Assignment 1: Training and Development in Small Businesses

Due Week 4 and 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.