Postgraduate Course: Employment Law (CMSE11178)
Course Outline
| School | Business School |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 15 |
ECTS Credits | 7.5 |
| Summary | This course covers British employment law in the European context. It is designed to equip human resource professionals with the knowledge and skills to understand and advise on the implications of employment legislation for decisions made by an organisations in relation to its workers. |
| 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.
Syllabus:
Sources and Institutions of Employment Law
The contract of employment
Unfair dismissal
Discrimination and equality duties
Pay and benefits; health and safety
Parental Rights
Privacy and confidentiality
TUPE
Collective rights
Student Learning Experience:
The course comprises a mixture of formal lectures and group discussions which will incorporate case studies. The lecture programme will provide an overview of key issues, supported by a range of suggested readings. Lectures will be interactive and include group discussions which will focus on understanding the legal framework and its implications for organisational stakeholders, and on applying the legal framework to the problems confronting managers and employees in organisations. Students may be given case studies to analyse in groups and to discuss appropriate responses, applying their legal knowledge to the factual scenario.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | For Business School PG students only, or by special permission of the School. Please contact the course secretary. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| 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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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
70 %,
Coursework
30 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Project 30%
Exam 70%. |
| Feedback |
All students will be given at least one formative feedback or feedforward event for every course they undertake, provided during the semester in which the course is taken and in time to be useful in the completion of summative work on the course. Such feedback may be at course or programme level, but must include input of relevance to each course in the latter case.
Feedback deadlines
Feedback on formative assessed work will be provided within 15 working days of submission, or in time to be of use in subsequent assessments within the course, whichever is sooner. Summative marks will be returned on a published timetable, which has been made clear to students at the start of the academic year.
Students will gain feedback on their understanding of the material when they discuss their answers to the tutorial questions in the tutorials. Students may also ask questions in Lectures to assess their knowledge.
Feedback format:
Informal feedback on student learning and contributions in class
Marks and generic feedback on assignment
Individual feedback and copy of formal feedback form
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| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | Employment Law CMSE11178 | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain the core principles that underpin employment law as it applies in the UK including common law, their purpose, origin and practical implications.
- Advise colleagues about significant legal implications of decisions, plans or proposals in the employment field.
- Advise about the appropriate action that should be taken in workplace scenarios where employment regulation applies.
- 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.
- Participate in the preparation and settling of employment tribunal cases.
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Reading List
| Taylor and Emir, an introduction to employment law, 3rd Edition (2012), OUP |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
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
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.
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.
6. Be able to apply their knowledge of employment law to hypothetical problems
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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| Keywords | HRM,EL |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Kristina Potocnik
Tel: (0131 6)50 4307
Email: Kristina.Potocnik@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mr Peter Newcombe
Tel: (0131 6)51 3013
Email: Peter.Newcombe@ed.ac.uk |
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