Essay Two: A 2000-word essay (+/- 10% and excluding the reference list) on one of the following essay topics (50% of the course mark).
1. Recruitment and selection policies and practices are said to be crucial to the achievement of corporate and business strategy. Critically assess how such achievement can be secured.
2. Analyse the requirements needed to implement an effective human resource development strategy.
3. Analyse the requirements needed to implement an effective performance management system.
4. Conflict is often said to lie at the heart of the employment relationship. How might employee relations processes and practices help to resolve such conflicts?
5. The notion of learning is said to be critical to organisational effectiveness. Discuss the factors that can help or hinder the learning process in organisations.
6. Compare and contrast Taylorite job design principles with the principles associated with the Job Redesign Movement.
7. What factors need to be borne in mind if payment systems are to be regarded as effective by management and fair by employees?
8. Critically evaluate how human resource management may influence employee motivation both positively and negatively.
Choose a topic that interests you
Analyse the topic/question and look for key words that indicate what you have to do
Make sure your essay answers the question; do not stray off into less relevant aspects
Review teaching/reading material relating to the topic: lecture slides plus the Henderson text as a minimum; try also to access the other texts indicated in the Course Guide (the Grugulis, Randal/Sim and Wilkinson, et al texts) and follow-up one or two of the references they indicate concerning the topic
Avoid over-reliance on generic web-based materials (“MyMBA”; “All-you-need-to-know-about”; etc.) but do look at respected sites such as those of the major consultancies (e.g Deloitte, PwC, etc.) for indications of current trends
Aim to make use of about 10 or 12 key sources/references
In your analysis addressing the essay question/issues make sure you support your arguments by evidence and references to the literature or other respected sources of information
You can make use of headings/sub-headings if you want to but they are not necessary.
These websites will be worth looking at in relation to your topic:
http://www.cipd.co.uk/
http://www.acas.org.uk/
Finally, please note that I am not able to look at drafts of your essays, nor frameworks/outlines.
