7CO04: Business Research in People Practice CIPD Level 7 Unit 7CO04 Assignment Example 2026 Qualification title CIPD Level 7 Advanced Diploma in Strategic Learning and Development Qualification number QN 610/3538/5 Unit code: 7CO04 Unit name: Business research in people practice RQF level Level 7 About This Unit This unit contains the components to enable a systematic approach to define, design and undertake a business research project in people practice. It focuses on developing ability to produce an integrated report based on evidence and to include own recommendations and critical reflection.
What You Will Learn You will identify a people focused business issue and plan a business research project to address this and to add value to the organisation. A research aim and set of objectives will be determined to set the parameters of the study, with a critical review of relevant published literature to establish a set of research questions and to inform the project outcomes. You will learn how to write a research methodology that explains and justifies the research design, considers the potential limitations of this and how to address them, plus the ethical issues associated with your data collection. You will determine how to most effectively analyse and present your data, discussing the overall findings of the study and their implications for the organisation. From this you will draw conclusions and develop business focused recommendations, recognising the need to support these with an action plan for implementation along with a strategic cost benefit analysis to help present a persuasive business case. Finally, you will engage with critical reflection of the project completion, to identify how you could improve future project design and completion, as a part of your CPD.
Learning Outcome, Assessment Criteria And Indicative Content 1 Be able to plan a people practice business research project aimed at adding organisational value.
1.1 Justify terms of reference for the business project.
Develop and justify a research aim and objectives related to an identified business issue that relates to the management of people that has strategic relevance to a business.
1.2 Develop a critical literature review which will inform and address your research aim.
Use a range of appropriate sources, including academic journal papers and book chapters, textbooks, government and sector reports, research by professional bodies and other material; evaluate sources of evidence; structure a literature review, reading and writing critically.
1.3 Develop key research questions to address the project aim.
Analyse key findings from the published research to develop clear, concise and valid questions to explore within the primary research to achieve targeted results.
2 Be able to justify the most appropriate research methods to collect data for the chosen project.
2.1 Justify the most appropriate research methods to support the project’s intended outcomes.
Consider the appropriate research strategy and research design for the project, for example, qualitative and quantitative methods, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, focus groups, participant observation, probability and non- probability sampling.
2.2 Explain and justify the research sample.
Consider validity of the research design, face, content and ecological validity; appropriateness of research methods to achieve the research aim; possible threats to reliability of data collected. Consistency of results, participant and researcher bias, participant and researcher error, pilot, re- test; generalisability of findings, internal and external generalisability.
2.3 Critically assess the ethical issues surrounding data collection, usage and storage for the project.
Key principles of ethical research relating to data collection, analysis and storage; informed consent; confidentiality for interviewees and participants in the research.
3 Be able to analyse data to make decisions and provide business and people management insights.
3.1 Analyse raw data effectively.
Use appropriate methods to analyse quantitative and qualitative data to make sense of the findings.
3.2 Present data collected from primary research.
Select appropriate methods to present quantitative and qualitative data, transforming raw data into a form to make it possible to understand and interpret. Consider tables, charts, graphs and thematic narrative.
3.3 Discuss findings to address business issue.
Compare and contrast primary findings with secondary, assimilating evidenced ideas to identify themes to gain insight into issues key factors and wider implications of the organisation.
4 Be able to propose recommendations based on conclusions derived from the research and analysis.
4.1 Justify conclusions derived from analysis of key findings, which align to the terms of reference.
Draw on the research questions, literature review and data analysis to develop integrated, justified and well- informed conclusions; how to report these concisely and clearly in the report.
4.2 Propose business-focused recommendations, action points and a cost-benefit analysis.
Develop a set of recommendations derived from the project’s conclusions to address the business issue, with an associated action plan for implementation. Techniques of presenting a business case to persuade decision makers, potential costs, business benefits, impact and ROI.
4.3 Evaluate your experience of carrying out the research and compiling the report, including ways in which to improve future project design and delivery.
Skills of critical reflection to improve future actions. Identify strengths and weaknesses of project completion, analysis of research competencies, ways in which to improve future project design and delivery.
