Human Resource Management – or HRM – is of increasing importance to businesses around the world. So, from September 2019, students can study our established MSc International Business with a HRM specialism.
Effective HRM leaves employees feeling valued within their organisation, confident in their role and positive about their future. HRM has a broad remit in business and can include the learning and development of staff, the incentives and benefits available, recruitment of new staff and performance evaluation – plus much more.
This broad remit offers exciting and varied career opportunities across any sector.
Learning and Development (L&D)
The development of existing staff is a win-win for both employee and employer. The employee wants to feel as though they have a clear path to development and progression within their organisation and L&D is crucial for this. Whereas for the employer, L&D is an opportunity to plug skills gap and develop future leaders within the business, promoting long-term loyalty.
The lack of training and development is often said to be a hindrance to employee retention and why young staff leave – so, an effective L&D strategy is crucial for international businesses to develop a talented workforce, build loyalty and remain competitive.
Incentives & benefits
Much has been said about the headline grabbing incentives and benefits offered to employees at big technology giants, such as Apple’s personalised workspace in California or Netflix’s innovative holiday policy.
Whilst these grab the headlines, most HR policies around incentives and benefits are becoming more innovative, friendly and ‘fun’. People are at work for a large portion of their day, so they want to work in an environment that supports them – whether that’s office entertainment or a flexible working schedule.
Beyond leisure areas, holidays and flexible working – HR benefits range from healthcare insurance, travel cost assistance and gym membership discounts to paid volunteer days, pet-friendly policies and maternity/paternity benefits. For those in HRM positions in international businesses, it is strategically important to tailor benefits to the local market – this attracts the best local talent.
Opportunities in HRM
The importance businesses place on effective, efficient and attractive HRM is clear to see. The need to offer an exciting company culture whilst giving employees’ a clear roadmap in their development is high on the agenda for businesses all of the world who are investing heavily in this area.
Given this increased focus, the demand for confident business leaders with HRM expertise is rising. According to Prospects, earning potential for HR managers average £46,000 per year, with Directors over £80,000.
The MSc International Business with HRM develops your core skills in business theory and application, alongside building your HRM expertise in an international context. Your ability to innovative, implement and lead HRM policies is critical to the sustainable development and competitive advantage of your organisation.
This programme is available as both an Extended MSc, which includes an initial semester to develop your academic skills, or with Advanced Practice, which offers the chance to put the theory to practice with an internship or project.
For more information on this programme please visit the course page or enquire with our team who are always happy to help.