6 ECTS credits
154 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 1021581BER for all students in the 1st semester at a (B) Bachelor - advanced level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Possible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Enrollment Requirements
Students who want to enroll for this course, must have passed for ‘Management' and must have obtained at least 30 ECTS-credits on bachelor level.
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Social Sciences & SolvayBusinessSchool
Department
Business
Educational team
Imke Dirkx
Bert Schreurs (course titular)
Maarten Andriessen
Activities and contact hours

18 contact hours Lecture
11 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
125 contact hours Independent or External Form of Study
Course Content

​In the course Principles of Human Resource Management students develop a general understanding of how human resource decisions contribute to individual, team, and organizational effectiveness, and to a firm’s sustained competitive advantage. This knowledge can be applied in small, medium, and large firms, as well as non-profits. The course covers topics such as:

  • The historical background of HRM,
  • HR roles,
  • Strategic HRM (SHRM),
  • Work analysis and competency modeling,
  • Recruitment and employer branding,
  • Personnel selection and assessment,
  • Performance appraisal and management,
  • Compensation,
  • Employee well-being.

​The course approaches the management of human resources from a strategic perspective. The strategic perspective describes how each of the basic HR functions has its own part within the overall strategic plan of the organization and contributes to organizational performance. The course further takes an evidence-based approach to HRM which aims to help students in developing critical judgment in making decisions that impact the well-being and performance of organizations and employees.

Course material
Handbook (Recommended) : Fundamentals of Human Resource Management, People, Data, and Analytics, Bauer, T., Erdogan, B., Caughlin, D., & Truxillo, D., Sage Publications, 9781544377728, 2019
Digital course material (Required) : Lecture slides, teacher notes, and the material used for the practicals will be made available, Canvas
Additional info

Teaching Methods

- Lecture: collective contact-dependent moments during which the lecturer engages with learning materials
- Seminar, Exercises or Practicals (Practical): collective or individual contact-dependent moments during which the students are guided to actively engage with learning materials
- Independent or External Form of Study (Self): independent study

This description of the teaching methods is indicative, in order to assess the expected study load.

Contact hours: 29 hours

  • Lectures course coordinator (on campus): 18 hours
  • Online Q&A (online): 2 hours
  • Practical sessions (online): 9 hours (3 x 3 hours)

Self: 125 hours

  • Keeping up with the course material during the semester, adding up to 3 hours per lecture hour: 60 hours
  • Preparing for the exam: 50 hours
  • Preparing for the practicals, studying case solutions: 8 hours
  • Preparing for the Q&A: 3 hours
  • Answering self-test questions: 4 hours
Learning Outcomes

General competences

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

  1. identify and describe the key concepts and frameworks for human resource management;
  2. describe the fundamentals and functionality of the different HR domains; 
  3. understand and explain how the HR domains separately and in combination contribute to sustained competitive advantage;
  4. critically analyze factors that influence the strategic management of human resources in today’s international environment.
  5. evaluate the extent to which an organization’s HR architecture is in accordance with the most recent scientific evidence;
  6. identify causes of HR-related problems and formulate recommendations based on the best available evidence.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Written Exam determines 100% of the final mark.

Within the Written Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • Written Exam with a relative weight of 1 which comprises 100% of the final mark.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Evaluation 1st and 2nd session

Written examination (100% of the total grade). The exam tests students' knowledge, understanding and ability to apply theory to practice by means of open questions, multiple-choice questions, and cases.  

The practicals prepare students for the exam but attendance at the practicals is not mandatory.

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Work and Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Psychology: Profile Profile Work & Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Political Science and Sociology: - afstudeerrichting sociologie, minor organisatie en beleid (only offered in Dutch)
Bachelor of Business Economics: Startplan Business Economics
Bachelor of Business Economics: Business and Technology
Bachelor of Business Economics: International Business
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Traject van 90 studiepunten met Profiel Arbeids- en Organisatiepsychologie (only offered in Dutch)
Bridging Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Profile Profile Work and Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)
Preparatory Programme Master of Science in Psychology: Profile Profile Work and Organisational Psychology (only offered in Dutch)