Accessibility statement

Applied HR, Business and Society - MAN00062H

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  • Department: The York Management School
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: H
  • Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
    • See module specification for other years: 2023-24

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Semester 1 2024-25

Module aims

  • Meet the changing learning needs of our student cohorts at UG level as well as recognising the changing nature of work within business and societal contexts and the central role that HR plays within those changes.

  • Expose students to complex HR and business matters they would not normally gain experience in prior to commencing their careers – but through a supported learning environment.

  • Support students in developing the relevant competencies (behaviour, knowledge and skills) in resolving and facilitating complex HR and business matters, to enable them to hone such competencies more effectively and intuitively within their careers.

  • Gain experience within a research led academic but creative theatre based teaching environment - one which will enable them to cite practical experience at interviews for future jobs - experience they would not otherwise have gained.

  • Be supported and facilitated in how theory works in practice in the face of challenging business and societal contexts through an innovative but relevant assessment design and more in-keeping with the employment demands students will face after graduation.

  • For students on a year in industry track - this module will seek to offer a relevant and versatile extension of their placement year in which to further hone their HR, business and societal experience in the absence of students’ personal experiences of organisations.

  • Provide students with an advantage over their peers, after graduation, within an increasingly competitive and changing employment market.

  • Provide block teaching during weeks in which theatre performances will be held to maximise learning transfer.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

  • More effectively resolve and act upon HR business matters while being cognisant of the societal influences of such matters.

  • Analyse, diagnose and offer solutions to complex HR business realities – quickly and in real time, whilst drawing upon relevant theoretical principles.

  • Demonstrate a range of necessary, supportive and ethical responses and behaviours that would be appropriate when handling employee / employer work-based conversations.

  • Build a repertoire of organisational / business behavioural approaches necessary to pursue a career within HR and business related fields, within a changing societal context.

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 40
Practical 60

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 60
Essay/coursework 40

Module feedback

Formative feedback will be ongoing through the module, while a formative assessment will be offered and written / oral feedback provided; students will also be engaging in exercises, discussions and case studies etc. throughout the module, which also enable formative feedback to be provided.

Each summative assessment will be supported with summative written feedback on competition of review and marking of each individual assessment component.

Each student will also have the opportunity to ask for verbal feedback during office hours throughout the semester.

Indicative reading

Preparatory Reading

McCotter. S. (2022). Relocating the HR Department to the Lecture Room – an interdisciplinary approach, in Patterson, D. and MacCallum, K. (Eds). Industry Practices, Processes and Techniques Adopted in Education. Springer.

Taylor, S. and Perkins, G. (2021). Work and Employment in a Changing Business Environment. CIPD / Kogan Page.

Taylor, S. and Woodhams, C. (2022). Human Resource Management: People and Organisations. CIPD / Kogan Page.

Costa, C. and Paiva, S. (2021). How Societies and Business Will Technologically Evolve with Covid-19 in Next Generation of Internet Things. Eds Kumar, P., Mishra, B. K. and Pattnaik, P. K. Springer.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University constantly explores ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary. In some instances it may be appropriate for the University to notify and consult with affected students about module changes in accordance with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.