Read the Hartley Electronics Ltd case study that is reproduced as Appendix 1 at the end of this handbook. The case is Case Study 5.1 in Farnham, D. (2015) Human Resource Management in Context: Strategy, Insights and Solutions, 4th ed., London, CIPD, pp. 199-200, from which it has been reproduced by acknowledgement. For assignment 1, you are asked to take on the role of an external consultant and to write a report to the chief executive that:
1) identifies the main human resource problems facing the company and, more importantly,
2) provides a reasoned argument justifying whether the company should adopt a ‘best practice’, ‘best fit’ or resource-based view of the firm model of HR strategy to achieve a long-term solution to these HR problems.
Formatting of coursework assignments
All coursework should be word processed, in an easy to read font such as Calibri, Arial or Times New Roman. Use a font size no smaller than 11 point and no larger than 14 point. Allow a reasonable amount of space within and between paragraphs, preferably using 1.5 line spacing. Above all, allow a decent size page margin all round, so that we have enough space to write comments. Each page must include a header with your student number and a header or footer with consecutive page numbering. Avoid the use of bullet points in the text unless absolutely necessary.
Assignment 1 (the case study) should be written in report format (see further details under assignment 1 below);
Referencing protocols and style in your assessed coursework
Your references should be in the APA (6th ed.) style. See http://www.referencing.port.ac.uk/ for guidance on this referencing system. You should of course avoid any suspicion of plagiarism or ‘poor scholarship’. If you have any concerns about this then please consult a tutor. Avoid using sources of dubious reliability such as Wikipedia for information. Use of dubious or poor quality or irrelevant internet sources in coursework is likely to be penalised.
Word limits in assessed coursework
For the avoidance of doubt, the stated maximum word limits provided for particular items of assessment are supposed to be just that: the maximum. There is no unofficial ‘plus or minus 10% leeway’. The word count includes everything from the start of the text of each answer to the end of the text that precedes the beginning of your APA reference list, although it excludes any footnotes you have used. Use the word count facility in Word to determine your word count for this block of text. Please do not use footnotes any more than is absolutely necessary. Certainly, do not use excessive footnoting as an ingenious device to attempt to get round the word limits, as we will penalise this if we suspect it. Please provide accurate, actual word counts for your work: one word count for assignment 1; Your actual word count is what you should put on your assignment when you submit it electronically, not the intended maximum. It is an assessment offence to state an inaccurate or misleading word count, or not to include one.
Both for our purposes, as well as for the original case study from which the above is drawn, Hartley Electronics Ltd is intended to be a fictional case study and the scenario given is also fictional. Any similarity to any real company of the same, or a similar name is entirely unintentional. Don’t incorporate any additional information that refers to any such company.
Assessment criteria
Specific assessment criteria include the following.
• Your report should demonstrate critical awareness of the three theoretical perspectives outlined above from relevant literature and how the perspectives can be applied to the case study.
Further information. In the second part of your answer you should concentrate mainly on one preferred approach out of the three perspectives. However, you should initially justify why you are focusing on your chosen approach in preference to the other possible perspectives and indicate why you think this approach is more applicable to the case than the other two. After identifying what you think are the main HR problems (and why), provide a brief critical review of the potential advantages and disadvantages of each approach in relation to the case, provide a justification for choosing one approach. Then apply the approach to the case study, critically assessing how it may contribute to providing a long-term resolution to the HR problems you identify.
In identifying what you consider to be the main HR problems in the first part of the task, it is preferable to discuss relatively few problems in greater depth than to discuss lots of HR issues superficially.
• Your report should be no longer than 1,500 words max. (excluding footnotes and reference list) and include an accurate, actual word count.
• Your report should conclude with a recommendation justifying a particular course of action, which should follow logically from your preceding argument.
Further information. Remember that the assignment is essentially a report and should be written in report rather than essay format. For further general guidance see ASK Handout WA12a: Reports and essays – key differences, available from:
https://kb.myport.ac.uk/cd/12/4/resources/ASK/Reports-and-essays—key-differences.pdf (You do not, however, need to go to extremes of numbering paragraphs and sub-paragraphs, and please try to avoid using bullet point lists.)
