CIPD Assessment Activity Title of unit/s Business Issues and the Contexts of Human Resources Unit No/s 5BIC Level 5 Credit value 6 Assessment method Written report Learning outcomes 1. Understand key contemporary business issues affecting the HR function within private, public and third sector organisations. 2. Understand the main external contextual factors impacting on organisations and the HR function. 5. Know how to identify and respond to short-term changes in the business and external contexts. Assessment brief/Activity As an experienced HR manager you have been approached by the CIPD branch to lead a discussion at the Branch Conference on the role of HR in the Contemporary Business World. You have been asked to produce a paper to support the discussion which will be available in the delegate pack. 1. You should write a supporting paper for distribution at the conference which explains the role of HR and the link to business management in differing types of organisation/sectors. The paper should explore these in the context of contemporary business, equality and diversity, environmental, technical and governmental developments and the impact of these on modern business initiatives. You should include a discussion of how these initiatives differ according to in sectors/cultures, the link to business profit, methods of analysing performance and the influence of HR policies in managing and supporting change. 2. Secondly you should explore the major factors impacting on the role of HR in all sectors; • the economic situation • demographic and technological changes • globalisation and the international issues currently being faced • the impact of government/EU decisions on organisations 3. The concluding section of the paper should discuss how HR can respond to contemporary issues as they develop. To do this you should explore the role of HR in business and environmental planning, how relevant data may be obtained and analysed, the importance of evaluating all proposed strategies, how to respond most effectively to these and methods of communicating effectively and managing change within an organisation. You should provide references for additional reading for those delegates who wish to pursue the topic further. The writing style, layout and content should reflect the purpose and jargon of the paper and the audience of HR professionals while avoiding unnecessary jargon. Diagrams may be used where appropriate. Assessment Criteria 1.1, 1.2, 1.3 2.1,2.2,2.3, 2.4 5.1, 5.2, 5.3

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