For years, HR has been reactive and backstage, playing the role of a support function. However, it is no longer enough today to merely perform traditional duties such as posting job vacancies or preparing payroll as the HR function is getting more strategic. A HR manager, as a strategic partner, has to be better equipped to add value to the organisation.
Proactive HR
¡§These days, when we talk about HR we'll relate a keyword 'strategy'. Today's HR professionals can't just sit in the office to perform functional HR activities. They must also be able to understand the relationships between internal and external environment, such as the attraction of talent in the tight labour market, as well as to increase media exposure. The role of HR is changing from passive to proactive,¡¨ says Dr. Alicia Leung, MScSHRM Programme Director and Associate Professor, Department of Management, Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).

Dr. Jamie Cheung, MHRM Programme Director and Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Hong Kong Baptist University agrees and says, ¡§Being a strategic partner, HR professionals have to catch up with the strategic part of the organisation, develop thorough understanding of the organisation's vision and goals, and help realise these goals by practicing strategic HRM.¡¨

As pointed out by Dr. Leung, in the past years, most organsations, especially SMEs, very often overlooked the importance of HRM. In fact, if the role of HR can be performed along with business strategies, there could be a synergistic effect that is good for maintaining the organisation's competitive edge.

Be Well-equipped
No doubt HR has now become a core strategic function in an organisation. HR professionals must learn to think strategically in order to position themselves for their new roles. Given the changing role of HR as a strategic partner, we see HR professionals are increasingly aware of their learning needs and HRM programmes is getting more popular these days.

The Programmes
In view of this, the HKBU School of Business offers the Master of Human Resources Management (MHRM) and MSc in Strategic Human Resources Management (MScSHRM) degree programmes to cater for HR people's learning and working needs.

¡§MHRM could be described as a programme for junior-level executive and HR practitioners. It aims to provide a solid foundation of HR knowledge and skills, which enables them to pursue a professional career in the HR field,¡¨ Dr. Cheung explains.

MScSHRM is an executive-level programme for executives with a minimum of five years management or professional work experience. It provides senior executives with advanced management knowledge and practical HR skills to help transform them into a strategic partner and business leader.

¡§With strategies, globalisation and ethics as the three core elements, each course of the programme explores a critical topic in depth. We aspire to help students develop strategic thinking, global vision and ethical leadership skills, so that they can manage the HR function effectively at all levels,¡¨ says Dr. Leung.

Global Focus
Speaking of the unique features of the programmes, Dr. Leung continues, ''Global Focus' is our unique feature. We emphasise various human contexts and international HRM standards in all our programmes. For instance, MScSHRM offers courses like 'Industrial-Organisational Psychology', 'Change Management' and 'Current Human Resources Issues¡¦ for students to explore critical HR topics in a profound manner."

¡§As for MHRM, we offer elective courses such as 'Human Resources Management in the PRC', 'Ethics in Human Resources Management' and ¡¥International and Comparative HRM¡¦, enabling students to explore major HR concepts and issues from a global perspective,¡¨ Dr. Cheung adds.

International Faculty
¡§In addition, all the courses are taught by internationally renowned academics and HRM experts who have written outstanding books and have years of consulting experience in multinationals, so they can provide our students with global focus and perspectives.¡¨

Action Learning¡§We adopt an action learning approach in both programmes. We hope that through a range of participative and work-based learning approaches, students can investigate critical issues and devise plans to handle them,¡¨ she continues.

According to Dr. Leung, the Degree Project is a good demonstration of their action learning approach as it provides students the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills they have acquired during their study in a real-life context by using various consulting and research methods to explore problems in an organisation and finally provide an effective solution to tackle the problems.

Executive Development Seminar Series
To expose students to additional practical experience and knowledge of a diverse range of business issues, students of both programmes are required to attend at least seven seminars where senior executives or HR practitioners as well as distinguished scholars will be the speakers.

¡§Sometimes we also invite alumni to join, which is a good opportunity for exchange and networking,¡¨ Dr. Leung adds.

The AACSB Accreditation
Having been a pioneer in executive education in Asia for years, the HKBU School of Business has recently earned the AACSB International accreditation ¡V the hallmark of excellence in management education. The accreditation represents the highest standard of achievement for business schools worldwide and only less than five percent of the business schools in the world are accredited.

¡§When selecting a programme for study, I think reputation of the institution is significant as it reflects education quality and recognition of the programme. Programmes offered by an AACSB accredited business school would be the programme of choice as graduates will enjoy worldwide recognition. Certainly, students should also look at the course content and coverage to see whether it suits their needs,¡¨ Dr. Cheung suggests.