Section A

Understanding Strategic HRM:

Traditional vs. strategic HR, Typology of HR activities, “best fit” approach vs. “best practice” approach, HR strategy and the role of national context, sectoral context, and organizational context on HR strategy and practices, investment perspective of human resources.

Aligning HR systems with business strategy:

Sustained competitive advantage  - how HR adds value to the firm  - HR as scarce resource – non-substitutable resource, linking HRM practices to organizational outcomes – assessing and reducing costs – behavioral impact of HR practices –marginal utility models – auditing HR practices and department, linking strategy to HRM practices – corporate HR philosophy and company wide HR standards – HRM leading strategy formulation, alternative HR systems – universalistic – contingency – configurational, congruence and integrated HR systems.

HR Strategy in work force utilization:

Efficient utilization of human resource – cross trainingand flexible work assignment – work teams – non unionization, strategies for  employee shortages, strategies for employee surpluses.

Strategies for performance and development:

Typology of performance types – marginal performers – under achievers – stars – solid citizens, managing employee ability – recruitment and selection strategy typology, incentive alignment, psychological contracting.

Evaluating HR Function

Overview of evaluation – scope – strategic impact – level of analysis – criteria – level of constituents – ethical dimensions, approaches to evaluation – audit approach – analytical approach – quantitative and qualitative measures – out come and process criteria, balanced score card perspective, bench marking, accounting for HRM – purpose of measuring cost and benefits of HRM – approaches to HRM performances – employee wastage and turn over rates – cost of absenteeism – measuring human resource cost

HR Score card:

HR as a strategic partner and measurement challenge, seven step model for implementing HR strategic role, creating an HR score card, measuring HR alignment – two dimensions of alignment – assessing internal and external alignment – systems alignment map

Section B