BA (Hons) in
Business (HR Management)
The BA (Hons) in Business with a pathway in Human Resource Management is a six-semester, three-year program (180 ECTS) which is designed with an interdisciplinary focus. Courses comprise formative and summative assessment as well as group work and presentations.
This pathway provides students with a comprehensive understanding of business and management concepts, as well as detailed knowledge of human resource management through specialized courses.
Program Structure
In the first year of this honors degree course, students will be given a thorough grounding with core courses in management, organization, marketing, finance, IT and economics as they relate to business. In the second and third years, they will build on this knowledge to gain an advanced understanding of these key areas, as well as acquire specific knowledge and skills relating to human resource management. Their studies culminate in a final year capstone research project.
The courses that form the curriculum of the BA (Hons) in Business (Human Resource Management) are listed below.
(30 ECTS)
The following courses are 10 ECTS credits over two semesters:
Maths & Stats for Business
Show detailsThis course introduces the student to concepts and techniques within mathematics and statistics that are relevant in the modern business environment. Students will study different data collection methods and sampling techniques, along with appropriate methods for summarizing and presenting data. Students will apply various theories and concepts of research techniques and demonstrate how mathematical models can be applied to research activities. The course will enable students to cultivate an approach and methodology for solving contemporary business problems using appropriate mathematical and statistical tools.
Business Context and Organization
Show detailsThis course introduces students to analysis of the business environment. The course provides students with an appreciation of the external and internal business environment. The course introduces environmental analysis tools, examines the contribution of the various functional areas, and introduces the concepts of organizational change, ethics, and entrepreneurship. Finally, the course also exposes students to an introductory review of business law and regulation.
Marketing Essentials
Show detailsThis course introduces the student to marketing concepts and theories that provide a comprehensive foundation within the marketing subject area. Lectures will be the primary method of delivery. Students are supported by tutorials to facilitate further discussion of material and guidance for self‐directed learning. Guest lecturers will be invited to offer seminars to develop the student’s understanding of current practices in marketing led organizations.
IT Essentials
Show detailsThis course enables students to focus on the essential concepts of computing and related technologies. Students focus upon the fundamental issues surrounding the world of computing through a balance between theory and applied learning. Students will build practical skills in database, spreadsheets, and web technologies. They will also contextualize the role that computer technologies have played in facilitating the evolution and development of business systems, and the legal and ethical issues that have emerged through this process.
Economic Perspectives
Show detailsThis course is designed to expose students to contemporary economic perspectives, for example: free market versus government interventionist policies. By applying theoretical frameworks to various industries and different economies, students will develop and in-depth view of this complex environment and an understanding of real-world developments.
This course is 5 ECTS credits:
Learning to Learn
Show detailsThis course provides students with knowledge of the behavior required to transition into third level education. The course builds upon existing learning and equips the student with the skills required in an academic and the business context. This course provides students with the practical strategies to thrive both as individuals and in teams in a third level environment. The course is specifically designed to develop the following skills and competencies: academic and referencing, the ability to operate in groups, and the techniques of effective public speaking.
(30 ECTS)
The following courses are 10 ECTS credits over two semesters:
Maths & Stats for Business
Show detailsThis course introduces the student to concepts and techniques within mathematics and statistics that are relevant in the modern business environment. Students will study different data collection methods and sampling techniques, along with appropriate methods for summarizing and presenting data. Students will apply various theories and concepts of research techniques and demonstrate how mathematical models can be applied to research activities. The course will enable students to cultivate an approach and methodology for solving contemporary business problems using appropriate mathematical and statistical tools.
Business Context and Organization
Show detailsThis course introduces students to analysis of the business environment. The course provides students with an appreciation of the external and internal business environment. The course introduces environmental analysis tools, examines the contribution of the various functional areas, and introduces the concepts of organizational change, ethics, and entrepreneurship. Finally, the course also exposes students to an introductory review of business law and regulation.
Marketing Essentials
Show detailsThis course introduces the student to marketing concepts and theories that provide a comprehensive foundation within the marketing subject area. Lectures will be the primary method of delivery. Students are supported by tutorials to facilitate further discussion of material and guidance for self‐directed learning. Guest lecturers will be invited to offer seminars to develop the student’s understanding of current practices in marketing led organizations.
IT Essentials
Show detailsThis course enables students to focus on the essential concepts of computing and related technologies. Students focus upon the fundamental issues surrounding the world of computing through a balance between theory and applied learning. Students will build practical skills in database, spreadsheets, and web technologies. They will also contextualize the role that computer technologies have played in facilitating the evolution and development of business systems, and the legal and ethical issues that have emerged through this process.
Economic Perspectives
Show detailsThis course is designed to expose students to contemporary economic perspectives, for example: free market versus government interventionist policies. By applying theoretical frameworks to various industries and different economies, students will develop and in-depth view of this complex environment and an understanding of real-world developments.
This course is 5 ECTS credits:
Introduction to Business Finance
Show detailsThis course will introduce students to the principles, concepts and techniques required to understand the core components of business finance and internal/external financial analysis. Students will develop a knowledge and understanding of finance in the key areas of financial reporting, budgeting, variance analysis, performance evaluation and the role of various stakeholders.
(30 ECTS)
The following courses are 10 ECTS credits over two semesters:
Management
Show detailsThis course introduces the student to the nature of management and advocates the importance of good managerial practice in contemporary organizations. The course is designed to explain the integrative nature of managerial functions. The course identifies how their environment affects organizations and how organizations in turn create change, through innovation and adapt to their local and global environments. Students will be encouraged to understand how management has evolved and continues to be influenced by institutional and cultural factors. The course places an increased emphasis on corporate governance, ethics, data mining for performance management, entrepreneurship, innovation, change management and operations and supply chain management.
Financial Management
Show detailsThis course introduces students to financial management principles. The course provides students with the knowledge and understanding to apply the basic principles, concepts, and techniques of financial management in commercial situations.
Business Information Systems
Show detailsThe course introduces students to the role of Information Systems in a business organization. It focuses on how modern businesses use information technology and systems to support management, business functions and activities. Multiple emerging digital technologies are becoming the basis of competitive strategies that are having a profound impact on existing businesses and creating opportunities for new ones. Students will also develop practical skills in web design using client-side technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript which meet current web standards while also building a series of interactive spreadsheet data analysis models to meet business requirements.
Employee Relations and the Law
Show detailsThis course aims to provide an overall knowledge and insight into the three main areas of labor law (trade union law, industrial relations law, and employment law) and the corresponding legislation and judicial decisions that underpin them. The student will understand and appreciate key areas of importance in the everyday application of labor law in the workplace. The student will gain a strong foundation in labor law so as to assist them in the crucial business of maintaining full legal compliance in the Irish workplace.
Organizational Behavior for Managers
Show detailsThe course gives the student an insight into the various influences affecting peoples’ behavior and satisfaction within organizations, and the workplace. It helps students explore and appreciate the relationship between those influences and the bottom-line dependent variables or metrics in which organizations are interested. The course works through three categories of influencing variables, Individual, Group and contextual / organizational factors. The course will enable the student to understand how we can manage or manipulate the influencing factors or at least understand them. Students will appreciate individual difference and diversity, and therefore increase their empathy toward people, and improve their people management skills.
This course is 5 ECTS credits:
Business Ethics and Research Practice
Show detailsThe course will provide the environment to assist the student to apply ethical principles in a given situation whether in business practice or in research. The importance of leadership and teamwork in relation to ethical practices will be appraised. Learners will be encouraged to scrutinize both Irish and international government legislations, policies, and company responsibilities in relation to ensuring ethical business and research practices. The course will be delivered using a combination of teaching and learning strategies including lectures, case studies, published research papers, and self-directed learning. In addition, the course will provide workshops enabling students to debate and apply their knowledge to practical business situations.
(30 ECTS)
The following courses are 10 ECTS credits over two semesters:
Management
Show detailsThis course introduces the student to the nature of management and advocates the importance of good managerial practice in contemporary organizations. The course is designed to explain the integrative nature of managerial functions. The course identifies how their environment affects organizations and how organizations in turn create change, through innovation and adapt to their local and global environments. Students will be encouraged to understand how management has evolved and continues to be influenced by institutional and cultural factors. The course places an increased emphasis on corporate governance, ethics, data mining for performance management, entrepreneurship, innovation, change management and operations and supply chain management.
Financial Management
Show detailsThis course introduces students to financial management principles. The course provides students with the knowledge and understanding to apply the basic principles, concepts, and techniques of financial management in commercial situations.
Business Information Systems
Show detailsThe course introduces students to the role of Information Systems in a business organization. It focuses on how modern businesses use information technology and systems to support management, business functions and activities. Multiple emerging digital technologies are becoming the basis of competitive strategies that are having a profound impact on existing businesses and creating opportunities for new ones. Students will also develop practical skills in web design using client-side technologies such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript which meet current web standards while also building a series of interactive spreadsheet data analysis models to meet business requirements.
Employee Relations and the Law
Show detailsThis course aims to provide an overall knowledge and insight into the three main areas of labor law (trade union law, industrial relations law, and employment law) and the corresponding legislation and judicial decisions that underpin them. The student will understand and appreciate key areas of importance in the everyday application of labor law in the workplace. The student will gain a strong foundation in labor law so as to assist them in the crucial business of maintaining full legal compliance in the Irish workplace.
Organizational Behavior for Managers
Show detailsThe course gives the student an insight into the various influences affecting peoples’ behavior and satisfaction within organizations, and the workplace. It helps students explore and appreciate the relationship between those influences and the bottom-line dependent variables or metrics in which organizations are interested. The course works through three categories of influencing variables, Individual, Group and contextual / organizational factors. The course will enable the student to understand how we can manage or manipulate the influencing factors or at least understand them. Students will appreciate individual difference and diversity, and therefore increase their empathy toward people, and improve their people management skills.
This course is 5 ECTS credits:
Advanced Economic Perspectives
Show detailsThe course is designed to give students a deeper appreciation of the roots of political economic perspectives existing in the world today, in order to understand the free-market approach and the government interventionist approach of policy. Students will also apply the theoretical frameworks provided in lectures to individual markets/industries and wider macro environments to enable them to develop a more sophisticated view of the political economic events taking place in the real-world context.
(30 ECTS)
The following courses are 10 ECTS credits over two semesters:
Strategic Management
Show detailsThis course provides students with the knowledge, skills, concepts, and tools necessary to understand, and respond to, the increasingly complex, global, volatile, and dynamic context in which organizational strategy formulation and development take place today. This course will conduct a detailed study of the nature of strategy content, and of strategic processes, in a variety or organizational/industry settings designed to equip students for further study at post‐graduate level and for future career development.
Global Business
Show detailsThis course provides an integrated framework whereby global business-relevant trends/issues may be identified and analyzed, their strategic implications may be understood, and informed business responses may be deployed.
Human Resource Management
Show detailsThe course provides students with a comprehensive and modern view of talent planning, management, and resourcing. Students will view how Human Resource (HR) specialists demonstrably add value in pursuit of competitive advantage and organizational sustainability. Among other contemporary issues, like HR metrics and data analytics, students will be introduced to the complexity surrounding the reconfiguration of the HR role, the impact of environmental factors on HR performance, the rise of the HR strategic business partner, the potential of e-enabled HR and HR outsourcing opportunities. The course also includes an assessment of the traditional HR activities, recruitment and selection, training and development and associated sophisticated policies and practices.
Human Resource Development
Show detailsThe course provides students an opportunity to focus on the HRD (Human Resources Development) aspect of Human Resources Management; on the HRD function within organizations, and the theory of adult learning processes. Students will apply these through analyzing needs and designing and implementing learning interventions in support of Organizational strategy. The course also gives students an indication of the real world of HRD by introducing them to the politics and dynamics of the modern HRD function. HRM stream students need to focus on the learning function within organizations as a major HRM subset and responsibility. As the learning function becomes more and more decentralized, and as training and development responsibility is more and more within the remit of line managers, students in other streams, need as potential managers to be able to understand the learning function, assess different methods and interventions, and design simple interventions.
Contemporary Performance Management
Show detailsThis course helps students to develop and implement innovative performance management strategies to improve talent management, employee engagement and business results. It presents a holistic approach to performance management detailing how to build a culture of ongoing feedback and coaching and provides case studies of how this approach to building performance has been effective in organizations. Filled with practical advice, including how to deal with underperformers, it enables organizations to remove overly bureaucratic and ineffective systems based on top-down judgments and ratings, and demonstrates how to get line managers' support for the process focusing on actionable feedback and growth.
Capstone Project
Show detailsThis course provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to work independently, or in a group setting, on a well-defined research question in an organized and critical manner. The course will enable students to develop their research and analytical skills. The capstone module, business project synergizes previous learning and ensures graduate attributes such as independent learning, analytical and problem-solving skills as well as research and development are captured by the student and necessitates time management and planning. Students will be provided with appropriate research topics in the specific domain they choose to focus upon. Students will select their research question, determine the appropriate research approach, summarize the relevant literature, apply specific research methodologies, collect secondary data, critically appraise their findings, and construct appropriate recommendations.
(30 ECTS)
The following courses are 10 ECTS credits over two semesters:
Strategic Management
Show detailsThis course provides students with the knowledge, skills, concepts, and tools necessary to understand, and respond to, the increasingly complex, global, volatile, and dynamic context in which organizational strategy formulation and development take place today. This course will conduct a detailed study of the nature of strategy content, and of strategic processes, in a variety or organizational/industry settings designed to equip students for further study at post‐graduate level and for future career development.
Global Business
Show detailsThis course provides an integrated framework whereby global business-relevant trends/issues may be identified and analyzed, their strategic implications may be understood, and informed business responses may be deployed.
Human Resource Management
Show detailsThe course provides students with a comprehensive and modern view of talent planning, management, and resourcing. Students will view how Human Resource (HR) specialists demonstrably add value in pursuit of competitive advantage and organizational sustainability. Among other contemporary issues, like HR metrics and data analytics, students will be introduced to the complexity surrounding the reconfiguration of the HR role, the impact of environmental factors on HR performance, the rise of the HR strategic business partner, the potential of e-enabled HR and HR outsourcing opportunities. The course also includes an assessment of the traditional HR activities, recruitment and selection, training and development and associated sophisticated policies and practices.
Human Resource Development
Show detailsThe course provides students an opportunity to focus on the HRD (Human Resources Development) aspect of Human Resources Management; on the HRD function within organizations, and the theory of adult learning processes. Students will apply these through analyzing needs and designing and implementing learning interventions in support of Organizational strategy. The course also gives students an indication of the real world of HRD by introducing them to the politics and dynamics of the modern HRD function. HRM stream students need to focus on the learning function within organizations as a major HRM subset and responsibility. As the learning function becomes more and more decentralized, and as training and development responsibility is more and more within the remit of line managers, students in other streams, need as potential managers to be able to understand the learning function, assess different methods and interventions, and design simple interventions.
Contemporary Performance Management
Show detailsThis course helps students to develop and implement innovative performance management strategies to improve talent management, employee engagement and business results. It presents a holistic approach to performance management detailing how to build a culture of ongoing feedback and coaching and provides case studies of how this approach to building performance has been effective in organizations. Filled with practical advice, including how to deal with underperformers, it enables organizations to remove overly bureaucratic and ineffective systems based on top-down judgments and ratings, and demonstrates how to get line managers' support for the process focusing on actionable feedback and growth.
0 ECTS
Capstone Project
Show detailsThis course provides students with the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to work independently, or in a group setting, on a well-defined research question in an organized and critical manner. The course will enable students to develop their research and analytical skills. The capstone module, business project synergizes previous learning and ensures graduate attributes such as independent learning, analytical and problem-solving skills as well as research and development are captured by the student and necessitates time management and planning. Students will be provided with appropriate research topics in the specific domain they choose to focus upon. Students will select their research question, determine the appropriate research approach, summarize the relevant literature, apply specific research methodologies, collect secondary data, critically appraise their findings, and construct appropriate recommendations.
Learning Outcomes
The BA (Hons) in Business (Human Resource Management) prepares students for future careers in global business ventures and large international organizations. In addition, after graduating, students will competently:
- Understand the alignment of human resource strategies as a key enabler of organizational strategy.
- Assess the competences required in order to facilitate maximum value contribution from human resources.
- Assess knowledge and information, tools, and techniques in a critical way to confidently adapt to changing business environments.
- Evaluate data and information derived through research to ensure relevant new knowledge is continually incorporated to enhance business planning and decision making.
- Demonstrate interpersonal skills of effective listening, negotiation, persuasion, and presentation in individual and group situations.
- Display an in‐depth understanding of the inter‐relationships between business functions and business processes and their impact on product and service provision.
- Apply diagnostic and creative skills in the solution of business problems showing an interdisciplinary approach to resolution.
- Demonstrate a capacity to contribute to business development and enhanced strategic decision-making.