Human Resource Strategy

The question ‘when is people management strategic human resource management?’ is currently a major debating point for both human resource professionals and academics. What is not in doubt is the increasing requirement for human resource professionals to be able to demonstrate that their policies are embedded in the organisational strategy, and that they are fully geared towards achieving better business performance.

This course is designed to provide students with the opportunity to progress from existing postgraduate qualifications allowing students to achieve a Masters qualification. Students will undertake a taught module in Research Methods, and then a dissertation.

Research Methods

This module provides practical skills essential for successful academic research. The skills of gathering, analysing, interpreting and presenting data are also critical in the work place. The module will be offered on the basis of either one afternoon or evening per week for twelve weeks or two three-day workshops. The module will prepare students for the process of undertaking their dissertation by exploring a wide range of quantitative and qualitative research methodologies and tools.

The module will be assessed on the basis of a written assignment, which will give students the opportunity to practice the data collection and analysis methods covered during the module.

Dissertation

All students will be required to undertake a dissertation of 20,000 words. The dissertation must relate to a strategic human resources issue, and in most cases will involve research undertaken in the student’s own organisation. This will provide the opportunity for students to undertake in depth research into an issue which is of genuine interest to themselves in their professional development, and which will also be of benefit to their employer. Students will have 12 months to complete the dissertation, following completion of their Research Methods module. Students will be allocated a tutor to supervise and support their research.

Mode of Attendance : Full - time