• University of Exeter Business School
• Module

Resourcing and Talent Management

Module description

In this module we introduce some of the most significant areas of human resource management responsibility. Anyone seeking to develop a career in HR, in the UK or globally will find it to be both interesting and essential to their professional development. It will also be of interest to anyone with an interest in the management of people or who anticipates building a generalist management career.

Our focus is on how organisations achieve the most fundamental HRM aim of mobilising a workforce. In order to function effectively all employers need to ensure that at all times they have the right people in the right jobs. Increasingly they are also drawing on other sources of skills and expertise accessed from a wider network of people with whom they maintain some form of contractual relationship. It is with the business of staffing an organisation effectively that this module is concerned.

Module aims - intentions of the module

Our aim is to help you to develop the skills and knowledge you will need to manage staffing and talent management activities on behalf of an employer to the highest standards.  We also aim to introduce you to the most significant contemporary debates in this field and to developments that are likely to shape its future evolution.

On successful completion of the module you will be well placed to manage and to develop organisational policy in the fields of human resource planning, succession planning, recruitment and selection, induction, employee retention, employer branding and basic performance management.  You will also be introduced to the ways that organisations seek to build reputations as employers and to position themselves strategically in the labour market in relation to their competitors.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Meet the core standards within the CIPD Profession Map for Resourcing and Talent Management;
• 2. analyse and critically evaluate contemporary debates and developments in the following areas of HRM: human resource planning / succession planning, recruitment selection, job analysis and design, induction / socialisation, employee retention, individual performance management, retirement and redundancy and resourcing strategy.

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. engage critically with the published literature on resourcing and talent management;
• 4. explain the contribution made by resourcing and talent management activities to the achievement of wider organisational objectives.

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. demonstrate that you are able to develop and argue an original case and justify your views effectively;
• 6. give managers and colleagues appropriate and timely advice about resourcing and talent management issues.

Syllabus plan

Over 11 one-hour lectures and 7 seminars we will introduce and discuss a wide range of topic areas relating to the staffing of organisations, a particular emphasis being placed on contemporary developments and debates in the field. In our sessions we will focus on the following:

• human resource planning and job design
• recruitment and selection
• induction and socialization
• employee retention
• training and development
• reputation
• communication
• retirement and redundancy
• managing individual performance
• reward management strategy and practice
• strategic aspects of resourcing and talent management
• global talent
• problematic talent
• replacing talent

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Students who fail to pass their assignments will be required to re-work them and resubmit at a later date. 

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Berger, L. & Berger, D. (2018). The Talent Management Handbook: Making Culture a Competitive Advantage by Acquiring, Identifying, Developing, and Promoting the Best People (3^rd ed.).McGraw Hill.
• Collings, D., Mellahi, K., & Cascio, W. (2019). Oxford Handbook of Talent Management. Oxford University PRess.
• Taylor, S. (2018). Resourcing and Talent Management (7^th ed). CIPD.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

You will have access to an online searchable and resources database, with links to several eBooks available through the Exeter Learning Environment (ELE). Within this environment, you will also be supported through online discussion forums and activities. 

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

None.

Key words search

Resourcing, talent management, recruitment, selection, retention, labour markets, employer branding, reputation.