Corporate Learning & Development

Our soon to be published research on corporate L&D spending in 2008 shows a definite slowdown in spending on corporate training.  (This research will be published in October.)  This is certainly not a surprise – in August our research panel shows that today’s corporate talent managers cite “a need to reduce costs” as their #1 business challenge (54% of all respondents, up from 51% in May and 36% in January).

One of our long-term research clients is a large pharmaceutical company which has grown by leaps and bounds over the last decade.  This company, like many others in this industry, invests heavily in R&D and has benefited from the tremendous success of many of its blockbuster best-selling products.

In the last 18 months, however, growth has slowed – so this organization is now looking for ways to better rationalize its spending on corporate training and other business support functions.  A few recommendations to consider, based on this organization’s situation:

1.  It’s time to build a truly federated spending model for training.  Centralize the programs and functions which are repeatable and scalable (typically these include leadership development, career development, LMS and training technology, vendor operations, and advanced e-learning.

In this industry companies typically have strong functional business leaders in sales, manufacturing, research and development, and corporate functions.  These business units are going to have to give up some autonomy and rely on a shared services or corporate university function.  Such a move can save 10-15% or more of a company’s training spending with little or no real reduction in effectiveness.

2.  Rely heavily on informal and collaborative learning.  One of the least expensive ways to improve programs like onboarding, management and supervisory development, and career development is by focusing heavily on building collaborative programs which rely on communities of practice, social networking, and coaching.  David Mallon’s recent research (and soon to be published study in this are) shows that among all the social networking program in companies today, the most prevalent and successful are communities of practice.

Pharmaceutical research teams, sales teams, manufacturing teams, and technical teams can all learn rapidly and easily from each other.  And the L&D spending on such programs is minimal.

3.  Rationalize external spending.  Most big companies (like large pharmaceuticals) have many suppliers.  In a decentralized L&D environment it is almost impossible to efficiently manage these contracts.  While many excellent learning solution providers deliver high value (e.g. supervisory training companies, content development firms), they also look for opportunities to sell services to multiple business units in a global company.  When you centralize vendor operations you often find 20-30% extra spending in many program and functional training areas.

4.  Consolidate the LMS and build a talent management systems strategy.  Finally, focus on the area which most companies have been focused on for a few years, consolidation of the corporate LMS.  Our research shows that almost 70% of large corporations (more than 10,000 employees) are now focused on LMS consolidation.  This process, in conjunction with the development of an integrated talent management systems strategy, will save millions in IT and technical expenses.

Today nearly every major LMS vendor also has an integrated talent management (e.g. performance and succession management) suite.  Look carefully at it, because our research clearly shows that organizations which buy their LMS from the same supplier as their talent management system are seeing 3-4X the return from those who buy them from different companies.

I know cutting costs is not always easy.  But it is something we must deal with continuously, and today it is probably one of the most important things you will be asked to do.

Retail types

There are three major types of retailing.

The first is the market, a physical location where buyers and sellers converge. Usually this is done in town squares, sidewalks or designated streets and may involve the construction of temporary structures (market stalls).

The second form is shop or store trading. Some shops use counter-service, where goods are out of reach of buyers, and must be obtained from the seller. This type of retail is common for small expensive items (e.g. jewelry) and controlled items like medicine and liquor. Self-service, where goods may be handled and examined prior to purchase, has become more common since the 20th century.

A third form of retail is virtual retail, where products are ordered via mail, telephone or online without having been examined physically but instead in a catalog, on television or on a website. Sometimes this kind of retailing replicates existing retail types such as online shops or virtual marketplaces such as Amazon.[3]

Buildings for retail have changed considerably over time. Market halls were constructed in the Middle Ages, which were essentially just covered marketplaces. The first shops in the modern sense used to deal with just one type of article, and usually adjoined the producer (baker, tailor, cobbler). In the 19th century, in France, arcades were invented, which were a street of several different shops, roofed over. Counters, each dealing with a different kind of article, were invented; it was called a department store. One of the novelties of the department store was the introduction of fixed prices, making haggling unnecessary, and browsing more enjoyable. This is commonly considered the birth of consumerism [4] In cities, these were multi-story buildings which pioneered the escalator.

In the 1920s the first supermarket opened in the United States, heralding in a new era of retail: self-service. Around the same time the first shopping mall was constructed [5] which incorporated elements from both the arcade and the department store. A mall consists of several department stores linked by arcades (many of whose shops are owned by the same firm under different names). The design was perfected by the Austrian architect Victor Gruen[6] All the stores rent their space from the mall owner. By mid-century, most of these were being developed as single enclosed, climate-controlled, projects in suburban areas. The mall has had a considerable impact on the retail structure and urban development in the United States. [7]

Steps in product design

* Design and development of product ideas.
* Selection of and sifting through product ideas.
* Design and testing of product concept.
* Analysis of business instead of product concept.
* Design and testing of emotional product.

finance expert

Expert has been instrumental in providing critical acquisition analysis and selection criteria to numerous companies, which helps their decision making process. He has arranged and negotiated numerous bank lines of credit on behalf of various companies. He moved several companies from secured, above prime rates to unsecured, below prime rate lines of credit with higher limits. He has designed and implemented a cash requirements system for a three plant operation resulting in minimizing cash on hand in banks, borrowing and interest costs. He has assisted several companies with “going public” support including; S-1 input, SR, S-8, 10-Q, 10-K, proxy, quarterly and annual report development and printing, annual meetings, investor relations functions, etc. Expert has also assisted several companies in developing strategic plans at corporate and divisional levels. The plans help the businesses ascertain what business they think they are in, what business they are really in, and how to get back to where they want to be. He has overseen the establishment and development of accounting, treasury, investor relations and information systems functions.