Studying at York
Applied HR, Business and Society - MAN00062H
- Department: The York Management School
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2023-24
- See module specification for other years: 2024-25
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Semester 1 2023-24 |
Module aims
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Meet the changing learning needs of our student cohorts at UG level as well as recognising the changing nature of work within business and societal contexts and the central role that HR plays within those changes.
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Expose students to complex HR and business matters they would not normally gain experience in prior to commencing their careers – but through a supported learning environment.
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Support students in developing the relevant competencies (behaviour, knowledge and skills) in resolving and facilitating complex HR and business matters, to enable them to hone such competencies more effectively and intuitively within their careers.
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Gain experience within a research led academic but creative theatre based teaching environment - one which will enable them to cite practical experience at interviews for future jobs - experience they would not otherwise have gained.
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Be supported and facilitated in how theory works in practice in the face of challenging business and societal contexts through an innovative but relevant assessment design and more in-keeping with the employment demands students will face after graduation.
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For students on a year in industry track - this module will seek to offer a relevant and versatile extension of their placement year in which to further hone their HR, business and societal experience in the absence of students’ personal experiences of organisations.
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Provide students with an advantage over their peers, after graduation, within an increasingly competitive and changing employment market.
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Provide block teaching during weeks in which theatre performances will be held to maximise learning transfer.
Module learning outcomes
By the end of this module, students should be able to:
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More effectively resolve and act upon HR business matters while being cognisant of the societal influences of such matters.
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Analyse, diagnose and offer solutions to complex HR business realities – quickly and in real time, whilst drawing upon relevant theoretical principles.
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Demonstrate a range of necessary, supportive and ethical responses and behaviours that would be appropriate when handling employee / employer work-based conversations.
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Build a repertoire of organisational / business behavioural approaches necessary to pursue a career within HR and business related fields, within a changing societal context.
Module content
Lectures: Given the module focus it is intended that formal lectures will be focused in the following way:
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HR Theory: x 3
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Business Theory x 3
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Societal Theory – Business & HR context x 3
Seminars: It is intended that seminars will support the students as normal in reflecting and critiquing the specific theories presented in each lecture - week to week and activities to help students align theory to the theatre performances / HR Short plays
Workshops: These will be used to facilitate the theatrical performances x 3 undertaken by professional actors. Each will be based upon a scenario relating to each of the three lecture foci .i.e. Societal factors impacting Organisations; HR and Business – where each performance showcases a fictitious organisational scenario that demonstrates how related theories were applied in the given context; sometimes well; sometimes poorly and / or differently to how theoretical problems and solutions may have been presented within lectures. The specified duration of the workshops is to accommodate both the performance as well as a specific approach used to cultivate engagement of the students. Here students will be encouraged to critique, and if necessary correct, the ‘applied’ nature of the scenario either through advice to the performers and / or by displacing the performers and undertaking a role within the performance in order to demonstrate a more conducive approach – from the students’ perspectives. The workshops will also afford time to discuss and observe in greater detail than within seminars, some of the challenges which employment settings can present to students after graduation – but in a supported manner. These workshops also incorporate a practical element within the design.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 40 |
| Essay/coursework | 60 |
Special assessment rules
None
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 60 |
| Essay/coursework | 40 |
Module feedback
Formative feedback will be ongoing through the module, while a formative assessment will be offered and written / oral feedback provided; students will also be engaging in exercises, discussions and case studies etc. throughout the module, which also enable formative feedback to be provided.
Each summative assessment will be supported with summative written feedback on competition of review and marking of each individual assessment component.
Each student will also have the opportunity to ask for verbal feedback during office hours throughout the semester.
Indicative reading
Preparatory Reading
McCotter. S. (2022). Relocating the HR Department to the Lecture Room – an interdisciplinary approach, in Patterson, D. and MacCallum, K. (Eds). Industry Practices, Processes and Techniques Adopted in Education. Springer.
Taylor, S. and Perkins, G. (2021). Work and Employment in a Changing Business Environment. CIPD / Kogan Page.
Taylor, S. and Woodhams, C. (2022). Human Resource Management: People and Organisations. CIPD / Kogan Page.
Costa, C. and Paiva, S. (2021). How Societies and Business Will Technologically Evolve with Covid-19 in Next Generation of Internet Things. Eds Kumar, P., Mishra, B. K. and Pattnaik, P. K. Springer.