7CO01 January 2027 Portstride Case Study

The January 2027 7CO01 Work and Working Lives in a Changing Business Environment assessment uses Portstride, a 4,800-employee international logistics and supply chain organisation operating across 12 countries. The case centres on a three-year digital transformation involving warehouse automation, AI-enabled workforce scheduling, people analytics and performance monitoring.

A major issue running through the Portstride case is the conflict between digital efficiency and the quality of working life. Employees have already raised concerns about job security and data privacy, while trade unions and employee representatives have questioned the ethics and transparency of the planned technology.

Q2 (AC 1.2): AI-Enabled Workforce Management and Automation at Portstride

For this question, four parts of the Portstride case matter directly:

The important tension is therefore not simply “will AI improve productivity?” Portstride wants productivity and cost improvements, but the assessment asks learners to evaluate what those same technologies could mean for the future quality of working life.

7CO01 Assessment Brief

• Version 1 – Released June 2026
• Expires June 2027
• Study Centre information only: Last moderation window is September 2027

Introduction

Your knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this core unit will be assessed through your answers to four of the questions listed below. Your assessor will let you know which questions you are to answer. You are expected to complete all the learning for the unit, irrespective of which questions you are asked to answer.

The four questions will be drawn from different learning outcomes, featuring one assessment criterion in each learning outcome. These questions encompass a wide range of generalist HR, OD & L&D subject areas.

You will write four answers of approximately 1000 words to the questions posed and submit them together in a single document. This constitutes your assessment for this unit. The total word count for the assessment will therefore be 4000 words, plus or minus 10%. The bibliography or list of references is not included in the total word count. 

You must demonstrate within the submitted evidence (through headings and sub-headings) which learning outcomes and assessment criteria you have addressed. We are unable to moderate your work if this is not included.

As this is an Advanced Level Diploma, it is important that you are able to demonstrate not only good knowledge and understanding of the material associated with each learning outcome, but also the ability to develop an original argument and justify it persuasively with reference to wider reading. Examples of approaches taken in a range of organisations are also an effective means by which to justify your arguments.

The six main criteria that CIPD requires centres to use when marking your assessment are outlined below, but it may be that not all these criteria are present in every question.

1. focus
2. depth and breadth of understanding
3. strategic application and professional advice
4. research and wider reading
5. persuasiveness and originality
6. presentation and language

Watch the supporting video for this unit:

centreshub.cipd.org/siteassets/assessments/advanced/june-2026---7c001-work-and-working-lives-in-changing-business-environment.mp4

Case study

Portstride is a medium-sized international logistics and supply chain services organisation. Headquartered in the North of England, the company currently employs 4,800 people in 12 countries across Europe, Asia and the Middle East. However, it also serves clients located in dozens of other countries. Founded 30 years ago, Portstride provides warehousing, freight forwarding and last-mile delivery services to clients in the retail, manufacturing and e-commerce sectors. Its competitive advantage has historically been based on speed, reliability and cost efficiency.

Portstride’s workforce is diverse in both role and composition. Around 65% of employees work in operational roles, staffing warehouses and driving. Their work is overseen by a team of shift supervisors. Most are employed on permanent contracts, but some also work on temporary or seasonal arrangements to help meet fluctuations in demand. The remaining workforce consists of professional and managerial employees working in areas such as IT, data analytics, procurement, finance, HR and customer relationship management. These roles are largely office-based and are increasingly performed via hybrid and remote working arrangements.

In recent years, Portstride has faced growing pressures from its external environment. Global supply chains have become more volatile and fragile due to geopolitical tensions, changing trade relationships, new tariffs and increased customer expectations for rapid delivery. Some long-standing clients have reshored parts of their operations, while others have expanded into new markets, requiring Portstride to adapt its service models quickly. At the same time, competition within the logistics sector has intensified, with new entrants investing heavily in automation and digital platforms.

In response, Portstride’s Senior Leadership Team has launched a major new digital transformation programme which it intends to introduce in stages over the next three years. It will include significant investment in warehouse automation, AI-enabled workforce scheduling, people analytics, and performance monitoring systems. While these technologies are intended to improve productivity and reduce costs, they have led to concerns being raised by employees about job security and data privacy. Trade unions and employee representatives in some countries have questioned the ethical implications of these changes, as well as the transparency of decision-making.

Portstride is also experiencing some labour market challenges. In several regions there are shortages of skilled drivers, engineers and data specialists, while unwanted staff turnover remains too high in the lower-paid operational roles. The workforce is ageing in some locations, while in others it is characterised by younger workers with different expectations around flexibility, purpose and career development. Managers report difficulties in maintaining engagement, wellbeing and consistent performance standards across different cultures and contract types.

Portstride has made some very public statements committing the company to promote sustainability, corporate social responsibility and equality, diversity and inclusion. The organisation has set itself challenging targets to reduce its carbon footprint, to improve safety outcomes and to increase representation of underrepresented groups in leadership roles. However, progress has been uneven across regions, and some employees question whether these commitments are yet sufficiently embedded into everyday people management practices to have any real practical impact.

Questions

LO1 Understand ways in which major, long-term environmental developments are affecting employment, work and people management in organisations.

Q2. Critically evaluate the potential impact of AI-enabled workforce management and automation on the future quality of working life at Portstride. Your answer should include potential impacts on job design, managerial control, skill requirements and employee trust. (AC 1.2)

LO2 Understand current and short-term developments in the people management business environment.

Q6. Assess recent and emerging public policy developments relating to skills, migration and employment regulation including how these may affect Portstride’s workforce strategy across the different regions in which it operates. Draw on relevant examples to support your answer. (AC 2.2)

LO3 Understand how change, innovation and creativity can promote improvements in organisational productivity.

Q11. Drawing upon theory and practical examples, evaluate the potential contribution of flexible and hybrid working arrangements to further strengthening organisational resilience at Portstride. (AC 3.3)

LO4 Understand the key interrelationships between organisational commitment to ethics, sustainability, diversity and wellbeing.

Q13. You are asked to propose a set of practical, ethically grounded people management initiatives to guide Portstride’s introduction of AI, data and digital surveillance technologies over the coming three years. Propose two distinct initiatives you would recommend were brought forward as a priority. (AC 4.1)

Declaration by learner

Marking Grid

Learners will receive a Pass, Merit, Distinction or Refer/Fail result at unit level.

You should mark in line with the generic grade descriptors provided on the last page of this brief.

You must provide a mark from 1 to 4 for each Learning Outcome in the unit. You must provide constructive, developmental feedback for each Learning Outcome where you award a mark of one, so refer/fail. If it is your Study Centre’s policy, you can also provide constructive, developmental feedback for learning outcomes where you award a mark of two or above. In both cases, you must provide rich summary feedback at the end of the feedback form, following the instructions provided there.

To pass the unit assessment learners must achieve a 2 (Pass) or above for each of the learningoutcomes.

The overall mark achieved will dictate the grade the learner receives for the Unit, provided NONE of the learning outcomes have been failed or referred.

Learners’ result should be recorded in a marking grid similar to the example below.

Marking grid: