Description Compare problem -solving methods from a variety of fields Scenario: you work for Firm X, a department store brand that targets shoppers under the age of 35. Firm X sells clothes, electronics, home furnishings, and more recently, groceries. As a company, it takes pride in being a great place to work and improving employees’ careers. But with the increasingly popularity of online shopping and changing customer habits, new challenges confront the business every day. Employees need to learn new skills to thrive in the modern workplace. Your direct supervisor, Maria Gonzalez, would like you to use your problem-solving skills to tackle this complex issue. You’ll need to apply problem-solving methods to identify problems, gather data, and analyze approaches to resolve them. She has just sent you this email: Date: Tue 5/22/2018 9:17 AM From: Gonzalez, Maria Subject: Professional Development for All Staff Attachments: skill_inventory.docx Good morning, As I’m sure you know, our company is considering ways to respond to the modern demands of retail in the twenty-first century, such as online shopping. To make sure we can meet those demands, we are considering the skills and abilities that our employees must have. I would like you to take a look at this and give me your thoughtsI want to develop a training and professional development program for employees. Ideally, we could offer employees ways to learn new skills and grow as individuals. Our company would know that its workers could handle any challenges that come. Employees would also gain new knowledge and earn promotions, increasing retention. All in all, it’s great for employees and the company. I’d like you to start by identifying the five most important skills and abilities our employees will need, given the increase in cross-cultural exchange and online shopping these days. Take a look at what other companies are doing, as well as different news articles and studies. I’ve got a few very specific questions about those skills and ways to address training that I’d like you to answer (also attached to this email). Lastly, write up your thoughts on what we should do, in your opinion. Thank you, Maria Gonzalez Division Manager FirmX “X marks the shop”. Directions Before getting started, review the email and attachments from Ms. Gonzalez, which outline her expectations for your work. Part 1: Skills Inventory Given the increase in cross-cultural exchange and online shopping, Ms. Gonzalez would like you identify the five most important skills and abilities that employees will need. Start by reading at least three of the articles about how other retailers are identifying necessary skills and addressing the gaps.Using the information you gathered from your readings, fill out the Skills Inventory: ~ Describes the individual parts of a problem ~Explains the different ways that other companies are using data or best practices to address a problem ~Ranks the parts of a problem in the order of complexity, providing a justification Part 2: Email Response Using the skills inventory as a guide, write an email response (800–1,000 words) to Ms. Gonzalez summarizing your thoughts on necessary skills and outlining steps that Firm X can take to find and fix skill gaps in the workforce. She has asked you to start tackling this problem by reflecting on your own prior experience learning new skills, so be sure to address the following points:Compare this problem with your previous problem-solving experiences, noting your personal approach. When were you faced with a similarly complex problem before? How did you approach it? Compare your personal opinions with new information in the Skills Inventory. In your opinion, would you rate the five skills in the same way? Do your preferences for learning new skills match the strategies that other companies are using? If there is a difference, why? Examine which parts of the problem are personally relevant. Which of the five skills are personally relevant to you? Which would you most like to learn or improve? Which one would you least like to focus on Project Rubric Skill Inventory ~Describes the individual parts of a problem ~Explains the different ways that other companies are using data or best practices to address a problem ~Ranks the parts of a problem in the order of complexity, providing a justification Email Response ~Compares a problem with previous problem-solving experiences, noting your personal approach ~Compares personal opinions with new information ~Examines which parts of a problem are personally relevant General ~Articulation of Response: Clearly conveys meaning with correct grammar, sentence structure, and spelling, demonstrating an understanding of audience and purpose ~Citations/Attributions: Attributes sources where applicable using citation methods with no major errors. Skill Inventory 1. Describe the individual parts of a problem. Referring to your readings, describe five skills that you believe the company should address. Questions you might consider: • Why is this skill important? • What problem does this address, and what are the potential consequences for the company of not learning this skill? Skill 1: Skill 2: Skill 3: Skill 4: Skill 5: 2. Explain the different ways that other companies are using data or best practices to address the problem. Questions you might consider: • What are two different ways we can train employees on this skill? • How are other companies attempting to fill this skill gap? Skill 1: Skill 2: Skill 3: Skill 4: Skill 5: 3. Rank the parts of a problem in the order of complexity, providing a justification. Questions you might consider: • How easy is it to measure this skill? • How long will it take for employees to learn this skill?
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