Definition and Examples of the Zero Copula

Definition and Examples of the Zero Copula In grammar, zero copula refers to the absence of an explicit auxiliary verb (usually a form of the verb be) in certain constructions where it is customarily found in standard English. Also called copula deletion  or understood copula. In their book Spoken Soul: The Story of Black English (Wiley, 2000), John R. Rickford and Russell J. Rickford note that the zero copula is one of the most distinctive and identity-affirming characteristics of ​African-American Vernacular English  (AAVE). Examples and Observations I dont say stuff to people most of the time. Mostly I just look at them like they stupid.(Katherine S. Newman, No Shame in My Game: The Working Poor in the Inner City. Random House, 2000)Why she cant come to me? Fanny asked as she passed Mercy off to a neighbor so she could walk faster. Where she been? Where she at now? Fanny asked, wringing her hands. She knew something was wrong.(Bernice L. McFadden, This Bitter Earth. Plume, 2002)The Zero Copula in African-American Vernacular English (AAVE)One of the most interesting characteristics of AAE is the . . . use of the zero copula. As [William] Labov (1969) has explained, the rule for its use is really quite simple. If you can contract be in SE [Standard English], you can delete it in AAE. That is, since He is nice can be contracted to Hes nice in SE, it can become He nice in AAE. Likewise, But everybodys not black can become But everybody not black. . . .We should note that the zero copula is very rarely found in the speech of whites, even poor southern whites. Not all blacks use it either.(Ronald Wardhaugh, An Introduction to Sociolinguistics, 6th ed. Wiley-Blackwell, 2010) ​\ Factors Governing the Use of the Zero Copula [Toya A.] Wyatt (1991) found that AAE preschoolers were more likely to use zero copula: after pronoun subjects (56%) rather than noun subjects (21%); before locative predicates (35%) and adjective predicates (27%) rather than noun predicates (18%); and in second person singular and plural predicates (45%) rather than third person singular predicates (19%). In addition, the zero copula occurred less than 1% of the time in past tense, first person singular, and final clause contexts. This suggests that as early as three years of age, AAE child speakers not only acquire the basic grammatical features of AAE but also the language-specific variable rules that govern their use (Wyatt 1996).(Toya A. Wyatt, Childrens Acquisition and Maintenance of AAE. Sociocultural and Historical Contexts of African American English, ed. by Sonja L. Lanehart. John Benjamins, 2001) I hold Jinggaya. Jinggaya, you all right? I ask. I got bad fear she hurt.Yes, yes, she say. I all right. You all right?(Andrew Parkin, A Thing Apart. Troubador, 2002) Zero Copula and Pidgins Zero copula is probably the single feature most readily associated with pidgins. . . . However, it is not an exclusively pidgin feature by any means. . . . Thus, while zero copula may exist, or have existed at some time, in all pidgins, it is not a feature which distinguishes pidgins from other languages.(Philip Baker, Some Developmental Inferences From Historical Studies of Pidgins and Creoles. The Early Stages of Creolization, ed. by Jacques Arends. John Benjamins, 1995) Suddenly the managers boy put his insolent black head in the doorway, and said in a tone of scathing contemptMistah Kurtzhe dead.(Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness, 1903)

MLA Format Bibliography Critical Essay

MLA Format Bibliography Critical Essay MLA Format Bibliography Critical Essay The two most important aspects of the MLA format are the in-text citations and the works cited page. MLA format bibliography critical essay requires parenthetical documentation system. It means that references which writer used while writing a critical essay should be placed within parentheses throughout the paper. The references point to sources in an alphabetized list of works cited which are placed at the end in a form of critical thinking essay bibliography. The MLA in-text citations are similar to APA in-text citations. The main difference between them is that MLA in-text citations contain the name of the author and the page number without comma between them, while APA in-text citations contain the name of the author and the date with comma between them. It-text citations identify the specific location of borrowed material. The parenthetical information should complement, not repeat, material given in your work. Critical Essay Writing Good understanding of the topic, deep analysis of the literary work and critics are the most necessary steps for critical essay writing. While writing a critical essay, the student should demonstrate their writing and thinking skills. Writing a critical essay for student is rather difficult task and it takes a lot of time. Before writing the student should understand the problem and then explain it in written form. The student should avoid summarizing the text while writing a critical essay, the goal is to interpret significances of the text. Make an outline to facilitate critical essay writing. Academic essay requires a definite format: introductory paragraph, body paragraphs and conclusion. Remember that the reader expects your critical essay being original: Bibliography Format If you decided to write critical essay in MLA style you should remember that it means that your work must have a list of sources with full bibliographic information at the end of the essay. This page usually has the title ''. It starts with a new page and continues the number of the pages. You must hold the format in the process of critical essay writing, so as in the whole document the page number placed in the upper-right hand corner, half an inch from the top. The title should be placed at the center of the critical essay cover page, an inch from the top of the page. There should be double space between title and the first entry. Bibliographic reference allows your readers to find the sources you used for writing a critical essay. Bibliographic reference should conta Critical Essay Writing Help Many students feel lost in the wealth of referencing peculiarities. You should understand that well-written, however, poorly-referenced critical essay will result in a low grade. offers you to use our writing help to ensure good grades. We will format your critical essay in accordance to the required writing and referencing style. Moreover, the works cited page is provided free! Popular posts: Research Paper Topic Ideas Research Paper Thesis Research Paper Proposal Research Paper Ideas Research Paper Format

Db 5 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Db 5 - Essay Example The given case study reflects an ethical dilemma that organizations normally face during employee selection processes. This paper will critically analyze the given issue and suggest the most possible solution. Case analysis The two candidates, Martin and Joy apply for job in a computer technology company for the position of software trainer. The candidates are from two different countries and both of them possess certain unpleasant backgrounds. Martin has a scar on the right side of his face which indicates an extensive employment injury record. At the same time, Joe has a criminal background. In my opinion, the case does not fall under the category of diversity. To illustrate, â€Å"the concept of diversity refers to the number or the proportion of people within a community or social environment that hold different and various roles.† (Diversity Categories). This concept is against all forms of discrimination and it tries to promote social equality. Martin is from China and J oe is from United States. Here, the firm does not consider the nationality of the candidates in its selection criteria; on the other hand, the firm only takes the previous work history of the candidates into account. ... In the final decision regarding employee hiring, I would consider the candidates’ work history and morals as the most determinant factors. Since the company would not have knowledge regarding candidates’ qualification, experience, efficiency, professionalism, and dedication, The candidate’s background information would be the only criterion to take final decision. The extensive employment injury record found to be the major weak-point of Martin. However, it is precise that a software trainer does not need to engage in physically demanding jobs that cause injuries. Similarly, the scar on Martin’s face does not raise any further interruption to his work. In contrast, Joe’s criminal background seems to be a potential issue that disqualifies him for the proposed employment opportunity. It is not advisable for the firm to employ a candidate with criminal background since he may hurt the overall cohesion and interests of the organization in future. The em ployment of a person with criminal background would promote unfair practices in the company. Moreover, the presence of employees having criminal background would adversely affect the repute of the whole organizational unit. In addition, Joe has body odor which would cause inconveniences to his co-workers. Hence, it is advisable to hire Martin for the offered post since he possesses better qualities and personal integrity required as compared to Joe. In this case study, there are no elements that constitute a legal issue because the hiring process does not include any religious, racial, or political discrimination. Law clearly states that an employer can refuse the job application of a candidate if the employer has sufficient reasons to prove that candidate would

Analysis of Graphs in Findings and Analysis Essay

Analysis of Graphs in Findings and Analysis - Essay Example The next area assessed is the constant organizational changes. National Grid must be able to change, adjust, innovate, grow and adapt in order to survive. However, they must focus on the human issues because change produces fear, uncertainty, and doubt (Pietersen, 2002). Obtaining employee commitment is an important factor in achieving change (Herscovitch & Meyer, 2002). The final problem area assessed will be the cultural and diversity issues of National Grid. For the past several years, globalization, deregulation, and technical advances have enormously increased the degree of competitiveness that most organizations face today. In order to survive, organizations must be better, faster, and more competitive. Organizations need committed employees to achieve this competitiveness (Dessler, 2000). In order to achieve this goal, human resource management must be a strategic part of any organization. I have undertaken a qualitative investigation of National Grid. I have through a detail questionnaire conducted research to assess the current level of employee satisfaction working for the organization. This paper is my assessment of that satisfaction and I make recommendations for its improvement. I have identified three key problem areas from my primary research that I have undertaken which I will analyze. After a review of the literature concerning these three problem areas, I will address these three primary issues and explain the goals and objectives of the initiatives that must be taken to achieve the expected outcomes. Furthermore, to allow some context to be formed around the organization I provide some analysis in the next section on the background and strategic outline of National Grid. Background of National Grid National Grid plc is a network utility, based in the UK and the US. Our principal interests are in the transmission and distribution of electricity and gas. We also have interests in related markets, including metering services, liquefied natural gas facilities and property in the UK, as well as electricity Interconnectors in the UK and US. National Grid plc originated from the restructurings of the UK gas industry in 1986 and the UK electricity industry in 1990. We entered the US energy delivery market in 2000 and substantially expanded our UK wireless infrastructure activities in 2004. The UK gas industry was first restructured in 1986 when British Gas was incorporated as a public limited company, British Gas plc. In 1997, Centrica was demerged from British Gas plc which was re-named BG plc. In December 1999, BG plc completed a restructuring programme which resulted in the creation of a new parent company, BG Group plc, and involved separating the UK regulated business, BG plc (re-named Transco plc), from its other businesses. Lattice Group plc was created as the holding company for Transco plc and certain other non-regulated infrastructure service businesses and, in October 2000, it was demerged from BG Group plc and separately listed on the London Stock Exchange. In 1990 National Grid Company plc took on the ownership and control of the electricity transmission network in England and Wales and

Understanding Organizational Performance Essay Example for Free

Understanding Organizational Performance Essay The focus of this paper will be on investigating an organization, their performance management system and our recommendations for the future. Historically performance management is defined as evaluation a firm through metrics such as return on investment and economic value added. Our analysis will cover not only the financial performance of our chosen firm, but also their values in behaviors as well as their objectives. Thus, we will ascertain if the current system of performance management held by the firm is aligned with their objectives and appropriate for their situation. 1.1 – Why is strategic performance management important? Strategic performance management is a process where an organization develops its objectives, mission, and strategy, and measures and guides itself through management of key performance indicators or other success factors. Czarnecki (1999), states that measuring your organizations performance through each of the areas of most impact is essential for thoroughly assessing your performance. Thus when a firm like TESCO is preparing to make decisions they need to analyze a relevant data which can be converted into actionable information on their performance objectives. 1.2 – Describe the structure and plan of the investigation The structure of this investigation will be to first discuss the organization and its activities in the sector. Secondly, we will discuss the history of performance management of the organization and the relation between their systems and the actual performance. Finally, we conclude with highlighting any areas of improvement and making recommendations for seni or management. 2.0 – Performance Management in TESCO TESCO has employed a system called the TESCO steering wheel to handle performance measurement. This process is similar to the balanced scorecard created by Norton and Kaplan. The TESCO steering wheel was implemented in the late 1990’s and served as part of the critical expansion that the firm underwent as they explored innovative retail formats, product lines, and geographic areas. It can be attributed to their newfound success. 2.1 – Introduction to TESCO The organization that we will be investigating will be TESCO. TESCO is one of the largest retailers in the world and an organization which has shown success in utilizing strategic performance management. There are several styles of performance management which range from Porter’s five forces, to lean management, to the chaos model. The model which was discovered in 1996 and has been one of the most popular is the balanced scorecard. This model which was discovered by Norton and Kaplan has been used by  ¾ of European and Fortune 500 organizations (Balanced Scorecard, 2010). TESCO is unique in that it has implemented this model successfully. In 1995, Tesco surpassed its competitors Sainsbury’s as the top superstore in the United Kingdom. This catapulted its market shares from 15.4% in 1988 to about 29% in 2004. Acquisitions include the famed convenience superstore, TS plc and almost 900 stores around the UK. TESCO has a 30% market share in the United Kingdom and is dominating the market over its competitors. 2.2 – Why are they in business (Stakeholder or Shareholder?) TESCO is in business and highly successful because their founder was a driving force in setting up a foundation of a thriving market in the UK early on. He believed in piling products high and selling them at a cheap price. Since, the company has gone public they have placed close attention to the desires of the shareholders and places the fifth perspective of the steering wheel (financial) as a big component in the performance of their executives. Spitzer (2007) stated that holistic performance measurement enables management to continually assess the fruits of their labor with conducting a review. 2.3 – Strategic performance management of TESCO In regard to investing in their workforce, TESCO believes strongly that human capital is one of their most precious resources. The organization has their â€Å"options programme† which is designed to focus on long-term strategic goals for employees. They also have on job training, which is a cost effective way to ensure that their staff is capable of performing well. Tesco Leadership Framework is directed at three key themes to guide behavior in all employees. These behaviors link to nine critical success factors. The critical success factors can be segmented in several levels of assessment. This aids management in selecting the staff with the capacity to become high performing contributors to organisations. As part of the long term  strategy of the corporation, discovering future leaders is of the utmost importance. TESCO states that they will select leaders wherever they can be found in the organization for advancement. Promotions are a regular occurrence as over 2,900 man agers were promoted internally in the United Kingdom and literally thousands more in international locations. The Options programme is a more infrequently used as only 1 in 30 employees are enrolled while basic training and development happens about every 1 in 10 members of TESCO. Before beginning their development plan, each member of the TESCO staff selects gaps in their skills and competencies. The Personal Development Plan has a section where they can select this information for their line managers to check on in the future. 2.4 – What is strategic performance management? Who says so? The balanced scorecard is the most widely used standard for performance management. As mentioned before, performance management is defined as reaching objectives which can be quantified financially. Performance most times is just simply put as achieving success in your business operations. Therefore, performance means process and manner of functioning to attain beforehand objectives which you set out to achieve. Therefore, behavior must be tied to a result which will be judge throughout the fiscal year of operations for the firm. The balanced scorecard is an excellent tool to keep the organization planning and strategizing forward rather than assessing their operation based on past results. Performance management in many organizations is conducted and reported by line managers who are continuously overseeing employees and operations and giving a formal review at designated times. The values, mission, and objectives of the organizations are intertwined with the financial value added so that the process is flexible and requires less dialogue unless a major event occurs. 2.5 – Is performance management evident at a strategic level in TESCO? On the executive level of the firm compensation is closely tied to the performance of the firm which is common for most public firms. Earlier in 2012 it was found that performance bonuses were slashed to 16.9 per cent of the maximum. This was due to the fact that TESCO was behind its competitors in the UK in terms of sales in 2011 and the top 5,000 managers felt the pain of the company’s shortcomings. 3.0 – TESCO’s Activities and Environment TESCO is a global organization with facilities in over 14 nations and their headquarters being in the United Kingdom with 260 million plus as clients available at their hub. Their outlets have several different types of styles from hypermarket, to non-food item stores, to membership clubs. If one would take into consideration the enormous size of TESCO, it is easy to see that they would require a strategic performance management system which is flexible and nimble. Jones (2012) states that global organization need to have a holistic approach towards managing their operations and not a segmented method. This is crucial in the retail market. The retail market is nonetheless a competitive industry with commoditized stores and international competition in many of the markets the TESCO operates in. Therefore, TESCO has chosen the balanced scorecard approach which has given them success. 3.1 – What activities does TESCO engage in and in what sector? TESCO is a global grocery and merchandise corporation which was founded in the United Kingdom. The organization started IN 1919 with the retail sale of groceries and has diversified its product mix to include electronics, furniture, clothing, and books. Therefore, the company operates in multiple sectors and has a presence on every continent. The company used the aggressive strategy and approach of Jack Cohen to become one of the largest retail outlets on the planet behind only Carrefour and Wal-Mart. Sectors include: Groceries, electronics, financial services, petrol, telecommunications, clothing, music downloads 3.2 – What context does TESCO’s performance management fit in? Organizational performance can be viewed from a number of perspectives. We see that through the eyes of the customer TESCO was perceived as supplying excellent value and service. This perception was sufficient to place them as the top brand when they surpassed Sainsbury. Organizational performance can also be evaluated through financial, social, and environmental perspectives. This is where performance management at TESCO fits in. The TESCO steering wheel is a model internally shows that the firm has a holistic view towards management (Paul, 2008). This relationship exemplifies the relationship with decision making and performance where executives place emphasis on making decisions based on how far reaching the impactions are. 3.3 – Are TESCO’s performance measurements appropriate to that context? Yes, their performance measurements are actively aligned with the core assets which are integral to the success of  their organization. 4.0 – Managing Performance to Improve Decision-making: Specific example in IT Services The British retailer recently implemented a programme called Step Change, to advance its IT efficiency. Tesco placed a large amount of capital in information technology across its operations in the hopes it will keep up with the 21st century trends which lead to more mobile payments, ecommerce and efficiency gains through IT. In the earlier part of 2008, food sales over the internet made large gains of 49% higher in the last financial year, which lead to even more investment. 4.1 – What type of strategy does TESCO adopt? TESCO implements the balanced scorecard through the TESCO steering wheel. The steering wheel has 5 perspectives which cover different areas. The corporate vision and strategy of TESCO is motivated by its customer base, products, services, and the industry that it operates in. Upper management understands that margins can be slim in an industry where competition is tight and becoming a strong brand with heterogeneous image is important. Corporate strategy is inherently focused on financial gain which can be problematic of other objectives are not met (Graham, 2005). The component has lent itself back to business school basics by relying on the teachings of Porter’s five forces model. The model teaches that bargaining power of suppliers, customers, substitutes, buyers, and competitors are working against at any one moment in time. ASDA and Sainsbury due pose threats to TESCO domestically in the UK as they are established have developed brands which are perceived to have equal or greater value in the eye of the customer. Nevertheless, the threats of suppliers moving to their competitors are slimmer as TESCO has made great strides in infrastructure. The Perspectives Customer – Being an affordable and friendly retailer is crucial for TESCO. The customer is seen as the focus as competing products and sales channels can be seen more frequently with technology. Internal – Operations which are run smoothly with excellent customer service leads to keeping costs low and clients happy. TESCO is proactive in this area by offering club cards, and loyalty program with discounts and rewards. Learning – This perspective is seen through training, learning and focused supervision on employees so that they are nurtured to achieve their potential. Financial – Increasing sales,  optimizing investments, and keeping the shareholders happy are the focus of this perspective. Community – Corporate social responsibility is a key word as it relates to this perspective. TESCO was known to have a high carbon footprint, and it has strived to not only reinvest in the community, but reinvest it operates so that there is a keen interest in having a positive social impact. 4.2 – How does TESCO formulate its strategy? TESCO formulates its strategy based on the desires of the customer. According to Terry Leahy, Tesco’s Chief Executive, he states this clearly when he says â€Å"Let me tell you a secret, the secret of successful retailing. It’s this: never stop listening to your customers and giving them what they want.† This is the methodology which makes the organization one of the most successful in the world as every little contribution counts as long as it is helping build the bond between TESCO and its consumer base. This is the rationale behind the corporate strategy which is measured by the TESCO steering wheel. Axson (2010) stated that long term decision making is more soundly aligned with a balance array of operational strengths. This supports the decision which management has made it this firm. 4.3 – What are TESCO’s performance objectives? Does performance match expectations? TESCO’s performance objectives are essentially its 5 perspectives which are different areas covered in the steering wheel. Because the steering wheel is like the balanced score card it has a method of leading to performance which addresses TESCO’s impact on the triple bottom line (people, planet, profit) and allows the company to match and exceed expectations in several areas. Lunger (2007) states that the 21st century problems facing each and every organization requires incorporation of corporate stewardship into your overall strategy. 4.4 – How does TESCO inform its decision-making through performance? What tool does it use? TESCO utilizes the Balanced Scorecard method which is closely aligned with its corporate strategy. 4.5 – Critical evaluate of the tool, its benefits, limitations and it’s appropriateness to TESCO’s strategy The benefits of the tool also stem into the fact as it became a symbol of cohesion and empowerment within the firm. TESCO’s leader, Sir Terry Leahy, stated that he did not want strategy to be the work of only an isolated few individuals in the firm but the work of all of his employees. That is when the company started using the steering wheel in all  of their locations. Sir Terry Leahy ended up shutting down the strategy department completely (Jones, 2012). This was definitely seen as a controversial move as it meant that the executive level where not the sole contributor to what historically is the vision of the firm. The limitation of TESCO’s strategy here is that it is somewhat segmented in its approach as there will be no stores which are identical because they will all be run independently with their own steering wheels. This works agai nst the model that many retailers have at claiming to offer the same experience at every location. 4.6 – Identify areas for improvement A weakness for the company would be performance in the UK. Therefore development of Domestic operations is a major area of improvement for TESCO. The New CEO who succeeded Sir Leahy, Clarke, has vowed to make it an objective to have their profits in the UK become strong and growing. This is an admission of the company falling short of its expected performance for the most recent year. Part of the reasoning behind is the spectacular growth internationally of TESCO due its profits lent to underlying underperformance domestically as it has lost ground to ASDA and Sainsbury and the last three years. Crisis Management and Quality control falls under the community and customer perspective of the TESCO wheel (Marr, 2009). TESCO is reported to not have performed well in the backlash of a recent issue with suppliers and its grocery line. Recently, in early 2013, the media in the United Kingdom reported that horse meat had been found in some meat products sold by this organization, particularl y burgers. The company was quick to state that this was unacceptable activity. 5.0 – Conclusion and Recommendations 5.1 – Review and summary of your investigative findings The overall review of the findings of our report shows that TESCO is in good financial condition and its corporate strategy has achieved its objectives. The strategy has always been customer centric but it has been fruitful in economic value added and financial performance. Austerity has been a large issue in the European Union over the last few years and can bear the brunt of the blame in the lagging performance that TESCO has domestically in comparison to overseas. TESCO has seen strong growth in the United States as well as Asia. The dividend policy is forward looking at TESCO and the  overall change in management still needs time for the market to evaluate. When Sir Terry Leahy left TESCO stock crashed but has recovered. Still, the defensive position in the UK which TESCO has built over the years is proving to be vital as they weather the forces of competition domestically. 5.2 – Recommendations for identifying areas for improvement In regard to operations management, I would recommend that Tesco continue their use of the TESCO Steering wheel and invest stronger in internationally markets like Asia. Tescos highest growth came in Asia where profits grew by 30% to  £570m in 2011 (Hawke, 2011). The need to focus on the community and internal perspectives with innovations is what I see as the focus for the future. The opportunity to win back business from their competitors will require emerging a corporate citizen who cares about loyalty and the well-being of their consumer base will go a long way. This can be obtained by re-examining the performance management systems and not believing that their historical strength will continue to prove valuable in a competitive retail market. TESCO recently invested 500 million GBP as a stimulus package called â€Å"Building a better TESCO† and it has shown lackluster results thus far (Hawke, 2011). In terms of corporate strategy, I believe that creating a performance management group which oversees the effectiveness of the steering wheels domestically would be a great next step. Hope (2012) argued that utilizing your performance management tools sometimes entails injecting the human element into the equation. TESCO uses steering wheels in all of its location and loyalty cards to keep customers feeling connected and appreciated. If TESCO invests in a performance management team which can monitor remotely the performance of the UK stores in community and financial perspectives they can consistently support growth in these locations where their performance is not as strong as overseas. 5.3 – Implementation plan for recommendations Overall, TESCO’s use of strategic performance management has been successful and I would recommend keeping the steering wheel intact. The model fits naturally with their objectives and mission for the future. This has been instrumental in overcoming threats from other organizations as well as allowing them to focus on growth potential. Recommendation #1 is to invest in Asian markets more aggressively in 2013. This recommendation can be  implemented by identifying areas for growth in existing markets where TESCO has a presence and building more stores. Establishing sales channels in these markets was a strategic investment which the company has already made and can be further utilized to extract and attract more profits. Recommendation #2 is to establish a performance management team to oversee domestic steering wheel systems for TESCO. The success of the corporation has been about measuring less with their tools and focuses more on customers. The focus of this team would be to provide more support to underperforming stores by supplementing by coaching them through their steering wheel templates and shopping lists. References Business Case Studies UK. â€Å"How training and development supports business growth† Graham, Kenny, (2005), â€Å"Strategic Planning and performance management† Taylor and Sons Marr, B., (2009), Delivering Success: How Tesco is Managing, Measuring and Maximizing its Performance, Management Case Study, The Advanced Performance Institute. De Wall, Andre, (2007). â€Å"Strategic Performance Management: a managerial and behavioral approach†. Unknown Axson, David A. (2010), â€Å"Best Practices and Planning and performance management† Wiley John and Sons. Katter, P. John, Heskett L. James, (1992), â€Å"Corporate Culture and Performance† Kotter Associates. Hope, Jeremy, (2012), â€Å"Beyond Performance Management, how and when to use 40 tools† Harvard Business Review. Hawke, Alex, (2011), â€Å"TESCO Reports record profits of 3.8 Bn† Guardian.co.uk Marr, Bernard, (2006), â€Å"Strategic Performance Management† Butterworth-Hineman, Oxford. Lunger, K., 2007, â€Å"A performance Management Primer: Why you need more than a dashboard to manage your strategy.† TESCO PLS (2010) (2011) from Tesco Corporate Paul, R. (2008) Balanced Scorecard: for Government and non-Profit Agencies. Canada: John Wiley Marr, Bernard, (2010), â€Å"The Intelligent Company, Five Steps to success with evidence based \management† Wiley, Oxford. Jones, Steve. 2012, â€Å"Strategic Performance Management, A Case Study at TESCO† Czarnecki, Mark T. (1999), â€Å"Managing by Measuring, how to improve your organization’s performance through effective benchmarking†. The Benchmarking Network Spitzer, Dean, (2007), â€Å"Transforming Performance Measurement: rethinking the way we measure†. AMACOM.

The unsuccesful use of ethanol :: Alternative fuel bio-ethanol

The Unsuccessful Use of Ethanol Current interest in ethanol fuel in the United States mainly lies in bio-ethanol, produced from corn, but there has been considerable debate about how useful bio-ethanol will be in replacing fossil fuels in vehicles. Concerns relate to the large amount of arable land required for crops, as well as the energy and pollution balance of the whole cycle of ethanol production. I don't think the US could implement the use of ethanol or other alternate fuels successfully as Brazil has done for many reasons: firstly, ethanol production in the United States does not benefit the nation's energy security, its agriculture, economy or the environment because ethanol production requires large fossil energy input to produce these fuels than you get out from the combustion of these products. Therefore, it is contributing to oil and natural gas imports and U.S. deficits. The country should instead focus its efforts on producing electrical energy from photovoltaic cells, wind power and burning biomass and producing fuel from hydrogen conversion. Secondly, in Brazil reducing the rate of deforestation seemed likely to be more effective for taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere. In the United States, reliance on ethanol to fuel the automobile fleet would require enormous, unachievable areas of corn agriculture, and the environmental impacts would outweigh its benefits, destroying bio-diversity. Ethanol would be mainly made from bio organic material that will be especially grown for this purpose. It also uses a lot of fuel to grow these plants. The same goes for various kinds of vegetable oils that are said to be environmental friendly. Ethanol cannot alleviate the United States? dependence on petroleum, may, however, still be useful in regions or cities with critical pollution problems, and to make use of agricultural wastes. Basically, an increased demand for ethanol would cause land use changes - destroying forests and grasslands to grow corn or other ethanol crops - ethanol and other bio-fuels actually add to global wa rming. Thirdly, as demand for ethanol fuel increases, food crops are replaced by fuel crops, driving food supply down and food prices up. Growing demand for ethanol in the United States has increased corn prices by 50% in Mexico. Average barley prices in the United States rose 17% from January to June 2007 to the highest in 11 years. Prices for all grain crops trend upward, reflecting a progressive increase in farm land devoted to corn for the production of produce ethanol fuel.

Ensure work safety Essay

Introduction I have read and analyze the current policies and procedures of Coffeeville on work health and safety. I compared them with WHS acts, regulations and codes of practice and developed WHS guidelines for following areas. These guidelines will help employer to control the workplace risks. These guidelines will not only improve safety outcomes but will also support employer in demonstrating that they are meeting obligations under Work Health and Safety laws. WHS criteria WHS Guidelines for respective areas 1. Organizational commitment to locate, adapt, adopt and communicate work health and safety policies in order to be compliant with WHS legislation Store managers and senior leadership have to be committed to ensure WHS management system I functioning properly. They are responsible that all staff members are exercising the WHS procedures. Managers have the responsibility of reviewing the Risk Action Plan on a monthly basis.Leaders of the entire workplace are required to follow the requirements of WHS legislation by communicating to the workforce of its requirements and ongoing changes to adopt and adapt the WHS policies. A proper training of WHS policies and procedure is to be delivered to new employees at time of recruitment. Regular communication and consultation between management and employees is required time to time to maintain health and safety at workplace as per required under WHS legislation. During WHS consultation or meeting all WHS policies and procedures has to be given in writing to workforce. Also suggestions should be asked from employees to make them contribute towards maintaining the workplace safe, risk free and quality decision making. All staff members are told and trained to fill risk and hazard report forms. Teams are to be made to assess risks and hazards at workplace and submit report with suggestions to avoid those risks. All the information such as the hazard inspection reports, minutes of OHS Committee meetings, group meetings, suggestions, circulars or other OHS information should be provided to staff via e-mail, newsletters or handover printout. Accurately explain relevant provisions of WHS Policy, legislation and codes  of practice to staff. Systematically WHS training needs of employees in line with organizational requirements, online employee health and safety program, provide workplace learning opportunities, safety manuals and put clear safety signage. Ensuring the distribution of work health and safety policies and procedures on a range of topics to each division or group, setting up processes to ensure consultation can occur between the national body and state and local groups or divisions. 2. WHS responsibilities for duty holders The Work Health and Safety Policy clearly defines the rights and responsibilities of duty holders. All duty holders have to comply with company policies and procedures. Do not use any faulty equipment, do not misuse any of equipment or never use anything without training if needed, wear proper PPE and report any WHS issues, including hazards, injuries, illnesses and near misses. 3. Human resources and financial commitment for an effective work health and safety management system Human resource department should assigned Health and Safety representative, first aid attendant, fire attendant, health and safety committee to be formed and HR has to make sure of proper training. It is job of HR to provide financial and physical resources to enable the effective implementation of the Workplace Health and Safety. These financial resources must be provided in budget allocation to the Workplace Health and Safety team. 4. How to set up a consultation and participative arrangements according to relevant WHS legislation Part 5 of the WHS Act 2011 (the Act) requires PCBUs to consult with workers about WHS matters that affect their workplace health or safety. As workers now includes all people completing work for the PCBU this includes consultation with employees, contractors, sub-contractors, volunteers, labour-hire workers and any other person completing work for the PCBU. Prior to consulting with workers, PCBUs and workers must initially determine â€Å"work groups†. A â€Å"work group† is a group of workers with similar WHS concerns and work conditions. A work group may cover multiple locations but include similar job activities or a work group may cover a range of job types in a single location. Workers can be represented in the negotiation and determination of a workgroup by their union Once work groups are determined then each work group can determine the best method for WHS consultation. The options for WHS consultation include; i. Health and  Safety Representatives (HSRs) ii. Health and Safety Committees (HSCs) iii. Other agreed arrangements(meetings) 5. How to record and communicate outcomes of consultation over WHS issues and how quickly to provide information about the outcomes of participation and consultation to work teams All consultations over WHS issues and their outcomes are to be recorded using standard templates and document control processes like minute taking if it’s a regular meeting. These documents can be maintained on the Workplace Health and Safety section of company website as examples or case studies. Work teams can be notified with workers newsletter, notice in staff room and staff can also be notified about changes by email to relevant work teams and stakeholders. Policies should to be reviewed regularly in consultation with work teams and relevant stakeholders. All policies should to be authorized by the senior management and their issue date recorded on the relevant document. 6. The process for identifying hazards across the organization including the stages of hazard identification and procedures used to ensure new proposed changes do not create any new hazards To identify hazards the following procedures are recommended: (i) Talk with workers (including contractors) who are or will be performing any tasks to identify all potential hazards and the best ways to eliminate or reduce risk as workers have encountered hazards near misses they as part of their work. We can ask workers to participate in surveys and questionnaire can be given to them to find out more about workplace hazards. (ii) Past incidents/accidents have to be examined to find out what was wrong, why that has happened and whether the incident/accident could occur again. (iii) All faulty appliances are to be reported to relevant sections of company so that they can be fixed or replaced as soon as possible. Proper training should be provided prior of using any machinery or power tools. All faulty machinery is tagged with faulty or do not use signs. (iv) Regular inspections or checks of workplaces are necessary to eradicate hazards and minimize risks. Regular assessment leads to new ideas of making workplace safer for staff. Brainstorming is required before implementing any new policies or any other changes to avoid any new hazards and before implementing on new policies a trial run is necessary. 7. The process of  analyzing risks and ranking them and control procedures to treat risks It is necessary to assess and analyze the risk. Risk assessment determines severity of risk, review of existing risk control measures, action required to avoid or control risks and urgency of action required. Risk assessment involves considering the possible results of someone being exposed to a hazard and the likelihood of this occurring. level of risk = consequence x likelihood Some steps of risk assessment and procedures to treat risks are as followed Identify the hazards i. Walk around your workplace and look at what could reasonably be expected to cause harm. ii. Ask your employees or their representatives what they think. They may have noticed things that are not immediately obvious to you. iii. Check manufacturers’ instructions or data sheets for chemicals and equipment. iv. Remember to think about long-term hazards to health Decide who might be harmed and how i. some workers have particular requirements, eg new and young workers, migrant workers ii. Cleaners, visitors, contractors, maintenance workers etc. who may not be in the workplace all the time, members of the public, if they could be hurt by your activities. Evaluate the risks and decide on precaution i. try a less risky option ii. prevent access to the hazard iii. organize work to reduce exposure to the hazard iv. issue personal protective equipment and provide welfare facilities (e.g. first aid and washing facilities for removal of contamination). Record your findings and implement them i. a proper check was made; ii. you asked who might be affected; iii. you dealt with all the obvious significant hazards, taking into account the number of people who could be involved; iv. the precautions are reasonable, and the remaining risk is low; and v. Involve your staff or  their representatives in the process. A good plan of action often includes a mixture of different things such as: A few cheap or easy improvements that can be done quickly, perhaps as a temporary solution until more reliable controls are in place Long-term solutions to those risks most likely to cause accidents or ill health; long-term solutions to those risks with worse potential consequences; Arrangements for training employees on the main risks that remain and how they are to be controlled; Regular checks to make sure that the control measures stay in place; and Clear responsibilities – who will lead on what action and by when? Review your assessment and update if necessary Few workplaces stay the same. Sooner or later, you will bring in new equipment, substances and procedures that could lead to new hazards. It makes sense therefore, to review what you are doing on an ongoing basis. Look at your risk assessment and think about whether there have been any changes? Are there improvements you still need to make? Have your workers spotted a problem? Have you learnt anything from accidents or near misses? Make sure your risk assessment stays up to date. 8. The procedures for maintaining an effective work health and safety management system These procedures are required so that safe and healthy environment can be provided to workers. It is about setting up a system or standard procedures to be made to follow in different situations regarding WHS. It involves planning and identification of hazards, hazard/risk assessment and control of hazards/risk. The Workplace Health and Safety team has identified the health and safety legal requirements applicable to Coffeeville e.g. legislation, Codes of Practice and Australian Standards, and maintains a library for access by all staff. Objectives and targets are to be set for regarding workplace, health and safety. There must be some guidelines set to implement these procedures. Finance and physical resources to enable the effective implementation of the Workplace Health and Safety Management System. These resources are provided for in the provision of the budget allocation to the Workplace Health and Safety team and the overall budget of the individual work units. The Work Health and Safety Policy clearly defines, documents and  communicates the responsibilities and accountabilities of Senior management executives, Managers and Supervisors, Employees and Contractors and Subcontractors. Coffeeville in consultation with employees identifies training needs in relation to performing work ac tivities competently, including health and safety training. Consultation between management and employees is an essential part of effectively managing health and safety in the workplace. Management must consult with employees so that they contribute to decisions about the implementation of safety practices. A communication network is necessary in order to provide safety and welfare information to staff, contractors and visitors through the following media like WHS website, targeted correspondence and emails to employees and stakeholders, safety manuals, signage and safe work procedures. Coffeeville measures and reports its health and safety performance on a regular basis via WHS inspections, and incident, accident and hazard reports. The Workplace Health and Safety team prepares an annual report for the Coffeeville Executive and Council on the management of health and safety. The report provides the necessary information on the performance of the WHSMS to enable review of the WHSMS on an ongoing basis, ensuring that the systems in place continue to meet the needs of the company. 9. What expert WHS advice to be used It is necessary to employ or engage a suitably qualified person under WHS legislation to advice on issues impacting the health and safety of your employees. Consultant can be hired if there is no suitable person with required skills and knowledge at within organisation or someone from workplace is to be provided with proper training to perform the job. A consultant or qualified can give you advice on: establishing, maintaining or improving safe systems of work identifying, eliminating or controlling workplace hazards actions to eliminate or reduce the risk of a worker being injured Taking samples or measurements of workplace environments (eg air samples, noise readings or ergonomic assessments). Can give advice to review and revival of company’s WHS policy 10. The requirements for strict compliance with WHS legislative framework to meet legal requirements WHS policies and procedures  of company must be designed under the guidelines given in Work Health and Safety Act 2011(WHS Act) and Work Health and Safety Regulations 2011(WHS Regulations). The WHS Act provides a framework to protect the health, safety and welfare of all workers at work and of other people who might be affected by the work. Duty of an organization includes ensuring, so far as is reasonably practicable: provision and maintenance of a work environment without risks to health and safety provision and maintenance of safe plant and structures and safe systems of work safe use, handling and storage of plant, structures and substances provision of adequate facilities for the welfare at work of workers, including volunteers, for example toilets, first aid facilities, and provision of information, training and instruction or supervision that is necessary to protect all persons from risks to their health and safety arising from their work. References: www.vwa.vic.gov.au http://www.safeworkaustralia.gov.au http://simulations.ibsa.org.au/australian_hardware http://simulations.ibsa.org.au/coffeeville