ROYAL DOCKS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS AND LAW

Assessment Guide

Module Title: Business & Ethical Issues in the Contexts of Human Resource Management

Module Code: HR6014

Level 6

Term 1 & 2 Academic Year 2020/21

Business & Ethical Issues in the Contexts of Human Resource Management – HR5005

MODULE GUIDE

Term 1 & 2

The Module Leader/Other Tutors and Contact Details were correct at point of publication. You will be notified of any changes.

Assessment

Assessment 1: (50%) Individual written coursework (3000 words). Due in Term 1	Assessment 2: (50%) Individual written coursework (3000 words). Due in Term 2
Deadline date and time 17th December 2020 by 3pm	Date and time TBC

Module Learning Outcomes

At the end of this module, students will be able to:

Knowledge

1. Understand key contemporary business issues affecting the HR function.

2. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of relevant ethical principles and values in contemporary business including social enterprise and sustainability

Understand

3. Understand the main external contextual factors impacting on organisations and the HR function

4. Give evidence of an in-depth ethical analysis of specific business ethics issues through discussion and assessment

Thinking skills

5.     Identify how organisational and HR strategies and practices are shaped and developed

6.     Give evidence of an in-depth ethical analysis of specific business ethics issues through discussion and assessment

Subject-based practical skills

7. Know how to identify and respond to short-term changes in the business and external contexts

8. Apply and appraise appropriate ethical decision-making models to explore various resolutions to ethical problems in business.

Skills for life and work (general skills)

9.  Be able to understand what will be needed to how to keep up to date on boundary scanning

10. Construct reasoned arguments for a justified course of action in ethically difficult cases

Assessment 1: 50%

Individual written coursework (3000 words)

Deadline: 17^th December 2020 by 3pm.

Using good quality academic and journalistic sources, prepare a 3000-word report on “the key developments in the external contexts within which HR operates in the UK. Your knowledge and understanding of the topic will be critically examined. It is important that you incorporate key debates and contemporary issues such as the outbreak of Covid-19 and Brexit in your work. Please work on, and ensure an excellent level of criticality, coherence, and flow of your report. This will require effective discussion and clarity. Please note that a significant amount of the marks is awarded based on wider reading, critical and logical presentation, quality of argument, referencing, academic integrity and academic writing conventions.

Structure of the submission:

1. Cover-page
2. Abstract/executive summary
3. Introduction
   1. The main body (please use the appropriate headings/subheadings to structure this section).
4. Conclusion
5. List of references.

Assessment 2: 50%

Individual written coursework (3000 words)

Due date will be communicated.

Select a multinational enterprise (MNE) and perform a critical analysis of its approach to corporate social responsibility (CSR). This task will require you to use good quality academic and journalistic sources to prepare your report. Your knowledge and understanding of the topic will be critically examined. It is important that you incorporate key debates and issues of your selected MNE in your report. Please work on, and ensure an excellent level of criticality, coherence, and flow of your report. This will require effective discussion and clarity. Please note that a significant amount of the marks is awarded based on wider reading, critical and logical presentation, quality of argument, referencing, academic integrity and academic writing conventions.

Structure of the submission:

1. Cover-page
2. Abstract/executive summary
3. Introduction

10. The main body (please use the appropriate headings/subheadings to structure this section).

11. Conclusion

12. List of references

Resubmission Information

When a student is required to resubmit any of the assessments, the student will have submitted at the first opportunity but failed: The students should use the provided feedback for the first submission and complete the task again by improving their first submission. The due date and time for the resubmission will be communicated to you in due course. Please note that a resubmission will be capped at 40

Assessment criteria

Criteria	Mark
1. Critical analysis Critical analysis of the topic is required to be discussed. This must be discussed to an appropriate depth, given word-count constraints.	30
2. Quality of arguments Use of well-reasoned, logical arguments, supported by relevant sources/evidence. A coherent thread of argument running through the paper is required.	40
3. Presentation of work Structure of the work with an effective introduction, a well- structured main body with topics discussed in paragraphs, and a convincing conclusion. Clarity of English expression. Effective referencing.	20
4. Reliance on sources Mix of relevant academic books, recent journal articles, and other appropriate sources of empirical data. No copy and paste and citations of primary sources where possible.	10
Overall Mark	100

Grading Criteria

%	Standard
100 -70	Assignment reflects excellent understanding of subject, includes detailed analysis and justification based on a broad level of research and preparation. Presentation reflects high level of academic rigour and attention to structure, grammar and technical terminology.
69 - 60	Assignment reflects good understanding of the subject. Analysis developed to high standard, using relevant academic concepts and theory. Good level of preparation evident. Assignments will be accurate and fluent in use of terminology.
59 - 50	Assignment reflects reasonable understanding of subject, based on reasonable level of research and analysis. Work will be well structured and include accurate use of terminology.
49 - 40	Task addressed to basic level. Largely descriptive. Analysis will only include obvious elements and reflect basic understanding of the subject. Terminology and grammar may be of questionable standard.

39 - 01	Assignment contains little of scholarly merit and does not meet prescribed learning outcomes.
0	No work submitted

Feedback and Return of Work

You will receive detailed feedback on your submitted work via Turnitin and Grade mark. You will also have tutorial time to discuss your assessed work with the Module Leader. During lectures, we will also discuss generic feedback in relation to all the submissions highlighting areas of good practice and development. Feedback on your assessment will be provided no later than 20 working days after the submission date.

Pass Mark

The pass mark for a module at Undergraduate level is 40%. In order to pass HR 5005, you must score a minimum of 40% in the assessment. If you do not achieve 40%, you will have the opportunity to re-sit. The submission date for resits will be confirmed and communicated to you later in the academic year.

In order to pass a module on reassessment, you need to achieve a mark of 40%. If the module is passed, the module mark is capped at 40% for the purposes of calculating the degree Award classification (see the relevant Programme Handbook). However, the actual mark achieved is recorded on the student transcript.

If you fail the module on reassessment, you are entitled to repeat the module once. However, you must attend lectures and seminars again, and you will have to pay fees. The module mark will be capped for the purposes of calculating the degree Award classification.

Summative and Formative Assessment

‘Summative assessment’ determines whether you have formally met the requirements for passing the module. That is, you have shown you have met the module’s learning outcomes. In addition, seminar presentations and other exercises may provide an opportunity for ‘formative assessment’: that is, an indication to help students gauge their progress. This will give you an opportunity to get early feedback on your work at UEL. Please note that ‘Formative assessment’ is not used to decide whether you have passed or failed the module.

Extenuating Circumstances

There are no extensions to deadlines: If you are having problems with meeting a deadline and have been seriously affected by one of the problems outlined below, you might be able to claim ‘extenuation’. Extenuating circumstances are those which:

v Impair the performance of a student in assessment or reassessment

v Prevent a student from attending for assessment or reassessment.

v Prevent a student from submitting assessed or reassessed work by the scheduled date

Such Circumstances Would Normally Be:

v Unforeseeable – the student could have no prior knowledge of the event concerned.

v Unpreventable – the student could do nothing reasonably in their power to prevent the event.

v Expected to have as serious impact.

Students are expected to make reasonable plans to consider common circumstances, even those which, on occasion, may have been unforeseeable and unpreventable. Examples of circumstances which might normally constitute grounds for extenuation are:

v Serious personal illnesses which are not permanent medical conditions (these are governed by other procedures);

v The death of a close relative immediately prior to the date of assessment.

Examples of circumstances which would NOT normally constitute grounds for extenuation are:

v Minor illnesses - even if covered by medical certification.

v Computer failure of non-University equipment or storage media.

v Computer failure of University equipment or storage media (if for less than 24 hours).

v Transport problems.

v Moving to a new house or holidays.

v Inadequate planning, organisation or time management

v Misreading of assessment timetables.

v Family, work, social, financial or other general problems. Extenuation procedures can be consulted online at http://www.uel.ac.uk/qa/manual/index.htm.

Academic staff are NOT allowed to assist students on matters related to extenuation, and students should ask for advice from Student Support services.

Appeals

The University’s procedures allow an appeal if a student feels that an Assessment Board has either failed to accord with the regulations pertaining to the course or had been unable to take proper account of mitigating circumstances.

Guidance on Referencing

As a student, you will be taught how to correctly reference essays using UEL`s standard Harvard referencing system from Cite Them Right. Cite them Right is the standard Harvard referencing style at UEL for all Schools apart from the School of Psychology which uses the APA system. This book will teach you all you need to know about Harvard referencing, plagiarism and collusion. The electronic version of “Cite Them

Right: the essential referencing guide” 9th edition, can be accessed whilst on or off campus, via UEL Direct. The book can only be read online and no part of it can be printed nor downloaded.

Further information is available at

https://uelac.sharepoint.com/LibraryandLearningServices/Pages/default.aspx

Details of Submission Procedures – Coursework Submission Requirements

1) Your assignment will be anonymously marked so you must not identify yourself other than by using your student number (U number) anywhere on, or within, the assignment.

2) Your assignment must be submitted as an electronic copy via Turnitin only, no hard copy to be submitted.

3)  The front co4r5ftgcvbfvc ver of your assignment should include: -

v Your student Number

v Module Code

v Name of the Module Leader

v Date of Submission

v Word Count

v Title of the Assignment.

No Other Information Should be Included on the Cover.

4) Coursework must be submitted using point 12 font, and double-line spacing.

5) There should be no header or footer that identifies you on any page of your assignment – either by name or number.

6) Harvard referencing rules apply.

7) There should be a single alphabetic bibliography, in Harvard style, placed at the end of the assignment.

8) There should be one single bibliography for all the published sources that appear in your essay. There is no need to divide your bibliography into books and journal articles.

9) Faculty penalties for Bad Academic Practice and plagiarism apply.

Notice is hereby given that submission for this Module must be submitted to Turnitin. If you fail to submit to Turnitin, in accordance with the guidance provided on the Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle), a mark of 0 will be awarded for the module

Submitting Assessments Using Turnitin:

• Notice is hereby given that all submissions for assessment in this module must be submitted to Turnitin. If you fail to submit this component to Turnitin, in accordance with the guidance provided on the Virtual Learning Environment (Moodle), a mark of 0 will be awarded for the component.

Turnitin is required for coursework assessments, such as report/research papers or projects in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and in PDF format. There are two main reasons we want you to use Turnitin:

1. Turnitin can help you avoid academic breaches and plagiarism. When you use Turnitin before a submission deadline, you can use the Originality Report feature to compare your work to thousands of other sources (like websites, Wikipedia, and even other student papers). Anything in your work that identically matches another source is highlighted for you to see. When you use this feature before the deadline, you will have time to revise your work to avoid an instance of academic breach/plagiarism.
2. Turnitin saves paper. When using Turnitin to electronically submit your work, you will almost never have to submit a paper copy.

Late Submissions Using Turnitin

UEL has permitted students to be able to submit their coursework up to 24 hours after the deadline. Assessments that are submitted up to 24 hours late are still marked, but with a 5% deduction. However, you have to be very careful when you are submitting your assessment. If you submit your work twice, once using the original deadline link and then again using the late submission link on Turnitin, your assignment will be graded as late with the 5% deduction.

Turnitin System Failure

Best advice: Don’t wait until the last minute to submit your assessments electronically. If you experience a problem submitting your work with Turnitin, you should notify your lecturer/tutor by email immediately. However, deadlines are not extended unless there is a significant systems problem with Turnitin. UEL has specific plans in place to address these issues. If UEL finds that the issue with the system was significant, you will receive an email notifying you of the issue and that you have been given a 24-hour extension. If you don’t receive any email that specifically states you have been given an extension, then the original deadline has not been changed.

STUDENT FEEDBACK

Your Turnitin submission will be hidden from your view once the submission date is passed. This allows the submission to be marked and feedback comments included on the submission.