Assessment Task 1: Written Response Task
Part A: The evolution of HRM
Short answer responses (min. 1,000 words)
Read the ‘Evolution of HRM in Australia’ section of Topic 1 in your workbook
(including the required Nankervis et al. 2020, pp. 7-12 reading) summarising the
the stages in the evolution of human resource management in Australia.
In your response you should:
• Describe the four main stages of HR evolution
• Explain the impact of the rise of the Labor government on social reform
• Outline the five major influences of effective employee management according to Erlich (1997)
• Explain how HRM in Australia has evolved compared to HRM in the USA
and UK
Part B: Strategic HRM
Extended answer response (min. 1,500 words)
Conduct research and provide a written response addressing the following:
• Discuss why strategic human resource management is important for organisational success
• Provide and describe two examples of good practice strategic HRM in an Australian organisation and explain why these examples constitute good practice.
For Part B, you will need to use relevant literature and research to support your written response. These references must be provided both in-text and in full as a reference list at the end of your response. References must be provided in the Harvard reference style.
(Note: For Part B a minimum of 4 peer reviewed academic references are required to support your analysis. Refer to the ‘Task requirements’ section below for details.
Task requirements
The reference list will not be included in the word count for this assessment task. ‘Peer reviewed academic references’ refers to the following:
Peer reviewed academic material is reckoned to have the greatest authority. Material which has been peer-reviewed will have been scrutinised and assessed by a panel of academic experts before publication.
The main forums for publishing academic research material are:
• Peer reviewed academic journals
• Conference papers
• Research reports
• Postgraduate dissertations & theses
