TMDIBS204 Managing people in a Multinational Context Assignment Questions 2026

TMDIBS204 Assignment Brief

Assignment Tasks

This assignment consists of a 1500 words business report. You will be conducting an analysis of a well-established organisation of your choice.

The chosen organisations must be decided with the tutor no later than Week 5/6.

The report revolves around following factors that must be considered.

• Selection of one company
• Discuss the chosen company’s HR policies and analyse how they have changed over time (historical and contemporary context).
• Discuss any 2 selected organisations’ people and performance management techniques connected with the contemporary workplace practices.

These may include- talent and succession management, leadership and management approach, talent retention strategies, performance evaluation/appraisal methods and career progression.

• Discuss any 2 recent challenges faced by the chosen company in terms of new working patterns and the impact on workplace relationships in the context of the contemporary challenges.

These may include – remote working, flexible working hours, hybrid work models), equality, diversity and inclusion practices at work (EDI policies).

• Identify and analyse the changes made by the chosen company to overcome these recent challenges and critically evaluate the strategies implemented by the chosen company.

Assignments must be your own work, that is, they must be written in your own words, presenting your own analysis and argument. You should aim to write 1500 words (+/- 10%) for this assignment. You are expected to draw on suitable resources – the company website, the corporate website, and other published information (news stories and articles) and on management textbooks and discussions in the classroom. Remember to consider the accuracy of the information that you use and to reference your sources correctly using the Harvard format.

Referencing

As this is an academic piece of work, you must use appropriate academic sources. These would normally include academic textbooks accessed via ‘Discovery’. Academic journal articles may also be used; however, these must be peer reviewed and accessed in full text (not simply abstracts), again normally through ‘Discovery’. The web address from which each source was accessed must always be included, as markers must be able to verify the source. Failure to provide verifiable academic sources will result in the work not being recognised as academically appropriate, potentially leading to a referral grade if there are insufficient verifiable sources.   ‘Discovery’ is available from https://libguides.uos.ac.uk/

Ensure that all submissions are appropriately referenced and adhere to academic integrity guidelines. All claims and facts in your academic submission must be supported by references using Harvard style. Any work submitted without in-text citations and a reference list will result in an automatic refer. Simply listing references at the end without using them as in-text citations throughout your work will also result in a referral grade. Refer to See the library guidance on the proper use of in-text citations and referencing- https://libguides.uos.ac.uk/referencing-plagiarism/referencing-styles

As most sources are online, use proper Harvard referencing to reference sources.

Referencing E-books

Standard Harvard Format

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of book. Edition (if applicable). Place of publication: Publisher. Available at: URL/database (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Example:

Taylor, S. (2021) Business Communication Essentials. 3rd edn. London: Routledge. Available at: ProQuest Ebook Central (Accessed: 13 May 2026).

Referencing Online Journal Article

Example Reference

Brown, T. and Green, P. (2023) ‘The impact of AI on education’, Journal of Educational Technology, 12(3), pp. 45–58. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1234/jet.2023.0012 (Accessed: 13 May 2026).

In-Text Citation

(Brown and Green, 2023)

Please note that any words included as part of a diagram or table are not included in the word count.

The assessment guidelines below offer guidance on marking criteria and outline expectations in this module regarding word limit, referencing, submission format and consequences for non-compliance. Submissions exceeding the word count by more than 10% will be penalized. Claims without proper in-text citations and referencing will result in automatic referral.

Suggested Structure And Marking Guidance

The report should be your own work, presented in professional format.  Moreover, make sure that assignment is properly organised and formatted. There should be adequate headings and sub-headings with accurate use of language and grammar.

Assessment Guidance

• Your writing should maintain a formal tone throughout and be word processed with an ideally legible font such as Times New Roman, Arial, or a similar style, with 12-point font size.
• Avoid first person ‘I’ or ‘we’. Use passive instead. E.g., I think = It could be argued / I asked people to… = Participants were invited to…
• Avoid contractions (e.g., don’t, it’s, isn’t) = do not, it is, is not
• Be precise (e.g., way – method, thing – object, person – participant)
• Avoid run on expressions (etc., and so on)
• Avoid subjective language (e.g., nice, incredible, awesome. Be objective instead / relate to objective criteria = useful, appropriate, helpful)
• Use clearly referenced supporting evidence (in text / reference list)
• Avoid direct questions with question marks. Eg. Why is this? = There are several underlying reasons for this: firstly…
• Use clearly referenced supporting evidence (in text / reference list)
• Use cautious language for speculation, opinion, unsupported evidence. Eg. This may be because, there could be a link between, this could lead to…
• Use support to evidence lines of argument and opinions. This evidence can consist of examples (from practice), statistics, or the referencing of research and theoretical work of others in the field. The evidence is used to support the line of argument, this is often carried out using an argument/counter-argument structure.
• Use print, digital, and other sources as support evidence. Your sources of information must always be clearly referenced, both in-text and in a reference list at the end. So that the reader can locate the source of this information for themselves (See Harvard referencing guide). Not referencing is generally poor academic practice.
• It is expected that a student will use the course textbook plus 2 other academic sources as well as news or other sources relating to the assignment.
• It is expected that your work should not be too descriptive but should focus on critical and analytical discussion.
• Diagrams should be used where appropriate.

Note: You are required to incorporate two academic frameworks or models, as discussed in classes, into your assessment. These frameworks should be thoughtfully applied to your case study, considering each component. You need to ensure you reference each framework accurately within the text and include them in your reference list.

It is crucial to use academic sources from the Discovery area (https://libguides.uos.ac.uk/) for your research, rather than relying on websites from a quick Google search which are generally not appropriate.

Using AI: On this module, you may use AI appropriately in your assessments, such as Grammarly for grammar corrections or ChatGPT for generating ideas. However, AI should not be used to generate the final text—whether written, verbal, or in video format—submitted for assessment. All work must be expressed in your own words, developed and constructed by you. If there are concerns about inappropriate AI use, you may be required to have a conversation with your programme/module leader(s) to discuss your approach to the assessment.

Essential Books

Adair, J. (2019) Develop your leadership skills. 4th ed. London: Kogan Page.

Amstrong, M. (2020). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice. 15th ed. London: Kogan Page.

Baker, T. (2014) Attracting and retaining talent: becoming an employer of choice. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Browaeys, M. (2019) Understanding cross cultural management, 4^th ed. London: Pearson

Clutterbuck, D. (2012) The talent wave: why succession planning fails and what to do about it. London: Kogan Page.

Cook, M. (2016) Personnel selection: adding value through people – a changing picture. 6th ed. Chichester: Wiley.

Edwards, T. & Rees, C. (2017) International Human Resource Management: Globalisation, National Systems and Multinational Companies 3^rd ed. London: Pearson

Farnham, D. (2015) HRM in Context. 4^th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Guion, R.M. (2011) Assessment, measurement, and prediction for personnel decisions. 2nd ed. Hove: Routledge.

Johnson G, Whittington R, Scholes K, Angwin D, Regnér. P (2020) Exploring corporate strategy: Text and Cases. 12^th ed. London: Pearson.

Kew, J and Stredwick, J. (2016) HRM in a business context. 3^rd ed., London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Marchington, M., Wilkinson, A., Donnelly, R. and Kyhighou, A. (2016) Human resource management at work. 6th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Newell Brown, J. (2011) The complete recruitment guide: a step-by-step approach to selecting, assessing and hiring the right people. London: Kogan Page.

Newell Brown, J. and Swain, A. (2012) The professional recruiter’s handbook: delivering excellence in recruitment practice. 2nd ed. London: Kogan Page.

Nikolaou, I. and Oostrom, J.K. (eds). (2015) Employee recruitment, selection and assessment: contemporary issues for theory and practice. Hove: Psychology Press.

O’meara, B. (2013) The handbook of strategic recruitment and selection: a systems approach. Bingley: Emerald.

Rees, G and French, R. (2016) Leading, Managing and Developing People. 5^th ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Taylor, S. and Woodhams, C. (eds). (2016) Human resource management: people and organisations.

London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development. [New edition of April].

Taylor, S. and Woodhams, C. (eds). (2016) Studying human resource management. 2nd ed. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.

Ungemah, J. (2015) Misplaced talent: a guide to better people decisions. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley.

Reference Citations

In-Text Citation is mandatory for a pass grade

• Cite references in the text with author name/s, year of publication, and page number in parentheses (“Harvard system”)
• Author’s or editor’s surname. This could be an organization, e.g., BBC
• Year of publication
• Page number(s)
• Enclose the whole citation in round brackets unless the author is the subject of the sentence, e.g., Chaffey and Ellis-Chadwick (2019, p.14) argue that…

Reference List

An example of Journal or E-Journal Article

Author surname(s), Initial(s). (Year) ‘Title of article’, Journal Name, volume number (issue or part number), page range. Available at: DOI or URL (Accessed: date)

Dutta, M. and Marjit, S. (2016) ‘Intra-country technology transfer’, Indian Economic Review, 51(1/2), pp. 117–127. Available at: http://www.jstor.org/stable/44376239 (Accessed: 27 May 2021).

Referencing E-books

Standard Harvard Format

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year) Title of book. Edition (if applicable). Place of publication: Publisher. Available at: URL/database (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Example:

Taylor, S. (2021) Business Communication Essentials. 3rd edn. London: Routledge. Available at: ProQuest Ebook Central (Accessed: 13 May 2026).

NB If viewing the article online, include the DOI if available OR URL + accessed date (Note: the access date is only included when using URL, NOT when using DOI)

TIP! If page numbers are unavailable – e.g., if you are using a source that is only available in an online format with no PDF, and if this is usual in your discipline – then they are simply omitted.

Submission

• Electronic copies must be submitted in Microsoft Word format only (.doc / .docx)on Brightspace respecting the deadline.

Useful guide

Additional guidance will be provided during seminar sessions and tutorials.

Employability Skills

This module covers a wide range of contemporary concepts and practices in the field of human resource management. It starts with the key definitions and theoretical aspects of HR and moves on to the latest tools and techniques used by human resource professionals in managing the employment and well-being of people in organizations, operating in the domestic and international economies. The module covers HRM theory, core concepts and characteristics of contemporary HRM, critical components of HRM systems, and core HR skills development.

On successful completion of this module, a student will have had opportunities to:

• Develop practical skills in human resource planning, including designing HR plans, defining requirements, designing job descriptions and person specifications, processing job applications, conducting selection interviews, preparing selection grids, conducting, and interpreting the results of selection tests, conducting new employee orientation, and preparing necessary employment-related documentation.
• Conduct learning and training needs analysis, produce a skills and resources matrix, develop training calendars, and evaluate employees’ learning and training as regards both management and leadership roles
• Develop practical skills in managing and monitoring people’s performance with the help of various methods, including 360-degree feedback and how to conduct performance reviews and appraisal meetings.
• Develop practical skills in reward systems and strategy, design a job evaluation, and conduct a market rate analysis.
• Develop practical skills in managing employee relations, conducting panel meetings with employee representatives/unions, negotiating with them and implementing collective bargaining arrangements.
• Develop practical skills in recruiting people in an international context, understanding expatriation and repatriation challenges, and developing practical plans to recruit and manage people in an international context.

References

• Adams, J.S., 2015. Equity theory. In Organizational Behavior 1 (pp. 134-158). Routledge.
• Burns T, Stalker G M. (1961) The Management of Innovation. London: Tavistoclc.
• Cyert, R. and March, J., 2015. Behavioral theory of the firm. In Organizational Behavior 2 (pp. 60-77). Routledge.
• Emery, M., 2004. Open systems theory. Dynamics of organizational change and learning, pp.43-69.
• Fiedler, F.R.E.D., 2015. Contingency theory of leadership. In Organizational Behavior 1 (pp. 232-255). Routledge.
• Lawler, V.V. and Lyman Porter, E., 2005. Expectancy theories. Organizational Behavior, 1.
• Locke, E.A. and Latham, G.P., 2013. Goal setting theory, 1990.
• Mayo, Elton. (1953). The Human Problems of an Industrial Civilization, New York: Macmillan
• Taylor, F. W. (1911). The Principles of Scientific Management. New York: Harper & Brothers.

TMDIBS204 Assessment Criteria