This is an applied course. To take the full benefit of this course, which emphasizes practical applications of the HRM concepts and approaches, the students are expected to be familiar with the basic HRM theories and practices, and to possess notions of cross-cultural and international management (i.e. basic course on Human Resource Management and on International Business Management or comparable). To make sure that all students and their groups benefit from this course, you will have to pass a written admission exam in the first session of this course. The results will be available at short notice. You will profit the most from this course if you have a strong interest in people management issues in international companies, and if you are sufficiently fluent in English to communicate well orally and in writing with your group members, the guest speaker, the Professor and for the oral assessment.
The following themes are examples of what will be addressed in this course:
- Intercultural management of human resources
- Issues raised by international projects and assignments (e.g. selection of expatriates, working in multi-cultural teams, competences needed in a multi-national business environment)
- Communicating effectively across culturally and socially different groups
- Acting responsibly in the global arena and coping with ethical and cultural dilemmas
Having regard to the LO of the programme, this activity contributes to the development and acquisition of the following LO:
- 1. Corporate citizenship
- 1.1. Demonstrate independent reasoning, look critically
- 1.3. Decide and act responsibly
- 2. Knowledge and reasoning
- 2.2. Master highly specific knowledge
- 2.3. Articulate the acquired knowledge from different areas
- 2.4. Activate and apply the acquired knowledge
- 2.5. Contribute to the development and advancement of the man- agement field.
- 3. A scientific and systematif approach
- 3.1. Conduct a clear, structured, analytical reasoning
- 3.2. Collect, select and analyze relevant information
- 3.3.Consider problems using a systemic and holistic approach
- 3.5.Produce, through analysis and diagnosis, implementable solutions
- 4.4.Reflect on and improve .... professional practices.
- 5. Work effectively in an international and multicultural environment
- 5.1.Understand the inner workings of an organization
- 5.2.Position ... the functioning of an organization, in its ...socio-economic dimensions
- 5.3.Understand and establish their own role and scope for action
- 6. Teamwork and leadership
- 6.1. Work in a team...
- 6.2. Exercise enlightened leadership skills
- 7. Project management
- 7.1.Analyse a project within its environment and define the expected outcomes
- 7.2. Organize, manage and control the process
- 7.3.Make decisions and take responsibility for them in an uncertain world
- 8. Communication and interpersonal skills
- 8.1. Express a clear and structured message
- 8.2. Interact and discuss effectively
- 8.3. Persuade and negotiate
- 9.1. Independent self-starter
- 9.3. Self-motivation
- 9.4. Quick study, lifelong learner
The contribution of this Teaching Unit to the development and command of the skills and learning outcomes of the programme(s) can be accessed at the end of this sheet, in the section entitled “Programmes/courses offering this Teaching Unit”.
The evaluation or assessment methods of the course are linked to the objectives of the course and emphasize group performance. Students work in groups of 4-5 which are composed by the Professor to ensure cultural and gender diversity in every group. The assessment of your performance in this course will be composed of the following element: Case project and presentation (20/20) Team grades: Members of one team receive the same marks on their presentation except when team members ask that the final grade is going to be differentiated and not equally distributed. In this case, the team members have to agree within their group on the distribution of points (in %) and let me know about this before the final presentation.
This course is uses several pedagogical elements to reach the course objectives. First, a real case study (a complex issue facing IHRM) is proposed to every team by the organization. To introduce the cases, a company representative will present the cases at the beginning of the semester. Next, you will be engaged in a team building activity and develop your team contract which allows them to set your objectives for the semester, to think about the resources they are having available in their team, and to determine how you wish to work with each other during the semester (how you will provide each other with reward and what you do if some team members do not deliver the work that has been promised. Beyond this, the course uses teaching methods like readings, discussion of practical cases and examples, and exercises. For the case project, students will visit the company's site to investigate on their project, receive consulting sessions by the Professor (on demand) and engage in self-organized learning by reading extensively academic literature on their case topics. Literature on cross-cultural, comparative and international HRM will guide your search for an original, innovative and practical answer to the IHR challenge. To be successful in the course, you will have to be able to read and decipher the real case situations with the support from the literature and practice voices, you need to find ways of using your resources (information, time, etc.) wisely and to manage your team quickly and effectively.
Working with people for other cultural backgrounds has become part of the daily activities in organizations today for employees at all levels. The global pressure for competitiveness and effectiveness has increased the number of strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, with the objective of having access to resources, capital and new market opportunities. The travelling distance of managers has increased i.e. even short trips can be from one continent to another. People who have never met each other need to work together in multicultural virtual teams. This course focuses on the challenges of International HR departments and related functions managing i.e. attracting and retaining globally a highly qualified and diverse workforce and how global managers get things done with and through people in a global context. This course is based on research and insights from the areas International HRM, Comparative HRM, International Management, Strategic HRM, Corporate Social Responsibility, Corporate Sustainability and Cross-Cultural Management. With this course, we propose to examine actual situations where HRM is currently facing issues generated by the international dimension of the business. This year, those situations will be observed from the Belgian site of TOTAL, a major global energy & chemical supplier.
- No TEXTBOOK
- SLIDES compulsory available on line
- BOOK not compulsory not available on line
- READING FILE not compulsory available on line.
- Supports available on line are on MOODLE on Dropbox.
Getting course information: Please keep yourself informed about the course website (iCampus) and by attending the course. Please make sure that your e-mail account is connected to iCampus and that you read the incoming announcements and information that is provided to you carefully. All relevant information for a successful course assessment will be uploaded and/or communicated to you directly during the sessions. Please seize opportunities to ask questions before and after the course.
With regard to information on the assessment, please do NOT rely only on information that is posted by peers in forums or on the internet as this information can unfortunately be wrong or not up to date.
