Admission and Unit Information - Master of Commerce (HRMIR)

Industrial Relations and Workplace Change is designed to equip current and future employment relations professionals and practitioners with the knowledge necessary to analyse and implement the processes for workplace change and workplace-level bargaining. The understanding of workplace change covered in this unit includes an emphasis on rights, obligations and “voice”. The unit focuses on workplace change problem solving for employee engagement and dispute resolution in both local and global workplace change contexts.

Workplace interactions are dynamic, fluid and responsive to changing economic, social, political and technological circumstances. Adopting a critical approach, the focus is on the concerns of managers and workers in their day-to-day interactions. Participants will explore the impact of organisational and socio-economic change on organisation stakeholders with emphasis on the impact of the new forms of work and technology, economic developments, workforce diversity, and cross-cultural communication. Dynamics equips business students with the ability to analyse and address a changing business environment, appropriate for careers in Australia and internationally.

This capstone unit aims for students to acquire the skills, knowledge and understanding of the challenges of managing people strategically in complex and turbulent environments. The unit examines theories on business strategy, strategic management, human resource strategy and industrial relations strategy. The use of knowledge of Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations in strategic analysis and evaluation for transforming the people management function is explained. Management practice is considered through examining ways of acting strategically relative to tendencies for the human resource function to become mired in tactical responses. The tools and techniques for analysing, implementing and evaluating strategy are emphasised.

The unit serves as an introduction to human resource management for those considering careers in employment relations and those who will potentially have people management responsibilities. HR processes and practices are studied in contexts and with a consideration of the interests of stakeholders, leading to an appreciation of the contribution of human resource management to organisational success. Students will evaluate particular approaches to human resource management through analysing real-world cases and practical activities.

This unit equips Employment Relations professionals to undertake research and analyse contemporary issues confronting organisations and industries. This student-centred unit provides close supervision of the research and analytical practices of students in order to enhance skill development via application to contemporary topics. Students have scope to focus on issues that are of particular concern or interest for their careers or their organisations. As an integrating unit, it allows students to bring together their knowledge and questions developed throughout their program of study to produce reports and other media that showcase professional practice and demonstrate their achievements. Relevance of stakeholders’ perspectives and multidisciplinarity are highlighted.

Work and employment are governed by legislation and require ongoing negotiation among stakeholders, sometimes with the involvement of lawyers and tribunals using dispute resolution techniques. Understanding the principles of labour and employment law helps employment relations professionals define, assess and prioritise issues in terms of their potential legal ramifications. This unit provides a foundation for professionals to balancethe rights and responsibilities of employees and employers under changeable legislative frameworks: from engaging employees, to health, safety and welfare, to performance management, through to termination. Learning strategies include case discussion and investigating resources available for every day professional practice.

This is a 20 credit point unit offered over two consecutive quarters. The main focus of this unit is on understanding how a research problem is identified, how literature in a research area is critically evaluated and how a comprehensive research proposal is formulated. The unit is primarily designed to assess the research readiness of the students. The overarching goal of this unit is to develop a critical spirit of inquiry by providing a structured and systematic way of thinking about writing a comprehensive research proposal. It allows students to become familiar with the requirements of thesis writing from an early stage. The unit provides students with the opportunity to engage in a structured literature review to assist in selecting an appropriate research topic. The unit also develops an appreciation for ethical issues in research in higher degrees. Key assessment criteria include writing a critical evaluation of research papers from the literature within a chosen topic, writing and presenting a defensible research proposal.

The unit equips students to lead human resource development initiatives by developing specialist knowledge and skills. Contemporary HRD is studied within the context of strategic employment relations, challenges around talent management, the evolution of training and development in firms and in public institutions, and with some consideration of organisational learning. By working through stakeholder differences and labour market segments, students argue as they apply knowledge to different contexts. Through argument and application comes insight into critical perspectives on building human capability, career management and development, and current and future trends in HRD in a number of countries.

Employment Relations Professional Practice concentrates on communicating and performing as employment relations professionals. Students practice the activities undertaken by professionals, such as advocacy and presentation, team work, information and knowledge management, research, analysis and problem solving, and producing reports, policies and analytical essays, with opportunities for feedback. The focus is knowledge of the ER professions, such as the role, function and ethics of human resource managers, industrial officers and the role of professional bodies in Australia and internationally. Support for academic practice will accompany professional activities. The unit is designed for those wanting to build a career in employment relations.

This unit is designed to put national-level employment relations into international and global perspectives. Students will be equipped to work in globalised labour markets and to assist organisations in responding effectively to international environments. The nature of globalisation, national systems of employment relations and significant contemporary human resource management issues are explored. The implications of social, cultural, political and economic factors in differing national, international and global contexts for employment relations strategies and practices are examined.

This unit enables employment relations professionals to deploy advanced practitioner skills in specific workplace and institutional contexts. The management and the negotiation of reward are emphasised. Innovations such as strategic and total reward strategies are critically examined. These innovations relate to the key issues of market-imperatives and fairness, including the balance between collective and individually-determined reward and reward strategies related to performance.

Society shapes work and labour markets, but society in turn is influenced by work and labour markets. Key factors are dominant social values and norms as well as economic, technological, demographic and political changes. This unit equips students to analyse and respond effectively to these interactions and changes in a range of contexts. A key theme is the changing patterns and nature of work (paid and unpaid), workforce participation, and the impact on stakeholders such as individuals, families and communities. Future trends and directions in relation to work, society and labour markets are explored.

In an era of globalisation and economic and social change, workforce planning is a strategic tool, both for the management of organisations and human resource strategy, and for broader issues of public policy and economic development. The unit is designed to enable employment relations professionals to plan for building organisational capability. Planning for demographic changes, skill shortages and economic shocks is crucial for managing risk and growing organisations, but makes planning more difficult and complex. The aim is for managers to influence organisations by demonstrating the vital importance of planning in relation to sustainability and to undertake planning using quantitative tools.

This unit focuses on the practice of occupational health within national and international frameworks. It explores issues such as the physical, social and mental impact of the occupational environment on health and includes the human body's response to occupational health hazard exposure through toxicological and epidemiological principles. Strategies for the management of occupational health are examined, together with methods of monitoring and evaluating occupational health programs.

This unit provides a critical insight into the theory and practice of managing safety and health at the workplace with a dual focus on risk management and safety management. Students have the opportunity to develop a safety systems approach concentrating on hazard identification, risk assessment and devising control measures incorporating safety management principles. Safety culture and its influence on OHS practice is also detailed. In addition, the unit addresses the legal underpinning of OHS requirements at the workplace. Labour market change and the role of government, unions and employer organisations are also examined. Global perspectives on OHS from various jurisdictions ranging from the USA, Hong Kong and China are also scrutinised.