Ethical HRM
First, outline what ethical HRM policy might consist of. Second, critically evaluate whether, on balance, the rhetoric of ethical HRM is evident in reality. Please use real life examples to support your answer.
Please focus on reading the recommended references listed below and in the module handbook (mainly covering session 1, but feel free to use readings from other sessions), as well as your own independent wider reading.
Some key recommended readings:
Ackers, P. (2017), ‘Employment Ethics’. Chapter 19 in Wilkinson, A., Redman, T., and Dundon, T. (eds) Contemporary Human Resource Management: Text and Cases. Fifth Edition. Pearson.
Grugulis, I. (2017). A very short, fairly interesting and reasonably cheap book about Human Resource Management. Sage Publishing. Chapter 1.
Caldwell, C. et al., (2011) ‘Strategic Human Resource Management as Ethical Stewardship’, Journal of Business Ethics, 98 (1): 171-182.
CIPD factsheet (2018), ‘Ethical practice and the role of HR’. https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/ethics/role-hr-factsheet?(Links to an external site.)
Dundon, T. and Rafferty, A. (2018). ‘The (potential) demise of HRM’. Human Resource Management Journal, 28(3): 377-391.
Francis, H. and Keegan, A. (2006). The changing face of HRM: in search of balance. Human Resource Management Journal, 16(3): 231–249.
Greenwood, M. and Freeman, R,E. (2011) ‘Ethics and HRM: The Contribution of Stakeholder Theory’, Business and Professional Ethics Journal, 30(3-4), p.269-289.
Guest, D. and Woodrow, C. (2012) ‘Exploring the boundaries of human resource managers’ responsibilities’, Journal of Business Ethics, 111(1): 109-119.
Kochan, T. A. (2007). Social legitimacy of the HRM profession: A U.S. perspective. In P. Boxall, J. Purcell, & P. Wright (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of human resource management. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Legge, K. (1998) ‘The Morality of HRM’, in Mabey et al., Experiencing Human Resource Management, London: Sage.
Legge, K. (2005) Human Resource Management: Rhetoric and Realities, chapters 1 and 3.
Marchington, M. (2015). Human resource management (HRM): Too busy looking up to see where it is going longer term? Human Resource Management Review, 25(2), 176–187.
Rhodes, C. and Harvey, G. (2012) ‘Agonism and the possibilities of ethics for HRM’, Journal of Business Ethics, 111 (1): 49–59.
Referencing
Students are expected to reference work using academically appropriate resources (peer-reviewed journal articles and academic books), and can also refer to public documents like government and policy reports and quality newspapers (such as The Guardian, The Independent, Financial Times). In general, students should avoid website sources; e.g. Wikipedia is NOT considered an academically appropriate resource. Students are advised to follow the Harvard referencing style as explained on canvas.
