Human Resource Management

SEMESTER 1 2020/21

COURSEWORK BRIEF:

Module Code: MANG2011 Assessment: Individual Coursework Weighting: 100

Module Title: Human Resource Management

Module Leader: Tahir Nisar

Submission Due Date: @ 16:00 15 January 2021 Word Count: 3000

Method of Submission: Electronic via Blackboard Turnitin ONLY (Please ensure that your name does not appear on any part of your work)

Any submitted after 16:00 on the deadline date will be subject to the standard University late penalties (see below), unless an extension has been granted, in writing by the Senior Tutor, in advance of the deadline.

University Working Days Late: Mark:

1 (final agreed mark) * 0.9

2 (final agreed mark) * 0.8

3 (final agreed mark) * 0.7

4 (final agreed mark) * 0.6

5 (final agreed mark) * 0.5

More than 5 0

This assessment relates to the following module learning outcomes:

A. Knowledge and Understanding

B. Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

C. Transferable and Generic Skills 3

Coursework Brief:

Section A: Evaluate one problem from this section (The maximum word count is 1500 words). 1. HR Policy & Practice Go to the Web sites of the following organisations or one that interests you (Deliveroo – www.deliveroo.co.uk; Uber - www.uber.com; Airbnb - www.airbnb.co.uk). When there, go to the ‘Company Overview’ of the site, and then look at the HRM department (or focus on any HR related policy and practice including business strategy). Evaluate the goals of the HRM department (or company’s HR policy and practice) in the light of materials contained in the first two Chapters of Baron & Kreps (or five-factor framework). Write a report which draws out the common features (or distinctive features if you’re focusing on one company) and which identifies any key omissions. As a guide to your search ask the following questions. How the HR department organised? Do the department’s activities correspond to the key functional areas of HRM (e.g. staffing, compensation, training etc) Do the values listed here provide a good guideline for managerial behaviour at the company? Do the HR department’s objectives emphasize the strategic role of HRM? 2. On-line Recruitment You have been asked to carry out an independent assessment of the approach to online recruitment of different companies. Provide a report that covers the following: a. overall impression of the website and ease of navigation for applicants; b. the image portrayed and the values presented (of the company); c. key information (e.g. job description); d. how the website attempts to set expectations about work. The following sites can be visited: Monzo

https://monzo.com

Goldman Sachs https://www.goldmansachs.com NatWest Bank https://www.business.natwest.com

SEMESTER 1 2020/21

3. Information & Support for Professional Development You are the HRD (Human Resource Development) Manager of a large consultancy that employs a wide range of professionally qualified staff. You are tasked with developing a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) policy for different professional groups employed. Visit the Professional Associations Research network at http://www.parnglobal.com. This has a CPD centre providing access to case studies, guides and publications on CPD. A key group within the consultancy are engineers. www.theiet.org provides access to the Professional Development page of the Institution of Engineering and Technology. There are also solicitors – information at http://www.lawsociety.org.uk, and chartered accountants – at http://www.icaew.com. Write a summary of the key features of a CPD policy and the specific requirements for the different professional groups. Section B: Discuss one problem from this section – (Maximum word limit 1500). 1. Soton Data A large computer firm, Soton Data, trains mainframe computer operators. About twenty years ago, they were encountering the following problem. Soton Data provided the best training for computer operators and needed to train them for their own purposes. However, they lost a significant fraction of their trained operators to their competition and to other firms who were anxious to have Soton Data trained specialists. Obviously, training workers who then move on to other firms, especially rivals, is not a profitable strategy. Suggest some alternative or complementary strategies that Soton Data might have used to deal with the problem. How would your strategy work in the short-run versus the long run? Who would benefit and who would be harmed? 2. Thai Carpets Pok, a 1999 graduate of the Southampton MBA programme, runs a carpet manufacturing firm. He produces very high quality, expensive, hand-made carpets that require a good deal of design and production time. Pok faces penalties from his buyers if he does not deliver carpets on time. Pok was having a difficult time getting his weavers to deliver in a timely fashion. To expedite production, he instituted a bonus system, offering a 10% premium to those who completed their assigned work in a three- month period. The results were that very few changed their behaviour. On average, carpets still were completed in far more than three months. Pok concluded from this that money does not matter to the bulk of the Thai village weavers and that he should try some other method of motivation. Was he correct? What would you do in this situation? 3. AI and HR Policy and Practice Artificial intelligence’s (AI) recent evolution has been facilitated by the increasing availability of vast amounts of digital data, huge advancement in computational power and storage capacity, and significant engineering and scientific innovation in AI methods and tools. AI systems have been predicted to impact both citizens and society in ways we cannot yet conceive. Discuss the possible effects of AI on a company’s HR policy and practice.

4. Performance Management What kind of rater biases might be found in the performance appraisal process and how might these be managed?

SEMESTER 1 2020/21

Nature of Assessment: This is a SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT. See ‘Weighting’ section above for the percentage that this

assignment counts towards your final module mark.

Word Limit: +/-10% either side of the word count (see above) is deemed to be acceptable. Any text that exceeds an

additional 10% will not attract any marks. The relevant word count includes items such as cover page, executive

summary, title page, table of contents, tables, figures, in-text citations and section headings, if used. The relevant word

count excludes your list of references and any appendices at the end of your coursework submission.

You should always include the word count (from Microsoft Word, not Turnitin), at the end of your coursework

submission, before your list of references.

Title/Cover Page: You must include a title/ cover page that includes: your Student ID, Module Code, Assignment Title,

Word Count. This assignment will be marked anonymously, please ensure that your name does not appear on any part

of your assignment.

References: You should use the Harvard style to reference your assignment. The library provide guidance on how to reference in the Harvard style and this is available from: http://library.soton.ac.uk/sash/referencing

Submission Deadline: Please note that the submission deadline for Southampton Business School is 16.00 for ALL

assessments.

Turnitin Submission: The assignment MUST be submitted electronically via Turnitin, which is accessed via the

individual module on Blackboard. Further guidance on submitting assignments is available on the Blackboard support

pages.

It is important that you allow enough time prior to the submission deadline to ensure your submission is processed on time as all late submissions are subject to a late penalty. We would recommend you allow 30 minutes to upload your work and check the submission has been processed and is correct. Please make sure you submit to the correct assignment link. You will know that your submission has completed successfully when you see a message stating ‘Congratulations – your submission is complete…’. It is vital that you make a note of your Submission ID (Digital Receipt Number). This is a unique receipt number for your submission, and is proof of successful submission. You may be required to provide this number at a later date. We recommend that you take a screenshot of this page, or note the number down on a piece of paper. You should also receive an email receipt containing this number, and the number can be found after submitting by following this guide. This method of checking your submission is particularly useful in the event that you don’t receive an email receipt. You are allowed to test submit your assignment via Turnitin before the due date. You can use Turnitin to check your

assignment for plagiarism before you submit your final version. See “Viewing Your Originality Report” for guidance.

Please see the Module Leader/lecturer on your module if you would like advice on the Turnitin Originality report.

The last submission prior to the deadline will be treated as the final submission and will be the copy that is assessed by the marker. It is your responsibility to ensure that the version received by the deadline is the final version, resubmissions after the deadline will not be accepted in any circumstances. Important: If you have any problems during the submission process you should contact ServiceLine immediately by email at [email protected] or by phone on +44 (0)23 8059 5656.

Late Penalties: Further information on penalties for work submitted after the deadline can be found here.

SEMESTER 1 2020/21

Special Considerations: If you believe that illness or other circumstances have adversely affected your academic

performance, information regarding the regulations governing Special Considerations can be accessed via the

Calendar: http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIV/special-considerations.html

Extension Requests: : Extension requests along with supporting evidence should be submitted to the Student Office

as soon as possible before the submission date. Information regarding the regulations governing extension requests

can be accessed via the Calendar: http://www.calendar.soton.ac.uk/sectionIV/special-considerations.html

Academic Integrity Policy: Please note that you can access Academic Integrity Guidance for Students via the Quality

Handbook: http://www.southampton.ac.uk/quality/assessment/academic_integrity.page?. Please note any

suspected cases of Academic Integrity will be notified to the Academic Integrity Officer for investigation.

Feedback: Southampton Business School is committed to providing feedback within 4 weeks (University working days).

Once the marks are released and you have received your feedback, you can meet with your Module Leader / Module

Lecturer / Personal Academic Tutor to discuss the feedback within 4 weeks from the release of marks date. Any

additional arrangements for feedback are listed in the Module Profile.

Student Support: Study skills and language support for Southampton Business School students is available at:

http://www.sbsaob.soton.ac.uk/study-skills-and-language-support/.