As far as competences are concerned, different textbooks and courses will probably have different "lists" of competencies for human resources managers, but three primary competencies they should all have are legal competence, competence in dealing with people, and competence in technology. I have no way of knowing what kind of organization you work for or what kinds of examples you will be able to offer, but I can provide some examples of the kinds of situations you could write about.
There is a huge body of law that deals with human resources activity. Just a few examples are the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Family and Medical Leave Act, and unemployment and workers' compensation statutes. A human resources professional who is not knowledgeable about this body of law cannot do his or her job properly. It impacts at least 75% of human resources activity.
Being able to deal properly with people is an essential competency. Human resources managers must deal with every kind of person in the organization, from the top to the bottom. They must deal with people who have problems, for example, an employee who has been sexually harassed or someone who is very ill and needs time off under the Family and Medical Leave Act. They often terminate employment, as well. This is not to say that every person who comes to the human resources department is a troubled person, but many are, and even in day to day dealings for routine matters, it is imperative that the human resources manager act professionally and helpfully. This requires excellent people skills.
Technological competence is important because in today's world, most record-keeping is electronic, and record-keeping is a vital aspect of the human resource manager's job. Good record-keeping, from planning to recruiting, from hiring to firing, is an organization's best defense against problems, up to and including lawsuits. A human resources manager who is technologically inept cannot perform properly for his or her organization.
Now, you are expected to discuss a change that was implemented. Some typical changes in organizations are reorganizing departments, the introduction of new technology, or the opening of a new branch or facility. Human resources managers are usually responsible for making such changes go smoothly, for example, addressing staffing needs for a reorganization, providing training for a new technology, or recruiting to man a new facility. You need to consider a change in your organization and address how it was handled, well or poorly, with good supporting details.
As far as reactive and proactive changes are concerned, an example of a reactive change would be to implement a sexual harassment policy after someone complains of sexual harassment, while a proactive change would be to have a sexual harassment policy in place before any such problem arises. Human resources people are expected to be as proactive as possible, not simply reacting by putting out fires as they occur. It is up to them to keep the fires from breaking out in the first place. Was the change in your organization reactive or proactive? You need to address this as part of your assignment and explain why the change was reactive or proactive.
There is no organization that does not experience some change, so you should be able to offer a good example and then discuss it, after you discuss your three competencies. Write an introduction that explains what the paper is about, then add body paragraphs for each competency, along with a body paragraph on a change example and a body paragraph on whether that change was reactive or proactive. Then you can wrap it all up in a conclusion that reviews the points you made in your body paragraphs.
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