Background to Unit
Human resources (HR) professionals need to understand key developments in the business and external contexts within which HR operates. This unit enables learners to identify and review the business and external contextual factors affecting organisations and to assess the impacts of these factors on the HR function. The unit also examines HR’s role in strategy formulation and implementation. The unit is designed to encourage learners to adopt a critical perspective of these contexts and to provide workable organisational and HR solutions to address them.
Learning outcomes
1 Understand the key contemporary business issues and main external factors affecting different organisations and the impact on HR.
2 Understand how organisational and HR strategies and practices are shaped and developed.
3. Know how to identify and respond to changes in the business environment.
Assessment criteria
| Learning outcomes The learner will: | Assessment criteria The learner can: | |
| 1 | Understand the key contemporary business issues and main external factors affecting different organisations and the impact on HR. | 1.1 Assess a range of different factors which impact on an organisation’s business and its HR function. |
| 2. | Understand how organisational and HR strategies and practices are shaped and developed | 2.1 Analyse the forces shaping the HR agenda. 2.2 Compare different tools for analysing the business environment. 2.3 Explain the key stages in strategy formulation and implementation and the role of HR. 2.4 Examine HR’s contribution to business ethics and accountability. |
| 3. | Know how to identify and respond to changes in the business environment | 3.1 Evaluate business performance and the role of HR in business planning and the change management agenda. 3.2 Assess and utilise different sources of business and contextual data for planning purposes. |
Your task (3,900 words)
You have been asked by your CIPD Branch to produce a paper for delegates attending a conference titled: ‘The evolving role of HR in the contemporary business world’. In your paper, you should include the following:
- An analysis of some (three or four) of the major forces which shape the HR agenda e.g. models of the HR function, HR strategies, insights and solutions to support business performance, and stakeholder expectations. (AC 2.1)
- Compare at least two different tools for analysing the business environment e.g. SWOT, PESTLE, Porter’s 5 Forces etc. (AC 2.2) (A full PESTLE and SWOT should be included in the Appendices as supporting evidence)
- Assess a range of different factors (at least three or four) which impact on an organisation’s business and its HR function. You should include examples of external and internal factors to illustrate the different types of impact. (AC1.1)
- Summarise the key stages in strategy formulation and implementation with reference to a model from the literature. You should also refer to the role of HR in each of the stages and in particular, highlight HR’s contribution to business ethics and accountability. (AC 2.3 and 2.4)
- Give some examples of how business performance can be evaluated, making reference to traditional and modern indicators. You should make particular reference to the role of HR in business planning and change management with some examples to illustrate HR’s key role. E.g. HR as a change agent, etc. (AC 3.1)
- Explain how different sources of business and contextual data can be assessed and utilised for planning purposes e.g. internal information within the organisation including HR metrics (i.e. HR costs, productivity, etc), industry information (i.e trends in HR, competitive information, etc). (AC 3.2)
Evidence to be produced/required
A written paper of approximately 3,900 words in total.
You should relate academic concepts, theories and professional practice to the way organisations operate, in a critical and informed way, and with reference to key texts, articles and other publications and by using organisational examples for illustration.
All reference sources should be acknowledged correctly and a bibliography provided where appropriate (these should be excluded from the word count).Demonstrating evidence of wider reading through appropriate referencing will improve your answer and increase the likelihood of your work achieving a ‘Pass’.
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Submission Checklist
- Assignment Cover Sheet
- 3,900 word paper
- References/Bibliography
- PESTLE, SWOT and any other appendices
- Updated Development Plan
- Updated Key Learning Summary