Learner Module Handbook
CIPD Intermediate
Award/Certificate/Diploma
in Human Resource Management
Module 5CHR:
Business Issues and the Context of HR
Last reviewed January 2017
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Business Issues and the Context of Human Resources
Module aims and overview
Welcome to module 5CHR, Business Issues and the Context of Human Resources.
Human resources (HR) professionals need to understand key developments in the
business and external contexts within which HR operates. This unit enables you to
identify and review the business and external contextual factors affecting
organisations and to assess the impacts of these factors on the HR function. The
unit also examines HR’s role in strategy formulation and implementation. The unit is
designed to encourage you to adopt a critical perspective of these contexts and to
provide workable organisational and HR solutions to address them.
Learning outcomes and assessment criteria
To achieve this unit, the evidence you present for assessment must demonstrate
that you have met all the learning outcomes (LO) and assessment criteria (AC).
There are guided learning hours that are recommended for each unit. This means
the amount of time you should spend studying the material and conducting your own
independent research. The recommended guided learning hours are set out in the
scheme of work you have received.
LO 1 Understand the key contemporary business issues and main external
factors affecting different organisations and the impact on HR.
AC 1.1 Assess a range of different factors which impact on an organisation’s
business and its HR function.
LO 2 Understand how organisational and HR strategies and practices are
shaped and developed.
AC 2.1 Analyse the forces shaping the HR agenda.
AC 2.2 Compare different tools for analysing the business environment.
AC 2.3 Explain the key stages in strategy formulation and implementation and the
role of HR.
AC 2.4 Examine HR’s contribution to business ethics and accountability.
LO 3 Know how to identify and respond to changes in the business
environment.
AC 3.1 Evaluate business performance and the role of HR in business planning and
the change management agenda.
AC 3.2 Assess and utilise different sources of business and contextual data for
planning purposes.
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Contact Info
Please use BePro Active to email your module leader or arrange a tutorial. You can
also phone 01642 956970 during office hours if you need any assistance.
Module guidance
Your Programme Handbook gives information on assessment planning, studying and
BePro policies.
You will be assigned a module tutor who will support you through each module. Your
personal tutor will contact you to go through a module induction. We want you to feel
you have all the support you need throughout your studies, so we’ve made it easy for
you to contact your tutor through the BePro Active messaging system, by phone or in
a tutorial (by prior arrangement).
Assessment plan
The assessment plan, including hand out and deadline dates, will be discussed at
induction and during the programme.
We strongly recommend that you have a minimum of three tutorials and up to five for
each module of study to get the most out of your qualification. Your module tutor will
contact you to introduce themselves, you should then get in touch to arrange your
new module tutorial.
We require your assignment to take the following format:
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Use the cover sheet found at the end of this document
Write in Arial size 12
Change your paragraph spacing to 1.5
Follow the word count. It’s okay to go up to 10% over the suggested count
Provide full references and a bibliography using the Harvard Referencing
System
Make sure your assignment is in the requested format – report, presentation,
essay, and so on.
Assessment feedback
You’ll receive written feedback from your assessment within 15 academic days of
submission. This will be sent on BePro Active.
Grades
Grades for continuous assessment are awarded as follows: Pass and Refer
Referrals: When a candidate’s work is referred the following conditions apply:

Assignments – Following a referral you can resubmit an assignment once only
and a maximum grade attainable on resubmission is then a pass. If the
second submission is also a referral you are required to retake the whole unit
with a later cohort.
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In addition to the assignment there are activities on BePro Active which are linked to
the learning outcomes. Complete this work and get feedback from your tutor, and
this will help you in writing your assignment.
Key steps
To complete this module successfully we advise you to:
Keep your
personal tutor
updated with your
progress
Complete the activities
and send to your
personal tutor for
feedback. This will
help when you come
to write your
assignment.
Work through the
online content at
your own pace
ASK whenever you
feel you need
support!
Read around the
topic, using the
suggested reading
list, to ensure you
fully understand the
topic
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IPD Candidate Assessment Activity
Title of unit/s
Business Issues and the Contexts of Human Resources
Unit No/s
5CHR
Level
Credit value
Assessment method(s)
5
6
Written paper for delegate pack
Learning outcomes:
1
2
3
Understand the key contemporary business issues and main external factors affecting different
organisations and the impact on HR.
Understand how organisational and HR strategies and practices are shaped and developed.
Know how to identify and respond to changes in the business environment.
Assessment brief/activity
Assessment
Criteria
You have been asked by your CIPD Branch to lead a discussion at one of its events on ‘The
evolving role of HR in the contemporary business world’. You have been asked to produce a
paper for inclusion in the delegate pack. In your paper, you should include the following:
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An analysis of some of the key forces which shape the HR agenda e.g. models of the HR
function, HR strategies, insights and solutions to support business performance, business
ethics and accountability.
Compare different tools for analysing the business environment e.g. SWOT, PESTLE,
Porter’s 5 Forces etc.
Assess a range of different factors which impact on an organisation’s business and its HR
function. You should include examples of external and internal factors to illustrate the
different types of impact.
Summarise the key stages in strategy formulation and implementation with reference to a
model from the literature. You should also refer to the role of HR in each of the stages
and in particular, highlight HR’s contribution to business ethics and accountability.
Give some examples of how business performance can be evaluated, making reference to
traditional and modern indicators. You should make particular reference to the role of HR
in business planning and change management with some examples to illustrate HR’s key
role.
Explain how different sources of business and contextual data can be assessed and
utilised for planning purposes e.g. internal information within the organisation including
HR metrics, industry information e.g. trends in HR, competitive information, government
information.
2.1
2.2
1.1
2.3, 2.4
3.1
3.2
Evidence to be produced/required
A written paper of approximately 3300 words in total.
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.
All reference sources should be acknowledged correctly and a bibliography provided where appropriate (these
should be excluded from the word count). Remember to use the cover sheet found at the end of this handbook.
Your assignment should be submitted via the BePro Active portal.
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5CHR Learning Resources
This section provides suggestions for suitable resources for this unit. The list is indicative only and should not
be considered as prescriptive or exhaustive.
Books
1
ARMSTRONG, M. and TAYLOR, S. (2014) Armstrong’s handbook of human resource management practice.
13th ed. London: Kogan Page.
2
BEGG, D. and WARD, D. (2012) Economics for business. 4th ed. Maidenhead: McGraw-Hill.
3
BOXALL, P. and PURCELL, J. (2015) Strategy and human resource management. 4th ed. Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan.
4
BUTLER, M. and ROSE, E. (eds). (2011) Introduction to organisational behaviour. London: Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development.
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CHILD, J. (2015) Organization: contemporary principles and practice. 2nd ed. Chichester: John Wiley.
6
DAFT, R. (2014) New era of management. 11th ed. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.
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DESJARDINS, J. (2013) Business ethics: decision making for personal integrity and social responsibility. 3rd
ed. New York: McGraw Hill Higher Education.
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EMIR, A. (2014) Selwyn’s law of employment. 18th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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FARNHAM, D. (2015) Human resource management in context: insights, strategy and solutions. 4th ed.
London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
10 GRANT, R. (2013) Contemporary strategy analysis: text and cases. 8th ed. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.
11 KEW, J. and STREDWICK, J. (2013) Human resource management in a business context. 2nd ed. London:
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. [New edition 2016].
12 MARCHINGTON, M. and WILKINSON, A. (2012) Human resource management at work. 5th ed. London:
Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. [New edition 2016].
13 PHILLIPS, J. and PHILLIPS, P. (2015) High-impact human capital strategy: addressing the 12 major
challenges today’s organizations face. New York: Amacom.
14 ROLLINSON, D. (2008) Organisational behaviour and analysis: an integrated approach. 4th ed. Harlow:
Financial Times/Prentice Hall.
15 SANDEL, M. (2013) What money can’t buy: the moral limits of markets. London: Penguin.
16 TAYLOR, S. and EMIR, A. (2015) Employment law: an introduction. 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
17 TAYLOR, S. and WOODHAMS, C. (eds). (2012) Studying human resource management. London: Chartered
Institute of Personnel and Development. [New edition 2016].
Online resources
1. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT. (2012) Business savvy: giving HR the edge
[online]. Research report. London: CIPD.
Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/a-z
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2. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT. (2012) Overview of CIPD surveys: a barometer
of HR trends and prospects 2013 [online]. Survey report. London: CIPD.
Available at: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/a-z
3. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT. (2012) Understanding the business issues in
partnering arrangements [online]. Research report. London: CIPD.
Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/a-z
4. CHARTERED INSTITUTE OF PERSONNEL AND DEVELOPMENT (2014)
Industrial strategy & the future of skills policy. Research report, London: CIPD
Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/a-z
Journal articles
1. CAPPELLI, P. (2015) Why we love to hate HR…and what HR can do about it. Harvard Business Review. Vol
93, No 7/8, July/August. pp54-61.
2. CASCIO, W. (2015) Strategic HRM: too important for an insular approach. Human Resource Management.
Vol 54, No 3, May/June. pp423-426.
3. DAVENPORT, T. (2015) How HR plays its role in leadership development. Strategic HR Review. Vol 14, No 3.
pp89-93.
4. LAWLER, E. and BOUDREAU, J. (2013) What makes human resources effective? Workspan. Vol 56, No 6,
June. pp33-36.
5. PERSAUD, J. and JACOBS, K. (2013) A good head for business. Human Resources. July. pp23-27.
6. REILLY, P. (2012) The practice of strategy. Strategic HR Review. Vol 11, No 3. pp129-135.
Key journals
1.
Human Resource Management Journal
Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/online-journals.aspx
2.
International Journal of Human Resource Management
Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/online-journals.aspx
3.
People Management
Available at http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/online-journals.aspx
4.
Strategic HR Review
(Published by Emerald Group)
Websites
www.acas.org.uk
Website of Acas (Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service) which aims to improve organisations and
working life through better employment relations
www.bankofengland.co.uk
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Website of the Bank of England
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-business-innovation-skills
Website of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS)
www.cbi.org.uk
Website of the Confederation of British Industry
www.cipd.co.uk/hr-topics/
Links to CIPD resources on over 60 topics covering HR and L&D including factsheets, research, surveys, books
and courses
www.gov.uk
Government website for information including business issues, HR and training/education
www.hse.gov.uk
Health & Safety Executive website
http://www.employment-studies.co.uk/
Website of the Institute for Employment Studies
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/index.html
Website of the Office for National Statistics
www.theworkfoundation.com
Website of the Work Foundation
www.ukces.org.uk
Website of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills
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Assignment Cover Sheet
CIPD Assessment Report – Intermediate
(AR1)
To be completed by candidate and assessor(s):
Centre name:
Bespoke Professional Development and Training Ltd
Candidate name:
Qualification title:
Unit title(s):
Unique Learner No
(ULN) (if applicable):
Diploma in Human Resource Management
Business Issues and the
Context of Human
Resources
Unit code(s):
5CHR
Assessment activity (and assignment title if applicable) and the learning outcomes addresses:
1
Understand the key contemporary business issues and main external factors affecting
different organisations and the impact on HR.
2 Understand how organisational and HR strategies and practices are shaped and
developed.
3 Know how to identify and respond to changes in the business environment.
Date due for assessment:
Extension request date
Extension granted
Actual date evidence submitted:
Revised due date
Candidate declaration:

I confirm that the work/evidence presented for assessment is my own unaided work.

I have read the assessment regulations and understand that if I am found to have
‘copied’ from published work without acknowledgement, or from other candidate’s
work, this may be regarded as plagiarism which is an offence against the assessment
regulations and leads to failure in the relevant unit and formal disciplinary action.

I agree to this work being subjected to scrutiny by textual analysis software if required.

I understand that my work may be used for future academic/quality assurance
purposes in accordance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.

I understand that the work/evidence submitted for assessment may not be returned to
me and that I have retained a copy for my records.

I understand that until such time as the assessment grade has been ratified through
internal and external quality assurance processes it is not final.
Signature:
Date:
AR1_Assessment report 1 V 1.0
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Assessor feedback summary:
General comments:
Assessor name:
Decision:
PASS
Signature: Date:
Internal Verifier name:
(if sampled)
Decision:
PASS
Signature:
Date:
Action to be taken by assessor(s) following I/V sampling (specify):
AR1_Assessment report 1 V 1.0
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