Course Resources Archive

Human resource (HR) professionals and managers operate within increasingly complex and changing organisational and contextual circumstances, whether in the market, public or ‘third’ sectors and whatever the size of their organisations or the types of goods or services these enterprises produce for their customers or clients. This module provides learners, first, with an understanding of the principal internal and external environmental contexts of contemporary organisations, including the managerial and business context, within which managers, HR professionals and workers interact in conditions of environmental turbulence, change and uncertainty. Second, the module examines how those leading organisations respond to these dynamic environmental contexts. Third, the module indicates how leaders in organisations, and those in the HR function, and line managers with HR responsibilities, need to recognise and acknowledge that corporate decisions and HR choices are not always shaped by managers alone. They are also shaped by internal and external forces beyond their immediate control. Having studied this module, learners will be aware that managers and HR professionals in different types of organisation (small, large, national, global), in responding to their internal, business and external environmental contexts, not only have opportunities and choices when taking organisational and HR decisions but also face some constraints on their autonomy in determining their futures. This module explores the implications for professional practice and provides opportunities for applied learning and continuous professional development.

1. Contemporary organisations and their principal environments.
2. The managerial and business environment within which HR professionals work.
3. How organisational and HR strategies are shaped by and developed in response to internal and external environmental factors.
4. The market and competitive environments of organisations and how organisational leaders and the HR function respond to them.
5. Globalisation and international forces and how they shape and impact on organisational and HR strategies and HR practices.
6. Demographic, social and technological trends and how they shape and impact on organisational and HR strategies and HR practices.
7. Government policy and legal regulation and how these shape and impact on organisational and HR strategies and HR practices.

On completion of this module students will be able to:

1. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate contemporary organisations and their principal environments.
2. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate the managerial and business environment within which HR professionals work.
3. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate how organisational and HR strategies are shaped by and developed in response to internal and external environmental factors.
4. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate the market and competitive environments of organisations and how organisational leaders and the HR function respond to them.
5. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate globalisation and international forces and how they shape and impact on organisational and HR strategies and HR practices.
6. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate demographic, social and technological trends and how they shape and impact on organisational and HR strategies and HR practices.
7. Understand, analyse and critically evaluate government policy and legal regulation and how these shape and impact on organisational and HR strategies and HR practices.

Staff/student contact – 45 hours
Workshops, tutorials, individual support
Student directed learning – 105 hours as directed by tutors/module guide

Work Based Learning delivery students will devise an agreed work plan with their Advisor to meet their individual learning needs to achieve the module learning outcomes

The Library Catalogue contains full details of the current reading list for this module. Further details may also be found in the Module Guide.