Postgraduate Course: Employment Law (CMSE11178)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Credits | 15 |
| Home subject area | Common Courses (Management School) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | Knowledge of employment law and the legal context in which employers, employees and trade unions operate is increasingly important for human resource professionals. The purpose of this elective is to provide students with the knowledge, understanding and skills required to brief organisations in the consequences of current and future developments in employment law, and to give up-to-date, timely and accurate advice regarding the practical application of legal principles at work. This course will equip human resource professionals to anticipate legal problems associated with organisational decisions and to play a leading role in effective handling of disputes in the workplace and in leading an organisation¿s response when a formal legal claim is contemplated or pursued. This course will encourage students to think critically about the way in which the law both constrains and facilitates relationships between parties within work organisations, and its relationship to effective organisational functioning.
The course covers the following areas: the sources and institutions of employment law; the contract of employment; implied rights and duties in the employment relationship; discrimination and equality law; pay and benefits; contractual variation, contractual breach and unfair dismissal, as well as introducing students to transfer of undertakings legislation and collective employment rights. The course will cover both the role of the common law in employer-employee relations, the existing (and expanding) statutory framework; the way in which relative standards of behaviour (for example, reasonableness or fairness) are interpreted and acted upon by tribunals and organisations; critiques of law and practice in this area; how employers, employees and their representatives have positioned themselves in relation to existing and proposed developments in employment law; and the role of the law in contributing positively to the management of purposeful organisations. |
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2013/14 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Learn enabled: Yes |
Quota: None |
|
Web Timetable |
Web Timetable |
| Course Start Date |
13/01/2014 |
| Breakdown of Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
150
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 3,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
125 )
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| Additional Notes |
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| Breakdown of Assessment Methods (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. On completion of this module learners will be able to:
1. Explain the core principles that underpin employment law as it applies in the UK including common law, their purpose, origin and practical implications.
2. Advise colleagues about significant legal implications of decisions, plans or proposals in the employment field.
3. Advise about the appropriate action that should be taken in workplace scenarios where employment regulation applies.
4. Play a leading role in determining the appropriate organisational response when legal action on the part of a worker or employee is anticipated, threatened or taken.
5. Participate in the preparation, presentation and settling of employment tribunal cases.
6. Know how to keep their knowledge of developments in employment law up to date and
7. advise about the impact of these developments on employment policy and practice in their organisations.
2. Knowledge and Understanding
On completion of the course the students should:
1. be fully aware of the institutions and law-making processes relevant to the management of employees
2. have a clear understanding of the essential nature and terms of the employment contract
3. have a clear understanding of the roles, rights and responsibilities of all parties to the employment relationship
4. be able to identify underlying principles and objectives in legal regulation of the employment relationship
5. have a good knowledge of the current statutory framework and regulatory provisions
3. Cognitive Skills
On completion of the course the students should:
1. be able to combine a theoretical understanding of employment regulation with an appreciation of the practical organisational issues arising from regulation
2. exhibit an awareness of the concerns and experiences of a range of organisational stakeholders
3. be able to evaluate the impact of legal regulation on effective organisational functioning
4. be able to identify the objectives and assumptions of currently proposed solutions to problems of regulating the employment relationship.
4. Key Skills
On completion of the assessed work, students should:
1. be able to identify the relevant legal issues and areas relating to particular workplace problems or incidents
2. apply critical analytical skills to theoretical and practical issues arising in regulating the employment relationship
3. be able to summarise and explain alternative/contending stakeholder positions
4. be able to understand and demonstrate how relative standards in the employment relationship (e.g. fairness or reasonableness) are arrived at
5. be able to demonstrate considerable conceptual, verbal and written clarity in addressing the issue of managing risks and disputes in the workplace.
Be able to apply their knowledge of employment law to hypothetical problems
5. Subject specific skills
On completion of the course, students should be able to give a clear analysis of existing legal regulation, issues arising from the existing legal framework, and proposals for change in the existing legal framework.
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Assessment Information
Project 30%
Exam 70%. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Daniels, Chapter 3 (Contract of Employment) and Chapter 4 (Atypical Contracts and Variation of Contracts) or Lewis and Sargeant, Chapter 2 (Formation of the Contract of Employment: Sources of Terms) |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | HRM-EL |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Brian Main
Tel: (0131 6)50 8360
Email: Brian.Main@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Rachel Allan
Tel: (0131 6)51 3757
Email: Rachel.Allan@ed.ac.uk |
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© Copyright 2013 The University of Edinburgh - 13 January 2014 3:46 am
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