Analysing the learning and development strategies of an existing Case Study

Analysing the learning and development strategies of an existing organisation - Case Study Example Reference is made specifically to learning and development (L&D), a tool used by managers in most organizations for increasing employee performance. In practice, it seems that firms choose different approaches for promoting L&D. The various aspects of learning and development are analyzed and evaluated in this paper. The case of Wal-Mart is used as an example to show the level at which L&D can promote organizational success. Table of contents 1. Introduction 4 2. Learning and Development strategies in Wal-Mart 4 2.1 Overview of Learning and Development strategies in Wal-Mart 4 2.2 Is L&D in Wal-Mart strategic? 6 2.2.1 Characteristics of L&D in modern organizations 6 2.2.2 When L&D is strategic? 7 2.2.3 At what level L&D in Wal-Mart is strategic? 8 2.3 How is learning and development delivered in Wal-Mart? 9 2.3.1 Common methods for the delivery of L&D in modern organizations 9 2.3.2 L&D delivery in Wal-Mart 10 2.3.3 Problems in regard to the delivery of L&D in Wal-Mart 11 2.4 Is L&D in Wal-Mart effective? 12 2.4.1 Which are the common criteria of effectiveness of a L&D scheme? 12 2.4.2 Is L&D in Wal-Mart effective? 12 2.5 Evaluation of existing L&D strategies in Wal-Mart. 13 3. Conclusion 15 4. Recommendations 17 References 18 Appendix 21 1. Introduction The incorporation of effective learning and development (L&D) strategies in modern organizations can ensure that their activities will be effectively supported in regard to all their phases (Armstrong 2008, p.175). According to Armstrong (2008), L&D, as developed in companies with different characteristics, focuses on the development of a learning culture and the promotion of organizational learning’ (Armstrong 2008, p.175). Organizations that emphasize on L&D become ‘learning organizations’ (Pedler, Burgoyne and Boydell 1991, cited in Fee 2011, p. 44), a term used for describing those organizations that ‘facilitates the learning of all its members’ (Fee 2011, p. 44). The charac teristics and the role of L&D are presented in this study. Reference is made to a particular organization, Wal-Mart. Wal-Mart, a US-based firm, has particular emphasized on L&D, as a tool for securing its position in the global market. The review of the firm’s L&D strategies has led to the following assumption: the organization’s current efforts for promoting L&D can be characterized as satisfactory. However, it is clear that more initiatives would be taken, especially since the organization is interested in further improving its position in the global market, as explained in the sections that follow. 2. Learning and Development strategies in Wal-Mart 2.1 Overview of Learning and Development strategies in Wal-Mart In order to evaluate the effectiveness of L&D strategies of Wal-Mart it is necessary to review the key aspects of L&D, as developed in the particular organization. Then, the particular aspects of the firm’s L&D schemes, such as the methods of delivery, the problems involved and the level of effectiveness can be discussed and appropriately analyzed. According to the organization’s website, in Wal-Mart L&D is a continuous process, and not just a tool for periodically supporting the organizational performance (Wal-Mart, Careers 2012). In the context of the hiring process, a profile is developed for every employee entering the organization (Wal-Mart, Career

Analysis of news presentation of academic research Essay

Analysis of news presentation of academic research - Essay Example However, this is not the case with news research, as there is no particular detailed research undertaken to ascertain the authenticity of the information presented. Two articles, scholarly research and news media research, addressing the same issue, are very different. While the scholarly article reports about the actual study conducted, the news article is a report about the scholarly research report. It is thus less detailed and does not have as much information as the actual article. In view of this, in this paper, I will analyse two articles, both addressing the same issue, mobile phone advertising, will show the differences between the two articles. The article, â€Å"High stroke and heart disease link to living close to airports† is a news media report on the actual journal article, â€Å"Aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow airport in London: small area study† by Hansell,, et al. (2013). The report points the objective of the actual study, with out giving further details. In fact, there is little relationship between the information contained in the news article and the scholarly researcher. The author, using the thesis of the study that there is a positive relationship between aircraft noise and higher rates of stroke and heart diseases, reports on the outcomes of the study. ... from mentioning the study to support his story, the author uses little information, indicating that his was simply a news item with minimal scholarly intentions. The article, â€Å"Aircraft noise and cardiovascular disease near Heathrow airport in London: small area study† is a report by the researchers, Hansell, et al. (2013). The study points out that there is a high likelihood of people living close to airports to develop problems such as the stroke, coronary heart disease, and cardiovascular disease. The researchers, in order to prove the hypothesis of their study, conducted an analytic case study on neighbourhoods exposed to varying levels of aircraft noise related to Heathrow airport. The article sought to compare the hospital admission rates for people suffering from cardiovascular disease in this area. Using standard noise metric, the A weighted equivalent (Aeq) sound pressure level; the researchers established the relationship between people’s exposure to airpl ane noise and the increased risk of suffering from these diseases. The researchers, using a qualitative research technique, carried out an analysis comprising of 12 London boroughs and nine districts west of London. These were the groups with a high risk of exposure to noise emanating from Heathrow airport. For an article to qualify as a scholarly article, a research methodology should support the assertions made by the author. There are two main methods used in research, i.e. qualitative and quantitative, which researchers use while conducting their research, most significantly on data collection. According to Creswell (2003), qualitative research method (traditionally used in social sciences, but currently applied on market research) aims at gathering adequate information about an issue or an

Business Management practice Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business Management practice - Essay Example Managing the workforce’ behavior and attitude in today’s modern times still reflects the influence of at least six major schools of management thought. These are the influences of Frederick Taylor’s Scientific Management, Henri Fayol’s Management Process School, the Human Relations School by Mayo, the Quantitative Sciences School, the General Systems Theory, and the more modern Management and Culture school of thought (Rodriguez, 2001). But the growing complexities of the modern organizations, even becoming global in character, have necessarily required the evolution and development of other perspectives to deal with people. In one article over the internet, one management consultant even declared that â€Å"classic management theory dies† (Joffinza, 2007). Modern times have brought the classic management theory into a challenge. New perspectives which emerge from the growing multi-cultural nature of organizations are borne, thus new paradigms are d eveloped either to complement or replace the classic management theory. Since an organization is composed of individuals with varying personalities converging together to achieve organizational goals, it is inevitable that conflicting interests and clashing personalities will slow down organizational momentum in achieving previously set goals. This is due to the fact that individuals have their own personal agenda that may be different from other co-workers. It is thus necessary to manage such varied behavior and attitude in the workplace in order to promote a harmonious inter-personal relationships in the workplace, thus minimizing any disruptive behavior that can affect the operations of the business. Managing the behavior and attitude of the workforce is so important in every organization that its study has already evolved as a formal discipline. Organizational behavior,

Nursing Research Article Critique Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Nursing Research Critique - Article Example A good article provides information on the geographical location of the study as well as the type of target population being explored. Although, the authors do not share any information on the location of the study but they mentioned the target population, the surgical patients. The article narrates the problem statement in a clear way; mentions the study variables as well as the population involved. The authors want to assess the impact of the education of nurses in the hospitals over the care and eventually the mortality status of these patients. This is an important area which is feasible to carry out and will result in interesting findings which will be generalized on similar hospitals. Since a researcher has to present a new idea, hypothesis or pose a research question based on some violence. This can be constructed once there is no information, or the previous research suggests some new research activity or previous evidence raised new questions. Whatever be the case, literature review becomes significantly important to build the situation! This literature review, actually, favors and opposes some of the issues and new research is proposed, in a way to decide the conflict. Yes, literature review in this article is comprehensive. The sources are very much relevant to the topic and almost all are primary ones. Both types of viewpoints, supporting and opposing, have been added which lead to the development of a rational for the next study, the current one! Theoretical/conceptual framework The authors have not described anything explicitly as theoretical or conceptual framework. But the way rational is developed based on the existing evidence and the arguments in the favor of testing the research question are impressive. The authors have taken up various concepts related to the topic and discuss them clearly; they also link these concepts. They have not provided the formal definition of various terms but have described them well. There is no information which suggests that the framework is strong enough to make judgments. Hypothesis/Research Questions This article does not state any research question or hypothesis right away as a question or hypothesis but build a rationale and make statements which go in the direction of a research question or hypothesis. Actually, an explicit hypothesis is important for making the future research design and analysis. In this article when the authors write the statement of hypothesis they take into account the variables, independent and dependent. In fact, research questions have not been raised or stated in real sense but the issues which need to be explored have been described very well. Strictly speaking, the research questions have not been written in the article so they cannot delineate the study. Quantitative Designs This study was carried out using cross-sectional design which has been mentioned clearly in the methodology section. For this hypothesis, design is fine as far as the determination of association is concerned between the independent and dependent variables are concerned. But this design cannot determine the cause and effect association as

Management, where is best place to work Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Management, where is best place to work - Essay Example In regards to high ethical standards, DuPont has been awarded for their focus on integrity and honesty in all business dealings, both with their internal stakeholders and the external client. Many employees in today’s business environment have been exposed to companies that consistently provide false earning statements, use deceptive marketing practices, and further maintain an organizational culture which allows for leadership dishonesty. This type of unethical environment usually has a trickle-down effect on lower level employees when they are coerced, by situation, to engage in similar habits. Thus, in relation to job satisfaction and the security which comes from knowing that an employee works for a company that will not fold due to unethical business practices, DuPont is a leader in providing this highly-focused attitude toward fair and just business dealings. DuPont, due to its multi-billion-dollar capabilities, is able to afford some of the most sophisticated operational software which dramatically eases the workload for many of its employees. Software such as SAP and other enterprise resource planning applications are used in this company to minimize production failures, regulate inventory, streamline purchasing, and enhance quality assurance practices (which leads to faster product turnaround). In a business climate which demands much of their employees in similar industries in relation to workload and responsibilities, having such sophisticated software would make the job environment more enjoyable by minimizing stress and the necessity to work overtime due to the availability of poor or outdated electronic resources; which are often found in smaller or less-profitable companies. Finally, DuPont pays its employees well, offering some of the most competitive salaries to its work force in this industry. For production workers, most of these workers are paid above and beyond what is paid at companies like GM (which often exceed $25/hour),

Aboriginal Civil Rights Movement Essay Example for Free

Aboriginal Civil Rights Movement Essay 1. Why did four Indigenous activists erect a beach umbrella on the lawns of Old Parliament House? On Australia Day in 1972, Indigenous activists erected a beach umbrella on the lawns outside of Old Parliament House. They set this up to start a protest; they placed a sign that said â€Å"Embassy† to represent a displaced nation. The McMahon Liberal Government made a statement in which land rights were rejected in favour of 50-year leases to Aboriginal communities, the activists were against this and this was the reason that this protest started. The activists were repeatedly asked when the protest would end and they said that they would stay until Aboriginal Australians had land rights, which could be forever. 2. Is source 2 a primary or secondary source? Why?  Source 2 is a secondary source because it is not the original photo that was taken at that time. This photo would have been edited, copied and scanned so that it could be used for website and for other sources. 3. What sort of information can a photograph give historians about a past event? What might a photograph not tell us about the past? A photograph can give historians an idea about what the situation looked like and also the people involved and how they seemed to be feeling. A photograph cannot tell historians exactly how people were feeling because people may seem happy and content in a photograph when they are really going through a horrible time. A photograph also doesn’t show the full story and may only capture a small part of the past event. These points are proven in source 2 because in the photo there are two Aboriginal Australians sitting in a tent with signs saying â€Å"Aboriginal Embassy†, these two people seem quite relaxed and that’s how people that saw the photo would think they were feeling. Because of this reason you know that it doesn’t capture the full story as these people were protesting for land rights and the Government wanted them to be removed. These protesters also faced a lot of violence and you wouldn’t have known that from just this one source. 4. Read source 3. How does the government plan to respond to the Aboriginal Embassy? When the government realized what the Aboriginal protesters were doing they knew that they had to be removed because they were trespassing on Government land. They decided that that action should be taken to remove the campers which were on the lawn; it was put into place that it would be done with reasonable notice and tactfully with the least disturbance. * 5. Look at source 4. Do you think the cartoonist is critical of the Government or the Aboriginals? What other groups are represented in the cartoon? I think the cartoonist is critical of the Government because the writing under the cartoon is being said by the Aboriginals. In the cartoon it is stating that the white settlers have come to Australia and have taken over from the Aboriginal Australians and are taking away the right that the Aboriginals had. The people that are represented in this cartoon are the Aboriginals and the Politicians. I think the fighting would involve the Aboriginals and also the white people because you can see the people in the fight and you can see one person biting another’s leg in front of Parliament House. You can also see a sign which says ‘Aboriginal Embassy’ and a tent which may show that they are destroying the camper’s area. In the quote it states that ‘They’ own the place, I think that when they say ‘they’ it is referring to the White Settlers and the politicians. There are also two Aboriginals walking away from the fight looking very casual with the quote â€Å"They get stranded by some travel agency in 1770, then act like the own the place†¦!†. 6. Using all the sources, explain what happened to the Aboriginal Tent embassy in 1972. On Australia day 1972 four Indigenous activists, Michael Anderson, Billy Craigie, Bertie Williams and Tony Koorie erected a beach umbrella on the lawns of Parliament House. These four people set up a protest and placed signs which said ‘Embassy’, this was to represent a displaced nation. The protesters were against the McMahon Liberal Government’s statement in which land rights were rejected to Aboriginal communities. They issued a petition which had a detailed five point plan which addressed that Aboriginals had ownership of existing reserves and settlements. The Aboriginal protesters said that they would stay out on the lawns opposing until the Aboriginal Australians were granted their land rights. After a while the Government realized that they needed to get rid of the Aboriginals that were camped at Old Parliament House. They decided that they would be removed without any disturbance and with plenty of notice. The police pulled down and raided the tent embassy may times and many Aboriginals were arrested. Even through all of this and the support through the nation the embassy said that they would stay until they were granted their land rights.

Effect of Changing Concentration on the Order of Reaction

Effect of Changing Concentration on the Order of Reaction Title : An Investigation into the Effect of Changing the Concentration by Continuous Method on the Order of Reaction Planning A. Hypotheses I predict that the rate of reaction is influenced by the concentration of the reactants; and that the rate of reaction and the concentration of reactants decrease as time intervals increase. I predict that the order of reaction is affected or influenced by the concentration of the reactant. I also predict that the change in concentration of reactants affects the rate of reaction proportionately and hence, the order of reaction. Such that, if the concentration of the reactants is reduced by half, the rate of reaction will also decrease by a certain proportion. The reaction that will be analyzed in this experiment is between a metal (magnesium ribbon) and an acid (sulfuric acid). The reaction is shown by the chemical equation below: Mg (s) + H2S04 (aq) → MgS04 (aq) + H2 (g) In this experiment, 0.15 grams of magnesium ribbon will be used in excess, together with 10 cubic centimeters of 0.3 M sulphuric acid (H2SO4). The continuous method will be used, where the metal is in excess and the reaction goes to completion. The volume of the hydrogen gas (H2) will be collected at a measured time interval of 30 seconds. These volume readings at the time intervals shall be recorded and analyzed. III. Background The rate of a reaction depends in part on the concentrations of the reactants. The rate at which a reactant or reactants is transformed into products is the change in concentration of the reactant or reactants with time, (Wilbraham, et.al., 1997). Mathematically, the rate can be expressed as: Rate = Change in Concentration of Reactants / Change in time The formula implies that the rate of disappearance of the reactants is proportional to its molar concentration. Hence: Change in Concentration of Reactants / Change in time = proportional to the concentration of reactants The reaction rate has to be experimentally determined. From the reaction rate equation, the order of reaction can be obtained. The order of reactions can be classified as zero order, first order, or second order, with respect to only one reactant. IV. Risk Assessment In this experiment, sulphuric acid (H2SO4), will be used as a reactant. Since it is a strong acid and is very corrosive, I will observe the following precautionary measures: Wear protective goggles for the eyes. Avoid pipetting the sulphuric acid by mouth. Avoid inhalation of sulfuric acid. Care in handling the acid should be observed. It should be prevented from being knocked over. V. Fair Test To ensure that the results that I will obtain in the experiment are reliable and accurate, I will observe the following: The volume measurements of the sulphuric acid reactant will be made very accurately by reading from the lower meniscus of the 10 cubic centimeter mark The bung will be securely and tightly placed to prevent the collected hydrogen gas (H2) from escaping. The weight measurements of the magnesium ribbon will be made very accurately. All materials will be thoroughly cleaned before each use in order to prevent contamination. The experiment will have 3 runs or replicates in order to attain a high reliability of results. VI. Procedure of the Experiment: Materials needed: Stopwatch for time interval measurements 100 cc gas syringe for the Hydrogen gas collection 100 cc conical flask for the sulphuric acid 100 ml graduated cylinder for measuring the sulphuric acid Analytical balance for measuring 0.15 grams of magnesium ribbon Procedure: 1. Set up the materials while making sure that they are thoroughly clean and dry. 2. Using a graduated cylinder, measure 10 cc of 0.3 Molar concentration of sulphuric acid. 3. Carefully weigh 0.15 grams of magnesium ribbon using an analytical balance to make sure that the weight measurement is accurate. 5. Put the 0.15 grams of magnesium ribbon into the conical flask with the sulphuric acid. 7. Measure the volume in cubic centimeters of hydrogen gas collected in the gas syringe at every time interval of 30 seconds. 8. Record the volume of collected hydrogen gas at each set time interval. 9. Make 2 more runs of this experiment by repeating steps 1-8 at every run. VII. Results. Below are the tabulated volume measurements at every time interval: Table 1: Volume Measurements for Run 1 The data in Table 1 were plotted in a graph below: Graph 1: Volume vs. Time (Run1) For Run 2, the data were obtained were tabulated below: Table 2: Volume Measurements for Run 2 The data in Table 2 were plotted in a graph below: Graph 2: Volume vs. Time (Run 2) For Run 3, the data were obtained were tabulated below: Table 3: Volume Measurements for Run 3 The data in Table 3 were plotted in a graph below: Graph 3: Volume vs. Time (Run3) All three graphs show the trend that as time increases, the volume of the reactant decreases, while the volume of the product increases. B. Calculation of the Concentration of Reactant From the reaction: Mg (s) + H2SO4 (aq) → MgSO4 (aq) + H2 (aq) Concentration is measured in terms of Molarity, where Molarity is equal to the number of moles of solute divided by liters of solution: Molarity = No. of moles of solute / Liters of solution For Magnesium (Mg), 0.15 grams were added to sulphuric acid. The number of moles is equal to: weight in grams divided by the formula weight. Hence, the number of moles = wt. in grams / FW. Since 0.15 grams were used, 0.15 grams should be divided by the formula weight of Magnesium (Mg), which is 24. So: 0.15 grams / 24 = 0.00625 moles for Mg. To get the molar concentration, the number of moles will be divided by the volume of the solution in liters, which is 0.01. So, the molarity of Mg is : 0.00625 / 0.01 = 0.625 M For the sulphuric acid (H2SO4) used, the molarity is 0.3 M. The number of moles of H2SO4 used is determined by multiplying the molar concentration by the volume of solution in liters. Hence: 0.3 moles/L X 0.01L = 0.003 moles. From the chemical equation of the reaction, for every 0.003 moles of H2SO4 used, the same amount of moles (0.003) of hydrogen gas (H2) is given off. The molar concentration of the hydrogen gas evolved can now be determined for each respective time interval, by dividing the number of moles by the volume obtained. For run 1: The concentration of the product can now be calculated, using the formula for reaction rate, where: Molarity = Number of moles / Liters of solution The data for the concentration of the hydrogen gas are tabulated below: Table 4: Molarity of the hydrogen gas (H2) The molarity values tabulated above are plotted in the graph below: Graph 4: Concentration vs. Time (Run1) Graph 5: Concentration vs. Time (Run 1) Showing the Gradient of the Tangent Curve The rate of reaction was calculated by measuring the gradient of the tangent of the curve above, as depicted by the red line. Hence, the gradient of the tangent is equal to 0.12 – 0.05 / 150 = 0.00046. From the rate equation, the rate constant (k) can be obtained by the formula: k = rate x [H2SO4]. So: k = (0.00046) / 0.3 = 0.153. The rate equation is: Rate = k [H2SO4] Rate = (0.153) (0.003) = 0. 000459 or 0.0046. Hence, this value is equal to the gradient of the tangent of the graph above. This shows that the rate is directly proportional to the concentration of the sulphuric acid (H2SO4). Table 5: Concentration of Gas Collected and Rate of Reaction (Run 1) The plotting of tabulated data above results to the graph below: Graph 6 Rate vs. Concentration (Run 1) The Rate –Concentration Graph for Run 1 above shows that the concentration of hydrogen gas (H2) is directly proportional to the rate of reaction. Thus, the concentration of sulphuric acid (H2SO4) is also directly proportional to the rate of reaction, whereby, as the concentration decreases, the rate of reaction also decreases. Since the Magnesium ribbon is in excess, only the sulfuric acid can be allowed to change. Having it in excess is to make sure that its concentration does not change. Using the rate of reaction: Rate = k [H2SO4] And applying the rate equation to the chemical equation in the reaction: Mg (s) + H2SO4 (aq) → MgSO4 (aq) + H2 (g) The rate equation is now: Rate = k [Mg] Â º [H2SO4]Â ¹. Since Mg concentration does not change in the reaction, it is the zero order. On the other hand, since H2SO4 is in the first order of reaction, the rate is directly proportional to its concentration, as measured in the experiment by the concentration of the H2 gas collected, the overall order of reaction is: 0+1 = 1. For Run 2, the table below shows its concentration. Table 6: Molarity of the Hydrogen gas (Run2) The table of Concentration and Time for run 2 gives the following graph: Graph7: Concentration vs. Time (Run 2) The Concentration –Time Graph for run 2 above shows the same trend as in run 1, where it shows an inverse proportionality: as time increases, the concentration of the sulfuric acid ( H2SO4) decreases as measured by the concentration of the hydrogen gas (H2) collected. The rate of re