Module Assessment

The module is partly assessed by an examination which contributes

70% of your marks. The exam will consist of eight questions from
which you must attempt three.

Marks will be awarded according to how far you write full, direct,
original and well-informed answers to the questions we have asked,
and the extent to which your work is appropriately referenced and
professionally presented.

 A full answer addresses all parts of each question, providing a

substantial and considered response in each case.

 A direct answer provides an unequivocal response to the

question we have asked, focusing wholly on points that are
relevant.

 An original answer contains an argument (or arguments) that

has been developed and justified by you after thinking and
reading about the subject.

 A well-informed answer contains strong evidence that you have

read widely and appropriately when preparing your response to
the question, including where possible robust, research findings
that have been published in peer reviewed journals.

 An appropriately-referenced answer attributes the sources of

literature you have used when preparing it, citing points and
quotations in the text using the APA system.

 A professionally presented answer is clearly-expressed using

well-constructed sentences and paragraphs, has a clear
structure and is grammatically accurate.

Blog assignment

The remaining 30% of your marks will be awarded for your

assignment. The submission date for the blog assignment will
be communicated to you on the module ELE page.

Your task is to write a blog consisting of three separate entries and

a total word count of around 1500 - 2000 words.

You are free to write about any topics from across the field of HRM
that you find to be interesting and worth exploring. The purpose is
for you to explain what you have learned from your studies and to
set out your own ideas and arguments. We expect that you will
draw upon the lectures, seminars and, most of all, your own wider
reading.

Importantly, this is not an exercise in describing what has been

discussed in the lectures, but instead your critical analysis and
reflection of your learning about HRM from a good range of sources.

You can use both text and images to convey your learning and
thinking about the subjects you write about. The best blogs will
draw-upon unique examples (i.e. not ones provided in the lecture)
and will demonstrate both depth and breadth of knowledge
pertaining to the themes discussed on the module.

We would strongly advise you to work on your blog as you are

studying and not to compile it all retrospectively at the end of the
course.

Assessment Criteria:

 Topic choice – three distinct subject areas from the field of HRM
are discussed effectively

• Research - shows understanding of contemporary human

resource management thinking, practice and debates gained
from studying the subjects;

 Persuasiveness - demonstrates a capacity to develop and justify

original ideas and perspectives; includes a range of original
arguments and examples in insightful ways;

• Presentation - is well written and professionally presented

throughout; written for its intended audience

 Referencing – demonstrates broad, thoughtful reading from both

academic and practitioner sources; appropriate referencing is
used following the APA style.

Purpose:

Our main purpose in setting this assignment is to provide you with

the opportunity to develop your knowledge and understanding of
HRM in the areas which you find most interesting and which you
consider will be most useful to you as you apply for jobs and start
your career.
We were also keen to devise an assignment brief which allows you
to start working early on in the term and even potentially to
complete well before other assignment deadlines build up.

Finally, given that this module is also assessed via quite a

traditional, academically-oriented end-of-term examination, our aim
is to provide you with some variety.

In previous years the feedback from students about this assignment

has been very positive. Hence our decision to set it again in 2021.

Advice and some FAQs

Because the brief, by its nature, is somewhat less structured than

most, inviting you to demonstrate that you are developing the
capacity to thrive as an independent learner, module staff have
invited you to discuss your initial thoughts with us during our
advertised office hours.

During these sessions a number of questions are regularly asked, so

we thought it might be helpful to set out our advice on these as
follows:

Q) Can I really write about any HR-related topics at all?

A) Yes. This is the whole point. Most people get some initial idea
from attendance at our lectures and seminars, but we would
actively encourage you to read more widely and to write
about the subjects that you find most interesting. The only
restriction is that the subject must be focused in the field of
HRM. So it must relate directly to workplaces, employment
relationships, labour markets or to relevant regulations /
theories / debates.

Q) Do the blogs need to be of equal length?

A) No, but it is probably wise if you wish to maximise your mark

for you to ensure that you do full justice to each subject you
write about.
Q) Do the blogs / can the blogs be written in an informal style?

A) We would prefer you to write a good, professional standard of

English and to avoid slang. It is a blog, not a tabloid
newspaper article we are asking you to write. That said, we
would like you to aim these at a general readership rather
than an exclusively academic one. So we have no difficulty at
all with you writing in the first person or drawing on personal
experience / observations when writing your blogs.

Q) Can I write more than 2000 words?

A) The normal +/- 10% rule that applies across the Business
School applies here too. Lists of references can be excluded
from the final count, but not in-text citations.

Q) How many references should I include?

A) This is always difficult to answer because ultimately it is the

quality of the referencing and the way you use your reading
to justify arguments that matters much more than the
number. In this respect this assignment is no different from
any other of 2000 words or so. As a broad guide we would
suggest that around 20 references across all three blogs
would be appropriate. A good balance between academic,
professional and journalistic sources is something to aim for.

Q) Do I have to write critically?

A) We would advise you to write ‘analytically’ and ‘critically’. This

means avoiding passages which are essentially descriptive in
nature or do little more than summarise what you have read.
To score high marks – as you will see from the guidance set
out above – we are looking for you to develop and justify
original arguments. We want to know what you think about
the big HR debates of our time and why you have reached
these conclusions. In short, we want to see evidence that as
your second year proceeds you are developing intellectual
confidence.
Q) Should I format my final submission like a blog?

A) As a general rule we are more concerned about the substance

of your argument than the style in which you present it. So
there is no need to include any special features. That said, if
you would like to include pictures, sub-headings, clip-art or
interesting fonts etc we have no objection. Provided these do
not obscure the meaning of your arguments they can
sometimes add some value.

Q) I still have doubts about my ability to score well in this

assignment / I am still confused about what you want me to
do?

A) Please come and see us. We are very happy to give you
advice and to talk about your concerns. We would just ask
that you do not leave it too late as with the best will in the
world we simply do not have the time available to see dozens
of students in the few days leading up to the submission date.

A marking matrix which will be applied during the assessment

of your work is available on the next page.
 BLOG ASSIGNMENT MARKING MATRIX

Assessment 0 – 39 40 – 49 50 – 59 60 – 69 70 +
Measure Fail Third 2.2 2.1 First

Topic choice The student has The student has The student has The student has The student h
failed to write written about a written about a written about a good written about
about a range of limited range of reasonable range of range of varied and very good ran
varied or varied and varied and interesting topic varied and
appropriate topic interesting topic interesting topic areas. interesting to
areas. areas. areas. areas.

Research Evidence that the Evidence that the Evidence that the Good evidence that Strong eviden
student has student has student has the student has that the stude
undertaken only undertaken an undertaken an undertaken a has undertake
very limited inadequate amount adequate amount considerable amount very extensiv
research when of research when of research when of research when research whe
preparing the preparing the preparing the preparing the preparing the
assignment. assignment. assignment. assignment. assignment.

Originality & Very limited Inadequate A reasonable Some strong original Several stron
persuasivene development of development of attempt has been arguments are original argum
ss original arguments. original arguments made to develop presented and are are presented
and / or limited and justify original mainly justified justified very
justification for arguments and to persuasively. persuasively.
these. justify these
persuasively.

Presentation A poor standard of An inconsistent A solid and A strong and An outstandin

presentation. The standard of reasonably effective professional standard of
assignment is presentation. In standard of standard of presentation.
poorly written parts, the presentation. The presentation. The assignment is
and / or poorly- assignment is assignment is assignment is well- well-written a
structured poorly written and / generally well- written and well- very well-
throughout. or poorly- written and well- structured. structured.
structured. structured.

Referencing Very poorly Poorly referenced, Reasonable Assignment is well Excellent use
referenced sources lacking standard of referenced, using a academic mat
document, citing credibility with referencing range of credible throughout.
little/no credible errors in using followed, generally academic material, Report follows
academic material, required APA follows APA following the APA referencing
APA referencing referencing system. standards with a standards. guidelines.
system not range of credible
followed. material covered.