040836 VK EC GCM: Global Human Resources (VK) (2018W)

Aims, contents and method of the course

1. What is human resource management and how it functions in multinational enterprises
2. Culture and cross-cultural management
3. Motivation and rewarding in multinational enterprises
4. Leadership, training, and team building in global environment
All course materials (readings and cases) will be available on Moodle.

Setting the Scene
As businesses operate in a national, multinational, transnational and, increasingly so, in a global context they are embedded in a forcefield of challenges and opportunities which range from local right through to geo-political drives and constraints.
Business organisations develop their own specific cultures and structures and, in doing so, they interact with their stakeholders both internally and in their external environment.
Human Resource policies need to be part and parcel of overall business policies and strategies which they complement and support.
By definition, “Human Resources” is about people. It is, however, the specific business context which creates parameters to determine relevant policies, instruments and courses of action.
In the following steps these parameters will be explored and explained.
1. Introduction - Human Resources in the business context, inter-, multi-, transnational.
Terminology and definitions.
2. Group, Organisational and Company Cultures.
Definitions - ethnic/national cultural dimensions - dimensions of company culture - creating and managing culture.
3. Organisational Structure - definitions, purpose - key elements, examples - organisational effectiveness.
4. Motivation - points of clarification and understanding - sources of motivation - work motivation - review of theories and hypotheses.
5. Reward and Incentive - general principles - definitions - financial/non-financial - systems and applications - sound practice and pitfalls.
6. Performance Management - assessment and development of performance and potential.
7. Future Perspectives - human resources and the digital age - industry 4.0 - the “second machine age” - unconditional basic income? - a paradigm shift?
Practical relevance, application and applicability of theories, concepts and systems will be illustrated by reference to real life examples and issues. Students will be encouraged to participate actively.