MN5426 People Management in Global Contexts
Academic year
2026 to 2027 Semester 2
Curricular information may be subject to change
Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.
Key module information
SCOTCAT credits
15
SCQF level
SCQF level 11
Availability restrictions
This is a core module for the MLitt International Business and not available as an option module to other programmes.
Planned timetable
To be arranged.
Module Staff
Dr Giulia Giunti (GC67)
Module description
This module equips postgraduate students with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate people management practices across diverse global settings, including multinational corporations and international consultancies. Through a series of lectures, students will explore the complex challenges that organisations face when managing human resources across different national and cultural contexts. The module introduces a range of theoretical frameworks, enabling students to critically evaluate and engage with contemporary trends and debates in international human resource management.
Assessment pattern
100% Coursework
Re-assessment
100% Coursework
Learning and teaching methods and delivery
Weekly contact
3 x hour weekly seminars.
Scheduled learning hours
30
Guided independent study hours
120
Intended learning outcomes
- Understand the complexities of managing people in international settings, including key issues such as expatriate management, talent mobility, and staffing strategies within multinational corporations.
- Critically assess the effectiveness of international HRM practices, examining the influence of cultural values and institutional frameworks on how organisations manage their workforce across borders.
- Communicate effectively on people management challenges in global organisations, and develop well-reasoned solutions to workforce management issues in international contexts.
MN5426 People Management in Global Contexts
Academic year
2025 to 2026 Semester 2
Curricular information may be subject to change
Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.
Key module information
SCOTCAT credits
15
SCQF level
SCQF level 11
Availability restrictions
This is a core module for the MLitt International Business and not available as an option module to other programmes.
Planned timetable
To be arranged.
Module Staff
Brenda Marin
Module description
The module focuses on the management of human resources in global markets and will help participants understand the problems of managing people in an international/multinational context. One of the most important trends in the development of modern economies is the increased globalisation of business. Notwithstanding its economic and social impact, however, globalisation is having a significant impact on how we manage people, not only in multinational enterprises but in our indigenous companies as, increasingly, we borrow ideas on best practice from overseas. Such efforts at globalisation, whilst generally successful in bringing economic success, have been fraught with problems, which are often the consequence of ethnocentric management teams and their attempts to export US-style best practice human resource management to other countries. Thus, it is critically important for globalising firms to make sensible and contextually-sensitive decisions in key areas of human resource management, which take into account institutional, cultural and psychological differences between parent company institutions, values and practices, those of host countries and those of third country nationals employed to work in global organisations. These decisions usually concern such areas as how people are organised, recruited, selected, deployed, developed, motivated, compensated and how their performance is managed. They also focus on whether or not global organisations employ uniform human resource practices in their various locations throughout the world. Ultimately, effective international human resource management (IHRM) rests on a thorough understanding of the problems of managing people from different backgrounds and this module attempts to explore such problems in-depth and help students apply their understanding to practical managerial situations.
Assessment pattern
Coursework = 50%, Exam = 50%
Re-assessment
Exam = 100%
Learning and teaching methods and delivery
Weekly contact
Lectures and seminars.
Scheduled learning hours
30
Guided independent study hours
120
Intended learning outcomes
- Understand the complexities of managing people in global markets and organisations, and the context that shapes international HRM
- Critically evaluate the effectiveness of international HRM, the impact of cultural values and 'institutional embeddedness
- Demonstrate an ability to communicate HR issues and policies effectively
- Evaluate and formulate policies relating to the management of workforces in international organisations