Overview of Course

This course offers an overview of the essential functions and strategic importance of human resource management (HRM) in today’s global organizations. Students will explore key HR areas including talent acquisition, training and development, performance management, compensation, employee relations, and legal compliance.
Leveraging the multinational experience of Semester at Sea, the course emphasizes cross-cultural perspectives, ethical practices, and evolving workforce trends. Students will analyze how HR practices must adapt to different cultural and legal environments, and how people strategies contribute to organizational success worldwide.
This course is designed to develop a comprehensive knowledge of HRM along with the skills necessary for implementing strategic, effective, and legally defensible people practices in organizations. HR professionals develop and manage people practices and policies to ensure that they produce employee attitudes, skills, behaviors, and performance that companies need to achieve their strategic goals. They are commonly responsible for a total employee lifecycle including recruiting, hiring, onboarding, training, evaluating performance, paying, providing benefits, counseling, and terminating employees. HR Professionals are employed in every industry and are an essential partner in an organization’s strategic vision and for ensuring the right people are in place.
Interactive case studies, in-port field assignments, and group projects will provide hands-on opportunities to understand HRM from both employer and employee perspectives.