2- Business Ethics

5CO03
Professional behaviours
and valuing people
New Learner Assessment Brief
Assessment ID / CIPD_5CO03_21_02
Level 5 Associate Diploma in
▪ People Management
▪ Organisational Learning and Development
Level 5 Associate Diploma
5CO03
Professional behaviours
and valuing people
This unit focuses on how applying core professional behaviours such as ethical practice, courage
and inclusivity can build positive working relationships and support employee voice and well-being.
It considers how developing and mastering new professional behaviours and practice can impact
performance.
CIPD’s insight
Rotten apples, bad barrels, and sticky situations: unethical workplace
behaviour (April 2019)
Workplace ethics has been an increasing focus for businesses, policy makers and regulatory
bodies in recent years. In the wake of corporate scandal, talk often turns to how organisations can
change their culture and manage unethical behaviour. But, to make a much-needed change, we
need to understand why unethical behaviour occurs in the first place. With this knowledge,
business leaders and people professionals can take meaningful action to tackle it.
This report Rotten apples, bad barrels, and sticky situations: a review of unethical workplace
behaviour, provides evidence-based, practical lessons that people professionals and leaders can
use to minimise the likelihood of unethical behaviour in their workplace.
https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/culture/ethics/ethical-behaviour
Gifford, J., Green, M. and Barends, E. (2019) Rotten apples, bad barrels and sticky situations:
an evidence review of unethical workplace behaviour [online]. Research report. London: CIPD.
Diversity and inclusion in the workplace (May 2020)
Understand what diversity and inclusion mean in the workplace and how an effective D&I strategy
can support business. Promoting and supporting diversity in the workplace is an important aspect
of good people management – it’s about valuing everyone in the organisation as an individual.
However, to reap the benefits of a diverse workforce it’s vital to have an inclusive environment
where everyone feels able to participate and achieve their potential. While UK legislation – covering
age, disability, race, religion, gender, and sexual orientation among others – sets minimum
standards, an effective diversity and inclusion strategy goes beyond legal compliance and seeks to
add value to an organisation, contributing to employee well-being and engagement.
https://www.cipd.co.uk/knowledge/fundamentals/relations/diversity/factsheet
Miller, J. and Green, M. (2020) Diversity and inclusion in the workplace [online]. Factsheet.
London: CIPD.
Level 5 Associate Diploma
Case study
You currently work in the People Practice Team and are studying for your CIPD qualification. Your
Line Manager is running a break-out session about ethical practice in business, at one of the CIPD
conferences, and you have been asked to help. The focus of the session is the importance of
personal and ethical values for people practice professionals and how these can be applied at
work, including contributing to (if not driving) discussions, to influence others towards ethical
behaviour. The session will also explore the human and business benefits of inclusive behaviour
such as positive working relationships and improved performance, and make the business case for
people being included, valued, and fairly treated at work.
Preparation for the Tasks:
▪ Refer to the indicative content in the unit to guide and support your evidence.
▪ Pay attention to how your evidence is presented, remember you are working in the People
Practice Team.
▪ Ensure that the evidence generated for this assessment remains your own work.
You will also benefit from:
▪ Reflecting on your own experiences of learning opportunities and continuous professional
development.
▪ Reading the CIPD Insight, Fact Sheets, and related online material on these topics.
Level 5 Associate Diploma
Task One – Conference presentation on
ethical practice in business
In readiness for the session, prepare a presentation (slides and presenter notes) about ethical
practice in business. The presentation should explore the importance of ethical values to people
practice professionals, how they can be applied, and how ethical practices can impact positively on
organisations.
Your presentation should cover all the points below and provide a convincing argument for ethical
behaviour in business. Your audience will be a mixture of academics and practitioners, who will
expect your presentation to include a range of relevant academic theory as well as practical
examples to support your comments.
1) Define the term professional and explain what it means to be a ‘people practice professional’.
(1.1)
2) Discuss the concept of ‘ethical values’, and how at least three ethical values that you hold
personally impact (or could impact) on your work as a people practice professional. (1.2)
3) Drawing on work or personal examples, analyse how you would/have:
– made an engaging and well-informed contribution to discussions to support the
application of good people practice (1.3)
– taken responsibility for your work/actions, including recognising and rectifying mistakes
(1.4).
– known when and how to raise concerns when issues such as organisational policies or
leadership approaches conflict with ethical values or legislation. (1.5)
4) Provide a robust argument for ethical people practice that is supported by academic theory
and details both the business and human benefits of people at work feeling included, valued,
and fairly treated. (2.1)
5) Using your own example of providing a people practice solution to meet a particular need, or
a hypothetical example such as introducing a new policy or reward initiative, comment on
how you would/have:
– ensured the ‘design’ of the solution was informed by engagement with others, particularly
those most affected by the solution. (2.2)
– evaluated the impact of the solution in terms of how well it met the needs of and engaged
all those it was aimed at. (2.3)
Your evidence must consist of:
Presentation material:
– Slide deck
– Presenter notes
(these should be presented as a single word document with slides embedded in the
document)
Approximately 2,250 words in total.
Level 5 Associate Diploma
Task Two – CPD portfolio
This task combines a number of activities to produce a continued professional development (CPD)
portfolio. The activities require you to demonstrate your understanding of, commitment, and
approach to CPD.
Activity 1 – The Context of Professional Development
As an introduction to your portfolio, explain the following:
▪ The concepts of CPD and Reflective Practice
▪ How the role of a people professional is changing and the implications this has for CPD. (3.1)
Activity 2 – Self Assessment
The first stage of CPD is to understand where we are and where we want to be.
▪ Undertake a self-assessment against the following three CIPD Profession Map core
behaviours, at associate level: Ethical Practice, Valuing People, and Working Inclusively.
Your self-assessment should include conclusions derived from other people’s feedback as
well as your own reflections, on your behaviour and performance. (2.4, 3.2)
▪ From your self-assessment, identify your weaker areas and your development objectives for
addressing these. Determine the most appropriate professional development activities to
meet your objectives, and add these to your Professional Development Plan (PDP). (3.2, 3.3)
Activity 3 – Reflective Practice
A key element of CPD is reflecting on the impact of our learning and development, so that we can
make further decisions about how to progress.
To compete this assignment, provide a reflective record of how key aspects of your (formal or
informal) learning and development, over the last 12 months, have impacted your performance at
work and/or general behaviour. (3.4).
Your evidence must consist of:
▪ A CPD portfolio including:
– Activity 1: written response (300 words)
– Activity 2: self-assessment forms and related PDP (not included in the word count)
– Activity 3: Reflective Record or Learning Log (700 words)
Approximately 1,000 words in total, refer to CIPD word count policy.
Level 5 Associate Diploma
Assessment Criteria Evidence Checklist
Use this as a checklist to make sure that you have included the required evidence to meet the task.
Please enter the evidence title and where it can be referred to. An example has been provided for
you.
Task 1: Conference Presentation on ethical
practice in business
Assessment criteria
Evidenced
Y/N Evidence reference
1.1 Appraise what it means to be a people
professional.
Y Presentation deck
1.2 Recognise how personal and ethical
values can be applied in the context of
people practice.
1.3 Contribute confidently to discussions in a
clear, engaging, and informed way to
influence others.
1.4 Reflect how you have taken responsibility
for your work/actions, including
recognising and rectifying mistakes.
1.5 Recognise when and how you would raise
matters which conflict with ethical values
or legislation.
2.1 Argue the human and business benefits of
people feeling included, valued, and fairly
treated at work linking to related theory.
2.2 Design an impactful solution based on
feedback and engagement with others.
2.3 Evaluate the impact of the solution to
influence and engage people within an
organisation.
Level 5 Associate Diploma
Task 2: CPD Portfolio
Assessment criteria
Evidenced
Y/N Evidence reference
3.1 Explore how the role of a people
professional is evolving and the
implications this has for the continuing
professional development.
CPD Portfolio
3.2 Assess your strengths, weaknesses and
development areas based on selfassessment and feedback from others.
3.3 Formulate a range of formal and/or
informal continuing professional
development (CPD) activities to support
your learning journey.
2.4 Reflect on your own approach to working
inclusively and building positive working
relationships with others.
3.4 Reflect on the impact of your continuing
professional development activities on
own behaviour and performance.
Level 5 Associate Diploma
5CO03
Professional behaviours and
valuing people
Assessment Criteria marking descriptors.
Assessors will mark in line with the following assessment criteria (AC) marking descriptors, and will
indicate where the learner sits within the marking band range for each AC.
Assessors must provide a mark from 1 to 4 for each assessment criteria within the unit. Assessors
should use the mark descriptor grid as guidance so they can provide comprehensive feedback that
is developmental for learners. Please be aware that not all the mark descriptors will be present in
every assessment criterion, so assessors must use their discretion in making grading decisions.
The grid below shows the range for each unit assessment result based on total number of marks
awarded across all assessment criteria.
To pass the unit assessment learners must achieve a 2 (Low Pass) or above for each of the
assessment criteria.
The overall result achieved will dictate the outcome the learner receives for the unit, provided
NONE of the assessment criteria have been failed or referred.
Please note that learners will receive a Pass or Fail result from the CIPD at unit level. Referral
grades can be used internally by the centre.
Overall mark Unit result
0 to 25 Fail
26 to 33 Low Pass
34 to 42 Pass
43 to 52 High Pass
Level 5 Associate Diploma
Marking Descriptors
Mark Range Descriptor
1 Fail Insufficient demonstration of knowledge, understanding or skills (as
appropriate) required to meet the AC.
Insufficient examples included, where required, to support answers.
Presentation and structure of assignment is not appropriate and does
not meet the assessment brief.
2 Low Pass Demonstrates an acceptable level of knowledge, understanding or
skills (as appropriate) required to meet the AC.
Sufficient and acceptable examples included, where required, to
support answers.
Required format adopted but some improvement required to the
structure and presentation of the assignment.
Answers are acceptable but could be clearer in responding to the task
and presented in a more coherent way.
3 Pass Demonstrates good knowledge, understanding or skills (as
appropriate) required to meet the AC.
Includes confident use of examples, where required, to support each
answer.
Presentation and structure of assignment is appropriate for the
assessment brief.
Answers are clear and well expressed.
4 High Pass Demonstrates a wide range and confident level of knowledge,
understanding or skill (as appropriate).
Includes strong examples that illustrate the point being made, that link
and support the answer well.
Answers are applied to the case organisation or an alternative
organisation.
Answers are clear, concise, and well-argued, directly respond to what
has been asked.
The presentation of the assignment is well structured, coherent and
focusses on the need of the questions.
Includes clear evidence of the use of references to wider reading to
help inform answer.