Understand the nature and context of employment relations.

Assignment Brief

This paper revolves around the comprehension of nature and the context of employment relations along with covering essential factors such as employment relations legislation, contemporary developments in employee involvement and participation, various kinds of conflict behaviour and dispute resolution, etc.

Summative Assignment for Contemporary Developments in Employment Relations (5DER/08)

In this paper you have to understand nature and context of employment relations, need to know about employment relations, understands contemporary developments in employees involvement and participation and also know about different forms of behaviours and resolutions.

Learning outcomes:

1. Understand the nature and context of employment relations.
2. Know about employment relations legislation.
3. Understands contemporary developments in employee involvement and participation
4. Know about different forms of conflict behaviour and dispute resolution.

Assessment Activity

You are required to provide written responses to each of the following six questions.

Question 1

Provide a brief analysis of the indeterminacy of employment relations and an assessment of the factors which impact on employment relations. In your analysis, briefly compare and contrast unitarist and pluralist approaches.

Question 2

• Briefly critique the key features of the contract of employment.
• Identify the main sources of UK and EU employment relations law and include a brief summary of some of the main developments in individual and employment law.

Question 3

Provide a brief summary on how you would advise on the purpose and scope of statutory trade union recognition.

Question 4

• Clarify the key terms used in employee involvement and participation
• Explain the extent to which they can strengthen employee voice in a union and non-union context.
• Provide a brief assessment of the link between employee voice and organisation performance.

Question 5

Briefly explain the differences between conflict and misbehaviour at work and between official and unofficial industrial action. In your answer, give a brief review of some contemporary trends in the type of conflict and industrial sanctions.

Question 6

• Explain what is required to advise, coach and guide line managers in the skills for handling grievance or disputes in the workplace.
• Distinguish between third-party conciliation, mediation and arbitration.

Evidence to be produced/required

Written answers to each of the six questions of approximately 3,900 words in total (divided appropriately across the questions).

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

Sample Answer

Surprises and Challenges in Epidemiology

During the introduction week of epidemiology, what surprised me most was the way the subject blends science, mathematics, and social understanding. I had imagined epidemiology to be only about measuring disease, yet I quickly realised it also involves analysing behaviours, environments, and wider social factors that influence health outcomes. The biggest challenge was adjusting to the heavy use of statistics. At first, statistical terms and calculations felt overwhelming, but I began to see how they are the backbone of evidence-based health decisions. My understanding of epidemiology has shifted from viewing it as data collection to appreciating it as a discipline that links numbers with real-world health issues. This new perspective has made me more confident in interpreting patterns, questioning assumptions, and understanding that epidemiology is not just about counting cases, but about drawing meaning from them.

The Role of Inferential Statistics in Global Public Health

Inferential statistics provide the tools to move beyond describing health patterns to making predictions and informed decisions. In global public health, they help us test interventions, identify associations, and decide whether findings can be applied to broader populations. For example, in evaluating a vaccination programme, inferential statistics allow us to determine whether improvements in one community are likely to happen in another. The most difficult part of studying inferential statistics has been grasping abstract concepts such as probability distributions and confidence intervals. To overcome this, I plan to use real-world case studies to connect the numbers with practical applications, and to practise problems repeatedly until the steps feel natural. I have also found that discussing examples with peers deepens my understanding. With persistence, I believe inferential statistics will become a valuable tool in my professional practice.

Why Research Designs Matter

Learning about epidemiological research designs is fascinating because each one provides a different lens to study health. Cross-sectional studies give snapshots, cohort studies reveal patterns over time, and case–control designs allow us to explore rare diseases. Randomised controlled trials, in particular, highlight how careful design can reduce bias and improve the reliability of findings. What interests me most is how the choice of design influences the type of evidence produced and the conclusions we can draw. This has made me more critical when reading health studies, as I now appreciate that not all designs are equally strong, and each comes with strengths and weaknesses.

Continued...