous (tenacious, resilient, robust, transformative, enterprising, innovative). The students are expected to actively participate in class discussion and analyses and are encouraged to draw from previous learning and any workplace experience, as/and if appropriate. They enhance their skills of communication, influencing, writing and presentation, research and inter-cultural knowledge and awareness, and are encouraged to reflect on the impact they can have on people, work, organisations and society in their future employment. the role of HRM in addressing contemporary social, ethical, and global challenges.