Prior to 2000, Unit 402 was titled Human Resource Management. As human resource management (HRM) has for many come to mean a defined staff support function and group within an organisation, Contemporary People Management was seen as a more appropriate unit title, reflecting a changed approach to how people are commonly managed in organisations today.

Topic 1: What is 'people management' and why does it matter?
Topic 2: The legal environment for managing people
Topic 3: Organisational politics
Topic 4: Communication and negotiation in organisations
Topic 5: Industrial relations
Topic 6: Work organisation: the analysis and design of jobs
Topic 7: Hiring and dismissing staff
Topic 8: Supervision and performance appraisal
Topic 9: Managing organisational change
Topic 10: Putting it all together: the importance of people management