Human Resource Management and Employment Relations

Description

Employment relations and organisational behaviour (EROB) covers the management of people within the firm and the wider social, economic and legal context that affects and complicates this task. EROB has a triple emphasis. As human resource management, it focuses on how organisations develop and motivate their employees to achieve the high performance required in today's competitive markets; as employment relations, it examines different kinds of labour markets and the variety of ways they are regulated by negotiation and law; as organisational behaviour, it examines individual perceptions, attitudes, and performance and the effects of group, business and leadership context on the individual.

Graduates find employment in the UK and overseas in consultancy firms, large private corporations and the public sector. One or two students per year continue with their academic studies, and one or two go on to study law. Although some graduates find employment as human resource managers, it is important to emphasise that this degree is not simply the basis for a career in HRM, but its broad social science base provides the starting point for a career in any field.

Features of LSE courses

Employment relations and human resource management have been taught at LSE almost since its foundation. The BSc at LSE is a multi-disciplinary programme; exploring aspects of employment and organisational behaviour through the study of economics, sociology, political science, psychology, history, law and organisational behaviour. A wide range of texts and case materials are used to illustrate key developments.

The issues we examine during the course reflect the range of the subject. For example, in Employment Relations we discuss topics designed to introduce you to the subject area, including different managerial approaches (from Taylorism to HRM); worker responses to these; trade unions; the role of the state and law in employment matters, and the impact of globalisation on labour markets. In Human Resource Management we examine in detail human resource strategies, payment systems, job design, recruitment, organisational culture, equal opportunities and other fundamentals of HRM. Meanwhile, the themes covered in Organisational Theory and Behaviour include employee motivation, employee empowerment, leadership and emotions in organisations. In addition to this we also offer courses in such subjects as Leadership in Organisations and Managing Employment Law. Together, these courses will equip you to analyse employment relations issues from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.

The first year of the degree aims to give you a good initial grounding in several key disciplines in preparation for the more specialist courses offered in the second and third years. We are keen to develop your skills as a social scientist to the highest standard and to provide you with the techniques to engage with employment and organisational debates at local, national and international levels. As well as a strong foundation of methodology, we will help you develop the confidence and insight to contribute to both policy and practice.

Detailed Course Facts

• EUR 3847 Year (EEA)
• EUR 16632 Year (Non-EEA)

Home UK/EU £3,375 for the first year. Non-UK/EU £14,592 for the first year.

• English

Course Content

First year:

(*half unit)

• Employment Relations
• Three options from economics, statistics, sociology, psychology, government, anthropology, information technology or a language
• LSE100 (Lent Term only)

Second year:

• Human Resource Management
• Three options
• LSE100 (Michaelmas Term only)

Third year:

• Selected Topics in Employment Relations and Organisational Behaviour
• Three options

First year

The core course Employment Relations will give you an introduction to the theory and practice of employment relations, broadly defined. The syllabus examines the employment relationship from the perspective of a number of different disciplines including sociology, psychology, economics, history and law. It deals with the nature of work and the problem of control. Discussion initially focuses on different management techniques and worker responses to these. Subsequently, we move to examine the employment relationship from an institutional perspective, looking at the role of the state, law, and supranational organisations such as the EU. We also look at the way in which economic and political contexts shape employment relations. In particular, we examine the impact of globalisation on employment relations.

Options

Three from:

• Economics A or Economics B
• Statistical Methods for Social Research or Quantitative Method (Mathematics)* and Quantitative Methods (Statistics)*
• Key Concepts in Sociology: An Introduction to Sociological Theory
• Self, Others and Society: Perspectives on Social and Applied Psychology
• Information Technology and Society
• Introductory courses in politics
• Introduction to Social Anthropology
• An advanced language
• An approved option from another department

Second and third years

The second year core course Human Resource Management is a deeper examination of the philosophy, the aims and the practice of human resource management, including analysis of different HR strategies and how they relate to various systems of appraisal, training and reward, to job design, to communication methods and to outcomes such as productivity and employee attitudes. A three week case study with a leading investment bank takes place in the Michaelmas Term. Selected Topics in Employment Relations is the core third year course which builds on the knowledge and skills gained in the first and second years. It is a research-led course which is highly specialised and open only to students on this BSc. For this reason, the syllabus varies from year to year, depending on recent developments in research, policy changes and debates.

Options

(* half unit) In the second and third years a total of six options are available. At least two from:

• Organisational Theory and Behaviour
• Managing Diversity in Organisations
• Managing Employment Law*
• Leadership in Organisations: Theory and Practice*
• Aspects of Marketing Management (3rd year)*
• Work, Management and Globalisation
• A dissertation of not more than 10,000 words (3rd year)

Up to four from:

• Elements of Accounting and Finance
• Managerial Accounting
• The Anthropology of Economic Institutions and Social Transformations
• The Anthropology of Industrialisation and Industrial Life*
• Comparative Economic Development: Late Industrialisation in Russia, India and Japan
• Business and Economic Performance: Britain in International Context
• Issues in Modern Japanese Economic Development: Late Industrialisation, Imperialism and High Speed Growth
• Information Systems in Business
• Commercial Law
• Economics for Management
• Gender and Society
• Two approved courses from other departments

English Language Requirements

IELTS band : 7 CAE score : 80(Grade A) TOEFL paper-based test score : 627 TOEFL iBT® test : 107

To study at this university, you have to speak English. We advice you to

Requirements

Usual standard offer: A level: grades A A B. At least two A levels should be in traditional academic subjects and at least one should be an essay based subjectInternational Baccalaureate: Diploma with 37 points including 6 6 6 at Higher level

Other qualifications are considered.

English language requirements

Although it is not necessary to have the required grade in an acceptable English Language qualification when you make your application to LSE, if you are made an offer of a place and English is not your mother tongue, it is likely that you would be asked to obtain an acceptable English Language qualification as a condition of your offer.

The following qualifications are acceptable to LSE:

• GCSE English Language with a grade B or better.
• International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) English as a First Language with a grade B or better including the Speaking and Listening coursework component (Edexcel) or grade 2 in the optional speaking test (CIE).
• International English Language Testing Service (IELTS) academic test with a score of 7.0 in all four components.
• Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) with a minimum score of 627 in the paper test including 5.5 in writing and 50 in TSE, or 107 in the internet based test with a minimum of 25 out of 30 in each of the four skills.
• Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English (CPE) with grade B or better.
• Cambridge Advanced Certificate of English (CACE) with a grade A.
• Cambridge English Language (1119) conducted overseas by the University of Cambridge Local Examinations Syndicate: B4 or better.
• O level (1120 Brunei, 1125 Mauritius A, 1127 Singapore) grade B or better.
• Singapore Integrated Programme (IP) Secondary 4 English Language grade B or better.
• Pearson Test of English (General) with a distinction at level 5 in both the written and the oral test.

Exceptions

If students offer the IGCSE in English as a First Language or O level (other than those specified above) and have been educated in the medium of English during their five most recent years of study (prior to 1 September 2011), then we will accept the qualification as sufficient evidence of English Language proficiency.

Please note that test scores must be achieved from one sitting of the relevant qualification. We will not accept individual component scores from multiple tests

Work Experience

No work experience is required.

Related Scholarships*

• Academic Excellence Scholarship

  "The Academic Excellence Scholarship can provide up to a 50 % reduction in tuition per semester. These scholarships will be renewed if the student maintains superior academic performance during each semester of their 3-year Bachelor programme. The scholarship will be directly applied to the student’s tuition fees."

• Access Bursary

  Bursary for UK students all subjects where the variable tuition fee rate is payable.

• Alumni Bursary

  Alumni Bursary for UK Undergraduate students

* The scholarships shown on this page are suggestions first and foremost. They could be offered by other organisations than London School of Economics and Political Science.

Funding

Financial support for 2011 entry

The School recognises that the cost of living in London may be higher than in your home town or country. Government support, in the form of loans and grants, is available to UK and some EU students, while LSE provides generous financial support, in the form of bursaries and scholarships to UK, EU and overseas students.

Government support

for students from England

Student loan for maintenance

The student loan for maintenance helps students pay living costs during term times and holidays. The maximum loan available for students studying in London and living away from their parents' home is currently £6,928.

Maintenance grants

The means-tested maintenance grant (currently worth up to £2,906) also helps students with living expenses during their time at university. The amount a student is eligible to receive is assessed by Student Finance England. The grant does not have to be repaid.

Special Support Grant

The special support grant replaces the maintenance grant for some students who during the course of the academic year, meet the conditions for being a 'prescribed person' under the income support or housing benefit regulations. Students who are likely to qualify include:

• Single parents
• Other student parents if they have a partner who is also a student
• Students with certain disabilities

Other students may be eligible for the Special Support Grant. You don't necessarily have to receive or even have applied for Income Support or Housing Benefit.

for students from elsewhere in the UK

Different financial support packages are available for students from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Students from these countries should refer to one of the following websites:

Student Finance Wales

www.studentfinancewales.co.uk

Student Awards Agency Scotland

www.saas.gov.uk

Student Finance Northern Ireland

www.studentfinanceni.co.uk

for EU students

Students from the EU are not usually eligible for UK Government financial support. However, EU nationals (or children of EU nationals) who have lived in the UK or islands for three years before the start of their course (ie, since 1 September 2008 for a course starting on 1 September 2011) may now qualify for a student loan and grants.

for overseas students

Students from outside the EU are not eligible to apply for UK Government funds. However, there is a range of funding available for overseas students from external agencies, bodies or your home government, details of which are available from your home government or nearest British Council office (www.britishcouncil.org/learning), or UKCISA (www.ukcisa.org.uk).

LSE financial support

for UK students

LSE Bursary

The LSE Bursary is available for students from low-income backgrounds (from England and Wales) and is worth up to £7,500 over a three-year programme. The value of the LSE Bursary is linked to students' (or their family's) income levels, which will be assessed when calculating the maintenance grant. The maximum LSE Bursary of £2,500 per year is awarded to those students with the lowest residual income. These Bursaries do not have to be repaid.

LSE Discretionary Bursary

The LSE Discretionary Bursary is available for new LSE students (from the UK and the EU) who face exceptional financial needs, including, for example, caring responsibilities, financial need related to disability or an unavoidable requirement to live at home. The value of the award may vary according to need. These Bursaries do not have to be repaid.

LSE Scholarships

Each year LSE awards a number of scholarships - funded by private or corporate donation - to UK applicants to the School. The number, value, eligibility criteria and type of awards vary from year to year. Awards are made on the basis of financial need and academic merit.

Stelios scholarships

Four Stelios scholarships, currently worth £5,444 per year, are available for UK students applying for business subjects at LSE.

Access to Learning funds

Registered UK students from low-income households can apply directly to LSE for Access to Learning funds. These funds are designed for students who may need extra financial support for their course, and are provided by the Government to assist with living expenses.

for EU students

LSE Discretionary Bursary

The LSE discretionary bursary is available to EU students. For information about this bursary and how to apply, please see the section on LSE financial support for UK students.

LSE scholarships

LSE offers a number of undergraduate scholarships of varying amounts each year to EU students.

Stelios scholarships

Six Stelios scholarships, currently worth £5,444 per year, are available for EU students applying for business subjects at LSE.

for overseas students

LSE undergraduate support scheme

The LSE undergraduate support scheme (USS) is designed to help overseas students who do not have the necessary funds to meet all their costs of study. In 2008, the School disbursed nearly £1 million in entrance awards available to self-financing students of all nationalities. This financial aid is available only for study at LSE. If you are made an offer of admission, we will advise you on how to apply to the USS online. This system is able to provide an immediate indication of an applicant's eligibility for assistance. In the first instance, you will be assessed on the basis of your financial circumstances. Awards are renewable for each year of your course. Applications will be considered between the end of February and the middle of August.

LSE scholarships

The School offers a limited number of undergraduate scholarships of varying amounts each year for overseas students.