LAUDERES, MARY CARYLLE G.

1. What changes would you recommend that Choc Co. make to their current learning
and development provision in order to reduce costs and improve performance?

The changes I would recommend that Choc Co. make to their current learning and
development provision in order to reduce costs and improve performance is to change
the way that learning programmes are delivered and being more creative in developing
approaches to learning with less costs. Workers tend to view these training events as a
bit of a waste of time, particularly when they are delivered by consultants with little real
understanding of working processes at Choc Co. It is not unknown for workers to claim
that the training they receive is outdated and tells them nothing that they don’t already
know. Training is the process of enhancing the skills, capabilities and knowledge of
employees for doing a particular job. Training process moulds the thinking of employees
and leads to quality performance of employees. It is continuous and never ending in
nature. Training is crucial for organizational development and success. It is fruitful to
both employers and employees of an organization. An employee will become more
efficient and productive if he is trained well. Training helps the employee to get job
security and job satisfaction. The more satisfied the employee is and the greater is his
morale, the more he will contribute to organizational success and the lesser will be
employee absenteeism and turnover. A well trained employee will be well acquainted
with the job and will need less of supervision. Thus, there will be less wastage of time
and efforts. Errors are likely to occur if the employees lack knowledge and skills
required for doing a particular job. The more trained an employee is, the less are the
chances of committing accidents in job and the more proficient the employee becomes.
Training improves efficiency and productivity of employees. Well trained employees
show both quantity and quality performance. There is less wastage of time, money and
resources if employees are properly trained.

2. Discuss how e-learning, competency frameworks and improved knowledge-sharing at

Choc Co. might help to cut costs and make the HRD activity at Choc Co. more strategic.
LAUDERES, MARY CARYLLE G.

Almost everyone knows that convenient and flexible access to learning is one of the
key advantages of eLearning in the corporate training environment. Courses can be
accessed anytime, anywhere from a mobile device, laptop, tablet or desktop. Everyone
has their own busy schedules, so employees can access their learning when they have
time, and when their energy levels and focus are maximized for retention. The word
“cost-effective” might not be first to mind when thinking about the advantages of digital
training. This is because setting up your eLearning course can actually be quite costly,
depending on how complex it needs to be. But it’s an investment that saves you money
down the line. Online training means that you can cut out the costs of travel expenses,
catering and venue hire – not to mention the costs of facilitators and physical training
materials, like stationary. And it gets better. eLearning courses can be re-used and
updated without much expense or time, and one online training program can reach far
more learners than a classroom workshop. At the start of a training program, the
chances are slim that everyone will have the same level of knowledge, skill or
experience. So, some employees might learn quicker or slower than others. Some
might already be familiar with certain parts of training that they don’t want to waste time
repeating, and others might be completely new to aspects of the learning. The benefit of
eLearning for a business is that employees can learn at their own pace, according to
their own learning needs. This means that employees aren’t put under unnecessary
pressure. When training takes place online, it’s quick and easy to pull the data you need
to measure its effectiveness.

3. How might the firm seek to ensure a return on investment for its learning and
development activity?
LAUDERES, MARY CARYLLE G.

Knowing how effective training has been, is the question that every organization should
be asking. Because an investment is only well made if it helped to achieve business
goals. When training takes place online, it’s quick and easy to pull the data you need to
measure its effectiveness. Information like course completion rates, forum engagement,
assessment grades, and the time it takes to complete a course can all be gathered in
the form of reports, directly from the Learning Management System (LMS). Community
and collaboration are actually benefits of online training. Through features like
discussion forums and live tutorials employees can have access to others in the
learning community. Engagement with other employees fosters collaboration and team
culture, which has benefits beyond the training environment leading to effective
performance results. Timely and automated feedback and recognition is valuable not
just for employees, but for their managers and the business, too. This is because it
reduces the need for manual feedback and grading. eLearning programs enable
organizations to deliver the same content, in the same way, to all of their employees
around the world. Not only will employees attend the same live sessions and watch the
same videos, but they will be able to interact with other team members that they do not
have access to in the physical office. Online training means that you can cut out the
costs of travel expenses, catering and venue hire – not to mention the costs of
facilitators and physical training materials, like stationary. eLearning courses can be re-
used and updated without much expense or time, and one online training program can
reach far more learners than a classroom workshop. The benefits of eLearning in the
workplace are more than enough to convince you to invest and take your staff training
online.

What factors led business leaders here act to push the country's future away from
isolation and missed opportunities toward to a "high road" of participating in an
increasingly globalized economy? How effective were they? And, if business leadership
played an important role in the events in South Africa, could they take a similar role
elsewhere?
LAUDERES, MARY CARYLLE G.

Many investors place a portion of their portfolios in foreign securities. This decision
involves an analysis of various mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), or stock
and bond offerings. However, investors often neglect an important first step in the
process of international investing. The decision to invest overseas should begin with
determining the riskiness of the investment climate in the country under consideration.
Country risk refers to the economic, political and business risks that are unique to a
specific country, and that might result in unexpected investment losses. When an
organization decides to engage in international financing activities, it takes on additional
risk along with the opportunities. The main risks that are associated with businesses
engaging in international finance include foreign exchange risk and political risk. These
risks may sometimes make it difficult to maintain constant and reliable revenue. Foreign
exchange risk occurs when the value of an investment fluctuates due to changes in a
currency's exchange rate. When a domestic currency appreciates against a foreign
currency, profit or returns earned in the foreign country will decrease after being
exchanged back to the domestic currency. Due to the somewhat volatile nature of the
exchange rate, it can be quite difficult to protect against this kind of risk, which can harm
sales and revenues. Geopolitical risk, also known as political risk, transpires when a
country's government unexpectedly changes its policies, which now negatively affect
the foreign company. These policy changes can include such things as trade barriers,
which serve to limit or prevent international trade.

Some governments will request additional funds or tariffs in exchange for the right to
export items into their country. Tariffs and quotas are used to protect domestic
producers from foreign competition. This also can have a huge effect on the profits of an
organization because it either cuts revenues from the result of a tax on exports or
restricts the amount of revenues that can be earned. In general, organizations engaging
LAUDERES, MARY CARYLLE G.

in international finance activities can experience much greater uncertainty in their

revenues. An unsteady and unpredictable stream of revenue can make it hard to
operate a business effectively. Despite these negative exposures, international
business can open up opportunities for reduced resource costs and larger lucrative
markets. There are also ways in which a company can overcome some of these risk
exposures.
In general, organizations engaging in international finance activities can experience
much greater uncertainty in their revenues. An unsteady and unpredictable stream of
revenue can make it hard to operate a business effectively. Despite these negative
exposures, international business can open up opportunities for reduced resource costs
and larger lucrative markets. There are also ways in which a company can overcome
some of these risk exposures. Overseas investing involves a careful analysis of the
economic, political and business risks that might result in unexpected investment
losses. This country risk analysis is a fundamental step in building and monitoring an
international portfolio. Investors that use the many excellent information sources
available to evaluate country risk will be better prepared when constructing their
international portfolios.

The conversation about Africa is shifting from one of “deficits” and “gaps” to one about
opportunities, prospects, ventures and creativity. That’s not news to companies that
have paid close attention to the continent and invested there. The fast growing youth
population, the urbanization expected to drive over 50% of Africans to cities by 2050,
and Africa’s formalizing economy are all well known. These trends and other
developments have driven a half century or more of growth in Africa, and will continue
to do so. It’s important to acknowledge that Africa tests an investor’s patience. Time
horizons and return models that fit other markets don’t always work in there. Even the
most experienced, sophisticated companies can be forced to recalibrate, as Nestlé did
last year when it announced a 15% cut in its workforce across 21 African countries.
Deficits remain. What’s important is that investors now realize there is money to be
made for those bold enough to help close the gaps. As that takes place, the promise of
LAUDERES, MARY CARYLLE G.

greater prosperity for Africans and African businesses will be realized.With the growth of
Africa’s middle class, we’re seeing development of new expectations. Educated, urban
professionals are young, brand-aware and sophisticated in terms of their consumption.
Retailers and consumer brands want to anticipate and drive buying preferences in
fashion, home and lifestyle products, but they know they need international standard
supply chains if they are to meet demand. The largest economic forces in Africa are
small to medium enterprises, working to meet this new demand and competing with
global brands.Africa leads the world in mobile adoption, which continues to offer the
biggest cross-sectoral economic opportunities. Mobile payment networks, pioneered in
East Africa, opened the wired, global economy to poor, unbanked city and rural
dwellers. Companies such as Novartis are using mobile communications to manage
their supply chain; Olam has used mobile to reach out to new African suppliers and
farmers. These mobile initiatives have achieved huge successes.In energy, technology,
supply chain design and other areas, Africa has the ability to look at what works
elsewhere then fashion its own answers. It can openly embrace new technology and
ideas, with no historical imprint from which to break free. It can develop flexible fuel
grids that generate power with a mix of abundant wind, solar, hydro and bio energy,
alongside conventional fuels such as oil and gas, which are also abundant. Nowhere on
Earth is there as much unused or poorly used arable land, so look for big agricultural
breakthroughs and productivity gains in food production in Africa.Rae