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Graduation and Retention Network

2024-2025 Winter Session

MGMT 406

International Human Resource Management

Have you ever wondered how large global companies effectively manage their workforces across national borders and in multiple, and widely varied, cultures? Doesn’t it fascinate you how they balance the conflicting priorities of being globally consistent and locally effective? Well, now you have a chance! Gain insights into those questions by taking an innovative and engaging asynchronous course over the winter break designed and delivered by Professor Julian Dalzell who spent 43 years discovering the answers to those questions working for Shell in 6 countries and 3 continents. You do NOT want to miss this opportunity!

The course explores the challenges of balancing global consistency with local relevance against a backdrop of increasing global connectivity. In addition to the primary differences between local and global HR, core HR issues facing different parts of the world, culture and how it impacts the practice of HR, the leadership challenges involved, the different staffing options, including the use of expatriates, managing and developing talent, and the impact of Trade Unions in the different world economies.

Each day, there are 4 or 5 video lectures on the various topics, most of which are 30-45 minutes long. There is a daily discussion board, where students can share their thoughts and reactions to a range of topics, and a weekly exam on the material presented. Finally, there is a virtual “realistic job preview,” developed in conjunction with GE, in which the student will deal with 3 topics – difficult conversations, consulting with a line manager on a Compensation issue, and the LEAN process.

This course is entirely online and asynchronous and is a wonderful introduction to the world of Global HR.

Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Articulate how national-based biases and perspectives can be incorporated into a holistic worldview of the delivery of world-class HR strategy and execution.
  • Describe how global/multinational organizations deliver HR in a manner that is sensitive to the complexities and nuances of managing Human Resources across national borders, including the influence of national cultures upon those processes.
  • Synthesize the differences between domestic and international HR into global HR policies, processes and execution.
  • Articulate how multinational Companies manage their workforce internationally.
  • Describe how global/multinational corporations manage local and global HR strategies and processes to deliver workforce excellence.

Challenge the conventional. Create the exceptional. No Limits.

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