Human Resource Management

Career Focus

This course is aimed to take all students from zero to one when it comes to people management. The primary emphasis will be on the development of a comprehensive human resource strategy for large companies, but many tools and techniques utilized are relevant to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as well. This course will be particularly valuable to students who are seeking a career in human resources, but also to students who want to start up their own business or manage teams or departments.

Educational Objectives

Considering the challenges faced by the labor market during these turbulent times and post-pandemic context, increasing global competition for talents, disruptive technologies with direct impact on employment and work, heightened employees’ expectations and mobility, it is critical and more difficult than ever to implement the right people management strategies in order to attract and keep the most valuable employees in the company. The objective of the course is to provide hands-on experience in managing people and teams. Students will be exposed to theoretical concepts, tools and frameworks for human resource management and practical issues which can be encountered on a regular basis in a company.

Course Content and Organization

Students will be exposed to various topics related to the labor market and human resource management which are presented using an incremental approach and following a logical flow. The course starts by providing a bird’s eye view of the labor market, focusing on current tendencies, challenges and opportunities related to the future of work. In the second part of the course the focus lies on the human resource management at organizational level. Relying on the latest theories, but also making use of practical tools and instruments, students will approach the main processes related to human resources in an organization: recruitment, selection and onboarding, talent management and succession planning, career management, training and development, performance management, compensation and benefits. Also topics related to strategic human resource management and international human resource management will be covered.

Over the semester several guest speakers, such as human resource managers, consultants in the field of HR and entrepreneurs who founded companies that tackle new opportunities related to the future of work, will share their experiences and expertise with the students. The teaching methods are interactive and students will learn through various practical examples, case studies, and real business simulations. A debate on selected hot topics will be also organized.

Students are strongly encouraged to engage in the discussions and debates and also incentivized to offer short and relevant presentations on various topics related to the future of work and human resource management (of their choosing, upon agreement with the professors).