In order to make the most of this course, students are expected to have completed the following courses of the first semester: - Managing and Leading People - Strategic Management - International Strategic Management - Organizational Behavior - Comparative HR - Financial Management - Commercial Management - Production Management - Accounting

At the end of the course participants will be able to: - Describe the different purposes of performance management as well as the components of an effective performance management; - Explain the challenges associated with the implementation of an effective performance management programme; - Describe the purpose of compensation as well as the different approaches that mangers may follow to design compensation systems; - Explain the components of an effective compensation system; - Explain the rationale behind how incentive plans motivate the workforce; - Contrast and compare the relative advantages and drawbacks of different types of incentive plans.

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How well employees perform is a function of the attitudes and behaviours they display at work. Promoting appropriate employee attitudes and behaviours implies motivating the workforce to constantly improve what they do. This is, indeed, a primary HR activity of which practitioners should demonstrate a solid understanding. Some of the main devices that can be used to guide employees' efforts on the job are: - Performance management programmes; - Base salary; - Incentives; - Benefits. This course is designed to provide students with an in depth description of the above HR devices. The course also aims at presenting the main issues and challenges that are likely to be encountered in any organization when it comes to deploying these devices. Finally, potential approaches to effectively face such issues and challenges will be presented and discussed.

The course will be based on case studies, readings and some presentations. The debate and the exchange of ideas and experiences will be pivotal for the development of the course. Students will be encouraged to bring their insights and thoughts on the material assigned into class discussions. As in many other areas on HRM, most issues, cases and problems will not have one "right" answer, though some answers will be more correct than others. Thus, being "right" or "wrong" should not be a concern for students when participating to class discussions. All viewpoints will be of interest. Everyone is expected to critically listen to the contributions of fellow students and any disagreement should be explained. Each student is expected to: - Be prepared for each class session, implying that assigned readings, exercises and case studies will have to be completed as required; - Be a committed and loyal contributor to the team work; - Participate politely in class discussions and activities; - Attend all classes; - Be on time.