You will be required to research and critically evaluate the alignment of an organisation’s business, HR strategies and assess the impact this has on the level of productivity/performance

Unit title & code

The Strategic Context of Human Resource Management & SHR 017-2  

Assignment number and title

Assessment One and Group Presentation (Choose a company)

Assignment type

PR-Oral / WR-I

Weighting of assignment

30%

Size or length of assessment

1,500 words

Unit learning outcomes

• Analyse major theoretical perspectives of HRM, contemporary business issues and environmental contexts, evaluating how these shape the role and objectives of the HR function and the development of HR strategies and practices. [CIPD LOs 5BIC 1,2,3,4,5; 5MHR 1,2,3,4,5,6]

What am I required to do in this assignment?

Assessment 1- Group presentation (20 minutes) and Individual report (1,500 words)

You will be required to research and critically evaluate the alignment of an organisation’s business, HR strategies and assess the impact this has on the level of productivity/performance. Presentations will be undertaken as a group, but each group member will also include an individual report of the presentation, to demonstrate their individual understanding. (The presentation and individual report will both be worth 50% of the assessment grade).

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)

• Analyse the internal and external context of an organisation using appropriate analytic tools and demonstrating an awareness of the impact of various contextual factors on the development of the role of HR, HR strategies and practices.
• Analyse the evolving role and objectives of the HR function in different contexts and its contribution to the change management agenda and business success.
• Evaluate the vertical and horizontal alignment of HR strategies assessing the impact on organisational performance.

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?

Your presentation should include the following:

1. A slide detailing the individual contribution of each member of the group.
2. Background on the organisation and context (industry, turnover, current issues etc).
3. The HR function analysis – what approach does it take? Can you categorise it using the Ulrich model (or alternative)?
4. Critical evaluation of the approach. What is the implication of the approach?
5. The HR function evaluation - How has it contributed to the success of the organisation? How does HR support the business strategy / change? Is there anything the HR function does not do well? What impact does this have? 

IMPORTANT NOTE:

• Your presentation slides should be attractive, free from errors and clear. Use large enough font and appropriate pictures / tables / charts etc.
• Your slides background must make it easy for the reader to read it from a distance. Avoid unprofessional colours.
• You must rehearse your presentation as a group – give constructive feedback to one another to improve your performance. Try not to read from notes.

The presentation MUST be a GROUP presentation – individual presentations will not be accepted.

• Time limit: 20 minutes presentation (no more than 10 slides)
• Reference List and resources: You need to support your work with reference to academic sources (e.g. books and journal articles) as well as examples of organisational good practice (e.g. practitioner magazine articles / websites – chosen carefully).
• Use Harvard referencing style (see the Learning Resources website: http://lrweb.beds.ac.uk/guides/referencing).
• The unit reading list should be referred to but you will also be supplied with specific resources relating to your case study organisation.
• You must submit a paper copy of your group’s slides when you present

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?

This assessment draws upon your understanding of the theories, HR strategies, HR functions and analysis of the internal and external context of organisations which we discuss in class and at our seminars etc