Unit-21 External Business Environment Assignment
AC2.4: Analyse legal framework within the UK, identifying the main difference between the English and Scottish system The parliament in the United Kingdom is responsible for enacting legal system in the English & Welsh legal system, and the legal system in Northern Ireland. Supreme Court of the United Kingdom is the apex authority in the legal framework. The immediate subsidiary courts of law are divided into civil division and crime division. The hierarchy is followed by the High Courts of Justice comprising the Queen’s Bench Davison, Family Division, and Chancery Division. The bottom row of the UK legal framework comprises county courts, crown court, and magistrate’s courts. The UK legal framework is largely dominated by the practice of the English Common law, which practices legal delivery processes through derivation form former cases. There is also the Statute Law which is superseded from the common law. The Statute law is enacted by the British Parliament. Being part of the European Union the UK also abides by the European Laws. Those are already absorbed and incorporated in the British legal system. Legal framework in Scotland is independent of that in the other jurisdictions under the United Kingdom. The Scottish Parliament has right to reshape and pose new regulations in the country. The country has a Supreme Court as the apex authority. It is followed by the High Court of Justice, Court of Session, and Court of the Lord Lyon. The bottom row of the legal frame work is comprised of Sheriff Courts, Scottish land courts, Tribunal, and Justice of the Peace Courts (Kiralfy, 1967).
AC2.5: Evaluate the UK and EU legislative process as it affects a major UK hotel group’s business and services at both national and local level InterContinental Hotels Group plc has been reshaping its operation related strategies and modifying business requirements with accordance to the UK and EU laws. According to the EU laws and the UK regulation, employees of the group have to be shielded under Working Time Regulations. The regulation has resulted in the company’s active control and monitoring of minimum rest time, maximum working time, minimum wage policy and off-hour policies (Zielonka, 2006). It has impacted the human resource policies and has forced the company to take policy shift on order to keep the organisation aligned to the regulations. The National Minimum Wage Act warrants the companies to pay a minimum hourly wage to employees between 18 to 21 years (most of who work on part time basis), which is more than the actual service offered by the employees. It has direct impact on the hospitality sector, and on the company. Employees of the company are also covered under the trade union bargaining agreement, which makes the human resource decision making more careful. It is important for the company to maintain good relationship with the trade unions and similar organisations in the UK and other European countries. The EU and the UK regulations mandate the company to have