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THE UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST INDIES

Course Outline: MGMT 3070 – Employment Relations

Lecturer Contact Information

Name: Dr. Suzette Henry-Campbell

Office Hrs.: By appointment
Email: [email protected]
Course Time(s): Fridays: 3p.m. - 6p.m.
Location: FSS: SR16

1. Course Description
The course aims to provide learners with a sensitivity to the existence and nature of
conflict in contemporary work organisation as well as significantly better than average
professional competencies in the management of conflict. While the focus is on labour
management relations in the contemporary workplace, many of the concepts and
principles encountered in the course, will be applicable to conflict management and
dispute resolution in many other spheres of life.

2. Rationale
Given the ubiquitous nature of conflict and given the likelihood that disputes will arise in
work organisations from time to time, conflict management and dispute resolution skills
becomes crucial for any effective manager or business leader This course, therefore, is
designed to provide participants with the self-awareness and the competencies to
diagnose and resolve typical work-related disputes. In addition it will inspire the
disposition to engage in a lifelong process of developing the knowledge, skills and
attitudes to effectively manage and transform conflicts in a workplace setting.

3. Course Aims/Goals
The primary goal of the course is to enhance the conflict management competencies of
undergraduate students

On successful completion of the course, students should be able to:

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1. Explain the nature and scope of labour management relations in
contemporary work organisations
2. Explain the root causes of conflict in contemporary work organisations
3. Devise appropriate approaches to resolving disputes in typical workplace
situations.
4. Devise internal mechanisms for dispute prevention and resolution.
5. Utilise third party dispute resolution mechanisms when it becomes necessary.
6. Function more effectively as an independent earner.

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4. Course Content
Topics Description

1. The nature and scope of  The nature and scope of employment relations
employment relations.  Perspective on employment relations
 Workplace conflict management and
dispute resolution.

2. Work and the evolution of the  Definition of work

employment contract  Social, psychological, economic and legal
significance of work
 The contract of employment (formal
and informal).

3. Organisational culture and the  Organisational culture

employment relations system  The employment relations system.

4. Employee representation in the  Employee voice in the workplace

contemporary workplace.  Regulating the employment relationship
 Employee representation (past present and
future).
5. The role of management in  Definition of management
employment relations.  Role of management
 Styles of management
 Management of the contemporary workplace.

6. Understanding conflict and  Definition of conflict

workplace resistance - causes  Types of conflict
consequences and cures.  Role of conflict in the contemporary workplace.
 Management of conflict.

7. Self-awareness and the  Conflict management v dispute resolution

development of conflict  The role of the manager in conflict resolution
management skills.  Self-awareness and conflict resolution.

8. Resolving disputes – the role of  Defining negotiation

negotiation.  Styles of negotiation
 Approaches to negotiation
 Internal grievance procedures and the role
of negotiation.

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 Topics Description

9. Dispute preventing and  Workplace discipline

disciplinary procedure  Disciplinary procedures
 Progressive discipline.

10. Alternative Disputes Resolution  Defining alternative disputes resolution

– voluntary arrangements for  The legislative framework
dispute resolution in a non-union  Conciliation/Mediation
context  Arbitration

11.. The role of the state in third-  The legislative framework

party dispute resolution –  Statutory tribunals and industrial courts
statutory arrangements dispute  The role of the courts.
resolution.
12. Diversity and cultural literacy.  Defining workplace diversity (e.g., gender,
age, sexuality, religion)
 The positive impact of diversity
 Diversity as a source of conflict
 Managing diversity.

5. Teaching Methods
The course will be delivered in a blended mode taking full advantage of available
synchronous and asynchronous technologies. All relevant learning materials (e.g., videos,
articles and lecture notes) will be made available via the learning management system.
Teaching strategies will be drawn from a pool of options that includes:

1. Direct instruction – face to face presentations by instructor.

2. Student presentations – face to face or online
3. Whole and small group discussion – face-to-face or online
4. Discussion forums executed via the e-learning system
5. Virtual tutorials – group discussions; responding to queries; providing
feedback on assignments.
6. Group project, reporting and presentations.
7. Case analyses.

6. Contact and credits hours: Example - Lecture, Tutorial, Labs, other:

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 Type Duration Contact Hours Credit Hours
(Number of weeks)
Lectures 13 26 2
Tutorial 13 13 1
Labs na na na
Other (e.g.) na na na
Total 13 39 3

7. Course Assessments Description

Three forms of assessment will be utilised in this course. Two pieces of individual
assessment, one group assignment and a final examination:

1. Individual coursework assessment,

a) Reflective exercise - Learners will be required to form virtual groups and
engage in a substantive discussion with each other online. For each learner,
this will form the basis of an individual reflective exercise, which includes a
before and after self-evaluation (2500 words),
b) Field research project - students will be guided to carry out systematic
observation, description, and analysis of a “real-life” dispute (explaining what
happened, how it was “resolved”, and provide a critical evaluation of the
process and outcome – 2000 words).
2. Group Project - a description and critical evaluation of a designated
employment relations system (2000 words).
3. Final Examination - a comprehensive examination comprising of items
drawn from any section of the syllabus.

8. Course Assessment Type and Course Learning Outcome Matrix

Assessment Learning Assessment

Item Outcomes (see
section 4)
Weight Description
%
1 Individual 6 20 Learners will be placed in groups to 1) have
reflective discussions on the learning object, and 2)
exercise develop weekly “reflection papers”. The
(2500 process will be monitored by the instructor on
words) a weekly basis during each session. Each
learner will then be required to compile a
minimum of five submissions with an
introduction and conclusion in their learning
DUE DATE: WEEK 6 (MARCH 1, 2025 portfolio (portfolio template is provided by
the instructor).
(Total - 2500 words)

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 Assessment Item Learning Assessment
Outcomes (see
section 4)

2 Field Project – 3, 4 & 5 25 The individual project comprises a

dispute analysis systematic observation, description,
(2000 words) and analysis of a “real-life”
workplace dispute (explaining what
DUE DATE: WEEK 9 (MARCH 22, 2025 happened, how it was “resolved” and
a critical evaluation of the process
and outcome).
3 Group project – 3, 4 & 5 15 The group project involves a
employment description and critical evaluation of
relations system the policies and procedures relating
(2000 words). to the employment relations system
in an organisation (2000 words).
DUE DATE: WEEK 12 (April 12, 2025

4 Final Examination 1-6 40 Final Examination (essay type) – a

(essay type) comprehensive examination
comprising of items drawn from any
section of the syllabus.

9. Attributes of the Ideal UWI Graduate

Please tick the ones that apply to this course:
 A critical and creative thinker
 An effective communicator with good interpersonal skills
 IT-skilled and information literate
 Innovative and entrepreneurial
Globally aware and well-grounded in his/her regional identity
 Socially, culturally and environmentally responsible
 Guided by strong ethical values

10. Readings/Learning Resources (Online and Print)

Required/Essential
Raines, Susan S. 2021. Conflict Management for Managers. 2nd ed. Rowman & Littlefield
Publishers.
Williams, Steve. 2020. Introducing Employment Relations: A Critical Approach. 5th ed. Oxford,
United Kingdom: Oxford University Press.

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Recommended
Advisory Conciliation and Arbitration Service [ACAS]. 2014. “Discipline and Grievance at
Work,” 1–86.

Budd, John W. 2012. “The Future of Employee Voice.” In The Handbook of Research on
Employee Voice, edited by Adrian Wilkinson, Jimmy Donaghey, Tony Dundon, Richard
Freeman, and Monica den Boer. Edward Elgar.

Grossman, Robert J. 2005. “Executive Discipline.” HR Magazineagazine, no. August: 46–51.

https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/17506200710779521.

Opatha, Henarath. 2009. “Employee Discipline Management.” In Human Resource

Management: Personnel. Colombo, Sri Lanka: Department ofHuman Resource
Management, University of Sri Jayewardenepura.

Stephenson, Jacqueline, Natalie Persadie, Ann Marie Bissessar, and Talia Esnard. 2020.
Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion in Caribbean Organisations and Society: An Exploration
of Work, Employment, Education, and the Law. Palgrave Macmillan.

Wilkinson, Adrian, and Stewart Johnstone, eds. 2016. Developing Positive Employment
Relations. Palgrave Macmillan.

Other: (Special Equipment/Tools)

The course will be liberally infused with current material drawn from newspaper reports,
blogs, tweets, and short videos from YouTube etc. Learners will be encouraged to follow
the accounts of leading actors in the field of employment relations. Examples include the
Ministry of Labour (Jamaica), the Industrial Disputes Tribunal and the Jamaica
Employers Federation, the Advisory, Conciliation and Mediation Services in Britain and
the Society for Human Resource Management.

11. Academic

Integrity Cheating
Cheating is any attempt to benefit oneself or another by deceit or fraud. Plagiarism is a form of
cheating. Plagiarism is the unauthorized and unacknowledged use of another person’s intellectual
efforts, ideas and creations under one’s own name howsoever recorded, including whether
formally published or in manuscript or in typescript or other printed or electronically presented
form.

Plagiarism includes taking passages, ideas or structures from another work or author without
attribution of such source(s), using the conventions for attributions or citing used in this
University.

Since any piece of work submitted by a student must be that student’s own work, all forms of
cheating, including plagiarism, are forbidden (Faculty of Social Sciences, Graduate Handbook,
Appendix a Regulations for Graduate Diploma & Degrees pg. 156- 169 University of the West
Indies).

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Policy on Use of Artificial Intelligence
Learning is a collaborative endeavour and a joint responsibility of new, more and experienced
learners. In today’s environment there are multiple opportunities for learning. One new and
emerging area lies in the use of tools like ChatGPT, Bing and Bard. Some early adapters are using
it. Others are not. Some might decline to use these tools because of ethical considerations. Those
CANNOT be left behind.

In this class we set out to provide a safe space to enable everyone to learn to ethically utilise these
tools. In this class, you are welcome to use any large language model that is freely available to all
learners (e.g., ChatGPT, Bing and Bard) for any purpose that does not violate the rules of The
University of the West Indies. However, you should note:

1) AI is still evolving, and the owners acknowledge that all large language models still tend to
“hallucinate”, generating incorrect information and fake citation. Similarly, image
generation models can occasionally come up with highly offensive products. You will be
responsible for any inaccurate, biased, offensive, or otherwise unethical content that you
submit, regardless of whether it originated with you or a foundation model; and your work
will be graded accordingly.

2) You are expected to contextualise your work. Make a clear distinction between reference to
phenomena played out in other parts of the world, developments relating to Jamaica and the
Caribbean, and experiences within your own “reality of reference”.

3) An agreement to use AI models is not permission to “cut and paste” and pass on other
people’s work as your own.

4) You should acknowledge the use any AI tools in a footnote attached to the title of every item
that you submit. For example, if your learning portfolio comprises three items, you should
include three footnotes.

5) If you are found to have used an AI tool without acknowledgement in the submission, you
run the risk that your work will be treated as plagiarism.

6) Having said all these disclaimers, the use of foundation models is encouraged, as it may
make it possible for you to submit assignments with higher quality, in less time.

7) If anything is unclear to you, please ask the instructor so that we can be on the same page.

12. Code of Conduct

1. During the conduct of any class, there shall be no activity which disturbs the assembly
and affects the order of the proceedings. Instructors have the right to require any student
to leave the classroom if she/he is involved in disorderly conduct, or alternatively
instructors have the right to leave the classroom themselves.

2. Cell phones are to be placed silent during classes.

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13. Students’ Responsibility

• Obtain a copy of the student handbook and familiarize yourself with the student code
of conduct.

• Obtain a copy of the course outline from your instructor.

• Read the textbook and other assigned readings prior to the start of class.

• Attend all classes.

• Participate as fully as possible in class discussions.

• Be punctual for class.

• Observe due dates for assignments.

• Respect the rights of others.

• Adhere to the highest standards of academic integrity.

• Respect university property and the property of others

• Practice good health and safety habits

• Comply with the standards, rules, and regulations of the University

14. Instructor’s Responsibility

• Be fair and impartial to all students.

• Hold office hours for students to discuss issues and questions relating to the course.

• Ensure that the course is delivered at the highest level of academic standard.

• Ensure that sufficient and relevant material is made available for students.

• To be punctual at all times (except in extenuating circumstances).

• Maintain ongoing consultation with the students to ensure that the course is meeting

the needs of the students at all times.

15. Group Work

• Students will be assigned to groups when necessary for the purpose of collaborative
learning and engagement.
• Faculty member will ensure full participation of each group member and that each group
member makes an equitable contribution to the work of the group.

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 • Each group member will be held accountable for a specific area of each assigned group
project.
• Each group member will independently evaluate his/her contribution of another member
to a group project by filling out the project evaluation form provided by the course
faculty.
• When necessary, each group member is expected to give an oral presentation of the
assigned component of the group project.
• Fill out the student accountability form provided by the course faculty.

Date of issue: January 2025

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