Level 4 Business Project: Considering Strategic Talent Management

This project, designed for a Junior Human Resources Management consultant role, focuses on investigating, planning, and executing a business research project centered on "What talent strategies do the best companies use to attract and retain people?" The project is divided into two parts: Part 1 involves creating a comprehensive project management plan, including a Work Breakdown Structure and Gantt Chart, and conducting small-scale research using primary and secondary methods. Part 2 requires a critical evaluation of the project outcomes, the decision-making process, and any changes made to the initial plan, with recommendations based on research findings and data analysis. The project aims to assess talent management strategies related to recruitment, training, development, and staff retention, potentially using a benchmark organization like Google, and must address all pass, merit, and distinction criteria outlined in the assessment guidelines. The project emphasizes the importance of data-driven conclusions, the evaluation of research methods, and reflection on the project's value for sustainable organizational performance and the student's own learning.

UnitNumberandTitle Unit 6 – Managing a Successful Business Project
Project Title Considering a Strategic Approach to Talent Management
Learners Declaration: I certify that the work submitted for this unit is my own and the research sources are fully
acknowledged.
Learners Name: Date:
SubmissionFormat:
Project Guidelines:
Please copy the above and insert into your assignment’s front page.
Academic Misconduct:
Any act of Academic Misconduct will be seriously dealt with according to the College’s and awarding
bodies’ regulations.
Academic misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following: Verbatim (word for word) quotation
without clear acknowledgement, cutting and pasting from the Internet without clear acknowledgement,
collusion, inaccurate citation and failure to acknowledge assistance.
Plagiarism is presenting someone’s work as your own. It includes copying information directly from the
web or books without referencing the material; submitting joint coursework as an individual effort;
copying another student’s coursework; stealing coursework from another student and submitting it as
your own work.
Suspected plagiarism, and any other cases of suspected academic misconduct, will be investigated and
if found to have occurred will be dealt with according to the College procedure. (For further details please
refer to 5o.i the Academic Misconduct Policy and Procedure; 5o.ii Academic Misconduct Student Guide;
Academic Good Practice Handbook, all available on HELP.)

 The submission must be in the specific format(s) as specified in the project brief instructions. This could be
a variety of formats such as report, essay, presentation, poster etc.
 The project must be submitted in a MS Word© format, or equivalent.
A PDF submission will be classed as a Non-Submission
 Use a standard report or essay structure (if specified), word-process the report and use a normal script of
font size 10 to 11. Line spacing 1.5. Pages should be numbered and include a Table of Contents where
appropriate.
 The overall word limit of 3,000 to 3,500 words is recommended, although you will not be penalised for
exceeding the word count.
 Complete the title page and sign the statement of authenticity (see above). These details should be
included in the front page of your project.
 All work should be comprehensively referenced and all sources must be fully acknowledged, such as books
and journals, websites (include the date of visit), etc.
 Include a References/Bibliography at the end of the project. Use the Harvard referencing system.
 To achieve aPass you need to address all Pass criteria.
 To achieve a Merit you need to address all the Merit criteria along with Pass criteria.
 To achieve a Distinction you need to address all the Distinction criteria along with Pass and Merit criteria.
 Use a common structure in writing, for example:
 Introduction (analyse the question.)
 Underpinning Knowledge (write about the relevant theory/points)
 Applied knowledge (Application to a business scenario and supported by applicable data)
 Conclusions and Recommendations (summarizing the whole scenario keeping in view pass, merit,
distinction criteria.)
Where you are required to select an organisation please ensure you use your selected organisation(s) to provide
context and application of knowledge wherever required. Information about your organisation must be supported by
actual evidence with in-text citations and references for the sources of information. General statements that could
apply to any organisation should be avoided.
Resubmission
A resubmission opportunity Is available to any student that has a referral or did not submit in the first submission
period. When resubmitting changes made to the project should reflect feedback received. The entire project should be
uploaded and not just referred sections/tasks. If referred on 2nd submission this may lead to retaking the project with
full attendance and payment of course fees.
Please ensure you are familiar with the learning outcomes and their criteria that must be met in order to achieve
a Pass, Merit or Distinction grade. See table below.
Unit Aim and LearningOutcomes:
The aim of this unit is to offer students an opportunity to demonstrate the skills required for managing and
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implementing a project. They will undertake independent research and investigation for carrying out and
executing a business project which meets appropriate business aims and objectives.
On successful completion of this unit students will have the confidence to engage in decision-making,
problem-solving and research activities using project management skills. They will have the fundamental
knowledge and skills to enable them to investigate and examine relevant business concepts within a work-
related context, determine appropriate outcomes, decisions or solutions and present evidence to various
stakeholders in an acceptable and understandable format.
Learning Outcomes
LO1 Establish project aims, objectives and timeframes based on the chosen theme.
LO2 Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data collection, generating knowledge to
support the project.
LO3 Present the project and communicate appropriate recommendations based on meaningful conclusions
drawn from the evidence findings and/or analysis.
LO4 Reflect on the value from conducting the project and its usefulness to support sustainable organisational
performance.
ProjectBriefandGuidance:
Introduction to the Theme
The Pearson-set theme for use with Level 4 Unit 6: Managing a Successful Business Project is Talent
Management.
Talent management (TM) is the process by which businesses and organisations recognise and develop talented
people who can have a positive impact on their organisations and their productivity. It not only has become a
key component of human resource management but also the responsibility of leaders and managers at all
levels to manage talent within the business, with TM strategies being developed in line with the particular
needs and structure of the business and industry.
Staff retention, training and morale is key in any industry where talented motivated employees can help
differentiate one organisation from another and influence business success. An increasing number of
businesses are rethinking ways to get the most from their staff. Rising costs, recruitment difficulties and
changing employee attitudes mean that, for many employers, the traditional approaches to recruiting, training
and retaining staff are being revisited to harness and develop talent and ultimately drive competitive
advantage.
Selected Topic and Scenario
You have been offered a position as a Junior Human Resources Management consultant within your current
place of work or organisation of your choice. As part of responsibilities, you have been tasked to Investigate,
Plan and Execute a business research project centred on “What talent strategies do the best companies use to
attract and retain people?”
To do so you may pick an organisation/company of your choice and base the report on your chosen
organisations policies and strategies on Recruitment; Training and development and Staff Retention. You are
also to pick an organisation you believe have the best strategies in place to use as a benchmark for your chosen
organisation. Organisations like Google have been known to have good strategies and that can be a base for
research.
The project is to be Planned and Executed in two parts as below with the findings submitted to the Senior HR
Consultant in a Report Format
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Part 1: Project Plan and Execution
In this part, you are to Critically Evaluate the project management process and methods applied for gathering
information and data collection.
Guidance
The project management plan that you design should be comprehensive and relate to the project aims and
objectives you have devised, as well as the deliverables, time, quality, communication, risk and resources. A
Work Breakdown Structure and a Gantt Chart to provide timeframes and stages for completion must be
produced for the project you are undertaking. On completion of the plan, you must Carry out a small-scale
research applying Primary and Secondary methods appropriate for meeting the project aims and objectives.
Part 2: Project Report and Reflection
In this part, you are to Critically Evaluate and Reflect on the project outcomes, the decision making process
and changes or developments of the initial project management plan to support justification of
recommendations and learning during the project.
Guidance
Your critical evaluation must be supported with findings and data from the research you have undertaken.
You should evaluate the tools and techniques that were used to collect data for accuracy and authenticity to
support and justify your recommendations. Recommendations provided must be based on your findings and
data analysis to draw valid and meaningful conclusions. You should evaluate the value of the project
management process to meet stated objectives and support own learning and performance
Pearson Students Guide
You should read this information before starting on your project. You should refer to these instructions as you
complete work for this unit.
 Read the brief and think about what the project brief is asking.
 Research what the project brief is asking. How can you approach the problem, opportunity, hypothesis and
requirements being posed?
 Apply a range of secondary research sources to plan/scope and support the project and its findings.
Secondary research sources may include textbooks, journal articles, newspapers and magazine articles (not
factual accounts).
 Develop your project plan based on the deliverables of the project, the constraints of the project and the
assumptions made.
 Conduct your project according to your stated project plan and meet with your tutor to receive a sign-off at
each stage of the project process.
 Primary research sources may include original first-hand accounts, legal and historical documents, results
of experiments and market research data collection. Apply both qualitative and quantitative research
methods to evaluate data collected from primary research.
 Keep notes of your progress throughout the project, you could do this through a logbook. This is an
important record of your work and must be used to record the development of your ideas and your
progress through the project. The logbook should include:
 A record of what you did, when and what you were thinking.
 A record of where things went wrong and what you did to overcome any unexpected results.
 You will be asked to reflect on the success of your project and your own performance in a personal
performance review at the end of the project. This is a written reflection of around 500 words.
 You must complete the project in order to complete your work for this unit.
The module will be assessed and graded against the Pass, Merit and Distinction criteria as specified in the
assessment grid below issued by the awarding body, Pearson Edexcel.
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Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria
Pass Merit Distinction
LO1 Establish project aims, objectives and timeframes based on the
chosen theme
LO1 and LO2
D1 Critically evaluate the project
management process and methods
applied for gathering information and
data collection
P1 Devise project aims and
objectives for a chosen scenario.
P2 Produce a project management
plan that covers, aim and
deliverables, time, quality,
communication, risk and resources.
P3 Produce a work breakdown
structure and a Gantt Chart to
provide timeframes and stages for
completion.
M1 Produce a comprehensive
project management plan,
milestone schedule and project
schedule for monitoring and
completing the aims and objectives
of the project.
LO2 Conduct small-scale research, information gathering and data
collection to generate knowledge to support the project
P4 Carry out small-scale research
applying primary and secondary
methods appropriate for meeting
project aims and objectives.
M2 Evaluate the accuracy and
reliability of primary and secondary
methods applied
LO3 Present the project and communicate appropriate recommendations
based on meaningful conclusions drawn from the evidence findings
and/or analysis LO3 and LO4
D2 Critically evaluate and reflect on
the project outcomes, the decision-
making process and changes or
developments of the initial project
management plan to support
justification of recommendations and
learning during the project.
P5 Present findings and data using
appropriate tools and techniques.
P6 Communicate appropriate
Recommendations as a result of
findings and data analysis to draw
valid and meaningful conclusions.
M3 Evaluate the selection of
appropriate tools and techniques for
accuracy and authenticity to support
and justify recommendations.
LO4 Reflect on the value gained from conducting the project and its
usefulness to support sustainable organisational performance
P7 Reflect on the value of
undertaking the project to meet
stated objectives and own learning
and performance.
M4 Evaluate the value of the project
management process to meet stated
objectives and support own learning
and performance.
Resources and useful links
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Type of Resource Resource Titles Links
Useful resources for Talent Management
Online factsheets, reports Talent Management https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/
strategy/resourcing/talent-factsheet
Online articles Entrepreneur Europe Magazine https://www.entrepreneur.com/topic/
talent-management
Online report Winning with your talent –
management strategy
https://www.mckinsey.com/business-
functions/organization/our-
insights/winning-with-your-talent-
management-strategy#
Online articles Human Resources Today –
Talent Management
https://www.humanresourcestoday.com/
2020/talent-management/
Online Report Global Talent Trends 2019 https://www.mercer.com/content/dam/
mercer/attachments/private/gl-2019-
global-talent-trends-study.pdf
Webinar Talent Management Strategies
in the GCC
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=FiY2hwoAXsg
You Tube Video Talent Management/Linkedin
learning – What is a talent
management strategy
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=snl7eC8LDLk
Useful resources for Project Management:
Online Resources What is Project Management? https://www.apm.org.uk/resources/what-
is-project- management/
Online article Demystifying the 5 phases of
project management
https://www.smartsheet.com/blog/
demystifying-5-phases- project-
management
Online Resources Project Management links:
● Start Here
● Scheduling
● Scope Management
https://www.mindtools.com/
pages/main/newMN_PPM.ht m
Textbooks
Project Management Institute, 2017. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge: PMBOK (®) Guide. 6th
Ed. Project Management Institute.
COSTLEY, C., ELLIOT, G. and GIBBS, P. (2010) Doing Work Based Research: Approaches to Enquiry for Insider-
researchers. London: SAGE.
FLICK, U. (2011) Introducing Research Methodology: A Beginner’s Guide to Doing a Research Project. London: SAGE.
GRAY, D. (2009) Doing Research in the Real World. 2nd Ed. London: SAGE.
SAUNDERS, M., LEWIS, P. and THORNHILL, A. (2012) Research Methods for Business Students. 6th Ed. Harlow: Pearson.
Journals
International Journal of Quantitative and Qualitative Research.
Qualitative Research Journal.
*Please access HN Global for additional resources support and reading for this unit. For further guidance and
support on report writing please refer to the Study Skills Unit on HN Global (www.highernationals.com)
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Links -This unit links to the following related units:
Unit 8: Innovation and Commercialisation
Unit 11: Research Project
Unit 16: Operations and Project Management
Guide to Command Verbs
Devise: To plan or invent.
Produce: To bring into existence through intellectual or creative ability: to make or manufacture
Carry out: To undertake an activity of a practical nature
Communicate: To impart (knowledge) or exchange (thoughts, feelings, or ideas) by speech, writing, presentation etc.
Evaluate: Examine strengths and weaknesses, arguments for and against and/or similarities and differences; Judge the evidence from the different perspectives and make a valid conclusion or
reasoned judgment
Critically evaluate: This is a development of ‘evaluate’ with a debate on the validity of claims from the opposing views and producing a convincing argument to support the conclusion or
judgement
Draw Conclusions: Make a final decision or judgment based on reasons which could lead to recommendations
Reflect: Look back upon and appraise, relate to, e.g. to stated aim. Give contemplative, balanced consideration to an issue or action
Analyse: Break the subject or complex situations into separate parts and examine each part in detail; identify the main issues and show how the main ideas are related to practice and why they are
important; reference to current research or theory may support the analysis
Critically Analyse: Implies careful, exact, in-depth or detailed analysis. Tends to focus more on the components and to comment on their significance, causal relationships or impact on the whole.
Requires informed judgement with reference to some conceptual theory, idea, practice or experience so will always be fairly high level of cognitive skill.
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