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DRPS : Course Catalogue : Business School : Common Courses (Management School)

Postgraduate Course: Emerging Market MNCs: Internationalisation and HRM (CMSE11464)

Course Outline
SchoolBusiness School CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityNot available to visiting students
SCQF Credits15 ECTS Credits7.5
SummaryThe rise of emerging market multinational corporations (EMNCs) such as those from China, India, Russia and Brazil, is considered as 'the most notable dynamic in international business in the last few years' (Kostova, Marano, & Tallman, 2016, p. 182). UNCTAD data indicates that the share of EMNCs in the world's outward foreign direct investment has witnessed dramatic increase in recent years, from 0.35% in 1970, to 5.05% in 2000, and over 35% in recent years. Extant research generally points to the fact that EMNCs behave differently from those from advanced markets such as US and Germany; as such, studying HRM in EMNCs provides a unique opportunity for us to reflect on exiting theories in the area of international human resource management and international management in general, which are largely based on analysis of advanced market MNCs. This course is designed to provide students with alternative perspectives and empirical evidence to understand this relatively new but important phenomenon in today's business world.
Course description The course examines how emerging market multinational corporations (EMNCs e.g. firms from Brazil, Russia, India, China) deal with human resource management issues in the process of internationalisation. An institutional perspective will be adopted to analyse how the home country (i.e. where they come from) and host country (e.g. where they operate) institutions lead to some unique challenges faced by this particular type of MNCs.

A wide range of topics are covered, including how emerging market MNCs are different from advanced market MNCs (e.g. firms from US and UK) in their approach to managing people, how they construct organisational identities to gain and maintain legitimacy in the West, and how they deal with the dilemma of centralisation and localisation issue.

The course explores the implications of the rise of emerging market MNCs, and prepares students to become HR professionals, consultants, and business managers with specialist knowledge in HRM within the context of emerging market MNCs.

Outline Content:
An introduction to EMNCs
Comparing EMNCs and AMNCs
Home country effects
The role of states
Organisational Legitimacy
Image and recruitment
Organisational control system
Global staffing
Reverse knowledge transfer

Student Learning Experience:
The course is delivered in the form of lectures. Case study examples are frequently used to facilitate interactive discussions in the class. Students are expected to actively participate in the class activities, and share their views and experiences on various issues. The emphasis throughout the course is on encouraging students to apply theories and ideas to real-world issues, and make recommendations to policy and practice.

Tutorial/seminar hours represent the minimum total live hours - online or in-person - a student can expect to receive on this course. These hours may be delivered in tutorial/seminar, lecture, workshop or other interactive whole class or small group format. These live hours may be supplemented by pre-recorded lecture material for students to engage with asynchronously.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Understand and discuss the rise of emerging market MNCs as a new phenomenon in business world, and the implication for the study of IHRM.
  2. Analyse the specific HRM challenges faced by emerging market MNCs in the process of internationalisation.
  3. Appreciate the complexities of institutions and critically evaluate how institutions affect HRM practices.
  4. Apply concepts and ideas to real-world issues, and recommend HRM practices and policies to solve problems.
  5. Critically reflect on the strengths and limitations of existing theories and models and how they may be applied to the study of emerging market MNCs.
Reading List
Resource list:
https://eu01.alma.exlibrisgroup.com/leganto/public/44UOE_INST/lists/29500198760002466?auth=SAML
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Cognitive Skills:
1. Evaluate the complex relations between institutional context and HR management practices
2. Identify, source and synthesise growing debates and research related to emerging market MNCs.
3. Summarise complex ideas, synthesise the results of research, and communicate ideas to others
4. Apply knowledge and ideas to address real-world HRM issues

Subject Specific Skills:
1. Evaluate wide range of unique HRM challenges faced by emerging market MNCs and explain why
2. Understand the impacts of institutions on management practices and be able to conduct comparative institutional analysis
3. Produce well-informed analysis of HRM practices and suggest how to improve
4. Understand the implications of the rise of emerging market MNCs for HR professionals and business managers
5. Critically assess mainstream approaches to the study of IHRM, and evaluate their limitations in the context of emerging market MNCs

Transferable skills:
1. Be able to competently communicate and exchange ideas in both large and small group settings;
2. Be able to critically evaluate evidence and present a balanced argument;
3. Be able to plan, organise and prioritise work effectively.
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Keyan Lai
Tel:
Email: Keyan.Lai@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Lauren Millson
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: Lauren.Millson@ed.ac.uk
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