The course analyses the decisions of companies and workers in the labour market so as to understand workers' wages, and jobs. The interaction between company human resource strategies, worker choices, and government policy is emphasised. While the main disciplinary component of the module is economics, material from the industrial relations, European studies and HRM fields is also incorporated.
Under the heading of firms' HRM strategies, topics covered include training, recruitment, equal opportunity, employee participation, and motivation strategies. Government labour policies evaluated include education, training, discrimination, health and safety, minimum wage legislation, employment protection, and unemployment assistance programmes.
The emphasis is on contemporary developments with up-to-the-minute supplementary reading from newspapers and the web.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module students should be able to:
Critically analyse in depth how labour markets work to determine wages and employment of different worker groups including skilled and unskilled, old and young, males and females
Appreciate key labour policy issues, including minimum wages, fees for higher education, industrial training, unemployment benefits, and trade union support
Critically analyse the main conceptual and practical issues underlying firms' human resource strategies
Make significant contributions to debates on labour market propositions using actual experience in a team before the lecture group.
Assessment
35193-01 : Class Test : Class Test (25%)
35193-02 : Debate Presentation : Coursework (25%)
35193-03 : Project : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions
50% project (2,000 words limit), 25% debate presentation, 25% mid-term test (45 mins)