ASSESSMENT BRIEF

PROGRAMME TITLE: BA (Hons) Business (Top-Up)

MODULE TITLE: Issues in Human Resource Management

MODULE CODE: HR6056GN

INTAKE/SEMESTER: September 2020/Spring 2021

MODULE LEADER: Dr Kaviraj Santayana

MODULE LECTURER Dr Kaviraj Santayana

Individual Portfolio
ASSESSMENT TYPE:

ASSESSMENT TITLE: Contemporary issues in Human Resource Management

WEIGHTING: 100%

WRITTEN BY: Dr Kaviraj Santayana

MODERATED BY:
Sheikh Ziaul Haque

DATE OF ISSUE:
08 February 2021

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: 21.05.2021

Learning Outcomes covered:

LO1. Demonstrate a systematic understanding of the issues and challenges associated with
Human Resource Management.
LO2. Critically evaluate Human Resource Management practices against emerging trends.
LO3. Design job descriptions, person specifications, performance appraisal methods and criteria
to evaluate the performance of individuals
LO4.Critically evaluate approaches to performance management and people development in line
with recognised best practice
LO5. Present information and communicate effectively in a wide range of situations

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 1

University.
 Maximum word length: 4,000 words

Assessment Descriptions:
This is a Portfolio comprising of self and peer assessment (4,000 words plus/minus 10%).
The use of Cover page, Unit Contents, words in tables, diagrams, Bibliography, and
appendices (with evidence at the end of the Report and/or through a separate attachment)
will not be counted towards the total word count. It is mandatory to follow the prescribed word
limit as for unreasonably exceeding/reducing, your marks may be reduced under ‘Penalty-1’.
(Assessor’s fair discretion may apply for exemption).

Assessment Submission Guidance:

i) Students must provide a completed Assessment cover sheet with all the essential
details including module, student name and ID numbers.
ii) All Assessments should be submitted in electronic format via college systems
(VLE) before the submission deadline.
iii) The e-submission system will not allow any late submission.
iv) All late submissions will be capped to ‘PASS’.
Submit the Report by MS Words and not PDF. (You may use PDF version for the evidence and
attachment).

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 2

University.
Assessment Aim:

After completion of this portfolio students will be able to systematically understand and apply
knowledge of contemporary issues facing the Human Resource Management. It considers the current
state of employee relations, and the challenges of people management including recruitment and
selection, training and development, performance management and administrative challenges. This
portfolio preparation will give students a firm grounding to help them effectively address these topics in
the contemporary business environment by reconciling emerging theories with recognised best
practices.

Assessment Scenario:

Tesco Plc. (Company number: 00445790) is one of the largest Supermarket in the UK. It is a long
history of success.
In 1919, Jack Cohen began selling surplus groceries from a stall in the East End of London in 1919. He
left the Royal Flying Corp at the end of the Great War and used his demob money to buy the first day's
stock. From day one, Jack believed in putting affordable food in the reach of everybody. At the end of
the first day Jack Cohen made a profit of £1 on sales of £4.

The first own-brand product sold, which Jack promised would bring unequalled value, was Tesco Tea -
before the company was called Tesco. The name comes from the initials of TE Stockwell, who was a
partner in the firm of tea suppliers, and CO from Jack's surname.

In 1929, Jack Cohen opened the first Tesco store in Burnt Oak, Edgware, north London. The store sold
great value dry goods and the first ever branded product, which, unsurprisingly, was Tesco Tea!

Now Tesco has a chain of businesses, including Petrol Pump, Bank, Travelling even since 2019 Tesco
Community Cookery School.

Tesco Plc. Opened own branches in several countries of Europe and Asia. Their sale in 2019 reached
£56.9bn. (https://www.tescoplc.com/about/our-businesses/)

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 3

University.
Assessment Questions:

Assume that you are employed in a UK based Business organisation as a Business Advisor. You
may choose any similar but realistic/sensible position of your chosen organisation. You are advised to
prepare a ‘Portfolio’ based on the following questions. You are welcome to design your own structure
for this Portfolio.
Descriptions Marks
1). Demonstrate your systematic understanding about issues and challenges in 20%
Human Resource Management. (LO-1)
(Guidance: You must take at least three Journals/newspaper articles/chapter from the
Book/similar sources to establish your understanding about issues and challenges. Also,
provide the actual evidence of these source in the appendix).

2) Critically evaluate Human Resource Management practices against emerging trends. 20%
(LO-2)
(Guidance: The evaluation needs to be critical.)

3) Design and develop a job description and a person specification of a supervisory position 20%
from your selected organisation. (LO-3)
(Guidance: You need to provide the actual JDPS. Show the understanding of developing the
JDPS).

4) Demonstrate your contemporary knowledge and understanding about approaches to 20%

performance management and people development in line with recognised best practice and
justify them. (LO-4)
(Guidance: Show the methodology of performance management in your organisation. Justify
– why this was/is the best practice. Demonstrate its effect on the staff and organisation.
Provide evidence).

5) Explain different types of information and communication effectively used in a wide range of 20%
situations, within Human resources practices and justify them. (LO-5)
(Guidance: After your explanation, provide at least two different types of practical
information/communication being used in your organisation. Analyse about their application.
Discuss about the procedures of application.

NB: A Report without the suggested evidence is not considered as a Portfolio. No word count
for the Appendix and/or Attachment for the Portfolio.

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 4

University.
Assessment Format Guidance

Title page - The details of the Module, student name and ID number.

Contents page - Should be provided with page numbers.

Introduction - The background, the context and the aim of the report. Starts on Page

Key Sections - As many as necessary in line with the assessment questions.

Summary and Conclusion - Overall findings of the investigation: the overall picture that has
emerged and the implications.

References - Identification of literature and other sources used and referred to in the text.
Ensure that all references are quoted at the end of any quotations, definitions and web-
sourced materials.
Submission of a report without references will not be allowed.

*Do not provide appendices, unless asked by the tutor/research supervisor.

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 5

University.
Academic Portfolio:

An Academic Portfolio is a summary of your major activities and accomplishments, documenting the
nature and extent of your contributions as well as your role and achievements. It has three major
components (or folios).

Search and Selection: for example, searching and selecting articles on

contemporary and emerging issues in Human Resource Management.

Design and Development: for example, job description, person specification, and
performance management process.

Reflection: Self and peer.

Self-Assessment

With reference to the learning outcomes 1 and 2, reflect on and evaluate the quality of your
own work and your learning. Judge the degree to which you reflect explicitly on your stated
goals or criteria, identify strengths and weaknesses of your work, and revise accordingly.

Peer Assessment
Peer Assessment Your Tutor/Assessor will award the final mark, while you are
providing a constructive feedback to your peer. Please be considerate in your judgement
and avoid harsh criticism of your peer’s work. For example, instead of saying “you have
done it wrong”, say “have you considered this”. Word your suggestions positively. With
reference to the learning outcome 5, reflect on and evaluate the quality of work of your peer
(Leaflet design, structure, and content) and their learning. Judge the degree to which they
reflect explicitly stated goals or criteria identify strengths and weaknesses in their work and
area of improvements.

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 6

University.
Plagiarism and Collusion Explained
Any act of plagiarism and collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the regulations. In this
context the definition and scope of plagiarism are presented below:

Plagiarism is defined as the act of using the work of others, intentionally or unintentionally, without
acknowledging the source of that information or inspiration. “Even if the words are changed or
sentences are put in a different order, the result is still plagiarism” (Cortell 2003).

Collusion is described as the submission of work produced in collaboration with others for any given
assessment based on the assessment of individual work when one person shares his/her work with
others who submit part or all that work as their own work. In this assessment, it is acceptable to discuss
various ideas and concepts with others, but the substantive application and coverage in your
submission must be your own work

Guidelines on Harvard Referencing System

Any information or work that is not yours needs to be referenced as per the Harvard Referencing
System or else may be considered as plagiarism. Copying from someone’s work can be unintentionally
done if you are unaware of the rules for acknowledging and referencing direct quotations.

The Harvard system of citation requires you to use a given convention that places primarily the authors’
surnames and year of publication within the text.

For example:

According to Bell (1999), as you write your report, you will use a citation to indicate in your text the
source of the information. This is called in-text referencing.

The authors and publication information cited within the main body of your work must be listed in the
reference list. For example:

Bell, J.; (1999), ‘Doing your Research Project’, (3rd Ed), Buckingham: Open University Press.
Detailed guidance on the Harvard Referencing System (HRS) is available on the Virtual Learning
Environment (VLE).For further details and guidelines on Harvard Referencing, visit the following link:
http://tinyurl.com/jtq47gm or follow the instructions on Harvard Referencing Guide provided by London
Met University Library.

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 7

University.
Marking Criteria
University Grading Scheme for Undergraduate Programmes: 2020/2021
Marking criteria Letter grade Mark
recorded
Work showing evidence of:
Excellent coverage of the topic with justification. Work of A+ 95
distinguished quality which is based on a rigorous,
comprehensive and detailed knowledge base, including
awareness of the provisional nature of knowledge and
A 85
its theoretical, ethical and conceptual dimensions,
together with its wider context and implications. Work
will demonstrate sustained ability to engage in analysis
A- 75
of new/abstract data and situations, synthesise data and
concepts to design novel solutions, critically evaluate
evidence and its contradictions, and confidence in
application to define and propose resolutions to complex
problems relevant to the field of study or assessment
task. This will be the basis for authoritative arguments
and judgements and work which meets professional
standards in relation to a full range of key skills. There
will be strong evidence of competence across a range of
specialised skills using them to plan, develop and
evaluate problems solving strategies, to challenge
received opinion and develop reflective judgements and
reports. Clear evidence of capability to operate
autonomously with minimal guidance in complex and
unpredictable contexts using a wide range of innovative
and standard techniques will be demonstrated. Outputs
will be communicated effectively, accurately and
reliably.
Work showing evidence of:
Work of commendable quality based on a strong B+ 67
comprehensive/detailed knowledge base for the field of
study, including an assured grasp of concepts,
principles and major theories, and demonstrating some
B 63
awareness of the provisional nature of such knowledge
and understanding together with its wider implications.
There will be evidence of considered and confident
analysis of new/abstract data/situations, synthesis of
data/concepts, critical evaluation of evidence and
effective application of knowledge skills to address
complex problems. The ability to work effectively within
professional contexts with minimum direction to meet
objectives and take responsibility for quality of outputs
and criticize them will also be evident. There will be
evidence of capability in all relevant subject based and
key skills, including the ability to self-evaluate and work
autonomously with minimal direction to use effectively a
range of innovative and standard techniques in complex
Programme validated by London Metropolitan 8
University.
and unpredictable contexts.

Work showing evidence of:

Work of sound quality based on a firm detailed
/comprehensive knowledge base for the field of study C+ 57
and its developing and provisional nature, including a
good grasp of current theories and issues both abstract
and practical, together with the ability to organise and C 53
communicate effectively. The work may be rather
standard and limited in its insight/theoretical grasp or
depth but will be mostly accurate and provide some
evidence of the ability to analyse the new or abstract,
synthesise data/concepts, critically evaluate and apply
appropriate methods/techniques, with minimal guidance.
There will be no serious omissions or inaccuracies and
there will be capability in professional contexts. There
will be good evidence of ability to take responsibility for
own learning, some capability to challenge received
opinion and make use of a range of resources to form
judgements. Evidence of the ability to operate with
autonomy in complex and unpredictable situations,
selecting and applying appropriate techniques will be
demonstrated within limits. There will be competence in
relevant key skills.
Work showing evidence of:
Work of broadly satisfactory quality based on a D+ 47
knowledge base which is coherent and of appropriate
depth/detail for the field of study, including an
awareness of current theories and issues and some key
D 43
theories, appropriately presented and organised.
However, work will be primarily derivative, with limited
evidence of autonomous/creative analysis, synthesis,
and evaluation or application. Although there will be
limits to knowledge and intellectual skills, such that work
may contain omissions, there will be some evidence of
an ability to deploy established techniques of analysis
and enquiry, sound conceptual understanding and
capacity to manage own learning and communicate
effectively and appropriately. There will be some
evidence of operating with autonomy in predictable
contexts, but less evidence of ability to operate in more
complex or unpredictable situations. However, an ability
to select and apply a variety of standard and possible
innovative techniques, and to meet threshold standards
of competence in relevant key skills, will be
demonstrated.
Work showing evidence of:
Work which indicates some evidence of a systematic F1 37
and coherent engagement with key aspects of the field
of study, including familiarity with current scholarship,
and evidence of ability to utilise specialised skills, but
which also contains significant limitations in
understanding or knowledge, such that there is
insufficient evidence of e.g. the ability to sustain valid
argument, critically evaluate evidence from a range of
Programme validated by London Metropolitan 9
University.
sources, effectively communicate complex ideas to
different audiences, transfer or apply skills to solve
problems in relation to threshold standards of
competence.
Work that falls well short of the threshold standards in
relation to one or more areas of knowledge, intellectual, F2 23
subject based or key skills. It may address the
assessment task to some extent or include evidence of
successful engagement with some of the subject matter,
but such satisfactory characteristics will be clearly
outweighed by major deficiencies across remaining
areas.
Fail (non-submission or submission of work which
cannot be given any credit (e.g., blank submission, F3 0
incorrect Assessment)

Programme validated by London Metropolitan 1

University. 0