human resource management phd research topics

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Human Resource Dissertation Topics: 30+ Examples You Can Use

by  Antony W

July 7, 2022

If you’re looking for some insightful human resource dissertation topics, you’ve come to the right place.

Human Resource management is a field that deals with hiring, retaining, and managing employees in a workplace. As a student taking a master’s degree in HRM, you’ll cover different concepts, frameworks and theories that relates to employee recruitment and management.

After years of taking the Human Resource Management course, your professor will require you to write and submit a dissertation on a research topic of your choice.

Unfortunately, it isn’t easy to think of a substantial topic fast. Often, you have to do a lot of research to come up with HRM topic that’s worth exploring, and that can take so much of your time.

So in this guide, we’ll make your work easier by suggesting some topic ideas that you can start to explore right away, so you can spend most of your time researching and writing.

Let’s have a look.

30+ Human Resource Dissertation Topics 

Help for Assessment’s guide to choosing dissertation topics remain unchanged. That means you have the freedom to choose a topic that focuses on an area that you find interesting to explore, provided it’s within the subject of human resource.

Another important rule to keep in mind when choosing your topic is to make sure the topic has sufficient literature. That way, it will be easy for you to collect data that can support and justify the content of your theor e tical framework . 

With that said, here are some HRM dissertation topics based on the sub-categories within which they fall: 

Competitive Advantage Dissertation Topics in HRM

There’s a high chance a company or organization’s unique and strong HRM strategy can be its competitive advantage.

However, for that to be the case, the strategy should not only stand out but also be one that’s difficult for other brands to replicate.

With that said, you should consider topics that focus on the way companies can achieve competitive advantages through HRM strategies that are difficult to imitate. Here are some examples:

• How to put knowledge transfer into practice in IT professional services contexts.
• Fast, inexpensive labor – Do Gig Economy workers get a competitive edge through exploitation?
• What lessons may be drawn from Google’s Human Resources advantage?
• Using digital technologies to improve HRM and organizational performance.
• Keeping high-value employees to maintain a competitive advantage: a case study approach
• Why is it so difficult to replicate Patagonia’s HRM strategy?

Employee Retention Dissertation Topics

Many organizations struggle to retain the best employees for reasons known to them internally. And it could also be that they don’t retain them because of the constant changes in the industries.

For your dissertation, you could focus on how organizations or companies can engage and retain the best talents and why doing so is important. Here are some topic ideas worth exploring:

• An experimental approach to the topic of talent retention in the UK IT sector.
• Can employee wellness programs based on mindfulness improve retention in high-stress industries?
• What is the relationship between employee training, engagement, and retention?
• Is it always preferable to keep employees? A methodical approach.
• Staff retention is linked to employee learning and development.
• Investigating HR managers’ perspectives regarding staff retention tactics in the banking industry.

Intrinsic vs Extrinsic Rewards Dissertation Topics

Employee motivation is a key factor to consider if you must sustain the smooth running of a company or organization.

While many people argue that pay, which is a form of extrinsic reward, is a good motivator, even intrinsic factors such as autonomy, good employee relationship, and flexible working hours play an important role in motivating employees to keep performing well.

Whether intrinsic rewards are better than extrinsic is an issue fully subject to debate, and therefore this can be an important area to consider in your dissertation. Here are some dissertation topics ideas that you might want to look at:

• Why do some people continue to work after receiving a large fortune while others do not? A qualitative, interview-based method was used.
• How crucial are wages and benefits in motivating millennial?
• Are extrinsic rewards a good motivator in the caring professions?
• Is there a difference in motivation between British and Chinese workers (intrinsic vs extrinsic)?
• What is the relationship between employee autonomy and motivation? A look of administrative offices in the United Kingdom.
• A case-study method to assisting employees in creating meaning through their job.
• What role does flexible working play in employee motivation? A comparison of views before and after COVID-19.
• Do any of the ‘Big 5’ personality qualities influence the relationship between reward preference (intrinsic vs. extrinsic) and employee motivation?

Also Read: Mistakes to Avoid When Writing a Dissertation

Performance Management Dissertation Topics in HRM

Performance management in HR has become quite significant ever since the rise of New Public Management. However, the issue is still subject to debate, making this an interesting area to explore in a dissertation.

If performance management in human resource is something that interests you, here are some topics worth exploring: 

• Analyzing the effectiveness of call center performance management systems.
• Examining how performance management systems may be unproductive.
• Analyze the efficiency of remote team performance management systems during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• An example of an excellent performance management system: balancing control with encouragement.
• What are the views of Indian workers about performance management methods in the banking industry?
• Can performance management systems help motivate employees?
• Is performance management just another type of Taylorism?

HRM Training and Development Dissertation Topics

Investing in employees’ training and development is one of the core focus of the human resource.

Given how significant this aspect is, many companies and organizations go as far as to review their policies, not to mention investing in continuous employee training.

Here are some interesting dissertations topics that you might want to consider:

• Is it true that training and development have an influence on the bottom line?
• The effectiveness of digital vs. face-to-face training: Implications for a post-COVID era.
• Investigating the relationship between training and development, employee engagement, and retention.
• Unconscious bias training: Is it beneficial or harmful?
• What talents are required in today’s volatile environment?
• Examining the significance of feedback in training.
• Is it profitable to spend in training and development in the gig economy?
• Is there a relationship between training and development and employee engagement in temporary or casual positions?
• How do organizations endure economic downturns (from the standpoint of training and development)?
• Who need soft skills? An examination of the IT professional services business as a case study.
• Who educates the trainers?

Also Check: Dissertation Writing Service

About the author 

Antony W is a professional writer and coach at Help for Assessment. He spends countless hours every day researching and writing great content filled with expert advice on how to write engaging essays, research papers, and assignments.