This unit has been designed to assist you to develop (i) foundation knowledge across the scope of Human Resource Management, (ii) an understanding of the context in which HRM practice occurs, (iii) skills in HR problem solving, and (iv) comprehension, analytical and reflective skills.

Professor Christopher Leggett, Adjunct Professor in the School of Commerce, University of South Australia has written:

'The discipline of Human Resource Management (HRM) is a re-conceptualisation of Personnel Management to accommodate a strategic approach to the management of people in work organisations made necessary by technology and market changes. Many textbooks are nowadays titled Strategic Human Resource Management. Strategic or otherwise, HRM tends to be prescriptive and includes the management of Industrial Relations as a sub-function. It has a tendency to represent workplace harmony as the natural, or at least desirable, state of affairs and conflict as, if not unnatural, at least remediable.

Associated disciplines are Employment Relations and Industrial Relations. Authors use the term Employment Relations differently. For some it is merely a composite of Industrial Relations and HRM. For others it is a widening of the scope of Industrial Relations to include relationships that are not necessarily collective. The discipline of Industrial Relations is essentially concerned with the collective relations between workers and employers for the purpose of determining the employment terms and conditions of the former. To the extent that the state, through its agency of government, involves itself with these relations, it too is an object of study of the discipline. Where all three are involved the relationship is often said to be tripartite.

The origins of Personnel Management can be traced to several sources, but it was not until well into the nineteenth century in England, when the Factory Acts were passed and trade unions began to exercise some influence, that employers began to treat employees other than as an economic resource. The first appointed employees in this field were known as welfare workers. The title changed as the role evolved, progressing to labour managers, then to personnel officers and personnel managers.'

This unit will help people who want to make human resource management a career. No matter what discipline you work in: finance, marketing, engineering, production, or human resources, you will have to deal with the human side of enterprise if you are responsible for other people. I very much hope you find the unit to be useful, and I certainly hope you enjoy it as much as academic staff did in structuring it for you. 
  
The educational philosophy applied to the development of this unit is one of a true external program. It is assumed you are aware of the academic process and that you possess the skills necessary to progress independently in the materials set for each week. Accordingly, it is crucial that you have the ability to take control of your learning process and outcomes and be motivated to excel. We are keen to ensure the learning experience is interesting yet challenging  and that you experience an environment that encourages you to succeed. As with any student of the University of South Australia you will be asked to demonstrate good research skills and apply professional standards of preparation and presentation for all of your written work.

Please read and clearly understand the parts of this Unit Outline relating to assignments and assessment.

The preferred means for students to communicate about an OUA Unit, its content, assessment and any queries is via the Discussion Forum on the Unit Learnonline site. Some students choose to set up Facebook discussion pages to promote social contact and to discuss the course where they can control who participates. Whether discussing Unit content and assignments on the official Learnonline Discussion Forum, students using Facebook or any other social media need to be aware that: 
1.     There are risks in sharing assessable information in a public forum as other students may copy your ideas and they will be in breach of paragraphs 9.2.2 (c) and 9.2.1 (f) of the UniSA Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual. Both of these breaches usually incur a minimum penalty of zero for an assignment. 

2. Discussion on Facebook sites is not monitored by the unit coordinator and so may be misleading or wrong, and, without this supervision, students must be very careful in assuming that any technical discussion is accurate or relevant.

3. Under no circumstances should students engage in defamatory exchanges on Facebook sites – whether the postings relate to other students or to academic staff or to the University. If we become aware of any comments that are defamatory, the matter will be referred for formal action by the University’s lawyers if those comments are not retracted or removed upon request. Accordingly, we strongly suggest that your discussion on any forum must be of a professional standard and not involve any personal attack or openly derogatory statements.

All queries are directed to your tutors in the first instance. I am always happy to help you in the unlikely event your tutor is unavailable to answer your queries.

We wish you all the very best with your studies.

David Lane 
Unit Coordinator

Unit Coordinator:Mr David Lane
Email:  David.Lane@unisa.edu.au 
Telephone:  +61 8 8302 0818
Fax:  +61 8 8302 0512
Staff Home Page:people.unisa.edu.au/David.Lane

 

School Contact Details
School of Commerce
Postal Address: OUA Unit
School of Commerce,
GPO Box 2471
Adelaide, South Australia 5001

School Phone/ Enquiries: +61 8 8302 7192
School Fax: +61 8 8302 0992
School Email: cmr_oua@unisa.edu.au

OUA Student Advisers
Tel: +61 8 8647 6145
Fax: +61 8 8647 6082
Tel: 1300 361 450 (local call cost - mobile and payphone extra)
Email: ouainfo@unisa.edu.au
Website: www.unisa.edu.au/oua

In addition to the Unit Outline you will receive a letter which contains your unique UniSA student log in details. You will need these details to access your unit homepage via your UniSA student portal https://my.unisa.edu.au. If you do not receive your login letter prior to the commencement of the study period please contact OUA Student Advisers.

Please also check the OUA @ UniSA website for frequently asked questions and information on administrative processes for OUA students studying with UniSA. www.unisa.edu.au/oua

OUA students enrolled in UniSA units are eligible to use the Library to support their study. Regardless of where you live UniSA’s Off Campus Library Service can help you. Services include phone and online assistance, electronic document delivery to your desktop and postal delivery of loan items and documents. www.library.unisa.edu.au/services/oua/

Unibooks is UniSA’s preferred textbook supplier and textbooks can be purchased online at www.unibooks.com.au.

There are no prerequisite Subjects to be completed before this subject can be undertaken.

There are no corequisite Subjects to be completed in conjunction with this Subject.

To provide students with an appreciation of current theoretical, sociological and practitioner-based issues and developments in the fundamental aspects of human resource management.

On completion of this Subject, students should be able to:

CO1. Describe the main technical activities and responsibilities of human resource managers

CO2. Identify the implications of current and recent economic and sociological pressures on human resource management

CO3. Develop effective organisational responses to legal, political and ethical issues and developments which impinge on human resource practices and policies

CO4. Determine the changing roles and competencies of human resource practitioners in response to strategic and environmental modifications

Upon completion of this Subject, students will have achieved the following combination of Graduate Qualities and Subject Objectives:

An introduction to the effects of sociological, legal, economic, ethical, political, strategic and environmental changes, issues and developments on human resource management processes, practices, programs and policies.

4.5 unit points

Accessing the online environment
You must access the online environment to participate in this unit.
Contact the ITHelpdesk@unisa.edu.au if you have a problem accessing the website.

The examination
The compulsory  examination component of assessment does not have to be passed to gain an overall pass (or higher pass). A total  mark of 50% (or greater) gained from attempting all assessment requirements is considered a pass for this unit 

This unit involves a supervised exam. Please be sure to read the section entitled 'Assessment Summary' later in this Unit information. Alternatively, you can also access information about exam processes online at http://www.unisa.edu.au/oua/.

A table outlining the unit structure and study schedule is printed at the back of this guide. Please refer to it for important information regarding due dates for assignments.

Online discussion forum
As part of the online learning resources for this unit, you will be provided with access to an online discussion forum. To access this facility, you need to go to the unit home page and then click on the link to the discussion forum(s).
You can use this facility if you want to ask a question about the academic content of the unit. The Unit Coordinator and tutors will be checking the postings to the discussion forum on a regular basis and will reply to queries which have been posted.

Important Note: before you post a query, please check the earlier messages to make sure that your query has not been responded to previously. In addition, it is strongly recommended that you check the discussion forum regularly for any updated information from the Unit Coordinator. Similarly, it is recommended that you check the discussion forum before you submit particular assignments. Feedback for assignments will be provided on the discussion forum in addition to other resources which may assist you in your studies. Please take care with use of professional language in messages posted and please do not ask for private or personal information as this cannot be dealt with in a public online discussion. Please also refrain from using ‘sms language’ when posting messages on the discussion forum. Examples of this include “u" (you), "ppl" (people), "r" (are) etc. The Unit Coordinator reserves the right to remove any inappropriate and/or offensive messages without recourse.

Please note:
General administrative or personal queries should not be posted to the discussion forum; they should be sent to  ouainfo@unisa.edu.au  
Specific unit related administrative or personal queries should be sent to  busoua@unisa.edu.au  

You will need continual access to the following text(s) to complete this course. Where possible the Library will make the book available for student use. Please check the Library catalogue before purchasing the book(s). The Library will always seek to purchase resources that allow an unlimited number of concurrent users, however availability is dependent on license arrangements with book publishers and platforms. http://www.library.unisa.edu.au

Stone, RJ (2010). Managing Human Resources (3rd Edition). Wiley.

Beardwell, J & Claydon, T (eds) 2010, Human Resource Management: a Contemporary Approach, 6th edn, Prentice Hall, England. ISBN 0273739654;

Charmine, EJ and Fujimoto H and Y 2010, Human Resource Management, 2nd edition,NSW:Pearson. ISBN 9781442517981

Kramar, R ; Bartram,T. & De Cieri, H & 2011, Human Resource Management, 4th edition, McGraw-Hill, Australia. ISBN 9780070287112

Kreitner, R. and Kinicki, A. 2010 Organisational Behaviour. 9th edition. New York: McGraw Hill/Irwin ISBN 9780070182615; 00701826612

Stone RJ 2009 Managing Human resources: an Asian Perspective, 1st edition, Wiley, Milton Queensland .ISBN 978047081698

Storey, J. 2007 Human Resource Management: A critical text. 3rd edition U.K; Thomson Learning ISBN 9781844806157 (This text presents a radically different view of HRM from most other HRM texts).

Internet sites
Some internet sites of interest will be made available on the online unit pages.

Unit Outline 
Study Guide

(All other materials will be made available  online )

All other subject material can be accessed through your learnonline subject site. Once your Subject Coordinator has published the site, you will be able to access it from the my Courses section in myUniSA.

All study related materials can be accessed through: https://my.unisa.edu.au

The feedback proforma is available on your course site.

Weighting: 10%
Maximum 1,000 words ( 6 x approx 166 word annotated references)

What is an annotated bibliography?
Visit: http://resource.unisa.edu.au/mod/book/view.php?id=28384 

Assessment objective:
Explain the significance of the human resource management role in organisations, its different facets and its contribution to the achievement of corporate goals.

Required:
6 annotated references each of 166 words = approx. 1000 words in total

Your task:
Locate six (6) relevant references from the Human Resource Management literature which address the aim and objectives of the unit. You are encouraged to use these references in Assignment 2 when answering online questions set for the case studies at the end of each chapter of Stone (2010).

Your references should be from:

Refereed academic journal articles
Four (4) references will come  from refereed academic journal articles.
If you use journal articles before 2008 you must comment that they are either a seminal work or no other recent literature exists on the topic.
 
HRM textbook chapter
One (1) reference will come from an HRM textbook chapter.
The HRM textbook will be published between the years 2008–2012. (You can annotate a chapter of your prescribed textbook by Stone 2010 if you want to.)

One other reference
This can be sourced from:
Newspaper articles, business magazines, HRM research case studies, conference proceedings, or professional organisations such as the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI)

Start your search by using the refereed journal Human Resource Management  http://search.library.unisa.edu.au/Record/Default.aspx?bib=1191553
You should then widen your search from this journal to other refereed HRM journals,  a relevant chapter or part of a chapter in HRM texts, newspaper articles dealing with HRM issues, HRM magazines,  HRM research case studies, conference proceedings, and articles published by professional associations such as AHRI.

Presentation of your document
At the back of Assignment 1 attach a reference list of the 6 annotations using the Harvard method: http://resource.unisa.edu.au/mod/resource/view.php?id=9819   

Show a total word count for the six annotations (your references, headers, footers are not included in your word count) 

Visit the Unit Learnonline web page and look under 'Assessment 1 - Annotated Bibliography' for a comprehensive set of resources to assist you in providing a quality document.

Weighting: 30% 
Maximum 2,500 words ( 6 x approx 400 word postings)

This assignment overall provides the student with a weekly opportunity to apply HRM theoretical concepts to real-life experiences through a case study analysis based on organisations found at the end of chapters in your prescribed text Stone (2010).

Assignment objectives:

• demonstrate knowledge of the variety of techniques available to HR practitioners in carrying out the various activities of the operational HRM
• identify appropriate techniques for use in specific operational HRM situations

By  8 July 2013 each student is required to have made  3 contributions, that is:
EITHER 1 original and 2 response contributions 

OR  2 original and one response contribution

By  19 August 2013  each student will have submitted a further  3 contributions,  that is:
EITHER 1 original and 2 response contributions

OR  2 original and one response contribution

In all, this makes a total of six  (6)contributions for the whole unit, that is, 3 original contributions made by the student himself/herself, plus 3 response contributions to the work of other students.

Assignment 2 feedback
Your online tutor is responsible for the overall assessment as well as providing individual feedback which is emailed to you within 7 working days of the contribution being posted online. The feedback will:
 
(1) include a clear statement of the standard of the contribution ( but no specific grade provided) and include some indication of how the student can improve for next time
(2) be supplemented by additional follow up if you request further comment
(3) take into account comments placed on the unit discussion board
(4) at the end of the unit be based on the collation of all individual contributions thus providing a final grade for each student.

Think very carefully and read widely before making your contributions.

Visit the Unit Learnonline website and look under 'Assessement 2 -Online Case Study' for a comprehensive set of resources to assist you in providing quality contributions.

Study Period 2 2013 Sample Examination

University of South Australia
Exam Code(s): EHS 200
Title of Paper: Foundations of Human Resource Management
Exam Duration: 2 hours
Reading Time: 10 minutes

During this exam, you must not have in your possession, any book, notes, paper, electronic device(s), calculator, pencil case, mobile phone or other material/item which has not been authorised for the exam or specifically permitted as noted below. Any material or item on your desk, chair or person will be deemed to be in your possession. You are reminded that possession of unauthorised materials in an exam is a discipline offence.

Authorised Materials
Calculators   No
Open Book    No
Specifically Permitted Items    No

Marking Allocation
Section A 20
Section B 20
Section C 20
Total =  60 marks

Students must complete this section
OUA ID:
Student Provider ID:
Family name:
Other names (in full):

No examination papers are to be removed from the room.

SECTION A
Answer Either Question 1 OR Question 2 OR Question 3        (20 marks)

1. Demonstrate your knowledge of each of the following HR topics, referring to the eReadings and/or video clips prescribed for this unit.

Appraising and managing employee performance
Managing diversity
Assessing HRM effectiveness

OR

2. In what way are all these HR practices/systems interrelated?
Rewarding human resources
Employee health and safety
Job analysis
Recruitment

OR

3. Explain, using examples, why each step outlined in Stone (2010) is important in employee selection.


SECTION B
Answer Question 4   (20 marks)

4. Strategic HRM
During this Study Period you were required to make both original and response contributions to case studies of your choice found in Stone 2010. When reading and thinking about the HR problems in the case studies to which you contributed, would you describe the actions of the HR practitioners as strategic, and if so, in what way were they strategic? Please state your conclusion and give reasons and examples to back up your thinking.


SECTION C         (20 marks)
Section C consists of 50 questions (25 multiple-choice questions, 25 true/false questions)
ALL CANDIDATES MUST ANSWER ALL 50 QUESTIONS IN SECTION C
Each question is of equal value (0.4 marks) and the total mark for Section C is 20.
There will be at least one multiple-choice and one true/ false question on each chapter of Stone 2010.

You may make notes on this Question Sheet..
Your answers must be entered only on the green Answer Sheet on page 10. Don’t forget to enter your family name, initials and your student number on the green Answer Sheet.
Both Answer Sheet and Question Sheet must be handed up on completion of the exam.

The following multiple-choice questions are numbered 1-25  inclusive.
For each multiple-choice question, 4 possible answers are provided. One is the best answer, and will score full marks. The other choices will score O.

1) The HR approach which stresses competitive advantage and performance improvement is known as:
a. Instrumental
b. Humanistic
c. Strategic
d. Adaptive.

2) Linking HR planning with corporate strategy allows the HR manager:
a. to understand the role he/she plays within the organisation
b. to influence the future structure of the organisation’s management
c. to anticipate and influence the future HR requirements of the organisation
d. to more clearly understand the impact of increased global competition

3) Unfair dismissal is defined as being:
a. when no period of notice has been given
b. when the period of notice has been insufficient
c. where the employee has been terminated for reasons of unlawful discrimination
d. where a termination is harsh, unjust or unreasonable

4) The written statement of why a job exists, what the job holder actually does, how they do it and under what conditions the job is performed, is known as:
a. job evaluation
b. job context
c. job description
d. job specification

and so on to question 25

The True/False questions are numbered 26-50 inclusive

26. HRM strategies are functional strategies, like financial or marketing strategies, and must be an integrated part of its overall business strategy. True/False

27. Replacement charts focus on future skills and positions in the company. True/False

28. The HRIMS cannot be used by an organisation to provide or develop a competitive edge. True/False

29. An accurate, unambiguous job description outlines the requirements of a position, and

And so on ...until question 50


How much time will I spend on each Section?

You have three Sections to answer in 120 minutes.
Therefore allow around 40 minutes per Section.

The UniSA Business School policy is as  follows:

Assignments must be submitted by the designated time and due date.

 10% a day will be deducted from the total available mark, for up to 7 calendar days.

After 7 calendar days the assignment will no longer be accepted.

Supplementary assessment is not available for this unit.

All students must adhere to the University of South Australia's policies about assessment:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/manual/default.asp.

Students with disabilities may be entitled to a variation or modification to standard assessment arrangements.

Policy for students with disabilities is available at:
http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/policies/corporate/C07.asp.

If you indicated you have a disability when you enrolled through Open Universities Australia, you will be sent a letter about UniSA services for students with disabilities. UniSA encourages you to develop a Disability Access Plan with the Learning and Teaching Unit Disability Service. http://www.unisa.edu.au/disabilityservices/default.asp

Variation to assessment methods, tasks and timelines can be provided in:

1. Unexpected or exceptional circumstances, for example bereavement, unexpected illness (details of unexpected or exceptional circumstances for which variation can be considered are discussed in clauses 7.5 & 7.6 of the Assessment Policy and Procedures Manual). Variation to assessment in unexpected or exceptional circumstances should be discussed with your course coordinator as soon as possible.
2. Special circumstances, for example religious observance grounds, or community services (details of special circumstances for which variation can be considered are discussed in clause 7.8 of the Assessment Policy and Procedures Manual). Variations to assessment in expected circumstances must be requested within the first two weeks of the course (or equivalent for accelerated or intensive teaching).

More information about variation to assessment may be found by consulting the relevant policy: http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/manual/default.asp (sections 3 and 7).

The University aims to foster and preserve the scholarly values of inquiry, experimentation, critical appraisal and integrity, and to foster these values in its students.

Academic integrity is a term used at university to describe honest behaviour as it relates to all academic work (for example papers written by staff, student assignments, conduct in exams, etc) and is the foundation of university life. One of the main principles is respecting other people's ideas and not claiming them as your own. Anyone found to have used another person's ideas without proper acknowledgement is deemed guilty of Academic Misconduct and the University considers this to be a serious matter.

The University of South Australia wants its students to display academic integrity so that its degrees are earned honestly and are trusted and valued by its students and their employers. To ensure this happens and that students adhere to high standards of academic integrity and honesty at all times, the University has policies and procedures in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct for all students. Work submitted electronically by students for assessment will be tested using the text comparison software Turnitin.

More information about academic integrity and what constitutes academic misconduct can be found in Section 9 of the Assessment Policies and Procedures Manual (APPM) at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/policies/manual/ or on the Learning and Teaching Unit website at: http://www.unisa.edu.au/ltu/integrity/default.asp

There will be a student evaluation for this Unit.  Academic staff take student feedback seriously and where possible act on it.

EXTENSIONS TO ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES
GENERAL 
For this unit, a 7-day extension may be allowed but this is not automatic and it must be applied for via the learnonline website.

Students should note the following:
Requests for an extension of time for submission of an assignment should be made at least two days before the due date of the assignment via the "Extensions" menu on the Unit website. Please monitor your request on the unit learnonline site so you will know if your extension has been approved.   Students will need to provide supporting documentation for exentsions of more than 7 days.

The UniSA Business School policy is as  follows:
Assignments must be submitted by the time specified on the due date. 10% a day will be deducted from the total available mark, for up to 7 calendar days. After 7 calendar days the assignment will no longer be accepted, unless students have provided supporting documentation.

Extensions of more than 7 days (but no longer than 10 days) may be granted to students, only in exceptional circumstances (for example, genuine illness, family bereavement) and where supported by a medical certificate or other evidence. Work commitments or pre-arranged holidays are insufficient grounds on which to apply for or be granted an extension. Many  students studying this unit are working and studying at the same time. As such, it is a question of equality and fair treatment for all. 

Important note about all extensions- the possible consequences of a late submission
Please think through the consequences of late submission of assignments. We will endeavour to return assignments on a timely basis but a first assignment submitted late may not be able to be returned to you in time to learn from the feedback before completing assignment 2. Second assignments submitted late may not be returned before the exam. Extra time spent on an assignment may reduce the time you have available to do the next assignment or to study for the exam. A 13-week study period can pass very quickly!