Hello please I need help with my case study.. all you have to do is read the article below and answer all the 3 questions that follows. Please make sure to number the each questions and answers accordingly
Thanks in advance !!
Case 3: E-Learning at Flotation Ltd.
Jenny Sheppard was excited about her new position as Vice President of Human Resources at Flotation Ltd., a manufacturer of life jackets and other flotation devices. The president of the company had clearly stated that one of her first tasks was to take a close look at the training function. Although Flotation Ltd. had a reputation as a company with a well-trained workforce, the president now wanted to see some hard evidence to back up the companys training investment. The president wanted to increase the productivity per person by 30 percent over the next three years, and Jenny was expected to spearhead the effort.
Sam was the companys veteran trainer and was liked by everybody in the organization. For 20 years he had been training employees at the company. He was only three years away from retirement and was not likely to respond favorably to Jenny and her new mandate.
The president introduces Jenny to Sam as his new boss and the key player in the drive to increase companys competitiveness. He also asked Sam to cooperate with her in this initiative.
Jenny was not only required to revamp the training function, but also had to deal with Sam to get him onboard. After thinking about her situation, Jenny came across an article on e-learning and how it saved some companies millions of dollars in training cost. Suddenly, Jenny had an idea.
Why not convert some of Sams training courses to e-learning programs on the companys website? she thought to herself. This would certainly get Sam onboard as his training courses would continue even after he has retired.
Both the president and Sam were excited about the potential of e-learning at Flotation Ltd. To begin designing the first course, Jenny and Sam decided that the first course would be Sams sales training program, which was one of his best.
The first thing Jenny did was arrange for Sam to be videotaped delivering the course. Then she had Sam prepare some text material and additional information about some of the key learning points. With the help of the IT people, the video and text were placed on the companys website. The program was designed so that employees would watch the video and at certain points during the video they could click on the icon for more information. The video would then stop, and the additional information would appear on the screen. After reading the material they could then return to the video.
When the program was up and ready, sales staff received a memo telling them about the companys first e-learning program and how they can access it. Everybody was excited about this new approach to training, and Sam was thrilled to be a part of this.
Although the program was launched with much fanfare, the results were less glowing. In fact, after six months very few of the sales staff had taken the course. Many said they did not have time to take it and those who did, fewer than half completed it.
When asked for the feedback, some of the sales staff said that it was not very interesting. Some said they would rather attend a live version of the course in the classroom and others said they didnt see the advantage of taking an e-learning course.
The president asked Jenny, if things were going on track for achieving the companys productivity goals. Jenny did not know what she would tell him. She began to wonder whether the sales staff needed more time to get used to e-learning or if the e-learning strategy was a mistake.
Questions:
Comment on the e-learning program that Jenny and Sam designed. What are the indicators that suggest it has not been effective? (2 points)
What do you think are the main reasons for the negative reaction to the e-learning program? What are the most important things that need to be changed to improve the program? How would you change it if you had to redesign it? Explain. (4 points)
Consider the use of social media technologies for the sales training program. What would you recommend and how should they be used as part of the sales training program? Explain your answer. (4 points)
