7D001E - Leading Sustainable Futures in the People Profession (Capstone Project) 01 Sep 2026 - 31 Aug 2032 | Version 0

Associated Module Information

Module Code: 7D001E
Module Title: Leading Sustainable Futures in the People Profession (Capstone Project)
Faculty: Faculty of Business and Creative Industries
Faculty Group: Business Management
Faculty Sub Group: Business Management
Module Leader: Shehla Khan
Module Team: Tiru Madahar, Linda Hamweemba, Karl Greenhough
First Intended Intake: SEP 2026 Final Year of Intake: 2031
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 60 Credit Level: 7
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100085 - human resource management
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 0
Valid From 01 Sep 2026
Valid To 31 Aug 2032

Module Aims

The main aims of the module are:

·         Lead systemic analysis of complex, uncertain people challenges, using systems thinking to reveal drivers, interdependencies, risks, and points of leverage across ethical, social, technological, and environmental dimensions.

·         Design and deliver an independent research or consultancy project that demonstrates methodological rigour, responsible practice, and clear pathways to sustainable impact in the people profession.

·         Communicate and defend evidence-based insights and recommendations persuasively to academic, professional, and employer audiences (including viva), translating analysis into actionable decisions.

Content Summary

This 60-credit capstone is where students pull the whole MSc together and lead on the people challenges that matter. In Phase 1, they will tackle a live Grand Challenge set with employers and the CIPD, using systems thinking to map causes, interdependencies, and leverage points across ethics, technology, climate, and inequality. They will surface practical, high-impact interventions, not just what could work, but why it works in complex, real organisations.

Phase 2 turns those insights into an independent research or consultancy project. Students will design and execute a rigorous study, engaging with data, evidence, and stakeholders to generate recommendations that are both defensible and do-able. The module is anchored in the UN SDGs (5, 8, 10, 13) and the evolving role of AI in people practice, and it culminates in a major written output plus a viva where they will present, and defend, their thinking to academic and professional audiences.

This is capstone as leadership-in-practice: systemic analysis, ethical judgement, and credible solutions that create value for people, organisations, and society.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Scheduled Learning and Teaching 112
Guided Study 21
Summative Assessment 120
Independent Study and self-directed learning 347
Total Hours Selected 600

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Apply systems thinking to analyse complex and uncertain HRM and sustainability challenges, integrating social, ethical, and environmental dimensions.
LO2 Design and deliver an independent research or consultancy project that investigates a sustainable people-practice challenge, applying rigorous research design, ethical evidence gathering and analysis, and translating theory into professionally credible recommendations.
LO3 Communicate and defend findings and recommendations clearly and persuasively to academic, professional, and policy audiences.

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Dissertation / Major Project 1 Dissertation / Major Project (with viva/presentation) 0 10000 100 No 40

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2 LO3
Dissertation / Major Project 1 ✔ ✔ ✔

Reading List

The readings and chapters listed below represent the core and supplementary texts that underpin the learning outcomes and week-to-week themes of this module. To ensure structured engagement and equitable access, specific readings from these sources will be curated and distributed through the Talis Aspire reading list, accessible via Blackboard.

Each week’s Talis list will align directly with the lecture and workshop content, indicating essential and recommended chapters or journal articles for preparatory, in-class, and reflective study. This approach supports progressive learning, ensuring students can engage with materials in a manageable, focused, and contextually relevant way throughout the block.

 

Core Texts for the Module

Meadows, D.H. (2008) Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing.
Provides the systems thinking framework underpinning the Grand Challenge and supports students in visualising complexity and interdependencies in people, process, and organisational systems.

Anderson, V. and Fontinha, R. (2024) Research Methods in Human Resource Management: Investigating a Business Issue. 5th edn. London: Kogan Page.
Core CIPD-aligned text for research design, evidence-based HRM, and methodological rigour in the capstone project.

CIPD (2021) People Profession 2030: A Collective View of Future Trends. London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.
Ensures alignment with professional body standards and employer expectations, highlighting future challenges and strategic opportunities for the people profession.

Sitko, R. (2023) Sustainable HRM: Managing People for Long-Term Success. London: Routledge.
Explores sustainability within HRM through environmental, social, and governance (ESG) lenses. Provides conceptual and practical insights into how HR can drive sustainable value creation — central to the Grand Challenge and research themes of the module.

Supplementary Reading (indicative)

Peer-reviewed journals (core outlets)

·         Human Resource Management Journal (Wiley). Critical and empirical HRM; UK/EU context—ideal for evidence-based capstone framing.

·         International Journal of Human Resource Management (Taylor & Francis). Global HRM; methodology variety for dissertations.

·         Work, Employment and Society (SAGE). Employment relations, power, institutions—strong for ER and sustainability debates.

·         Human Resource Management (Wiley). Practice-oriented, rigorous studies—useful for design/evaluation of interventions.

·         Academy of Management Journal / Review (Academy of Management). High-impact theory and reviews—conceptual framing.

·         Organization Studies (SAGE). Systems, complexity, organising—supports systems-thinking perspectives.

·         Journal of Business Ethics (Springer). Ethics, ESG, responsible management—aligns with SDGs and CIPD ethics.

Practitioner & policy sources

·         CIPD. Megatrends series; People Profession 2030; Ethical Practice and AI guidance. Practitioner evidence and standards.

·         Chartered Management Institute (CMI). Leadership practice reports—useful for people-leadership cases.

·         Acas. Dispute resolution, Employee voice guidance—applied ER touchpoints.

·         OECD. Employment Outlook; AI in the workplace—macro labour trends for context.

·         UK Government / ONS. Labour market overviews; pay, vacancies, productivity—data for benchmarking.

Systems, sustainability & future of work

·         Jackson, S.E., Schuler, R.S. & Jiang, K. (2014). ‘An aspirational framework for strategic HRM’, Academy of Management Annals, 8(1), 1–56. Conceptual map linking HRM to strategic outcomes.

·         Aust, I., Matthews, B. & Müller-Camen, M. (2020). Common Good HRM. Cham: Springer. Sustainability lens for HRM design.

·         Beer, M., Boselie, P. & Brewster, C. (2015). ‘Back to the future’, HRM, 54(3), 427–438. Re-centring HRM purposes—great for capstone rationales.

·         Kramar, R. (2014). ‘Beyond strategic HRM—towards sustainable HRM’, HRMR, 24(2), 90–102. Foundations of sustainable HRM.

Analytics, methods & evidence-based practice

·         Bassi, L., Tambe, P. & Yakubovich, V. (2021). People Analytics in the Era of Big Data. Boston, MA: Pearson. Practical analytics uses and pitfalls.

·         Levenson, A. (2018). Strategic Analytics. Oakland, CA: Berrett-Koehler. Linking analytics to decisions and value.

·         Rousseau, D.M. (2012). The Oxford Handbook of Evidence-Based Management. Oxford: OUP. EBP principles for HR decisions.

Ethics, AI & technology in HRM

·         Boddington, P. (2017). Ethical Challenges in the Big Data Era. Cham: Springer. Data ethics groundwork.

·         Sánchez-Monedero, J., Dencik, L. & Edwards, L. (2020). ‘Workplace datafication’, J. of Business Ethics, 162, 301–315. Algorithmic management critique.

·         CIPD (2023–). Responsible AI in HR (briefings). Practical governance for AI use in people practice.

Employment relations & law (for context/interventions)

·         Edwards, P. (ed.) (2009). Industrial Relations: Theory and Practice. 3rd edn. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Pluralism/ER frameworks.

·         Kaufman, B.E. (2014). The Evolving Concept of Strategic HRM. Champaign, IL: IRL Press. Historical/ER linkages.

·         Bamber, G.J. et al. (2021). International and Comparative Employment Relations. 7th edn. London: SAGE. Comparative ER.

Design, change & intervention

·         Van Aken, J. & Berends, H. (2018). Problem Solving in Organizations: A Methodological Handbook for Business and Management Students. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. For consultancy-style capstones.

·         Brown, T. (2009). Change by Design. New York: Harper Business. Design thinking for HR interventions.

·         Kotter, J.P. (2012). Leading Change. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Review Press. Change scaffolding—use critically.

Key journals for sustainability & work

·         Business Strategy and the Environment (Wiley). ESG, SDG alignment—measurement and impact.

·         Human Relations (SAGE). Critical, high-quality work on power, culture, and organising.

·         Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology (Wiley). Evidence on engagement, well-being, performance.

Data & toolkits (for capstone and Grand Challenge)

·         ILO STAT / Eurostat / ONS. Labour, wage, and sectoral data—comparative context.

·         UN Global Compact & SDG Knowledge Platform. SDG targets/indicators—aligning project outcomes.

·         Acas Case Studies Library. Real ER cases—feed authentic scenarios.

·         CIPD Evidence Hub & HR-inform. Policy templates, benchmarks, and practice cases.

·         Harvard Business Publishing (Cases). High-quality cases for analytics, ER, and change.