Philip Larkin’s Poetry Essay

In what ways does Larkin’s poetry show his attitude to death? In Philip Larkin’s poetry there is a profound sense of unease about death. Larkin, throughout his poetry, obviously contemplates the inevitable end that is death. In his poetry Larkin uses great observational skills, noting and writing about everyday circumstances in cinematic detail. With death, though, Larkin has nothing to observe. He cannot draw any precise conclusions about something that he has not directly experienced. I think, therefore, that Larkin shows a fear of death through his poetry, but also a deep fascination with it. I intend to show Larkin’s attitude to death through a number of his poems. In these poems Larkin certainly does show a fascination with death, but hopefully I will also show that Larkin’s attitude is not completely negative and that Larkin may see that death can have a redeeming end. The first poem from my selection that I will use is â€Å"ËÅ"Ambulances’, a poem where even the title suggests relation to death. In â€Å"ËÅ"Ambulances’ the emphasis is definitely placed upon death, the first line actually hints upon Larkin’s attitude to death. He begins by setting a very sombre image within the reader’s mind, saying â€Å"Closed like confessionals†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  An almost dooming phrase. The instant image given by this one line is dread. Most people dread going to confession and the thought of disclosing one’s secrets and sins can make it seem even more daunting. Larkin actually had no love for religion, in fact it was quite the opposite, and the comparison made between ambulances and confessionals can actually be seen as an attack on ambulances, showing that they are a front, concealing the inevitable. The comment upon the path that they take â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦they thread Loud noons of cities† may be used to represent death being everywhere, and like a thread it is woven into our lives. One may also see a religious reference within this phrase, showing that God who is supposedly with us always is now replaced with death looming over us. Even amongst the vibrancy and lively atmosphere of the city, perhaps even a rush hour, death still looms. We see Larkin’s great observation; he almost absorbs everything he sees, † †¦ giving back None of the glances they absorb. Light glossy grey, arms on a plaque.† Larkin sees as ambulances as representing death, which takes life, carrying it off but never returning it. He also shows not only his own fascination with death, but also the fascination all people have. Whenever people see the ambulance they immediately stare. The imagery of death as Light glossy grey, arms on a plaque and They come to rest on any kerb creates an impression upon the reader making them look at their own mortality and they realise that death is the one truth we all must encounter Larkin is bleakly honest when he says â€Å"All streets in time are visited†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This clearly shows that death is also common in all places and paints a picture for the reader to understand. â€Å"Then children strewn on steps or road, Or women coming from the shops Past smells of different dinners†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Larkin takes everyday chores experiences and relates them to death, showing how commonplace death is. The image of children being ‘strewn’ reflects the randomness of death. An image is evoked from the reader of bodies scattered and strewn after death has finally reached them. Even the youthful cannot escape death, children are susceptible. â€Å"†¦ see A wild white face that overtops Red stretcher blankets momently As it is carried and stowed† The use of enjambment rushes the reader through the lines and ives a sense of panic at the sight of this person being taken away. The use of the word â€Å"ËÅ"stowed’ shows that the body is just like an object being stowed away, an unimportant â€Å"ËÅ"thing’. Larkin then describes death as â€Å"the solving emptiness†. Life is seen as having such a meaningless nature and that death is there and â€Å"†¦lies just under all we do.† Death constantly threatens us in everything we do. This shows the fragility of human life. â€Å"And for a second get it whole, So permanent and blank and true.† This truth is inescapable, the repetition of ‘and’ drags out this whole meaning. The  utter truth is that death is forever, like the ambulances, we do not return. Larkin shows that people think of death, but when they see the truth that death holds it frightens them and they place it in the back of their minds. This is shown when he says â€Å"The fastened doors recede †¦Ã¢â‚¬  These fastened doors are the doors of the mind closed to what they don’t want to know, what they cannot possibly comprehend. As the body was stowed the people whisper â€Å"poor thing† but â€Å"at their own distress â€Å". These people do know that all streets in time are visited, including their own. When anything bad occurs, one naturally reacts by comparing the situation to one’s own life. We are sympathetic but naturally selfish. We all see death, including Larkin, as an image of a â€Å"..sudden shut of loss Round something nearly at an end†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The shut of the ambulance doors represents death closing in around life that is â€Å"nearly at an end†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Larkin’s language when he describes death as ‘something’ gives it anonymity life no longer has a source of meaning because Larkin sees death to be a stronger power which overpowers life. Death removes the uniqueness and identity of life; everyone comes to the same end. â€Å"And what cohered in it across The years, the unique random blend Of families and fashions there At least begin to loosen.† Larkin could be referring to the mix of genes we have inherited over the years and that death can loosen this blend. This also shows that we are ‘unreachable’ by anything but death. â€Å"The traffic parts to let go by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  This shows the traditional respect for the sick and the dead. This respect has been built up through the fear of death. I know that this is true to me, personally and obviously to Larkin also. Larkin ends with a very daunting cadence; â€Å"Brings closer what is left to come, And dulls to distance all we are. † This cadence, to me, seems very dramatic. It brings into perspective the whole theme of mortality. Larkin makes us think of how fragile and short life is. Larkin must really fear his own mortality. I suppose everyone fears death to  a certain extent, but not many people would care to, or even dare to contemplate what happens after death in as much detail as Philip Larkin. These thoughts must frighten him and anything to do with death and mortality must scare him. Another poem, that is not only relevant to the question, but is also on the same theme as ‘Ambulances’ is called ‘The Building’, the building being a hospital. Larkin describes the hospital as â€Å"Higher than the handsomest hotel† I think that this line is misleading and somewhat ironic, it is falsely attractive. It paints an almost positive picture of a hospital, but I feel that Larkin resents the height of it, after all, the bigger the building the larger the capacity it can hold. The building is â€Å"Like a great sigh out of the last century.† So this building is obviously a modern construction, a quite incongruous and disturbing building in it’s nineteenth century context. Larkin’s tone then changes to fear: â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦what keep drawing up At the entrance are not taxis; and in the hall As well as creepers hangs a frightening smell.† Larkin makes a reference to ambulances here also. He refers to them drawing up outside and the smell in the halls being â€Å"ËÅ"frightening’. He almost persomifies the smell by saying it hangs over them as if it were ready to pounce on any victim. He describes the waiting area and how the people’s faces are â€Å"restless and resigned† He obviously sees this as an area of tension evoking nervous reactions from those who await. He describes them as â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦humans, caught On ground curiously neutral, homes and names Suddenly in abeyance.† He is saying that in this building everyone is in the same boat. They are all â€Å"Here to confess the something has gone wrong.† This is similar to the idea of the confessionals in â€Å"ËÅ"Ambulances’. As I have said, this idea strikes unremitting fear. Each person is waiting to tell of how something has gone wrong with their bodies. Death is slowly violating them. â€Å"It must have been an error of a serious sort, For see how many floors it needs†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  He is amazed by the size of the building, or perhaps even scared by the size of the need for this building. After all men like to covet wealth but the need for this place is so great that the expense is necessary. â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦and how much money goes in trying to correct it†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  As a man is wheeled  past in old ward clothes the people all turn quiet, another aspect of death that was also shown in â€Å"ËÅ"Ambulances’. The people fear their mortality when they see death creep up on others. Larkin also relates to us how trapped he feels in the hospital and how distant the outside seems. â€Å"Far past these doors are rooms, and rooms past those And more rooms yet, each one further off And harder to return from†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  The distance between the outside and the rooms within the hospital seems greater than any physical distance, the freedom of the outside â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦out to the car park, free†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  seems to be slipping away like time, into the past, like a cherished memory: â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦outside seems old enough†. His desperation for this freedom is so immense that he even plots, in his mind, the route he took to the hospital. He states that we are lulled into a false sense of security and fears that he may never get out. â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦a touching dream to which we are lulled But wake from separately†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  We are â€Å"ËÅ"lulled’ into this false sense of security, this dream that we wake from â€Å"ËÅ"separately’, isolated and alone. He seems to pity those who, without realizing it, may have to stay for a longer period than they think, they â€Å"†Ã‚ ¦join the unseen congregations†Ã‚ ¦Old, young; crude facts of the only coin this place accepts†Ã‚ ¦Ã¢â‚¬  The only way of being accommodated here is to be sick. His attitude of inevitable death is shown again: â€Å"All know they are going to die Not yet, perhaps not here, but in the end, And somewhere like this.† He then goes on to describe life as a cliff we climb towards death and how death cannot be overcome. We may try to lighten the dark by bringing gifts, but they are merely wasteful gestures because death is so inevitable and final. Larkin’s attitude to death, here, sees it as totally negative, we also see this view in his poem ‘ The Explosion’, where Larkin takes the form of a third person, describing an incident which claims the lives of several miners in a rural community. Here, Larkin takes the role of a narrator and in this poem his view of death is more sanguine than it is in other poems. He does not express thoughts and feelings as much and I feel this shows how impersonal death really is. The poem has three distinct sections: before the explosion, the moment of the explosion and its aftermath. The first line  arouses a feeling of expectation; â€Å"On the day of the explosion’ We know that from the beginning of this poem that the explosion, and therefore death, is imminent. There is also a hint of Kinship that Larkin may have held for ‘the men in the pits’. He makes the men seem real by talking about ‘Fathers, brothers, nicknames, laughter’ which makes the reader feel the humanity of the men and therefore sympathise with them. These men were ordinary people with their own fears, even a fear of death. Even though these characters were killed in the explosion Larkin has tinged the ending of the poem with hope, because for an instant the love between the dead and their loved ones was so strong that it overcame death itself, allowing the loved one to see each other one last time. â€Å"Wives saw men of the explosion†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Larkin strangely endorses the idea of an afterlife even though he was an atheist. ‘The Explosion’ ends on an optimistic note. The final line tells us of how one of the dead miners shows ‘The eggs unbroken’. These ‘eggs’ are a symbol telling us not to lose hope, for even though we may die, nature and life will always carry on. It is set apart from the rest of the poem and can therefore be seen as a climax. So far, 1 have looked at Larkin’s dread, fear, curiosity and overall negative reaction to death. I think it is possible that Larkin may have also found a somewhat positive and redeeming aspect of death in his poem ‘An Arundel Tomb’. This poem tells of a dead earl and his wife the countess who were buried together in a tomb. Their tomb has become, through time, a tourist attraction because of the great likenesses formed from stone of their bodies. Larkin, again with his keen observational eye, looks upon statues and is shocked to find proof of hope and positivity. â€Å"It meets his left hand gauntlet, still Clasped empty in the other,. and One sees, with a sharp tender shock, His hand withdrawn holding her hand.† This chivalrous sight surprisingly hits a tender chord with Larkin, this is surprising due to his predominantly pessimistic views. Larkin also realises that the times of chivalry, knighthood and love are gone. Their love in this time has almost been changed to an untruth, yet is still has prevailed and lasted through time. Larkin looks at these deaths positively because he says, â€Å"†¦and to prove our Almost instinct, almost true : What will survive of us is love.† Larkin takes comfort in this as it reconciles and contrasts to his view that nothing exists after death. He previously described death as, â€Å"An endless meaningless.† Through looking at these poems, I found that throughout Larkin’s life, he tried and tried to find out what death was and what lay beyond it. Most of the time, we find that Larkin had a genuine fear of death, and he could not possibly surmise what lay beyond it. This could be due to his lack of faith and spirituality. For this reason I chose’ An Arundel Tomb’, so as to show that Larkin expressed some hope in death, love was the redeeming feature. Larkin discovered something in those statues that did go beyond death, and this is why he expressed it so beautifully in his last line: â€Å"What will survive of us is love.† Larkin’s poetry almost paths a journey he took through his life in discovering the truth about death. John Carey said that â€Å"Fear of death runs through the poems, and may seem irreconcilable with Larkin’s poised realism.† I have found that Larkin’s poetry is indeed interwoven with death throughout. This may be the case, but I also believe that Larkin found something redeeming in â€Å"ËÅ"An Arundel Tomb’ and that all of his works referring to death, were steps towards his own reconciliation with death.

Foundation Degree (FdSc) in Food Manufacturing Management Essay

Introduction Audit objectives Why Audit? The intentions of this Audit are as follows: Using a recognised GMP standard (UNIDO/BRC) assess and quantify the effectiveness of the current quality system that is in place. Recommend, upon review, strategies for improvement that can be made to meet, and potentially exceed, the minimum retail requirements. * Upon completion, allow the business to set attainable goals and objectives in order to drive the business forward. This is in an efficiency, production and legal capacity. Company Profile Shetland SeaFish (Hull) limited started trading in 1922 as a specialist manufacturer of frozen fish products. The company employs 50-60 staff on site and has a total of 80-100 employees working throughout the group. The group has three factories. The other two are involved in primary processing and fish farming in the Shetland isles. The company supplies supermarkets, discounters, fish wholesalers, frozen food distributors and food service companies. The main market is the UK but the company also has a small export trade. Shetland SeaFish (Hull) limited has implemented a tightly controlled system of operational procedures including a fully documented HACCP system and quality manual. Business Environment The food industry is one under pressure. The fishing industry in particular is an area with its own particular problems which have a direct impact on this company as fish is its primary raw material. Over the past few years, environmental concern over diminishing fish stocks has contributed to increased governmental interdiction to manage fishing quotas. Although this may be the case for the national fishing industry, the world wide catch (up until recently) has been on a steady rise. This company sources raw material from worldwide locals (Particularly the Asiatic areas such as China and Scandinavian Seas) so the impact has been minimal. The way in which the company sources fish may change in the future, as internet auctions are on the increase, and this makes the market more of a volatile entity as prices can fluctuate as events affect fishing procurement. The other main problem with the food industry is the strength of the major multiples over the manufacturers. The major supermarkets to whom most food manufacturers supply, aim to maintain a constant gross profit margin which is typically quite large. To reflect this, the multiples like to pass down on-costs to the suppliers. Offers such as ‘buy one, get one free’ are fuelled by the manufacturer, and come straight from their bottom line. By running a â€Å"BOGOF† offer, it is affectively selling the product at half the unit price for the duration of the offer. One supermarket that this company has dealt with also deducts (on their own accord) a set price to go towards advertising and marketing. For example, a deduction of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10,000 might be deducted from an invoice to them for product, with the reasoning being that even if that amount is not being used to directly promote that particular product, just by advertising the stores in general, the increased amount of customers flowing through the store, should they say, increase sales to the company’s product. This deduction from the invoice is imposed by the supermarket, and because you do not know how often they are going to do this, it makes costing for business more difficult. Combine this with the fact that at every price review by the supermarket buyer’s, they demand higher quality products, for a reduction in unit price, depresses margins lower than ever. The margin depression brings with it a set of problems. Because a company has to reduce its costs to meet the price points per units, so as to maintain the business with the supermarket, it makes it for a business to remain as profitable as what it would like to be. A smaller margin means that a company does not have the same amount of free capital available to it to make necessary re-investments which would help to procure more sales and increase throughput. In section four of the overview, a specific study of this is discussed in relation to an OEE study on one of the factories lines. There are several technological resolutions available which if purchased would go a long way to increase productivity. Unfortunately there are several financial constraints which place barriers to the procurement of these technological improvements. A brief discussion of ‘Chicken and Egg’ barriers is briefly explained in section four of the overview. The problem lies in the fact that if a new piece of equipment is needed to continue, or to improve production, then the company does not have enough liquid capital available to be able to purchase it outright. This means that the company would have to investigate borrowing facilities. The problem with this is that the company would like to have a secured amount of business from one of, or a combination of customers, in order to take on the risk of borrowing large amounts of money. The reason for this is that a company has to account for a payback period into their costing to cover borrowing and interest as well as machine depreciation. With shortened product placement tenures, the guarantee of continued business for this period is not there, inhibiting the business from wanting to take a risk of this magnitude. Eventually a company has to ‘bite the bullet’ and take a risk in order to increase turnover and throughput. Smaller margins also mean that there may not be enough of an increase in net profits to cover staff requirements. Each year there is a general staff appraisal to discuss the terms of wages and conditions. If the company is reduced in its profit capacity, then this trend is often relayed onto the workforce. f the company has diminished available finances then money is not possible to give staffs the annual increase in wages or to be able to invest in communal facilities. This has a knock on effect on staff morale and motivation if the annual increase is postponed or if it has to be cancelled. It manifests itself in some individuals in a revenge motivation mentality. As the individuals feel aggrieved because the company cannon comply with what the workers feel is a basic right, then they may wish to ‘get back’ at the company. At best this may just be by reducing their amount and quality of work, therefore their loyalty is affected. At worst, it could be resignation, dissention or even some form of industrial sabotage. Without the increase in wages rates it also lessens the difference between that and what the government sets as the national minimum wage. This poses a problem in relation to retaining, and gaining new employees. At one point, working in a factory used to attract a premium, but over time that has decreased to the point to where wage levels between shop workers and factory workers are almost the same. With the current work ethos among new employees (particularly young people) the dilemma of where would ‘I’ like to work arises. Either a (usually) smelly, shift work system, hard work inducing factory, or a shop, where they can go straight out from without having to go home for a shower and change, is less hard work and usually has a set nine until five work pattern. For the same, or similar, wage, most people appear to want to work in a shop. This displays a distinct shift from employment trends from primary or secondary employment to a majority of employment in the tertiary, or services, sector. If a company has a high turn-over of staff, then generally the quality of staffs decreases. This may then affect production output and efficiencies. One way that this can be combated is though an increase in staff training. This not only acts to both increase staff quality, but it also helps to improve the individuals’ job satisfaction. This is through increased competency, increased knowledge (i.e. making an individual more multi-skilled) and the feeling that they are not in a ‘dead-end’ job. In the industry sector to which this company falls, there is an increased amount of governmental grants available for staff training programmes. Within this factory, all of the employees of first tier level have all been through NVQ level 2 training in Food hygiene and handling. Production supervisors have received additional training to NVQ level three in this area. There is also a range of other courses that are being studied that are part funded, or reimbursed by, governmental policies. It is clear that there are some relatively easy ways to increase the efficiency and line throughputs of production. Unfortunately limiting factors come into play to inhibit potential growth as long as margins are squeezed smaller and smaller. This is a self perpetuating cycle. If allowed to make a little bit more profit then this can be channelled back into the business to increase production efficiency and overall turnover making the business more successful. Legal Issues There is a complex mine field of legislation that comes into play when dealing with a food unit operation. There is a whole plethora of acts and regulations which help to control the food industry which helps to protect the consumer from dubious practices and ensure that the final product that is consumed is of the expected substance, nature and quality demanded. There are several levels of legislation: * Acts, which are statutes passed down by parliament. * Regulations – which are made under specific acts * E.C. directives – which are passed down from the E.E.C. The Food safety enforcement officers have various enforcement powers which enable them to ensure that all of the legislation is correctly adhered to. These can be servicing notices, sampling and seizing foodstuffs, and also to instigate criminal proceedings if an offence is made. The main legislation affecting this business are to be listed as following; Food Safety Act, 1990 This act is in relation to the sale of food for human consumption and is applicable to all food premises. This act makes it an offence to: * Render food injurious to health * Sale or possession of food injurious to health, or that is unfit for, or is contaminated. * Sale of food that is not of the correct nature, substance and quality demanded by the consumer. * Give any false or misleading descriptions. The Food Premises (Registration) Regulations, 1991 (SI No. 2825) amended 1997 This regulation requires all food premises to register with the local, or port authority, in the area that they are situated. Every registration authority must keep a register, which can be accessed by the public for inspection. Food Safety (General Food Hygiene) Regulation, 1995 (SI. No. 1763) This act provides general requirements for all food handlers and premises (with specific requirements for preparation areas, moveable and temp. premises, transport, equipment and the like) to be kept clean, facilitate cleaning, and prevent the accumulation of dirt. It also specifies a requirement for all food premises to identify all steps in the business that is critical to food safety, and to minimise these risks. The Food Safety (Temperature Controls) Regulations, 1995 (SI. No. 2200) This determines any matter involving a risk to food safety, in relation to the nature of the food, manner in which it is handled and packed, and processes and conditions under which it has been displayed or stored. No person should keep food that is likely to support the growth of pathogenic bacteria or the accumulation of their toxins. Products of Animal Origin (Import and Export) Regulations, 1996 These regulations govern the origins of animal foodstuffs from countries outside the EEC. Since 1993, foodstuffs imported from other members of the EEC are not liable for inspection due to the open border policy, but they are still subject to the Food Safety Act 1990. Food Labelling Regulations 1996 (SI. No. 1499) These require most foodstuffs that are to be sold for human consumption be labelled with: * The name of the food. * List of ingredients (Quantifying ingredients mentioned in the name of the food). * Best before dates, which indicate minimum durability or perish ability of the food in relation to microbial or product degradation beyond being fit for human consumption. * Any specific storage conditions required. * Name and address of the manufacturer The Quick-Frozen Foodstuffs Regulations, 1990 (SI. No. 2615) amended 1994 Food that has undergone quick-freezing (i.e. whereby the zone of maximum crystallization as rapidly as possible) should be labelled as such. It must be suitably packaged so as to protect it from microbial and other contamination and also to protect from de-hydration. Must be labelled with: * BBE * Storage requirements including temps. * Batch reference * A clear message not to refreeze after defrosting. There are also some specific legislation relating to food poisoning: Public Health (Control of Disease) Act 1994 The Public Health (Infectious Diseases) Regulations, 1988 (SI. No. 1546) National Health Service (Amendment) Act 1986 The National Health Service (Food Premises) Regulations, 1987 (SI. No. 18) The Public Health Laboratory Service (PHLS) These pieces of legislation relate to reports of incidences of food poisoning and food borne illness. It empowers officers to investigate food premises on the basis of risk to increased infection, and to identify the source of food poisoning illnesses. Separate to food related issues there are also a number of other pieces of legislation that apply to most businesses. These are: Health & Safety The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations, 1994 (SI. No. 3246) The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulation, 1985 (SI. No. 2023) The Electricity at Work Regulations, 1989 (SI. No. 635) The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations, 1992 (SI. No. 2051) The Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations, 1992 (SI. No. 3004) The Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations, 1992 (SI. No. 2966) The Manual Handling Operations Regulations, 1992 (SI. No. 2793) All of these laws are in relation to keeping equipment in good order; provide all PPE, also in good order, and to report all accidents and medical problems caused by/ at work. There are some new environmental legislation in relation to waste water and effluent, and also the climate change levy. There are also waste land fill laws (After B.S.E. and Foot and Mouth no food wastes can be further processed into animal feeds) It is clear that there are a lot of laws that help to keep the consumer, and employees safe, both in relation to food safety and personal safety. In order to comply with all of these laws, and check with the company’s compliance to these, the office of fair trading and the environmental health office audit the factory on a regular basis. Section 2 Key Findings Summations on Audit checklists Section by section review HACCP System: The company has a very detailed and comprehensive HACCP system following the Codex principles and based on risk assessment for each product type. The latest revision is June 2002. The HACCP documentation includes Introduction (Intro, team, product description, intended use, flow diagram, and verification of flow, controls and hazards), Process flow (product, production process), Hazards, Hazard analysis and Hygiene controls. The site technical manager who is qualified in advance food hygiene leads the HACCP team. The other HACCP team members include the production manager, financial director, business consultant, Q.A. supervisor and H&S officer. They have all received training in HACCP principles. Eight CCP’s have been identified and clearly marked around the site. These include; R.M. intake, band saw room, product storage, packaging storage, coatings, sauce making, sauce buggies, sauce deposition and metal detection. Shetland SeaFish (in conjunction with Cravenglow consultant limited) has produced a handbook for employees entitled â€Å"Understanding HACCP and the British Retail Consortium Quality Award†. This book was issued to all staff before going through their first successful BRC audit, and is issued to new staff during induction. The Handbook explains; HACCP terms and working practices, details the eight CCP’s, How to control potential Hazards, How HACCP works, Different types of Hazard, other important HACCP information and an introduction to the BRC standard Quality Management System: The site operations/quality manual has been fully implemented and indexed in the latest revision (Revision 4 October 2002) to the BRC technical standard version three. Policies and procedures referenced to the HACCP manual and currently cover all of the identified critical controls. Each working area has its own handbook that includes some or all of the following: Factory cleaning procedures Technical terms Key staff Safe working practices Factory procedures QA procedures applicable to the area. A specifications file maintained by the company has a programme of internal audits that cover the entire quality system twice per year. The handling of complaints is the responsibility of the Technical manager. Complaints are referenced individually, by customer, and complaint type. Corrective actions arising from complaints are recorded. An approved supplier list is in operation, deliveries assessed at intake, and supplier performance reviewed quarterly. One of the key findings of this audit has been that although the supplier audit plans clearly defined and laid out, it has not been adhered to. This needs rectifying by the time of the next audit. Factory Environmental Standards: The factory is well located just off the main route into Hull, and has a logical process flow. The buildings are well constructed. Walls panelled with false ceiling and smooth concrete floors. Equipment is industry standard and is be well maintained. There is a planned maintenance system administered by a well-resourced engineering department. Staff changing facilities are provided by separate storage of work wear and personnel wear with staff locker rooms situated well away from production. Work clothing situated in changing facilities on the entrance to the production facility. A dedicated night hygiene crew operate a comprehensive cleaning programme, verified using bioluminescence ATP swabs. This form of assessment is under utilised. By conducting more swabs, a more indicative trend analysis can be compiled. This system could also be extended to incorporate hand swabbing, so as to gauge the effectiveness of the staffs hand washing. A comprehensive pest control contract is in place with â€Å"Rentokil† and no infestation reported. The only addition to this regime would be to introduce catch tray analysis. This is not done at present, although Rentokil have been asked to provide a quote for the service. The reason that catch tray analysis is so important is that various indicator species of insect may help to identify a particular problem within the factory. Another option is that the accountant is a qualified entomologist. The suggestion has been made that they complete the catch tray analysis on behalf of the company. Transport and waste removal are both contracted out services. Product Control: There is a product development procedure detailing the process steps and documentation held for customer driven development work. Development work is mainly restricted to crumbs, batters and sauces and as such, the suppliers of these materials carry out a lot of the work. Product is analysed on line hourly by trained QC staff External chemical and microbiological analyses are carried out at a UKAS accredited external laboratory. The result turn around is typically ten days. There is an investigation into the possibility of bringing the microbiological testing into a feasible in-house solution. The testing procedures preferred are the rapid methods that are now available on the market. These allow for rapid enumeration and identification in unprecedented speeds compared to traditional plating methods. Because of the simplicity of the tests, it reduces the degrees of error that might be entertained in old style methods, and also it helps to simplify the lab quality manual. All of these rapid methods are AOAC accredited methods and are thus suitable for ISO 17025 standards, which is a pre-requisite for the accreditation edicts stated for BRC compliance. Products coded to allow stock rotation, and on-site stock levels kept to a minimum. The cold store has the capacity for approximately 600 pallets, which are on a mobile racking system. Metal detection is carried out on all products at 3.5mm non-fe and 3.5mm fe. Legislation is on the way to incorporate testing using S. Steel rods as well, using the same sensitivity levels. Product is released based on on-line QC testing. A non-conformance procedure is used to prevent the despatch of non-conforming product and its restriction to quarantine. Process Control: Control of sauce cooking and processing is closely monitored by QC and thermographs are in place to verify sauce cooking profiles. QC also regularly verifies process parameters and freezer temperatures. Continuous quantity control monitoring equipment is in place on the coated fish line. Check-weigh systems are calibrated at the start of each day following a detailed calibration procedure. Hourly QC checks and daily taste panels verify process parameters and specifications requirements have been fulfilled and all measuring equipment is calibrated at appropriated frequencies. A small amount of kosher product is processed on site and the delivery processing and despatch of kosher materials is closely monitored. Personnel: Staffs trained to NVQ levels 1 and 2 in hygiene and safe product handling by external consultants. Plans are in place to introduce an in-house training scheme. The Q.A. supervisor holds a CIEH certificate of Advanced Food Hygiene. Once they complete the CIEH professional trainers’ certificate, it will allow them to train new staffs, and re-iterate to current, basic food hygiene and H&S. Hygiene rules are also available in the staff handbook, given at induction. Induction includes hygiene and H&S requirements, fire drill procedures including a tour of the facility (highlighting emergency exits), company objectives and the review of the individual’s accountability level. Staff and visitors complete a basic medical questionnaire before entering the factory. Protective clothing provided and laundered by â€Å"Brooks† based in Hull and only specialising in laundering of food industry clothing. Supervisory staff and line leaders trained to NVQ levels 3. Detailed training records are in place, but not review on a frequent basis. Section 3 Improvement strategy Recommendations on enhancement Why did it fail? What can be done? The overall result of this audit is promising. The main sections that are in need of improvement are the cleaning and management systems. With regards to the cleaning controls one of the biggest deficiencies is that there were no daily cleaning logs in place at the time of the audit. These are necessary to verify that all of the pieces of equipment that has been used during the course of the production shift have been cleaned effectively. This should also incorporate a list of equipment that needs weekly or monthly cleaning, similar to the engineers’ protective maintenance system. Provisions are in place to indicate cleaning frequency, but by combining this with a daily cleaning log a system of records can be obtained to help with any ‘Due Diligence’ defences that might need to be called into play. The preventative step to reduce the microbial and soil loads within the factory are the cleaning schedules, but the due diligence defence are the daily logs. These are a record confirmation that the schedule has been implemented, and also provides accountability of who conducted the particular action that might be in question. It also helps the management team to assess the manning levels required for a particular cleaning regime. By combining these logs with an effective utilisation of the Lightning ATP hygiene verification system it would be possible to more accurately monitor the effectiveness of the cleaning systems that are in place. At present the unit is not used at levels that are going to supply the monitoring team with a set of results that are statistically significant. By increasing the levels of testing with the unit, a better picture of cleanliness levels can be obtained by using the trend analysis software to scrutinize past results and to predict problems that might occur in the future. This system could also be extended to apply to incorporate hand washing checks. This could be done on a random set of checks throughout the week. It might be possible to correlate this to the expected and actual bacterial soap usage rates to see if there is a relationship. This might be an extra way to monitor the effectiveness of the staff in the own personal hygiene in relation to hand washing. The engineers need to keep an inventory of parts as a repair is carried out so that all pieces are accounted for upon completion so as to eliminate the possible physical contamination problem, or at least to identify if there is one. A number of hose pipes were observed around the factory, liberally strewn on the floor. This is not bad GMP; it also creates an impression of untidiness and not caring for not only visitors, but also to other staff. Perhaps the purchasing or some hose reel storage units. If these hoses were kept on one of these units, it would automatically reel in and is then kept neatly on the wall, off the floor and out of the way of people walking around the factory. During the course of the audit the food waste skip was left open. This leaves the door open to many potential problems. The first is that it has a potential to attract pests. By leaving the skip doors open is may provides a food source for advantageous vermin. It was observed that there were some birds on the fence which might have been attracted by the residue surrounding the skip. To eliminate this problem construction of a reaching handle for the skip door should be made. By keeping the skip door closed it prevents vermin from entering the skip to scavenge for food. With the skip door closed, thus stopping pests from gaining a free food store, the area around the skip must be kept clear also; otherwise keeping the door closed is a futile effort. This area not only needs to be swept, but also cleaned down with a detergent to emulsify the fatty residue left from the batter scraps. This would also help to make the area safer for the employees as it would make the area left prone to causing slippages, and this is especially important as there is a small set of steps out there. There is no provision for persons to wash their hands upon re-entering the factory after going to the food skip. There person would have to go to the basins outside the packaging area. A small basin or alcohol station should be installed to prevent this. The main body of the factory was in very good condition. There were a few incidences that need to be rectified in order to improve the grade. Around the sauce making area, the ceiling tiles above them had some signs of mould growth. This is an indication that the ventilation is perhaps inadequate for that area. Some form of steam extraction unit might need to be investigated in that area. In the short term, regular cleaning with a sterilizer (with some form of mould growth inhibitor) would suffice, but this would only deal with the symptoms, and not deal with the route cause. The sauce agitators in this area are in need of recovering. The motors on the agitators have some small areas of paint flaking from them. Even though the paint is blue in colour, it provides a potential physical contamination problem. This needs to be tackled in several ways. The first and easiest to do is to recover the motors. The motors can be covered with a stainless steel covering which would prevent both paint flakes falling into the sauce, but also dirt accumulation on the motor. Another method is to use an alternative agitator motor. There are several on the market, and several of these are not mounted directly above the sauce making kettles. There are also some other methods for sauce production, that if increased production were to be required, then they should defiantly be investigated. Another area in the factory that could benefit from additional extraction/ventilation is directly surrounding the coating line. When the fryer is producing breaded products, then the first stage crumb, which is a fine crumb, causes a lot of dust to be blown in the air. This causes excessive dust accumulation on the pipe works above the fryer line. This needs additional cleaning to remove the dust in this area. Perhaps a form of extraction system should be investigated in this area. As a minor point, there was also a small pool of water surrounding the con-air compressor units. This implies that the floor does not bevel in the right direction. Again this is a situation that has a long term objective, but also has a short term measure. The long term goal is to re-lay the floor in that area to make the floor slope in the right direction (i.e. from the wall to the drain). The short term solution is to have the cleaners regularly squeegee the floor of water. Standing water is a particular problem in that it provides excellent breeding ground for Listeria spp. Bacteria. Listeria is a food borne bacteria that is naturally found in the environment. By providing pools of standing water, it magnifies the problem and opens the potential for increased incidences of Listeria monocytogenes poisoning. It is a strange practice that although there are manager and team leader meetings on a regular basis, there were no supervisor meetings held. This is a gross deficiency, not for GMP, but for the lack of communicational strokes that are missed from these meetings. By conducting these meetings a dialogue can be maintained between the higher levels of management and the junior levels. During these sessions company objectives can be relayed, problems considered, and grievances examined. It is also an excellent opportunity to provide motivation to the staff and to keep them apprised of important happenings within the company, such as potential sales, production turnover, NPD and the direction of the company. These meeting should be implemented effectively immediately. If not in their own right, then try combining the team leader meetings. This may pose a problem with truthful communication if the team leaders feel inhibited by the presence of the supervisors, especially if they have any grievances with them. The omission of the supervisor meetings exacerbates the next point. That is the cross communication of ideas and instructions between departments. This point is discussed in more detail in the second overview of the audit. The job descriptions that are in place for the key positions within the factory are deficient in the totality. I would suggest a review of these be taken with the specific aim to include the individuals’ main duties and responsibilities, full accountability, and any health and safety requirements that are obligatory to know. By providing a comprehensive description it helps the individual to identify their own progress against what is expected of them. It would also help to identify any training needs by comparing what the individuals’ actual abilities to what is needed for that position. During an appraisal a gauge of competency can be made against the standard and a measure of feedback can be relayed to the person. This also ties into the fact that no records are kept of personal record reviews. These need to be conducted on a regular occasion, and if they are being conducted at the moment, then they need to be recorded. There are some clear objectives that have been identified and now need to be applied and rectified to improve the factory as a whole. Section 4 Conclusions Overview of progression stratagems Step by step guide Structure and Fabric * Hand washing basin/ alcohol station to be installed by exit to food skip. * Foods skip needs to be looked at and a handle constructed to enable the lid to be closed. * Sauce kettles needs to be looked at for possible installation of extraction units. * Sauce agitator motors needs to be covered to prevent paint flaking into product. * Hose pipes to be placed into self reeling units. * Pool of water needs investigating around con-air units. Floor needs re-laying in that area. * Dust accumulation above fryer area. Additional extraction needed. Pest prevention * Pallet shed door needs to be kept closed. Pallets stored away from walls in storage. * Some drain covers missing and needs replacing. * Catch tray analysis needs to be done. Cleaning systems * Daily cleaning logs introduced. * Engineers inventory of parts during a repair to prevent contamination. * Effective utilisation, and expansion, of ATP hygiene monitoring system. Management Controls * Introduction of supervisor meetings. * Additional training to supplement and increase knowledge of GMP systems, Food hygiene and legislation. * Review of job descriptions. * Record employee appraisals. Section 5 References Background / further reading. Including bibliography Hygiene for Management, Sprenger. R. A. 1998 (8th Ed) Cleaning, Dillion M, et al Inspirational Supervisor, Shaw J. 1999 FdSc Food manufacture management GMP Course work notes, Dillion M. 2002 Log book & Overviews Overviews Part 1: Basic findings from two sections of the manual. Section 1 – Structure and Fabrication The factory has a logical process flow and the buildings are of sound construction. All internal factory wall surfaces are panelled with a lowered false ceiling and smooth resin floors. Equipment is industrial food grade standard and appears to be well maintained. A preventative planned maintenance system is in operation and resourced by a competent engineering department. The work wear is situated in a separate clean changing area immediate on entrance to the production area. The pest control is out-sourced to Rentokil (initial services) with no signs of infestation problems to report. OBS 1: The floor is made of an impervious material and when combinations of two immiscible liquids (such as oil and water) mix, it causes some sections of the floor around the fryer area are slippery. Recommendation – Review the cleaning schedule for this area to include a protocol stating that the floor in that area is to be cleaned as often as required throughout the production day, in addition to the usual scheduled cleans. Another suggestion would be to use a floor covering/mat to make the area more non-slip. Timescale – 30days OBS 2: There was a small pool of standing water around the con-air units during production. Recommendation – The long-term goal would be to re-lay/repair that section of floor to provide an adequate slope to provide water run-off into the drainage channels. Action to be taken place in the mean while would be to revise the cleaning schedule to include that the area is to be cleared as often as required throughout the production day. Timescale – 90 days OBS 3: There was no steam extraction above the sauce making kettles giving rise to N/C1. N/C1: Evidence was noted by observation and noted, audit checklist ref: GMP Section 1 -ref 1.8.2, that there was the beginnings of mould build up on the ceiling tiles above the sauce kettles. Recommendation – Investigate the possible methods of fume extraction best suited to the needs of the task. Possible installation of an extractor cowling. Action that can be introduced quickly is that a revision of the cleaning schedule to include weekly/fortnightly/ or as required cleaning to be undertaken in that area using a detergent with mould growth inhibitor. Timescale – 90days Section 2 – Storage Facilities Storage or R.M, WIP, finished goods, packaging and tainting elements are well segregated with observed codes of practice to prevent cross contamination. Products are coded to allow stock rotation on a FIFO basis and the stock levels that are kept on site are kept to a minimum. There are no contractual off-site storage facilities used. Products are released on the basis of on-line QC testing. Procedures are in place regarding damaged or defective goods segregation and disposal. OBS 1: Only visual checks are made of the contracted out logistics company’s vehicles. Recommendation – Revise an audit schedule to visit their head office so as to not only audit the vehicles used for the transportation of goods, but also to review the company policies and procedures regarding GMP practices. Timescale – 90days Part 2: Area to improve. The area of greatest need is management control, especially in relation to motivation of staffs and inter-departmental communication. A highly motivated workforce can increase the potential output efficiency greatly, without the need for costly capital expenditure. â€Å"Poor communication is the catalyst for future problems† John Shaw, Business consultant The vast majority of problems within the workplace arise due to the lack of or inadequate communication between colleagues. All members of the organisation must develop their verbal and written skills to allow for ease of dialogue between the two parties. Regular dialogue is essential for the pooling together of ideas and suggestions that helps to minimise problems and help to achieve the company objectives. Employees must be able to interpret management edicts and be able to pass on these instructions to other staffs clearly and concisely in order to achieve peak performance. One opinion that might be made is that the company’s impersonal uses of memos are substituting important meetings that would be held to discuss some of the key issues. By conducting regular meetings to open up a dialogue for discussion, it would help to eliminate any confusion that might have arisen because of their own interpretation of what is trying to be stressed in the communiquà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½. By opening a dialogue between colleagues, it helps to make them feel a part of the team because they are being consulted and being offered to stress their opinions and grievances. During the meetings, it lets the individual know exactly what is being expected of them to do, with little chance for error. Once the individual knows the parameters in which they are expected to perform, and then the individual has some attainable guidelines on how to conduct him or herself around the workplace. Being made part of a team is one essential tool in the motivation of staffs. By including their opinions within any debate, it helps to raise that person’s self-esteem. Once a person begins to become motivated, it often leads to greater job satisfaction. Job satisfaction is a combination of hard work and competence. Employees who reflect pride in their work are an infectious source of inspiration to others. This can be seen again in persons whom take personal pride and lead by example. Motivation is a key component to modern businesses. Staffs should take every opportunity to motivate others constantly. One way to encourage your staff is to let them know what is required of them by defining the day’s objectives. Use of praise and encouragement inspire maximum performance from an individual from a few choice words or phrases. Where an individual or team needs berating if they have made a mistake, remain calm and resolve the problem through constructive criticism. This is where the situation is given an explanation of what went wrong, gentle words to re-enforce the need that it does not re-occur, and gives further guidance on how it can be avoided in the future. It is imperative that if it is an individual involved, then take them to one side to discipline them. This way you are not undermining them and therefore their personal dignity is maintained. Another critical instruction is not to overreact to minor problems. Destructive and unwarranted criticism is harmful to morale and can easily sweep across a work force. It is also a good idea to be receptive to reasonable grievances that they might have and suggestions that they might make. Motivation encourages individuals and teams to continually achieve the company’s goals through sustained peak performance. Part 3 Cleaning and the Law Cleaning plays a fundamental part of food hygiene. It is pivotal in preventing contamination of both microbiological and chemical, but it also helps to make the indicator signs of pest infestation easier to spot. All cleaning comprises of four factors: * Heat * Mechanical energy * Chemical energy * Contact time Cleaning is usually a five stage process (although not exclusively). 1) Pre-clean 2) Main clean 3) Rinse 4) Disinfect 5) Final rinse 6) Drying The relative energy and time components of a cleaning programme can differ greatly. This is all dependants on the load of soil age, the chemical properties of the cleaning agent, and the surface to be cleaned. Staffs should receive clear concise instruction on how to correctly conduct the cleaning schedule. The chemicals used within this factory are as follows: Chemical Action Fatsolve Surfactant degreasing detergent Bleach Hypochlorite based disinfectant Sparkle Surfactant degreasing detergent Acid foam Acidic de-scaler Caustic floor cleaner Alkaline (NaOH) floor cleaner Caustic pearls Alkaline (NaOH) fryer cleaner Tego 2001 Biocidal disinfectant/detergent combination All staffs that will be handling these products for use in hygiene must receive full training and monitored for competency and efficiency. All of these products must comply with the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 to protect the employee whom is to be using these chemicals. This Act states specific legislation to include: The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regs, 1994 (SI. 1994 No. 3246) (COSHH) These regulations require employers to assess the hazards and provide suitable controls. Implementation is by means of risk assessment. COSHH is concerned with chemicals that can be classified as toxic, harmful, corrosive or irritant. All of the products used within the body of the factory are supplied with all COSHH safety sheets and are filed in the technical department. Each of these products is mentioned in the company HACCP plan to include the risk assessment of these products. Chemicals (Hazards, Information & Packaging) Regs, 1993 (CHIP) Again, this states that all chemicals sold must be supplied with a COSHH safety sheet provided for the purchaser by the supplier. This must include detailed information about the product, its hazard classification under CHIP regulations. It is also prohibited to decant harmful chemicals into unmarked containers. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at work Regs, 1992 These regulations enforce the employer to provide all necessary PPE required for a specific task so as to minimise the health and safety risks that the employees might be subjected to. There are several good reasons why effective cleaning is so important besides those mentioned earlier: * It creates a good visual impression for both workers and visitors alike giving a sense that the business cares. * Helps to maximise the efficiency and costing of several types of products. For example, if a sauce is left to build up deposits, then it would restrict the diameter of the pipe work, making the motor have to run harder to pump product through, thus reducing the lifetime of that component. Its also helps to reduce wastege * Legal obligations. It is that final point which needs further explaining. The food safety Act, 1990 This law makes it an offence to contaminate food so that it would be unreasonable to expect it to be used for human consumption in its current state. It also states that a food proprietor and staffs must identify all steps that are critical to food safety and minimise those risks. This is further backed up by the Food Safety (GFH) Regs, 1995 This states: * Premises must be kept clean, designed to facilitate cleaning, and to protect against the accumulation of dirt. * Make it a requirement for all food business proprietors to identify any step in activities of the business which is critical to food safety, and to introduce restrictive controls at those points identified. This law allows an enforcement officer to raise a non-conformance on the actual presence of dirt, and does not have to prove that that soilage poses a risk to health There is a clear legal and moral obligation that wherever there is a risk to food, a business proprietor must ensure that the working premises are kept clean so as to minimise the risks to public health. These responsibilities must be stressed to all employees not only in their induction period, but also sporadically throughout their employment. Part 4: PEST in relation to OEE During the course of this audit, an OEE analysis was conducted on one of the production lines (See OEE exercise workbook). The aim of GMP is to improve the manufacturing performance, and by using OEE calculations it is possible to gain a quantifiable index of performance. Using the precepts behind GMP it is possible to identify areas that could benefit from improvement so as to improve production performance. The identification of the â€Å"seven wastes† which are the non-value added and also the value added sections of a production period are vital. It is the main objective to reduce the first, and increase the latter. With regards to the production run that was studied several strategies can be entertained to help to minimise waste due to the above mentioned wastes. Firstly, fish cakes are products that produce only small amounts of waste due to the fact that defects can often be re-worked during the same production run. Defect cores can be removed from the line by operatives and then deposited back in the koppens former to be re-moulded into another cake. Reducing the throughput can often help reduce the rejects levels. Running at just a few strokes under the maximum for the line might make it more cost effective to reduce the throughput by a minimal amount in order to dramatically decrease the amount of reject product. By doing this the ‘right first time’ figure could increase to raise overall production efficiency. If speed is the overriding factor, i.e. the faster the speed, the higher the defect rate, then just by reducing the stroke rate of the machine, the amount of over-processing required would be reduced. If however speed were not the decisive factor, then an investigation of the machines capabilities would have to be reviewed, and if it cannot be removed, then do you accept this defect level caused by the machine, or do you evaluate the possibility of purchasing a more efficient piece of kit? With regards to the machine that is in place, the Koppens former is approximately 10-15yrs old and forms cakes by using hydraulic cups and a forming plate. Over the years the maximum output of the machine has dropped by approximately 25% from the max of 40s/m to now 30s/m. Would it be better to buy a new piece of kit. Perhaps the purchasing an AEW forming machine? Unfortunately these are costly pieces of kit. Costing in the range of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½250K. This is a large prohibiting factor in an SME of the size of the company in question, with their limited financial resources. In order to justify a capital expenditure of that magnitude, a significant order would have to be procured to allow for the required payback period to make it a cost effective purchase. It is almost chicken and egg scenario. With a new piece of machinery of this nature the potential for increased throughput of not only this line, but also of others would rise significantly, but monies or orders to cover payback periods would have to be secured before capital expenditure is considered. It is a difficult political climate with retail customers at present. More and more of the major multiples only issue contracts for periods of usually a year (although there has recently been a downward trend to decrease these to six monthly). So a guarantee off continued business is not certain, which prohibits the purchase of the new machinery. The small margins also affect the staff efficiency and retention (thus quality). Because margins are tight, only a small amount on the top of national minimum wage can be applied. This can limit not only the response to job advertisements, but also with staff retention and loyalty. With a higher staff turnover, the quality of staffs employed often reduces, thus affecting the throughputs and efficiencies of the lines. This interplay of factors is what has to be investigated further upon before resolutions can be found. Identification is just the first step in an overall improvement plan. Appendix 1: Summary Sheets GMP Audit Material Enclosed in this booklet are copies of the audit checklists that you can use to audit your site against each element of GMP. You should aim to audit 2 elements of the standard each week and use the techniques discussed in week 1 on problem solving to objectively assess each element of the standard. If you wish to discuss any elements in more detail then contact one of the tutors on the course who will be able to help you clarify any problems or issues that you may have. IMPORTANT You will need to copy the food safety and hygiene audit assessment form each week, as you will need to use this to summarize for each assignment. Using the Sample Assessment Forms for the 10 sections of Good Manufacturing Practice identify: 1. Areas of Strength and Weakness for the GMP sections for your own plant or operation, using the checklists provided. 2. The causes of problems which are inherent with the areas of weakness 3. The barriers and aids which will effect the improvement process 4. Prioritise the actions needed to improve your Good Manufacturing Practice needs, using the assessment forms, which should be included within your weekly assignment. A grading system has been given on each checklist. You may use this grading system to help you to assess your factory, but feel free to modify this. If you do modify the system then you should explain, quite clearly, how the grading or scoring system is used. Key to the ABCD grading system for assessing the sections and elements of the GMP standard: Grade A Excellent Scores 50 points. Grade A scored when there are no safety problems or issues. Requires no further action. Grade B Satisfactory Scores 30 points. Actionable within defined timescale as agreed at audit. Grade C Major Scores 10 points. Actionable within one working week. Grade D Critical Scores 0 points. A Grade D is automatically awarded when a critical safety issue is identified, and is actionable immediately.

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Strategic Management - Assignment Example A third advantage of SWOT is that the tool can be used for strategic management purposes. A fourth advantage of using SWOT to evaluate a business is its simplicity and versatility. Despite the benefits of using SWOT, the tool also has its cons and limitations. One of the inherent weaknesses of the tool is that different people might evaluate companies using subjective factors. For instance, a manager that is biased might perform a SWOT analysis using favorable data that might be misleading. The success of SWOT is dependent on methodologies utilized by the business analyst and the eagerness of the management team to implement the recommendations identified by the analysis. Another weakness of SWOT is that the analysis can be simplistic and not actionable (Britt, 2012). Sometimes people that used SWOT focus too much on gathering information instead of interpreting the information and finding solutions to the challenges the company

Circumcision in the United States Research Paper

Circumcision in the United States - Research Paper Example All the reasons summed up result to a conclusion that circumcision is a normal practice that should take root in the American culture. Circumcision in the United States Circumcision is a procedure known and practiced by millions of people across the globe. It is the removal of a penis’ foreskin in males or removing of clitoris or labia minora in females. However, this paper relates to male circumcision. In the United States majority of males are circumcised and they form about 85 percent which is a figure derived from states like California, Texas and Georgia among others. It is important to note that the rate of newborn circumcision has increased by 12.8 percent according to Schoen (2007). Many men are also being circumcised at later stages in life owing to personal, medical or religious reasons. Circumcision in actual sense has more benefits than risks and should be a normal and required practice in the United States. Reasons for circumcision As stated above men or male chil dren are circumcised based on three main reasons namely: religion or culture, medical reasons and personal reasons. Religion or culture It is the norm in many cultures for male children to be circumcised after being born. In others circumcision takes place at the onset of puberty. Jews and Muslims are the notable groups of people who uphold strict circumcision traditions based on religion and culture. Circumcision that is carried out at puberty mostly acts as a rite of passage from childhood to adulthood especially in many African cultures. Christians on the other hand are divided on whether to take circumcision as a norm or let an individual decide. Catholic Church for example presently holds a neutral ground in as far as medical reasons are concerned. Medical reasons Medical side to circumcision holds a great deal of controversy with experts staging conclusions from both ends i.e. some favoring the practice while others refuting it on medical grounds. Schoen, Wiswell and Moses (20 00) state that American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) for example, claimed back in 1971 that it was hard to prove validity of circumcision of newborns. They also termed it as a non-essential for the newborns’ well-being. Contrastingly, studies by Wiswell et al. showed that newborns are 10-20 times protected from Urinary Tract Infections through circumcision. In addition, AAP in 1999 provided a list of six benefits and one risk i.e. surgical mishap which was also indicated to be rare at 0.2 percent. Some of the benefits include reduced chances of acquiring HIV, UIT, penile and cervical cancers and Chlamydia among others (Castellsague, Peeling, & Franceschi et al. 2005). In general, medical benefits of circumcision far outweigh the risks involved in both children and adults. The first major benefit is the reduced chances of contracting certain diseases and infections for example the UTI and HIV (Zorc, Levine & Platt, 2005). A circumcised man is also less likely to result to cervi cal cancer in women. It is also less likely for one to contract syphilis. It is also 3 times less likely for a circumcised man to carry human papilloma virus. It is therefore empirically true that circumcision has more benefits than it has risks and as such it should be encouraged at national level. Personal experiences (under personal reasons) I know of two boys who were circumcised at birth. My nephew was forced to undergo circumcision due to medical

Project Entpreneurship Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Project Entpreneurship - Essay Example there are many cases of teen pregnancy on more than one occasion† (Anand 2011, para. 1). We could refer many studies and surveys conducted around the western countries regarding teenage pregnancy. It would certainly prove that teenage pregnancies are increasing as well as abortions too. In developing countries it is related with child marriages, but in western countries it is related with before marriage sex relations. So in order to prevent this, certain measures should be taken and implemented. So we planned to conduct a campaign in NHS Bedfordshire. NHS Bedfordshire schools are part of healthy school programs and they have taken many measures to ensure the health of young people. They already have a teenage pregnancy unit, known as Bedfordshire teenage pregnancy unit. So our plan is to conduct a campaign in Bedfordshire campuses in order to create strong awareness against teenage pregnancy and to prevent it. Business Project: The current business project that we are aiming a t is the various kinds of ways to effectively plan and implement the planning programme. The planning program, in this context, is the discussion on an illegal activity namely the teenage pregnancy. ... The discussion on the campaign is mainly aiming to create the awareness on the teenagers, especially the boys with the main intention of eradicating teenage pregnancy. Various methods are identified for the reduction of the teenage pregnancy, but before that there are various problems identified and they have to be  clearly understood and steps have to be taken accordingly for reducing teenage pregnancy. The main problem found behind teenage pregnancy was the single parenting culture in the UK country. The single parenting of the children may lead to the various adverse effects on the behavior of the child and they may lead to the various mal practices like the usage of the drugs, alcohol and prone to various kinds of syndromes, which lead to the dynamic life styles and culture. The main reasons for a teenager falling into certain kinds of acts are due to the non-controlling of them and they doesn’t not find adequate time for successful parenting. The various kinds of abstin ence approach can help the children in reducing the teenage pregnancy. We should be able to educate the teenaged children about those approaches accordingly and should give proper guidance on sex issues prevailing in the country and the after effects of those actions. Sex education should be made compulsory among the teenagers and they should be given complete advices and suggestions on preventing teenage pregnancy and to prevent themselves from any kind of the abuse. A proper counseling should be given to children as well as the parents about how to prevent pregnancy. Sexual education should be given priority and use of contraception methods should be conveyed to the teenagers and to the parents for proper behaving. Volunteering and various legal aids should be imposed to the teenage

Market analysis, market segmentation analysis and break even analysis Case Study

Market analysis, market segmentation analysis and break even analysis - Case Study Example The goals for the market analysis are: Demand The product depends on the income of the consumers. From the recent past, I can note that there has been a high demand for the product and thus need to increase the productivity. This will enable me compete for the some market space with my competitors so that I stand out to win the trust of my customers. At his very point, the marketing concept applies effectively because when I respond to demand of my customers, I am in a position to establish a positive relationship with them. It is the only way I am going to make long-term profits from the sales of my stock. Audience of the product Knowing the audience of my product will enable me make effective marketing segmentation. By this, I will be in a position to channel the right products to the right consumers. As Mr. Millar, I will segment my market into four parts: new residential, modernization, replacement and light commercial segment. This is because my company deals with different type s of customers. As Millar, I will analyze all the segments to identify their needs. The new residential segment accounts for 55% of all sales. Unfortunately, I realize that this segment is very competitive and the sales can only be effective if they are done simultaneously. These are some of the problems that the Scotts Company faces. The light commercial segment will include restaurants, schools and churches. This is because they are good uses of air conditioners. As for the modernization segment, the good news is that it outshines the new residential segment. This is the where the future of the company lies and thus the appropriate segment that can be used to capitalize on the investments. Price models I know that every company has its own way of determining it prices. It all depends on the model in use. As Millar, the best price model is the Chinese feint trick. With this, the company may announce a price increment in a trade press but delay the implementation. The Scott’s company has the problem of implementing the prices immediately thus will lose its competitive advantage in the market. However, using alternatives will save the company great loses. Basing my argument on the market definition and dynamics concept, I recommend that my market share be made clear so that when am making pricing issues, I do not base on what others are offering. I know that Ben Millar is at crossroads because the company has failed to identify its market share. It is currently missing opportunities because it looks at its market narrowly. I see at tough time for the Scott’s company in future because of the competition that is currently prevailing in the market. In this case, the new residential segment will exist since very little consideration is given. What-If Scenario 1 Sales $112,000,000.00 FC Manufacturing $20,363,636.36 *Fixed Sales Force $3,000,000.00 *Fixed Communications $1,300,000.00 *Fixed R&D $1,200,000.00 *Fixed Materials $61,600,000.00 *Lowered to 5 5% Bottom Line $24,536,363.64 Return on Sales 21.9% Doubling of cumulative production vastly increases profitability The above table reveals that a volume of $ 61,600,000 will enable the company realize its profitability and that the sales force will give the company a good opportunity of ensuring that the sales are very high. Identifying paths to reach customer segments These paths will help my

My Experience In a English Class Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

My Experience In a English Class - Essay Example I have also been able to improve on various issues relating to English as my second language. In this paper, I will talk about my experience in an English class. The English class has helped me a lot in improving both written and spoken language. It is good to inform that English is my second language and hence joining English class was the best decision I ever made. In English class, I have learned several things that are basic and important in English language. The first thing that I learned and I felt was helpful was on the sentence. In class, I learned that a good sentence was the most important thing in any communication in English language. I learned that poor sentence was not good in formal communication. Therefore, in class I learned that the sentence should have a subject that is the name of the person or things talked about. The other part of the sentence that is of value is the ones tell about the subject. Hence, a mix of the two parts makes a sentence complete and offer meaning to what is being talked about. The other part that I have learned in class is the use of various parts of speech. Examples of such parts of speech are the noun, verb and adjectives. These parts were helpful as I learned on the role they play in English language. I learned that they helped in any form of communication or writing that is concerned with English. I also learned that the combination of these parts helps in proper flow of information. On the other hand, I learned about various vocabularies in English. Learning of vocabularies was of great to me as English is my second language. I found that English hand various types of vocabularies that can have one or several meanings. Learning on various parts of English language has helped me to read some novels in English. Reading these novels has helped me improve my language. Moreover, in class I have learned various things concerned in writing

Greenpeace and Politics Essay Example for Free

Greenpeace and Politics Essay Greenpeace is an organization which often collides with governments in countries all over the world in its attempt to stop things like global warming, deforestation, overfishing and more. Greenpeace tries to reach their goals by direct action and lobbying. This is the part where they often collide with the governments. My questions about this topic are: -What conflicts does Greenpeace have (or did they have) with the government and corporations in the Netherlands and governments and corporations of other countries in the world? -How exactly does Greenpeace influence governments and corporations? -What influence does Greenpeace have on governments and corporations? I want to answer these questions by first telling a bit more about Greenpeace. Then I will tell about some conflicts which Greenpeace have had and still have with Dutch government and corporations. I am also going to tell how Greenpeace acted in those conflicts and if they reached their goal(s). by telling this, I will have answered the second and third question. I will also tell about some conflicts Greenpeace has with other governments and corporations and how Greenpeace acted there. Greenpeace Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization. It has offices in more than forty countries all over the world. Its international coordinating body is in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Greenpeace states its goal is to ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its diversity.’’ It focuses on worldwide issues such as global warming, deforestation, overfishing, commercial whaling and anti-nuclear issues. Greenpeace is known for its direct actions and lobbying to stop or delay things but also uses research and innovation to achieve its goals. Greenpeace does not accept money from governments, political parties, or companies. It relies on more than 2.9 million individual supporters and foundation grants. Greenpeace is a founding member of the INGO Accountability Charter; an international non-governmental organization that intends to promote accountability and transparency of non-governmental organizations. Greenpeace has been described as the most visible environmental organization in the world. It has raised environmental issues to public knowledge, and influenced both the private and the public sector. Greenpeace has also been a source of controversy; its motives and methods have received criticism and the organizations direct actions have led to legal actions against Greenpeace activists. Greenpeace and conflicts with the Dutch government and Dutch corporations In August 2008, Greenpeace threatens the negotiations of the Dutch government and civil society organizations concerning the designation of protected nature reserves in the North Sea. Greenpeace threw large rocks in the Sylter Buitenrif, near the German-Denmark border. Each of the rocks are about two to three tons. Because of the rocks, fishing is impossible in that area because the fishing nets might get hooked on the rocks, which will be dangerous for the boats. The reason why Greenpeace did this was because the Dutch government was too slow with the designation of protected nature reserves. In 1995, all EU countries promised they would take protective measures known as ‘Natura 2000’, but all North Sea countries, including the Netherlands, took too long to do this and were behind schedule. The Dutch minister of agriculture, minister Verburg, agreed to designate four protected nature areas. Minister Verhagen declared he wanted a second nuclear power plant (NNP) to be built in the Netherlands, one much bigger than the NNP we already have in Borssele. He had already found a solution for the nuclear waste: put it under the ground. According to minister Verhagen, two soil types are suitable for storing nuclear waste, salt domes in the northern Netherlands and the Boom clay layer which extends over the Netherlands and a part of Belgium. And since a few months, Dutch Greenpeace activists have been protesting against nuclear energy in the Netherlands. They have been trying to persuade the cities to say ‘no’ to nuclear waste storages underneath their city. They did this in several ways, they for example placed warning signs under more than 64 signposts of cities in middle and south Netherlands. Greenpeace activists also visited cities and spoke to councilors and they dumped ‘nuclear waste’ in several places. By now, more than 75 cities said ‘no’ to nuclear waste and the energy company Delta declared in January to have put the plans for a second NPP on hold. They declared it was not feasible anymore to built a second NPP. However, minister Verhagen still wants a second NPP, though he does not seen to get much support anymore†¦ In December 2011, Greenpeace campaigned in the harbor of IJmuiden against harmful giant ships which was about to set sail to the waters West-Africa. Because of overfishing in the European seas, ships like these now have to go to other seas because they cannot catch enough fish in European seas anymore. The ships against which Greenpeace was campaigning was part of the Pelagic Freezer-Trawler Association (PFA). This is a company which is established in the Netherlands and is a partnership of several Dutch fisheries. PFA got more than 142 million euro subsidy from 2006 to 2011 on. the last five years more than 142 million Euros in European subsidies. Subsidies which are paid from tax money paid by European inhabitants. Greenpeace wrote the amount of money which one of the largest fishing ships in the world got on the ship itself. Also, on the 31st of January 2012, Greenpeace anchored one of Europe’s largest ships to the dock with steel cables to prevent it from setting sail to fishing waters. The Second Chamber will debate about overcapacity on the 15th of February in the Algemeen Overleg. Greenpeace and conflicts with other governments and corporations all over the world Finland, 1995 In June 1955, Greenpeace took a trunk from a tree and put it on display at exhibitions in Austria and Germany. They declared that the trunk was from a tree from a ancient forest in a national park which was supposed to be protected. Metsà ¤hallitus is a state-owned enterprise in Finland has the tasks of managing most of the protected areas of Finland and to supply wood to the countrys forest industry. They accused Greenpeace of theft and said the trunk was from a normal tree that had been destroyed during a storm. Greenpeace replied that the tree had fallen down because the forest around it had been clear-cut. With this action, Greenpeace wanted to highlight the fate of old forests, and they did, because the incident received publicity in some large Finish newspapers. Great Britain, 2008 On the 11th of September, 2008, six Greenpeace activists were acquitted in a case started by energy company E.ON. The activists were protesting against the emission of COâ‚‚ and the construction of a new coal plant in Kent. They climbed the chimney of an existing plant and wanted to write the text ‘Gordon, bin it’ on the chimney. However, they were stopped after they had written ‘Gordon.’ E.ON wanted the activists to pay the damage costs of  £ 35,000 but the judge decided that the damage to the environment done by the coal plant was many times bigger than the activists’ graffiti. France, 1985 The first ship of Greenpeace was the Rainbow Warrior, a 40 meter long former fishing trawler. From 1978 to 1985 on, it was used as a ship to prevent whale hunting, ocean-dumping of toxic and radioactive waste, seal hunting and nuclear testing. In 1985, the Rainbow Warrior was to lead a fleet of protest vessels into the waters surrounding a French nuclear testing site. The French government secretly bombed the ship in the Auckland harbor, New Zealand. The bombings killed a Dutch freelance photographer. At first, the French government denied they had bombed the ship, but in the end they were exposed by the New Zealand police. They agreed to pay New Zealand a compensation of 13 million New Zealand Dollar. They also paid 2.3 million French francs to the family of the photographer. Liberia, Greece, 2002 In 2002, Greek, German and Swiss activists boarded the vessel MV Zini in the port of Kalamaki. The vessel was there to unload logs which it had picked up at the Liberian port of Buchanan. That port is largely controlled by the logging company Oriental Timber Company (OTC). OTC is run by a close business associate of the President of Liberia, who has granted the logging rights to at least one third of Liberia ´s remaining 4.8 million hectares of ancient forest to the company. Liberias forests contain enormous biodiversity, but its timber industry is fuelling both environmental destruction and human rights abuses. The Greenpeace activists dressed like animals, the same animals that are being wiped out around the world through the destruction of ancient forests. In reaction to the Greenpeace action, the Greek ministry of environment joined other European nations in committing itself to keep a very clear and strong position for the protection and sustainable management of the last ancient forests of the world and they made promises to take action against forest destruction. Japan, 2008 In June 2008, the Japanese police arrested two Greenpeace activists for stealing a box which was supposed to be full of cardboard, but which was in fact filled with whale meat. The two activists presented this box as evidence to the Public Prosecutor in Tokyo of wide-scale corruption at the heart of the government-sponsored whaling operation in the Southern Ocean Whale Sanctuary. There has been an investigation, but according to the Tokyo District Prosecutor Office, it has been unable to find evidence of the embezzlement. The investigation into crew and whaling officials has stopped. After their arrest, the two Greenpeace activists, known as ‘the Tokyo Two’, have been held without charge for some time. In that time, more than 170.000 people have done a cyber action, and a quarter million people sent a mail to the Japanese government to demand their release. The Tokyo Two have been handed a one year suspended prison sentence last year September, despite of the world wide protests against the unjust sentence. Although they are now in prison, they did manage to put whaling successfully on trial, both in court, and in Japans national media. Switzerland, 2010, Other European countries In 2010, the Swiss Parliament extended its ban on the cultivation of genetically engineered (GE) plants for three more years. Switzerland will now stay free of GE plants until at least 2013. The original moratorium was backed by Swiss voters in a referendum 5 years ago. Supporters of the ban included farmers, who were concerned about the impacts of GE crops on organic produce as GE crops pose unpredictable risks to human and animal health. The Swiss Greenpeace office has been supporting these farmers and Swiss consumers to ensure the country remains GE-free. The EU Commission President Barroso is trying to force GE crops into the EU and to bypass standard authorisation procedures. However, this approval has met many criticism and opposition. The governments of Greece, Austria, Luxembourg, Italy, Hungary and France have all publicly announced that they will not allow GE potato crops grown in their countries. Six other EU countries, Austria, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary and Luxembourg have bans on GE maize cultivation. I hoped I was able to give an idea of the conflicts Greenpeace gets into with governments and corporations all over the world. Of course, what I told is only a fraction of the actions Greenpeace does and the conflicts and problems they walk into when campaigning but had I told about them all, or even half of them, I could have continued for a very long time. And of course, Greenpeace does not always get into conflict with governments or big corporations, sometimes they only get into conflict with small companies or a small group of people.