Reference no: EM132285473

One of the biggest problems facing retailers is turnover. Retention is very low in certain retail businesses and turnover is 100 percent. This makes training a real challenge. At Nike, for example, every few months an employee leaves and another starts and so does the training process. As a result, training new staff in a classroom setting is not cost effective. So Nike decided to design an online training program that the company could offer to employees in its own stores as well as at other retailers that sell its products. The program would have to convey a lot of information quickly but also be easy to digest. The solution was a program called Sports Knowledge Underground, or SKU. The layout for the program resembles a subway map with different stations representing different training themes. For example, Apparel Union Station branches off into the apparel technologies line, the running products line, and the Nike Pro products line. The Cleated Footwear Station offers paths to football, whereas the Central Station offers broad lines like customer skills. Each segment is three to seven minutes long and gives the employee the basic knowledge he/she needs about various products.

1. How effective do you think Nike’s SKU e-learning program will be for employee learning? Do you think it will reduce turnover?

2. How should the SKU program be designed to be most effective for learning and retention? Should other retailers design similar e-learning programs?