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7CO03 is the most personal unit in the CIPD Level 7 qualification — the one that turns the analytical lens away from organisations and toward you. Unlike 7CO01 and 7CO02, which test your knowledge through written answers, 7CO03 tests your professional competence through a portfolio of evidence. You must demonstrate — not just describe — that you practise ethical decision-making, apply business acumen, pursue continuous learning, and influence others with courage and conviction. The assessment requires honest self-reflection, real workplace evidence, and the intellectual humility to acknowledge development needs alongside strengths.
This assignment example demonstrates portfolio justifications for six representative ACs — one from each learning outcome plus two additional — written from the perspective of a senior HR business partner in a 2,000-person NHS acute trust. Each justification follows the STAR method and identifies the evidence that would accompany it in the portfolio.
Contents
Learning Outcome 1 — Be Able to Model Principles and Values That Promote Inclusivity
AC 1.1 — Critically Assess Different Ethical Standpoints on People Practice and the Maintenance of High Standards of Ethical Behaviour
Situation: In September 2024, the trust discovered that a senior clinician had been making inappropriate comments about a colleague’s religious observance during team meetings. The behaviour had been reported by two witnesses but the clinician was a high-performing surgeon whose list generated significant revenue. The clinical director asked HR to ‘manage this quietly’ to avoid disrupting the surgical rota.
Task: I needed to determine the appropriate response, balancing competing ethical demands: the duty to protect the complainants, the obligation to apply fair process to the alleged perpetrator, the operational pressure to maintain surgical capacity, and the institutional temptation to prioritise reputation over transparency.
Action: I applied three ethical frameworks to navigate the dilemma. A deontological perspective (Kant, as discussed by Winstanley and Woodall, 2023) demanded that the formal dignity at work procedure be followed regardless of the clinician’s operational value — the rule applies universally or it applies to nobody. A utilitarian perspective (Mill, as discussed by Marchington, 2023) required weighing the consequences: quiet management might preserve short-term surgical output, but failure to address harassment formally would signal that seniority provides immunity, ultimately causing greater harm to organisational culture and future complainants. A virtue ethics perspective (Aristotle, as framed by MacIntyre, 2022) asked what a person of good character would do — and the answer was clear: a virtuous HR professional upholds fairness even when it is professionally uncomfortable.
I recommended — and the chief executive agreed — that the formal procedure be followed in full, with the clinician informed, an investigation commissioned, and the complainants supported throughout. I explicitly rejected the ‘manage it quietly’ request in writing, explaining the ethical and legal risks of informal resolution for a pattern of behaviour involving a protected characteristic.
Results: The investigation upheld the complaint. The clinician received a formal written warning and completed mandatory EDI training. The surgical rota was disrupted for two weeks but recovered. The complainants reported feeling ‘heard and protected.’ The clinical director acknowledged retrospectively that the formal approach was correct. My self-assessment score for this AC moved from 3 to 4 — I demonstrated professional courage but recognised that I had initially hesitated before committing to the formal route, suggesting room for growth in acting on ethical conviction without the delay of uncertainty.
Evidence: Email to clinical director declining informal resolution (dated September 2024); investigation terms of reference; complainant feedback form; reflective journal entry dated October 2024.
Assessor tip: AC 1.1 requires you to ‘critically assess different ethical standpoints’ — this means applying multiple ethical frameworks to a real dilemma, not just describing them. Show the tension between frameworks and explain how you resolved it in practice. The STAR method works well here.
