ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY, ISLAMABAD

(Department of Business Administration)

Course: Human Resource Management (527) Semester: Autumn 2008

Level: MBA

CHECKLIST

This packet comprises the following material:

1)Text Book - Human Resource Management (Code # 527)

2)Assignments # 1 & 2
3)Course outline
4)Assignment 6 forms (2 sets)
5)Assignment submission schedule

In this packet, if you find anything missing out of the above-mentioned

material, please contact at the address given below: -

The Mailing Officer

Mailing Section, Block # 28
Allama Iqbal Open University,
Sector H/8, Islamabad.
Tel: (051) 9057611, 9057612

Mohammad Majid Mahmood Bagram

Course Coordinator
 ALLAMA IQBAL OPEN UNIVERSITY ISLAMABAD
(Department of Business Administration)

WARNING
1. PLAGIARISM OR HIRING OF GHOST WRITER(S) FOR SOLVING
THE ASSIGNMENT(S) WILL DEBAR THE STUDENT FROM AWARD
OF DEGREE/CERTIFICATE, IF FOUND AT ANY STAGE.
2. SUBMITTING ASSIGNMENTS BORROWED OR STOLEN FROM
OTHER(S) AS ONE’S OWN WILL BE PENALIZED AS DEFINED IN
“AIOU PLAGIARISM POLICY”.

Course: Human Resource Management (527) Semester: Autumn 2008

Level: MBA Total Marks: 100
ASSIGNMENT No. 1
(Units: 1–4)

Q. 1 Describe the new HR manager proficiencies. Why there is a need to know your
employment law? (20)

Q. 2 How HR can become competitive advantage to any organization? Also describe

various types of strategic plans. (20)

Q. 3 Discuss the nature of job analysis. How to design and conducting effective job
interviews? (20)

Q. 4 What are various internal and external sources of candidates in organizations?

Describe how to recruit a more diversified workforce. (20)

Q. 5 Why appraise HR performance? Describe major steps in appraising HR

performance with examples. (20)

ASSIGNMENT No. 2
(Units: 1–9) Total Marks: 100

This assignment is a research-oriented activity. You are required to visit a

business/commercial organization and prepare a paper of about 10 typed pages on the
topic allotted to you. You are required to prepare two copies of assignment # 2. Submit
one copy to your tutor/teacher for evaluation and the second copy for presentation in the
workshop in the presence of your resource persons and classmates, which will be held at
the end of the semester prior to final examination. Students studying at the approved
Study Centers of AIOU are required to present the same at their study centers.

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REPORT FORMAT
The report format should be as follows:
 Title page
 Acknowledgements
 Executive summary
 Contents
 Introduction to the topic
 Practical study of the organization with respect to the topic
 Data collection process
 Data analysis
 Conclusion
 Recommendations
 References
 Annexes (if any)

You may use transparencies, charts or any other material for effective presentation. You
are also required to select one of the following topics according to the last digit of your
roll number. For example, if your roll number is P-3427180 then you will select topic # 0
(the last digit): -
0) The five-step training and development process
1) Evaluating the training effort
2) Human resource scorecard approach
3) Comparing performance appraisal and performance management
4) Establishing strategic pay plans
5) The collective bargaining process
6) Work-place health hazards – problems and remedies
7) Recruitment & selection
8) The role of union
9) Potential rating scale appraisals - problems & solutions

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

Course Outline (527)
COURSE COORDINATOR:
Mohammad Majid Mahmood Bagram
Assistant Professor
Department of Business Administration, AIOU, Islamabad.
Tel: (051)-9057406

COURSE DESCRIPTION: This course covers the current issues within human
resource management, and provides a complete, comprehensive review of essential
human resource management concepts and techniques. Considering the intensely
competitive nature of business today, this course focuses on both the theoretical and
practical aspects of the broad human resource functions that all managers can use to deal

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with their HR-related responsibilities, while being able to defend their plans and
contributions in measurable terms.
The theoretical discipline is based primarily on the assumption that employees are
individuals with varying goals and needs, and as such should not be thought of as basic
business resources, such as trucks and filing cabinets whereas HRM is seen by
practitioners as a more innovative view of workplace management than the traditional
approach. HRM is also seen by many to have a key role in risk reduction within
organizations.

This course starts with introduction to the role of human resource management, and then
covers recruitment and placement, training and development, performance management
and appraisal, managing careers, compensation, labor relations and collective bargaining,
ethics, justice, and fair treatment in HR management and employee safety and health, and
managing global human resources.

BRIEF COURSE OUTLINE:

Unit # 1: Introduction – Human Resource Management

Unit # 2: Recruitment and placement
Unit # 3: Training and development
Unit # 4: Performance management and appraisal
Unit # 5: Managing careers
Unit # 6: Compensation
Unit # 7: Labor relations and collective bargaining
Unit # 8: Ethics, justice, and fair treatment in HR management and employee
safety and health
Unit # 9: Managing global human resources

DETAILED COURSE OUTLINE:

UNIT-1: INTRODUCTION – HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The Strategic Role of Human Resource Management:
 Importance of HR management
 Line and staff aspects of HRM
 The new HR manager proficiencies
 Need to know your employment law
 HR certification
 HR and technology
The Strategic Human Resource Management and the HR Scorecard:
 The strategic management process
 Types of strategic plans
 Achieving strategic fit
 HR and competitive advantage

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  The HR Scorecard Approach:
- Creating an HR Scorecard
- Using the HR Scorecard approach
UNIT-2: RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT
Job Analysis:
 The nature of job analysis
 Methods of collecting job analysis information
 Writing job descriptions
Personnel Planning and Recruiting:
 Planning and forecasting
 Know your employment law
 Internal and external sources of candidates
 Recruiting a more diverse workforce
Employee Testing and Selection:
 Basic testing concepts
 Types of tests
Interviewing Candidates:
 Types of interviews
 Designing and conducting the effective interview

UNIT-3: TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT

Training and Developing Employees:
 Orienting employees
 The training process:
- The strategic context of training
- The five-step training and development process
- Training, learning, and motivation
 Training methods:
- On-the-job training
- Off-the-job training
 Evaluating the training effort

UNIT-4: PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT AND APPRAISAL

 Basic Concepts in Performance Appraisal and Performance Management:
- Comparing Performance Appraisal and Performance Management
- Why Performance Management?
- Defining the employee’s goals and work efforts
 An introduction to Appraising Performance:
- Why appraise performance?
- Realistic appraisals
- Steps in appraising performance
- Graphic rating scale method

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  Appraising Performance: problems and solutions:
- Potential rating scale appraisals problems
- How to avoid appraisal problems
 The Appraisal interview

UNIT-5: MANAGING CAREERS

 The basics of career management:
- Careers today
- Career development
 Roles in career development
 Managing promotions and transfers:
- Making promotion decisions
- Handling transfers
 Career management and employee commitment:
- The new psychological contract
- Commitment-oriented career development efforts

UNIT-6: COMPENSATION
 Establishing Strategic Pay Plans:
- Steps in establishing pay rates
- Pricing managerial and professional jobs
- Competency-based pay
 Pay for Performance and Financial Incentives:
- Money and motivation
- Employee incentives and recognition programs
- Incentives for managers and executives
- Team/group variable pay incentive plans
- Organization-wide variable pay plans
 Benefits and Services:
- The benefits picture today
- Pay for time not worked
- Insurance benefits
- Retirement benefits
- Flexible benefits programs

UNIT-7: LABOR RELATIONS AND COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

 The labor movement:
- Brief history
- Why do workers unionize?
- What do unions want?
 Unions and the law

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  The collective bargaining process:
- What is collective bargaining?
- What is good faith?
- The negotiating team
- Bargaining items
- Bargaining stages
- Bargaining hints
- Impasses, mediation, and strikes
- The contract agreement
 Grievances:
- Sources of grievances
- The grievance procedure
- Guidelines for handling grievances
 The union movement – today and tomorrow

UNIT-8: ETHICS, JUSTICE, FAIR TREATMENT IN HR MANAGEMENT AND

EMPLOYEE SAFETY AND HEALTH
 Ethics and Fair Treatment at Work:
- The meaning of ethics
- Ethics and the law
- Ethics, fair treatment, and justice
 What shapes Ethical behavior at Work?
- Individual factors
- Organizational factors
- The Boss’s influence
- Ethics policies and codes
- The organization’s culture
 The Role of HR Management in Fostering Ethics and Fair Treatment:
- Why treat employees fairly?
- HR ethics activities
 Safety laws
 Management commitment and safety
 How to prevent accidents?
 Work-place health hazards – problems and remedies

UNIT-9: MANAGING GLOBAL HUMAN RESOURCES

 HR and the internationalization of business:
- The HR challenges of international business
- How inter-country differences affect HRM?
 Global differences and similarities in HR practices:
- Personnel selection procedures

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 - The purpose of the performance appraisal
- Training and development practices
 Staffing the global organization:
- International staffing: home or local?
- Off-shoring
- Values and international staffing policy

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RECOMMENDED BOOKS
 Human Resource Management by Gary Dessler. 10th Edition; Pearson/Prentice-
Hall Pub. 2005, ISBN: 0-13-144097-7.

 Legge, Karen (2004). Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities,

Anniversary Edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-403-93600-5.

 A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, Armstrong, Michael

(2006). 10th edition, London: Kogan Page. ISBN 0-7494-4631-5.

 Managing Human Resources by Wayne F. Cascio (International Edition).

 Organizational Success through Effective Human Resources Management by

Ronald R. Sims, Publisher: QUORUM BOOKS, Westport, London

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