Instructions:

In the online lectures in Module 3 and your textbook readings (“Training and Development”, Leadership”, and “Motivation, Job Satisfaction, and Job Involvement”) you learned about the importance of training your employees.  However, training is only effective when employees can retain the information and incorporate what they learn to improve their job performance.

You have just learned that your company is looking for ways to cut back expenses.  One of the cost cutting measures being considered is to terminate the training department, as the company considers this an expense and they do not believe training is contributing to the profitability of the company.  As the head of the training department it is your job to defend the value of the department.  You realize that well trained employees perform their jobs more efficiently and consequently can contribute to higher productivity and profits for the company. One way to show the value of training is to have tools that will allow a manager to track the performance of an employee both before and after they have received training.  

1. Report
   Write a report that will be shared with senior management on why training is a very important part of the company’s overall financial success.  Discuss the advantages of having well-trained employees.

1. Evaluation Tool
   Using what you have learned about transfer training and the evaluation of training programs create an evaluation tool which can be used to evaluate how effective any given employee training program is in terms of:

• Increasing the level of transfer of knowledge (knowledge retention)
• Monitoring the effectiveness of the skill performance in the job performance improvement
• Include common attributes in your evaluation tool which could be applicable to most employees at the organization such as: employees showing concern for saving the company money or consistently turning in error free work.  Your training tool should contain a minimum of 10 evaluation criteria.

Your training evaluation tool must be included with your report defending the value of the training department.  You know that your report will be shared with senior level managers and eventually to the board of directors.  However, you are uncertain whether or not you will be allowed to present your work at a later time or in a different manner.  Therefore it is important that your report is well written and professional.

Report Details
The report should be 5-7 pages in length and include:

• Executive Summary highlighting all the factors in the scenario.
• Justification of the importance of retaining the training department in the company and explanation of how the training department is important to the overall success of the company.
• Training Evaluation Tool to evaluate knowledge retention and job performance improvement (10 criteria minimum).
• Explanation of how the evaluation tool will be implemented.
• Describe how the evaluation tool will help evaluate the level of transfer of knowledge and skill performance for current training programs as well as, monitor and improve planning for future training effectiveness.
• Summary and conclusion of tool’s effectiveness.

 Submit your assignment to the M3: Assignment 2 Dropbox by Wednesday, December 7, 2016.

Critical Thinking Essay Question # 3 (Due date for essay July 11; due date for responses July 13 before midnight)
 
In addition to writing your own essay, you need to comment on at least two other students’ essays. I am hoping that this way we will generate intelligent discussions by which you will have an opportunity to share your concerns and views with your fellow students. Please post your essay before the assigned deadline. After posting your own essay you have a couple of days to respond to other students’ postings. In addition to your textbook you need to utilize at least two other outside sources to conduct the necessary research for this assignment. Make sure to cite your sources at the bottom of your essay.

Your Critical Thinking Essay (CTE) should be analytical and relevant to the topic, a minimum of 500 words (15 points for your essays, and 10 points for your comments on at least two other essays by your fellow students.) Your comments on other essays should be substantial in content and around 100 words long. (See your syllabus for more detail.) Any sign of plagiarism will result in zero grades.

Note: in addition to your textbook you need to utilize at least two outside sources as well. You are not allowed to use the Wikipedia as your main two sources. At the bottom of your essay cite at least two outside sources that you have used to complete your assignment. Give the author (s)’ names, publication date, name of article, and the source where you found the article (i.e. printed books, journals or Internet web site) respectively. Follow the APA writing style for your essay and references.  Read Your Syllabus for further instructions.

Select one of the following questions and after watching assigned documentaries and conducting necessary research answer to the best of your acquired knowledge. Before writing your essay, please read the assigned readings from your textbooks, watch assigned documentaries, and do some preliminary research utilizing relevant academic outside sources (i.e. books, articles, Internet sites.) You need to make references to your textbooks, assigned documentaries, and outside sources within the body of your essay.


Question 1. What role does the United States play on the Arab/Israeli conflict? Is the US government an honest mediator that can deliver peace or is part of the problem? Elaborate on your answer and give specific examples.

Assigned Documentaries:

1. Peace, Propaganda & the Promised Land: the documentary carefully analyzes and explains how–through the use of language, framing and context–the Israeli occupation of the West Bank and Gaza remains hidden in the news media, and Israeli colonization of the occupied territories appears to be a defensive move rather than an offensive one. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cAN5GjJKAac)

2. Is Peace Out of Reach: Has peace in the Middle East become nothing more than a pipe dream? As Bob Simon reports, a growing number of Israelis and Palestinians feel that a two-state solution is no longer possible. (http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=4752349n)

3. How the U.S. Has Undermined Peace in the Middle East: An Interview with Professor Rashid Khalidi of Columbia Universityhttp://www.democracynow.org/2013/3/19/brokers_of_deceit_as_obama_visits


Question 2. There has been a great amount of speculation about the current United State’s involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. What do you think about the issue? Should we be still there? Why? Why Not? Elaborate on your answer and give specific examples.

Assigned Documentaries

1. Iraq Secret War Files: With references to released Wikileaks files this documentary explains what really happened during the Iraq war, things our conventional media did not want us to know. (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/iraq-secret-war-files-wikileaks-special/)

2. No End in Sight: American military leaders expected the Iraqi conflict to last no more than a few months, and President George W. Bush declared that major military operations were over less than two months later. However, Iraq soon became a dangerous quagmire for American forces and still remains a problem. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykpf5nDIs9M. 
 

Question 3. What are the cultural and historical significance of Saudi Arabia to world’s Muslims? Should the United States push for more democratic processes in Saudi Arabia? Why? Why Not? If yes, how? Elaborate on your answers and give specific examples.

Assigned Documentaries:

1. Inside he Saudi Kingdoom: Lionel Mill’s film has unique access to Prince Saud bin Abdul Mohsen, one of the rulers of the rich, powerful and secretive Saudi royal family. This is a fascinating insight into the conflicts between tradition and modernity in one of the world’s most conservative and autocratic countries. (http://tune.pk/video/24276/inside-the-saudi-kingdom-bbc-documentary)

2. Saudi Solutions: Women in Saudi Arabia: is a unique and revealing documentary about modernity and tradition in Saudi Arabia.http://videosift.com/video/Saudi-Solutions-documentary-about-women-in-Saudi-Arabia or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWD4KzSpj_g

Further Recommended Documentaries:

Dispatches: Iraq: The Reckoning: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyrfMUVRQa8 

Meeting the Taliban: Having witnessed the battle for the town of Garmser in the Helmand province of Afghanistan, Sean Langan goes to meet The Taliban. In this remarkable film he recounts his initial encounter. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZoZ0XM2phQ)

The Zionist History: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/zionist-story/

Elusive Peace: Israel and the Arabs: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/elusive-peace-israel-and-the-arabs/

Taxi to the Dark Side: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2987535946644608661#

Obama’s War: http://video.pbs.org/video/1295117818/

House of Saud: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7ol-ImP8gg

Inside Mecca: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFQHgdmJqjo