COURSE CONTENT

Course Coordinator Chen Xiaoping Course Code HE4015 Course Title Personnel Pre-requisites HE2001 Intermediate No of AUs 4 Contact Hours 52 hours (2 hours lecture and 2 hours tutorial per week)

Course Aims Personnel Economics is the application of economic and mathematical approaches and econometric and statistical methods to traditional topics in the study of human resources management. Compared to the standard labor economics courses, this course focuses more on the internal labor within firms. This includes topics such as compensation, turnover, incentives, and compensation that are inherently economic, as well as those that do not at first appear to be economic topics, such as norms, teamwork, worker empowerment, and peer relationships. It has become a rapid developing research field since its birth and, as a course, has been taught in many top universities and MBA programs. The current course is a general introduction to this emerging field of researches and the human resource management in practice. We analyze the efficient allocation and motivation of employees as well as their development of skills within a company. We discuss recruiting mechanisms, training strategies and efficient compensation schemes. The course also has a focus on recent empirical evidences and applications in the practice of human resource management.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO) By the end of this course, you (as a student) would be able to:

1. Apply the principles of microeconomics, such as the incentive theory, and asymmetric information, to analyze the internal labor market issues within firms. 2. Identify and explain the basic principles and common practices in human resource management. 3. Use economic theories and statistical tools to provide insights into human resource management practices.

Course Content Week Topic Lecture Hours Tutorial Hours 1 Introduction and Hiring 2 2 2 Investment in Skills 2 2 3 Managing Turnover 2 2 4 Decision Making in Organization 2 2 5 Organizational Structure 2 2 6 Job Design 2 2 7 Performance Evaluation 2 2 8 Rewarding Performance 2 2 9 Career-Based Incentives 2 2

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10 Other Compensations and Benefits 2 2 11 Team 2 2 12 Relationship 2 2 13 Further Discussion and Review 2 2

Assessment (includes both continuous and summative assessment)

1. Article Review : 15% 2. Group Project : 35% 3. Final Examination : 50% Total : 100%

Reading and References Lazear, Edward P.; Michael Gibbs: Personnel Economics in Practice. 2nd Edition. 2009, Wiley.

Reference Articles: HE4015 Reading list

Edward P. Lazear: Personnel Economics for Managers, 1998.

Robert Gibbons; D. John Roberts (edited): Handbook of Organization Economics, December 2012, Princeton University Press.

Course Instructors

Instructor Office Location Phone Email Chen Xiaoping SHHK 04-59 6790 5559 [email protected]

Planned Weekly Schedule

Week Topic Course LO Readings/ Activities Introduction and 1, 2 Chapter 1, 2; Lecture 1 Hiring notes 1, 2 1, 2, 3 Chapter 3; Lecture 2 Investment in Skills notes 3 1, 2, 3 Chapter 4; Lecture 3 Managing Turnover notes 4 Decision Making in 1, 2, 3 Chapter 5; Lecture 4 Organization notes 5 Organizational 1, 2, 3 Chapter 6; Lecture 5 Structure notes 5 1, 2, 3 Chapter 7, 8; Lecture 6 Job Design notes 6 Performance 1, 2, 3 Chapter 9; Lecture 7 Evaluation notes 7

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Rewarding 1, 2, 3 Chapter 10; Lecture 8 Performance notes 8 Career-Based 1, 2, 3 Chapter 11; Lecture 9 Incentives notes 8 Other Compensations 1, 2, 3 Chapter 12, 13; 10 and Benefits Lecture notes 8 1, 2, 3 Chapter 8; Lecture 11 Team notes 6 Employment 1, 2, 3 Chapter 14, 15 12 Relationship Further Discussion 1, 2, 3 All lecture notes 13 and Review

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