Assignment 1: Training and Development in Small Businesses

Worth 240 points

Select a small business with which you are familiar. Imagine that you have been called into that business to provide a consultation on training. Create a comprehensive training proposal for the business.

Write a six to eight (6-8) page paper in which you:

1. Analyze key elements of training and development geared toward improving the performance of the specific small business for which you are consulting.
2. Predict three to five (3-5) potential challenges that the managers or owners of the business could face in addressing organizational performance.
3. Justify the effects of detecting organizational gaps in small business, providing examples to explain the rationale.
4. Propose a competitive training strategy that will improve the position of the business in the market. The strategy should include, at a minimum, an agenda of training activities, rationale for instructional strategies used, and the return on investment (ROI) that will be gained from the strategy you have developed.
5. Use at least three (3) quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar Websites do not qualify as academic resources
6. Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
   1. Typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
   2. Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student’s name, the professor’s name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
   3. Include a reference page. Citations and references must follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Analyze concepts, meanings, and trends in training.
• Justify the importance of aligning training with organizational strategy.
• Evaluate theories associated with learning, motivation, and employee performance.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues in training and development.
• Write clearly and concisely about training and development using proper writing mechanics.

Grading for this assignment will be based on answer quality, logic / organization of the paper, and language and writing skills, using the following rubric.

Go to The Leadership Conference’s Website to read the article titled “Affirmative Action”, located at http://www.civilrights.org/resources/civilrights10…. Be prepared to discuss.

“Affirmative Action and Harassment” Please respond to the following:

1. Using the e-Activity, review the background of affirmative action. Then, argue whether or not the intended fairness afforded by affirmative action is relevant to the 21st century, considering that organizations are typically trending toward promoting a diverse workforce. Justify your response.

2. Select two (2) of the following types of harassment: same-sex harassment, cyber harassment, or hostile virtual environment. Investigate the significant ways in which the selected type of harassment could alter work conditions in any organization. Then, formulate a plan to minimize the selected type of harassment in the organization.

FIRST SECTION

There are a few questions to answer this week.

1. When, if ever, is book censorship justified? Use examples to explain and defend your answer. Make sure you read Chapter 3 “Books” especially pages 79-82 “Controversies” before answering.

2. What are some of the effects of e-books on the general population?

3. What type of reader are you? What effect has your reading style had on your education and your life?

SECOND SECTION

Newspapers

This week I would like you to read an online edition of a newspaper and hard copy of a newspaper.

1. After reading through each section tell us what aspects you liked of each and what you didn’t like as much.

2. Which format are you more likely to use? Why?

3. Do you currently read a newspaper (hard copy or online) on a regular basis? Why or why not?

4. Did you grow up in a household where your parents read the paper on a regular basis?

5. Do you prefer reading an in depth report (like you might find in a newspaper) or watching a shorter version of the story (like you might find on a local newscast)?

1. What is the difference in purpose between marketing intelligence and marketing research? How does each one relate to marketing strategy? Give an example of marketing intelligence and marketing research.

2. What is the difference between primary and secondary data? Give examples of each data.

3. What is the difference between quantitative and qualitative data? Give an example for each one. Does a survey collect qualitative or quantitative data? Explain.

4. What is the difference between observational research and behavioral research? Give examples for each one.

5. What is the difference between causality and correlation? What type of quantitative research examines causality and what type examines correlation?

6. How would you go about estimating the worldwide market potential for electric toothbrushes (you can assume there is no official estimate of market potential for this product)? Come up with a unit number and a dollar value for this estimate.

Social epidemiologists focus on the social determinants of health that may have an impact on a health issue, like Jason Sims’s asthma. As Healthy People 2020 states:

Our health is also determined in part by access to social and economic opportunities; the resources and supports available in our homes, neighborhoods, and communities; the quality of our schooling; the safety of our workplaces; the cleanliness of our water, food, and air; and the nature of our social interactions and relationships. The conditions in which we live explain, in part, why some Americans are healthier than others and why Americans more generally are not as healthy as they could be. (HealthyPeople.gov, 2019b).

Jason Sims’s asthma must be considered within this larger framework in order to develop more comprehensive prevention and treatment strategies.

In this Assignment, you will evaluate the social determinants of health in relation to a health issue.

Reference

HealthyPeople.gov. (2019b). Social determinants of health. Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectiv…

To prepare:

• Review the “Social Determinants of Health” article in this week’s Learning Resources.
• Use the Walden Library to locate a scholarly article (no older than 3 years of publication) that evaluates social determinants of health in relation to a health issue.
• Focus on the data sources used and data collection methods employed for the study found in the scholarly article you selected.

For this Assignment, write a 2- to 3-page paper that addresses the following:

• Provide the APA citation for the study you selected.
• Identify the research question for the study you selected.
• Explain, in your own words, the purpose of the study.
• Identify what type of study design was used by the researchers who published your study.
• Explain, in your own words, what the researcher’s rationale was for using this study design. If a rationale is not provided, explain what you believe is the rationale.
• Identify the health condition(s) the researchers studied.
• Identify the independent variable(s) the researcher(s) investigated.
• Explain how the independent variables you identified relate to the five key domains of the social determinants of health, as well as any other variables they assessed.
• Describe in detail the participants of the study and the selection criteria.
• Explain the type(s) of data and the method(s) that were used to collect the data for the study.
• Explain how the social determinants of health were measured.
• Identify the sources and types of bias that may have occurred based on the sample and the data required for analysis.
• Explain the type of analysis that the researches used to determine the association between exposure(s) and health outcome(s).
• Explain the results of the study in your own words. Identify the more significant findings, including the measures of association (based on the study design).
• Explain, in your own words, the conclusions of the study.
• Identify at least one recent news event that relates to the health issue the study addressed.
• Explain, in your own words, the practical applications that the research study has for the health issue it studies.
• Explain, in your own words, the practical applications that the study has for the field of epidemiology.
• Propose at least two recommendations you have for future research, based on the findings of this study.

Note: Your Assignment should be 2–3 pages in length with in-text citations and references. Be sure to support your work with specific citations from this week’s Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources. Ensure that your in-text citations and references are in APA format. For more information on APA style, use the following Walden University resource:

• Walden University Writing Center. (2019). APA style