According to Dr. Elaine K. Miller of the College of Business at Colorado State University, there is a driving force behind the push to embrace diversity in a business organization:
The changing US demographics, increasing globalization of business and pursuit of effective competition make it imperative for companies to implement programs for diversity training. The ability of organizations to manage a diverse workforce will be a major determinant of their continued survival and success in becoming world class corporations (Miller, 1994, para 1). When talking about "world class corporations," one of the most recognizable names in the world is McDonald's Corporation, which boasts approximately 438,000 employees worldwide (Yahoo! Finance, 2005). "As of March 08, 2005, the company operated approximately 30,000 restaurants in approximately 119 countries" (Yahoo! Finance, 2005). Because of their global presence, there is a demonstrated need for understanding and appreciating diversity in the workforce of McDonald's restaurants, both in the United States and in overseas locations.
Need for Education vs. Need for Training
When completing a Needs Assessment, the person who has been given responsibility for training must determine what the particular needs are for that organization. Most McDonald's restaurants operate on a franchise basis, where a local owner is responsible for the direct management and operation of his or her McDonald's Restaurant franchise. In this paper, we will examine a Needs Assessment for Diversity Training in a typical franchise of a McDonald's
References: Diamante, T., Reid, C. L., and Giglio, L. (1995, March 1). Make the right training move (Workplace Diversity), HR Magazine. Institute of Management & Administration (2003). Getting results from diversity training--in dollars and cents (Case Study – Nextel Communications), HR Focus, October 1, 2003. Koonce, R. (2001, December 1). Redefining diversity: It 's not just the right thing to do. It also makes good business sense, T&D (American Society for Training & Development, Inc.). McDonald 's Diversity (2005). McDonald 's Corporation. Retrieved on July 21, 2005, from http://www.mcdonalds.com/corp/values/diversity.html. Miller, E. K. (1994, June 22). Diversity and its management: training managers for cultural competence within the organization, Management Quarterly. Yahoo! Finance (2005). McDonald 's Corporation (MCD) Profile. Retrieved on July 21, 2005, from http://finance.yahoo.com/q/pr?s=MCD.