Safeway

This paper talks about Safeway a store, now so popular that it has made itself establish as a brand in the market. This paper talks about problems that are plaguing Safeway and how can a solution be reached. It starts off with a summary of the entire paper and then details on the company’s vision, mission, goals etc. It provides a list of problems that Safeway has been facing through the years prioritizes these and then develops a solution plan in a logical step-wise manner. The paper concludes itself with a brief discussion on how the solution can be achieved in an effective manner and provides a brief evaluation of it. Executive Summary. Safeway is a chain of stores, now so popular that it has made itself establish as a brand in the market. Safeway started off as a store back in 1915, under the vision of M. Skagg’s. Then, it was just a store and now we see around one thousand seven hundred and seventy five stores all across United States of America and Canada. The vision at Safeway talks about value and adding value to the chain of operations that the store is involved in. It talks about giving value to customers through value added products and services under the name of Safeway stores and by strategizing success in terms of profits by keeping them narrow while expanding. In 2000, Safeway faced a huge internal labor problem whereby it received threats and complaints from peers and its competitor, Wal-Mart. Another issue was that of loss in sales and of customer base. It also experienced declining profits. (IBSCDC) Safeway, as of its current standing has been facing internal issues revolving around pay conflicts and the chain not keeping its promises to the laborers/ workers. This has resulted into a lot of frustration and feelings of negativity in between the two entities. Strikes arranged by labor union/s have been the looming issue this year, 2009 at Safeway. The basic reasons for this are frustrated workers because of their wages and pension benefits, which they consider low or minimal. (SFGate) Other issues revolve around lawsuits by two pension funds on the management and board of Safeway, blaming them guilty to deceit, greed and managerial inexperience. Due to this situation, many a times the shareholders have gotten very upset at the way things function inside the chain. Another main problem that the company faces is that of conflict of interests, which results in selfish behavior. (RedOrbit) The labor problem directly affects the key stakeholder groups. It has resulted into upsetting the laborers or workers who are the driving force behind the various operations that the chain undertakes, be it the sales stores, warehouses, or the staff at the chain’s office. And when this extends to the whole of America and Canada, it results into negative spill over effects throughout the organization. This affects the shareholders, since history has also proved that two lawsuits also were filed against the management of Safeway due to reasons of conflict of interests, no or minimal transparency etc. The different solutions that this paper has proposed comprise of a sound transparent system in overall operations, fair measurement of performance through technology usage and SAPs (HRMReport), improving upon the recruitment guidelines by involving pre-agreed upon contracts between the company and the worker being recruited, and lastly, employing the element of bureaucracy by the ‘stick’ technique applied to the upper management by the Board. The last option surrounds replacement of all those managers who have shown a history of conflict of interests. Resource Center) The best solution out of all these is a combination of achieving transparency through correcting any occurrence of conflict of interests with pre-agreed setting of labor contracts. The solution can be implemented by communicating it to the shareholders, workers and upper management. This should be done in a clear manner. A ‘no-patience’ approach should be communicated boasting an environment fr ee of greed, selfishness and self-interest- envisioning, communicating and implementing a conflict of interests free environment. This can hence help in adopting a measurement of performance for workers plan under which the transparency guidelines will be communicated effectively. Position Safeway started off as a store back in 1915, under the vision of M. Skagg’s. Then, it was just a store and now we see around one thousand seven hundred and seventy five stores all across United States of America and Canada. Today, Safeway is not just a chain of stores (grocery stores) rather it is a brand. It has also launched several private brands under its umbrella all across North America. There are three thousand products approximately available under the brand names of Lucerne, Mrs. Wright’s, Safeway and Safeway Select Label that markets more than a thousand premium brands. Through the years, the chain of stores has done its share of corporate social responsibility. It does this by donating to schools, for breast and prostate cancer research, contributing towards the displaced people resulting out of natural calamities like the Tsunami and also helps disabled people. This initiative, which is a proper program at the company basically, has helped it make and retain community partnerships. Also, Safeway has contributed towards the restoration and preservation efforts of the environment, by extending help in the areas of renewable energy and solid waste management. (Safeway Website) Vision and Mission of Safeway The vision at Safeway is the same as it was before that was built by Skagg’s. It talks about value and adding value to the chain of operations that the store is involved in. It talks about giving value to customers through value added products and services under the name of Safeway stores and by strategizing success in terms of profits by keeping them narrow while expanding. Its mission statement is that of ‘expanding for the better’, which revolves around continuous improvement when the management jargon is applied. These also constitute the broader, long-term goals for the company. Safeway believes in ‘Ingredients for Life’, since it encompasses the concept of ‘wholesomeness’ in whatever services and products it is providing to the customer. This, henceforth also forms its tagline. (Safeway Web Site). Stakeholders of Safeway These include groups and people from the different segments of the countries. First and foremost it includes the shareholders who have been investing in the company and the Board of Directors of Upper Management. Other key stakeholders include customers who contribute towards the revenues by visiting stores and making purchases. Its suppliers include all the companies that through stocking fee reserve their spaces in shelves in all Safeway stores for retail. The Corporate Social Responsibility Steering Group or CSR Steering Group is yet another group that has stake in the chain of stores- Safeway. Others include, Media Companies, Journalists, Laborers, and last but not least its employees. Problems: Contextual Analysis Safeway’s ride to success and its expansion efforts have not been problem free. It has faced many internal as well as external problems that have rendered its free will operations difficult to perform under such circumstances. In 2000, Safeway faced a huge internal labor problem whereby it received threats and complaints from peers and its competitor, Wal-Mart. Another issue was that of loss in sales and of customer base. It also experienced declining profits. (IBSCDC) Safeway, as of its current standing has been facing internal issues revolving around pay conflicts and the chain not keeping its promises to the laborers/ workers. This has resulted into a lot of frustration and feelings of negativity in between the two entities. Strikes arranged by labor union/s have been the looming issue this year, 2009 at Safeway. The basic reasons for this are frustrated workers because of their wages and pension benefits, which they consider low or minimal. (SFGate) Other issues revolve around lawsuits by two pension funds on the management and board of Safeway, blaming them guilty to deceit, greed and managerial inexperience. Due to this situation, many a times the shareholders have gotten very upset at the way things function inside the chain. Another main problem that the company faces is that of conflict of interests, which results in selfish behavior. (RedOrbit) Sense One of the major problems at the company revolves around its labor workers due to labor unions and their frustrations. The chain of grocery stores- Safeway has been trying to take control over this issue, through resolution efforts in terms of labor agreements etc. , but nothing too productive and fruitful has been done. Therefore, the issue still stands and even though is not raging with the same force as it was before it is definitely the most problematic area for the corporation as of now. SFGate) The fringe benefits including health care and pension related alongside the wage issue present in the labor staff, has resulted into a deep frustration. This has resulted into a negative feeling between the company and the workers. The labor union demands increments in their wages and wants a yearlong hold to adjusting the pension program (which constitutes pension benefits for the workers). Many companies have agreed to these terms to some extent by increasing the retirement age but the wage issue remains frozen. (McGhee, T. These however are the symptoms of a larger cause, a greater problem, this being mismanagement on the part of the upper management arising due to a conflict of interests and as mentioned above greed and hypocrisy. The labor problem directly affects the key stakeholder groups. It has resulted into upsetting the laborers or workers who are the driving force behind the various operations that the chain undertakes, be it the sales stores, warehouses, or the staff at the chain’s office. And when this extends to the whole of America and Canada, it results into negative spill over effects throughout the organizat ion. This affects the shareholders, since history has also proved that two lawsuits also were filed against the management of Safeway due to reasons of conflict of interests, no or minimal transparency etc. Uncover The problem surrounding labor related issues and up rise of labor union movements against the management is the biggest problem at Safeway because if a company’s employee/s workers are not happy, the manual force behind its operations is not strong therefore this results into low profitability, bad reputation and further conflict of interests. The different solutions that this paper has proposed comprise of a sound transparent system in overall operations, fair measurement of performance through technology usage and SAPs (HRMReport), improving upon the recruitment guidelines by involving pre-agreed upon contracts between the company and the worker being recruited, and lastly, employing the element of bureaucracy by the ‘stick’ technique applied to the upper management by the Board. The last option surrounds replacement of all those managers who have shown a history of conflict of interests. Resource Center) Solve The problem is so massive that it requires a proper plan of action in the form of a labor plan and a formalized labor budgeting report. This calls for transparency as well as a clear set of goals for the laborers or workers at the company. Employing transparency within the company is the key solution here and others should replace replacing managers or upper management people, who have showed a selfis h attitude, in the corporate market. This is the only end solution in end. But, since this is not a feasible option since laying off and replacing a company’s upper management just like that is not an easy task, what needs to be established is a formalized, controlled system of labor handling. Under this each laborer or worker before his recruitment will know about his wages, fringe benefits and pension benefits. If the agreement proves to be a compromise between the company as well as the worker, then it should be agreed upon to start off induction and the recruitment processes after that. There should also be a sound â€Å"management of employees framework†, that helps in gaining accountability and transparency with fairness to the entire process of performance evaluation. The best solution out of all these is a combination of achieving transparency through correcting any occurrence of conflict of interests with pre-agreed setting of labor contracts. Build Strategic decisions involve making of sound decisions which includes goal identification, problem finding, generation of solutions as possible options and then evaluation these to select the best possible one. Schwenk, C. (1984) says that cognitive psychology hence needs to be adopted when making decisions in the corporate world. (Schwenk, C. , 113) A risky project comprising of uncertainty according to theorists comprises of setting a performance measure that results into goal alignment successfully. The ‘standard’ here is that of the project passing through the potential ‘Pareto Improvement’. (Graham, D. , 715) In line with these theorists’ views, the best solution as proposed above out of all the ones mentioned is a combination of achieving transparency through correcting any occurrence of conflict of interests with pre-agreed setting of labor contracts. The positive side of this tells a story of no or minimal confusion in agreements of labor contracts, less occurrence of ill reputation, and no or minimal frustration on the part of the workers and shareholders as the two key stakeholders here in this case. The dark side to the cost benefit analysis in line with what Schewenk, C. 1984) has talked about revolves around fears of bureaucracy and the upper management becoming agitated and frustrated due to less empowerment and control in their hands. Achieve The solution can be implemented by communicating it to the shareholders, workers and upper management. This should be done in a clear manner. A ‘no-patience’ approach should be communicated boasting an environment free o f greed, selfishness and self-interest- envisioning, communicating and implementing a conflict of interests free environment. This can hence help in adopting a measurement of performance for workers plan under which the transparency guidelines will be communicated effectively. An evaluation phase can be developed henceforth, by having an internal audit constituting of representatives of the Board Members, so as to hold checks after each quarter. This shall help in consistency supervision and prevention of conflict between Safeway and its workers.

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Thesis Writing Essay

1.1 Background of the Study An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of academic learning known as elementary or primary education. In most countries, it is compulsory for children to receive proper education although it is permissible for parents to provide it. The major goals of education are achieving basic literacy and numeracy amongst all pupils, as well as establishing foundations in science, mathematics, geography, history and other social sciences. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elementary_school) The education system of the Philippines includes formal and non-formal education. Compared to other Asian countries, the Philippine education system differs in a number of ways. Basic education in the Philippines is only 10 years as against 12 in other countries. The Philippine education system is closely related to the American system of formal education while other Asian countries are influenced by the English, French or Dutch system. The Philippines is using a bilingual medium of instruction. Certain subjects are taught in English and the rest in the national language which is Filipino. However, since June 4, 2012, DepEd started to implement the new K-12 educational system, which includes the new curricula for all schools. In this system, education is now compulsory. K-12 means â€Å"Kindergarten and the 12 years of elementary and secondary education.† Kindergarten points to the 5-year old child who undertakes the standardized curriculum for preschoolers. Elementary education refers to 6 years of primary school (Grades 1-6) while secondary education means four years of junior high school (Grades 7-10 or HS Year 1-4). In addition to this, two years are now allotted for senior high school (Grades 11-12 or HS Year 5-6). Northside Christian Academy is one of the well-known Christian elementary schools in Bacolod City. It can be located at They provide good teaching aid and services for pupils in elementary. Through the dream and aspiration of the founders of the school, it became into existence. The researcher chose it as her course study because as an institution that offers needs for pupils, it should also provide an attractive, functional, stable and green environment for the children to learn and to be educated. The school had been there for almost 2 decades but the school hasn’t changed much since then. It needs proper planning of the spaces, ventilation and a stable design that would fit for an elementary school. As a student designer, working to aim this goal will achieve to answer the stated problems through gathering data, analyzing and planning. This proposed study does not only provide for their children’s care but also a workable environment for the teachers and also for other working facilities and parents. It could accommodate a space where in they can be comfortable and relaxed and a space where each unit has its function of its services. This would affect a better development of the school and also it will benefit to them to receive more credits and many visits from new visitors and enrollees. 1.2 Statement of the Problem Parents know what’s best for their children. They want their children to send them to school because it is their learning experience with teachers and having groups of friends. It’s an opportunity to learn to share, follow instructions and begin learning that will occur in a school. But sometimes parents have their common worries about the space being uncomfortable get intimidated by the institutional ambience of the schools which sometimes children would usually get scared of entering or left there. In creating an interior environment of the proposed, the researcher will aim for a functional, stable, attractive, and organized space for the parents to bring their children by seeking answers to the following questions during the course study: 1. Considering the design standards, what will be the appropriate interior design concept for the school? 2. What will be the color schemes that will give the school’s students and teachers a more effective and comfortable environment for education? 3. What will be the proper interior treatment and finishing material for the following? 3. a. Furniture 3. b. Floor 3. c. Ceiling 3. d. Walls 3. e. Lighting 4. What are the additional changes needed to pay attention as a researcher? 5. What is the proper lighting plan for the school offices and classrooms? 1.3 Theoretical Framework The concept planning for the improvement of the interior environment of Northside Christian Academy is to study the given spaces and conduct a research towards redesigning and improving the school’s interior by getting sources of inspiration out of other concepts and abiding to its design principles which can be suited. For the users’ benefit, the proponent is trying to create a design that considers, creative aesthetics, functional, stable and organized environment. This would enhance the school’s working environment for both students and teachers and staff. Before the proponent plans out the concept, she first gathered some of her sources. There is no perfect classroom design. However, Lippman (2002, 2003) in his study of schools mentions that providing a variety of spaces within a classroom supports student-teacher / child-adult relationships. With the understanding that schools are learning centers for development, and building on his research findings, Franklin (2008) recognized that non-traditional, modern learning environments could encourage students to fully participate in activities with others as they acquire knowledge for themselves. He then developed the following criteria for the modern classroom: †¢ The classroom layout should have the amount of space a child will need varies with the activity, such as reading, writing, working or simply listening. Therefore, the plan has to be able to accommodate instruction, experimentation, or group related activities. †¢ It has to accommodate the formation and functioning of small learning groups while providing a sense of separation, because groups working together will experience distractions and non-productive interaction. †¢ It has to be flexible enough to allow the continual reorganization of the whole class into various sizes and number of small learning groups. This means the space must be as free as possible of permanent obstructions. †¢ It has to be manageable by a single teacher who has command of the entire space. This means the space must be compact and open (Dyck 1994) In terms of school design, connection, on one hand, involves pathways between spaces within the school building. In this case, safe, easy movement and allowing surveillance are three basic requirements. On the other hand, connections also refer to the allowance of school and community functions to be integrated into a cohesive network of closely adjacent facilities, creating an involvement and awareness of the educational process. Circulation such as hallways and corridors are a costly percentage of a school building. The circulation provision has to create gentle transitions from different spaces, taking advantage of turns and bends to create unique areas of learning. Conversely, for issues of safety, circulation paths also need to ensure supervision by, not only administrators, but also students, teachers and parents. Poorly designed circulation can make movement around the building difficult and even facilitate bullying. It is not just a corridor. It is a critical dimension where good design can make a real difference to spatial quality. Lying behind the detail of design elements for general and particular needs there is also a recurrent theme around the general level of stimulation that is appropriate for given situations. In broad terms this may vary from buildings designed for relaxation, such as, homes, to those designed to stimulate, such as theatres, but also variation will be appropriate within buildings. So in a school, classrooms may need a different approach from assembly areas. Children of kindergarten through elementary-school ages are mostly extroverted by nature. A warm, bright color scheme complements this tendency, thereby re- ducing tension, nervousness, and anxiety; color may be light salmon, soft, warm yellow, pale yellow-orange, coral and peach. Colors of opposite temperature should also be introduced as accents. Under no circumstances should it be believed that by pinning drawings, cartoons or the like on the wall, the child’s need for changes in hue, color intensity, and lightness, is satisfied, or that it will reduce a monotonous room experience. 4. Significance of the Study A. To the Students This newly planned, functional and sustainable interior environment of Northside Christian Academy will be beneficial for the students. It presents that for a small institution; it will be a place of comfort and created to enrich their minds with the use of the interior design, conducive for effective learning. B. To the Parents This proposed interior space will be improved and at the same time will be the suitable design for their children’s environment. To create a second home for their children that will always bring them to comfort and safety. C. To the Principal, Teachers and Working personnel It will help the school’s interior to be improved and at the same time to present a good working environment for them. Creating a safe place will bring them to the warmth of home and belongingness. And also to which it will be beneficial for their interaction with the children. D. To the Proponent As the proponent, this study is significant for me to learn in enhancing my skills, to utilize my knowledge for research and to share my ideas to those who will benefit. And a stepping stone for me to achieve what I want by applying this project as my experience for me.

Managing Data Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Managing Data Assignment - Essay Example In the task, we listened to a short BBC Radio 4 programme segment entitled ‘More or Less’. The show is a series about statistics. It discusses the use and abuse of statistics in modern applications. In the show modern media of news communications like; TV news, radio news and newspapers, are looked at by people. It majorly tackles statistics involved in these news communication media and after listening to the segment we were required to carry out a number of tasks. First was to listen to the segment attentively and make notes on information we got from it. It had no particular area where we had to make notes on, but we were required to put down anything important that we retained from the show. This was important since questions from the subject being talked about in the show would be asked. Taking enough and accurate points from the show was, therefore, important since it would determine how one performed on the questions asked after the show. At the end of the show, the class was presented with a couple of questions based on the subject on the segment. One was required to answer in accordance to what we heard and put down notes on from the show. The topic was on low energy light bulbs, and we were required to answer questions on the subject: By the end of the workshop, the student was to be able to precisely describe the construction of the table in full. Also, to outline why the table’s author combined discrete pieces of data found in the table. The student was to be able to explain why data collection was done in the first place and what the hypothesis being tested (Ras, 2009).The first task of the workshop was that we were required to form two or three groups depending on the class size. Then, in each of groups formed we select one student who would work on describing the tabular data. The other members of the group would

Estate Planning (case study) Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

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The International Coordination by Israel During the Raid Case Study

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