Why Being the Grammar Police Isnt A Good Freelance Writing Quality

Do you find yourself cringing and biting your nails when reading blog posts and articles filled with grammatical mistakes? You might even be in the Grammar Police group and not even know it! The impulse to email the business or blogger about their errors is all too-consuming because not only do these grammar errors leave a sour taste in your mouth, but youre also fed up with all the mistakes you see online from bloggers and even from freelance writers likeME! Ive said many times on my blog that Im not a perfect writer and I dont claim to be perfect with grammar (thats why I use Grammarly and have a proofreader for my client work). And, Im even fortunate enough to have nice bloggers and writers tell me my grammatical mistakes. In the years Ive been writing online, Ive only had less than 3 Grammar Police ridicule my writing skill. I usually get something like this: In the post, I noticed an error. I thought you might like to know so you can get it corrected. In future lessons will focus on the pages *will* should either read as: we will or well. Or, you could eliminate In so the sentence will read: Future lessons will focus on the pages. Hope youre having a great day!Linda H. As I said, Im fortunate that my tribe of writers, mamas and bloggers arent the Grammar Police but constructively critique my writing. And thats a good thing because if youre a freelance writer, being the Grammar Police to clients and prospective clients is not an excellent quality. In fact, its a bad quality to have. Get My Free Course on Getting Paid to Write Online Why Being the Grammar Police is Hazardous to Your Work Writing is personal. You pour your heart and soul into your writing, whether its for your own personal enjoyment or your freelance writing job. You have a connection with your words, and when you hear that your writing is horrible or that you the professional freelance writer should be aware of these grammar errors, it doesnt make you feel good, right? So, imagine this Grammar Police telling strangers they have horrible writing because they have one or few double negatives or typos in their articles? Do you think this person gets freelance writing jobs every day? Lets go over five ways being the Grammar Police makes you less money and lessens your chance at landing freelance writing work. 1. Grammar Police Are Rigid If you live by grammar and all things related to having error-free writing, I can bet you are unwilling to infuse personality into your writing. Your passion for writing is limited by not ending your sentences in a preposition or ensuring you never have a dangling modifier. And, in the end, what do you end up with then? Writing that lacks creativity. Writing that doesnt breathe life. Your writing becomes too rigid and something that clients dont want on their website. A freelance writing client wants an engaging writer that can tell a story with their words. And more importantly, isnt afraid to bend the rules of grammar for the sake of making their writing more conversational. If you find yourself self-editing constantly, consider the result of that when you read your writing. 2. Clients Dont Like Grammar Police Grammar Police are also nit-picky and rudely demonstrate this quality at times. As the person dishing out the grammar advice, you may not see this. You may feel you are doing your part in helping your clients with their copy. Which is ultimately right, but if you nit-pick every little thing on your clients website, do you think youll be their go-to writer? Clients usually collaborate with easy going writers. These are the writers that turn in excellent work all the time, never miss a deadline, never ask for an extension and are easy to reach (and dont nit-pick!). 3. Grammar Police Are Slow Writers My writing process sometimes can take a while to accomplish. Its hard for me not to hit that backspace/delete button as Im typing my clients post. I self-edit all the time, but Im learning to limit this constructive criticism in my brain and just write. But, for many other writers, they cant turn that off in their brains. The Grammar Police thrive in them, and writing becomes excruciating and fixated on one paragraph or solely on the introduction. You can also call this perfectionism 🙂 And, you know how what ends up happening when you write slow? You make less money as a freelance writer. 4. Grammar Police Focus On the Wrong Thing Again, grammar gets the spotlight when you write, rather than the content idea or the actual writing. You become focused on eliminating your grammatical mistakes and typos, rather than seeing if the idea flows from point A to point B. When you make your outline for your article the spotlight, you start to care about what you are writing about, instead of how your writing sounds like or how it comes out across. 5. Grammar Police Come Across As All-Knowing Its unfortunate, but I lump Grammar Police with trolls on the Internet. And many feel the same way and call Grammar Police huge jerks. Of the few that have called me out on my grammar or writing style, the most memorable was when I didnt even write a post, but I did a webinar about freelance writing. One person emailed me after the webinar and told me point blank that she would NEVER buy ANYTHING I created. She thought my webinar was terrible, that my speaking was poor and that there was no way that businesses were paying for my writing. Ouch! I never publicly told this story because it hurt me! Deeply! The next time I did a webinar was two years later! Grammar Police want to come off as all-knowing because they just want to be right. That is not how you do business with potential clients. The Right Way to Acknowledge a Grammar Mistake Look I know that many of you reading this arent Grammar Police, but you want to know how you can tell someone (ahema potential client of yours) that they have a typo or grammatical error. How do you do it kindly? As I mentioned, the bloggers, mamas, and writers in my community are very helpful and very kind when they tell me I have a spelling mistake: But, McKinzie is a blogging friend of mine, so its easy to call-out other friends for a typo. Its different when you want to tell a potential client they have errors all over their website. How do you tell them? In my private Facebook group for Writeto1k course students, Michelle asked: How do you suggest someone hire you as a copy editor without sounding rude? I have seen so many big brands with typos and other errors lately, but I dont know how to contact them and not seem like a jerk by pointing out the mistakes. I asked my dear friend and editor, Lorraine Reguly this question and here is her expert advice: When you contact the company, the very first thing you want to do is compliment them on their content. This will create favorability in their mind, which will hopefully lead to a positive response. Once that has been established, you can then point out their mistakes, using screenshots, and explain that you are concerned about their image as well as their professionalism online. Then you can make your pitch! By pointing out all of the positives, you will gain their trust. All of the positives will outweigh the negatives, so a positive response will be more likely to happen! As you can see, instead of being the Grammar Police, Lorraine suggests that you compliment the company first. As the saying goes, you catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. The same is true for business always start with a positive thing to say before you state a negative. Lorraine also makes it a point to say that you should tell prospective clients you are concerned about their brand and image, and professionalism. This changes the mindset of the potential client feeling inferior or embarrassed by the typo, and instead, puts the idea that these mistakes can hurt their brand. This opens the door to your editing and writing service. Dont Be the Grammar Police Am I inviting Grammar Police by writing this post? I hope not! I want to help as many writers as possible tomake money with their writing. If grammar is your sole focus, you may be better off as an editor rather than a writer! But, if you truly love writing, its okay to point out typos, just use constructive criticism because everyone makes mistakes! Over to you have you been called out by the Grammar Police? What was your experience? Remember to pin me! Get My Free Course on Getting Paid to Write Online

Free Essays on College Life

Leaving from home and exploring ones own dreams are a very important part or maturing. Though, the physical separation from home is for some a difficult transition to college life. What are those things one takes for granted while living at home, and attending high school? What changes does one face upon entering college? Just thinking of all the times the alarm clock did not go off, and my mom was there to make sure school was still reached in time. When the alarm clock fails to go off at college, then the first class of the day is simply missed. At home breakfast is made to order: eggs, bacon, pancakes, or even French toast. In college one finds a particular meal that is edible, and must stick with it. A cabinet could be opened at home and a variety of tasty foods are readily available. In college a meal card is swiped though a machine upon entering the cafeteria, and the word â€Å"tasty† rarely enters the mind. My mom was at home to make sure the dishes are put away after the meal by my stepfather and I. They are simply handed over to pairs of hands waiting to clean the dishes at college. Nutrition is a factor at home, and my mom creates meals with that in mind. A new food group sprang to life upon entering a residence hall: Mountain Dew, Doritos, Ben & Jerry’s, Oreos, and t he list could go on and on. Privacy is always available at home; there is somewhere to read, write, listen to music, or to just rest. Dorm life is a harsh reality to college, and the only time the room is empty is on a Thursday night. At home, a bedroom is somewhere to keep all personal belongings; there is a particular space for everything to fit. Space efficiency becomes a survival tactic in college. When at home there is no worry of someone coming into your bedroom unless permission is given to enter. In college a day without at least ten random visitors is considered boring. At home, family was the only people living inside the house. In c... Free Essays on College Life Free Essays on College Life Leaving from home and exploring ones own dreams are a very important part or maturing. Though, the physical separation from home is for some a difficult transition to college life. What are those things one takes for granted while living at home, and attending high school? What changes does one face upon entering college? Just thinking of all the times the alarm clock did not go off, and my mom was there to make sure school was still reached in time. When the alarm clock fails to go off at college, then the first class of the day is simply missed. At home breakfast is made to order: eggs, bacon, pancakes, or even French toast. In college one finds a particular meal that is edible, and must stick with it. A cabinet could be opened at home and a variety of tasty foods are readily available. In college a meal card is swiped though a machine upon entering the cafeteria, and the word â€Å"tasty† rarely enters the mind. My mom was at home to make sure the dishes are put away after the meal by my stepfather and I. They are simply handed over to pairs of hands waiting to clean the dishes at college. Nutrition is a factor at home, and my mom creates meals with that in mind. A new food group sprang to life upon entering a residence hall: Mountain Dew, Doritos, Ben & Jerry’s, Oreos, and t he list could go on and on. Privacy is always available at home; there is somewhere to read, write, listen to music, or to just rest. Dorm life is a harsh reality to college, and the only time the room is empty is on a Thursday night. At home, a bedroom is somewhere to keep all personal belongings; there is a particular space for everything to fit. Space efficiency becomes a survival tactic in college. When at home there is no worry of someone coming into your bedroom unless permission is given to enter. In college a day without at least ten random visitors is considered boring. At home, family was the only people living inside the house. In c... Free Essays on College Life College Life As children grow up, they have to move on. College is one of the stages that you will probably go through. As you come up on these new things, you have to make the right decisions. If you make the wrong choice it could ruin your life. If the wrong choices are made there will be long and short term results. Two of the biggest mistakes a student can make are not going to class and not turning work in on time. One short term effect of not going to class or not turning in your work is that teachers don't really want to work with you. A teacher is not going to feel sorry for a student that does not do anything in their class. Think to yourself, why someone would help you if you never pay any attention to them? Also, you will never really learn anything if you don't go to class. Then the result of a person never holding up to their responsibilities will be the failure to pass any classes. This will eventually lead to you failing out of school. As you move on in life you will recognize the long term effects. One of the biggest results is that you do not get an education. This can be a very big problem if you ever want to get a job. If you go try to get a job without a college education, you will be very disappointed. You will keep going on interviews and never get the call back from the employer. You will end up at some fast food restaurant flipping burgers for the rest of your life. Also, you will never be able to spend very much money due to your budget. You will never be able to go out and buy your wants, and most importantly your needs. Then you have to look at all the money that you have just wastes. Spending a lot of money to put you through school and you just fail out. Knowing that your money is not an item that you just like to throw away, your parents will be very upset with you. Also it may show a lack of responsibility that you can not make it through school. It shows that you do not real... Free Essays on College Life College Life   Ã‚  Ã‚   As students enter college, they each face their own problems. Some may become overwhelmed with the problems caused by attending a higher education establishment and end up dropping out, in order to pursue work, family responsibilities, or something else. As dropout rates increased, Cal State Los Angeles decided that students needed a class to prepare them for the hardships of higher education life. Those special classes, called Introduction to Higher Learning classes were made mandatory in the first two quarters of a student’s first year in the university. The classes used a textbook called Your College Experience. This book contains many valuable lessons for starting freshmen, but the three most important lessons are in Chapter 4 (Time Management: The Foundation of Academic Success), Chapter 17 (Managing Stress), and Chapter 20 (Managing Money)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time Management is one of the most important, if not the most important keys to success in college. Students who can’t manage their time correctly end up having a lot of problems, both in their school life, and personal life. For most students, college is a balancing act between studying/homework, work, and family responsibilities. Without good time management skills it is often impossible to succeed in all three. Good time management is being able to decide what is the most important, and concentrate on it, without completely forgetting about the other things in life. Your College Experience provides many ideas for students to effectively manage their time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For me personally, certain time management ideas in Chapter 4 proved particularly useful. The Chapter helped me realize how important it is to set priorities, instead of trying to do everything. From my experiences, I learned that when you try to do everything, you end up doing nothing particularly well. The chapter also lists very good ideas as to how to make a daily plan, by setting aside time...

Wind Energy in India Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wind Energy in India - Essay Example One reason that has seen this form of natural energy dwindle is its nonrenewable nature. In this regard, humankind cannot renew natural gases and reuse them once they consume these resources. In addition, humankind has overexploited natural gases for economic gains in order to develop important sectors of the economy. These two factors have contributed to the depletion and the diminishing nature of this natural form of energy. Consequently, these depleting resources have necessitated humankind’s search of other sources of energy that were long-term and renewable. One such source of energy is the energy tapped from the wind and the sun, also known as wind energy and solar energy respectively. In line with this, nations have realized that these two forms of energy are renewable, and their use enhances a safe environment. All nations, despite their economic empowerment, have realized the importance role of wind and solar energy in meeting their energy demands. India is one of the nations of the world that has identified the important role of wind in producing energy. As a result, the country has made substantial investments in order to ensure that it tapped energy from wind to enhance its chances of meeting its national energy needs. Hence, this expose elucidates on the aspects that have enabled the use of wind energy in India. In addition, the expose will investigate any existing benefits and detrimental effects resulting from the use of wind energy in India. Finally, it is important to investigate the potential use of wind energy in India and its effects on energy or pollution situation over the world due to the ability of other sources of energy to cause pollution and affect the energy reserves due to their continued use. India is one of the countries that have the highest population. In addition, the economy of the country has been growing at an astronomical rate. In effect, demand for energy to sustain this growth is high with the country looking for o ther sources of energy rather than relying on the conventional sources of energy (Invest India). In addition, the country realized the importance of ensuring energy security, reducing the intensity of the density of carbon resulting from the use of nonrenewable energy, and reducing the adverse effects of natural gases use in the environment. To achieve the objectives, India realized that nonrenewable source of energy, with wind energy being the principal source, was a crucial way of achieving energy security, reducing the levels of carbon resulting from the use of nonrenewable energy, and improving a clean environment from the use of wind energy, which is a clean form of energy (Sargsyan et al.). In a 2001 census by India’s Ministry of Power, only 496,365 villages out of 593,732 were supplied with electricity power, which put the per capita consumption of energy in the country at 639 kWh making it one of the lowest in the world (Sargasyan et al. 2). In effect, a big proportio n of the country’s population cannot access the national power grid. One of the reasons leading to the failure to access the national power grid regards to the cost of power with most forms of natural energy being naturally expensive. Sargasyan et al. also noted that the country’s reliance on conventional forms of energy contributed to power shortages since these conventional sources were unreliable (2). Hence, the opportunity costs arising from diversifying to other sources of energy was high, which necessitated the need to identify other sources of

Operational Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Operational Analysis - Research Paper Example The capacity of the kitchen as of current data show that the establishment can serve up to 9,600 meals per day (Purtell, & Wagner, n.d). With reference to the number of meals the establishment is capable of serving per day and the overall number of ready customers, it’s obvious that the amount the Town of Millbridge pays MMWC for meals served to one customer per week is not enough to sustain the establishment thus, the customers have to add own funds to the township incentive. In this case, the total amount the establishment spends to manage the kitchen and the cost of preparing the meals as per the above assumptions is as follows: However, the total cost of the fixed and variable items amount to $170,400 per week. In this case, the cost of one meal should be 170,400/(9600x7) = $2.54 in order for MMWC to break even without making any profit. The operations of the establishment as of problem 1 show that MMWC spends $170,400 per week in both food preparation and in kitchen maintenance and operations. If the establishment takes into account capacity increase from 9,600 meals a day to 10,400, MMWC will therefore spend 10,400x7x2 (the assumption that one meal is prepared at a cost of $2.0 holds) and amounts to $145,600. This operations’ capacity will take into consideration the current $36,000 in fixed costs and an additional $625,000 of equipment. Additionally, while the expansion of the kitchen is a viable strategy, investing in the kitchen equipment will incur 12% opportunity cost if the same amount was invested in another area besides the kitchen capacity. In order to establish MMWC options, the original breakeven level is $2.54 per meal. The current bidder offers $1.25 less from the original breakeven level making the new meal price $1.29 for the establishment to breakeven without making any profit. While it was originally viable for the establishment

The Sale Of Burmah Castrol To Bp Amoco Commerce Essay

The Sale Of Burmah Castrol To Bp Amoco Commerce Essay This case study focuses on the detailed analysis of business environment, resources of the organisation, organisational structure and corporate parenting of sale of Burmah Castrol to BP Amoco case. This case study identifies different methodology of why Burmah Castrol sells its plants to BP Amoco. The Burmah Oil Company was founded in 1886 by Scottish entrepreneurs interested in exploiting newly found oil deposits in Burma. Burmah held a major shareholding in BP right through until the early 1970s. Indeed, after a long period operating effectively as an inter- mediate holding company for BP shares, the management of Burmah in the 1960s used the value of the shares as collateral to embark on an ambitious plan to turn Burmah into both a fully integrated oil company and a substantial conglomerate group. This analysis will contain a layout which will examine Burmah Castrol performance and their ultimate consequences through a step by step approach. An introduction has been given on Burmah Castrol sale to BP Amoco, a detailed analysis on performance gap such as goals and objectives, leadership, culture, organisational structure, corporate parenting, business environment of the company. Under each structural reform there in an explanation on what lead Burmah to sell it plants to BP Amoco, what are the characteristics of each structure and what lead to its failure. After the critical analysis of structure I will be mentioning the critical issue at Sony. In order to justify my argument I will be using strategic management models and theories such as, 5 forces model, GAP analysis, 7S matrix, SWOT analysis, PEST analysis, corporate parenting, value chain analysis and finally triple loop learning method. A separate segment of this report will target on answering the question is Castrol a growing company, and recommendation that have to be considered by them. After concluding the analysis I will deliver my recommendation for BP and it will be followed by a suggestion suggested for BP Amoco to buy Burmah Castrol. Finally an action plan is developed for what has to be done by the companies where I have concentrated on three main aspects, namely, marketing, structural reforms and cost effectiveness of the company. Critical issues The Burmah Oil Company is a Scottish entrepreneur company founded in 1886 with interested in exploiting newly found oil deposits in Burma. On establishing success was followed by a milestone investment in an exploration concession across a substantial area of Iran acquired from the Shah. Indeed, after a long period operating effectively as an inter- mediate holding company for BP shares, the management of Burmah in the 1960s used the value of the shares as collateral to embark on an ambitious plan to turn Burmah into both a fully integrated oil company and a substantial conglomerate group. The management ay Castrol are with skills in spotting both good managers and sound investment opportunities: the combination would enable all the Groups businesses to prosper and grow. There was sufficient similarity in terms of key factors for success between Castrol and the Chemicals businesses to enable senior management to add value across the portfolio. At late 80s there was an uncertainty, about where the Group was headed over the medium to long run. This has led them to search for moves that might provide such balance. The opportunity arose from Foseco after taking over its management; due to its depressed share price. There were also other issues to sort out in the Chemicals businesses where some were underperforming: work needed to be done to improve their overall operating efficiency. That was a task that was successfully set about and delivered: signi ¬Ã‚ cantly improved ratios were achieved through cost cutting and effective focus. In mid 1990s Burmah Castrol consisted of Castrol, blending and marketing lubricants; and Chemicals with a residual Fuels retailing business effectively the final relic of the past which was in the process of being sold off. The strategic review identi ¬Ã‚ ed an underlying theme of industrial marketing and quality service as the core competences of the successful chemicals businesses. ( Appendix 1) Castrols 75 per cent of its total profit came from passenger car engine oil business, faced the prospect of more efficient engines requiring longer and longer gaps between oil changes; and therefore of potential long-term volume decline. It has many strengths and weakness with is explained in appendix 2. In 1996, they had a difficult in North America after a run of consistently good volume and pro ¬Ã‚ t growth; and simultaneously we started to develop worries about long-run developments in the passenger car engine oil business in Europe. A problem was that some of the areas of business were suffering because of the dominant culture of the passenger car engine oil business. Castrol share price reached  £10 in the early 1990s and hadnt really moved from that level. It moved to  £13 at one point and down to  £7 at another, but these were the extremes of a dull range. Having split out the industrial business from the passenger car engine oil business, it further highlighted, for example, that there might be more similarities between the industrial lubricants business and the foundry chemicals business than there were between. Castrol its brand and marketing culture would represent a great prize to a number of the major oil companies because of economies of scale and the broader coverage of the lubricants market that it would provide. At a point they had some lack of belief internally, lack of belief externally and a possibly time-limited opportunity as a result of oil industry consolidation. In addition, one of their non-executives argued consistently at board meetings that there was indeed a time-limited opportunity to release value to shareholders. Therefore the critical issue is that Castrol should build up a model which is compatible with environmental changes in the shorter and the long run. Critical evaluation In strategic analysis it is important for Castrol to identify the current environment which the oil industry operates. In mid 1990s Burmah Castrol consisted of Castrol, blending and marketing lubricants; and Chemicals with a residual Fuels retailing business effectively the final relic of the past which was in the process of being sold off. The rapid fall in the sales revenue and the profitability of the Castrol due to poor management and severe competitions the management of the Castrol have been planning to restructure its business. They had a major drawback in management as they had some lack of belief internally, lack of belief externally and a possibly time-limited opportunity as a result of oil industry consolidation. Castrol must plan to face the rivalry and threat from other competitors such as BP which is one of the main competitors to Toyota. The bargaining power of the buyers can be reduced if the supplies of Castrol product are low. So Castrol should have strategy to maintain demand since it was the time of recession. The bargaining power of suppliers can be adjusted by having competitive buying from different suppliers of good needed for oil industries. (Refer appendix 3) During the financial year 1995-1999 the Castrol Corporation spent a massive amount to maintain its position in this competitive market spending more than 1000 million euro on restructuring of its strategy. However in 1999 the profit has decline largely comparing to previous year due to high interest payment and long term creditors to the company. The Castrol is facing many political, economical issues and mostly threats from American and Dubai oil industry with create a major uncertainly of Castrol survival in the market. Castrol environment has been analgised using PEST (Refer appendix 4). Castrol is in an uncertainty position to maintain price stability by differentiation of its own from others. Being close to the customers has also allowed them to segment the market effectively. Castrol adopted an organisational structure that was significantly different from a traditional approach to reflect the new business environment in the mid 1997s. Unlike the structure of many modern structure oil companies they have adapted to their traditional approach because of it convenience. The Tim Steven at the companys level holds a position as the CEO of Board of Directors, and the manager was in charge of all other functions at Castrol. All functional heads at Castrol also hold the position of party secretary at that function. These, to a great degree, facilitate the coordination between the CEO and management at Castrol, particularly at the functional level. (Refer appendix 5) Competitor analysis The oil industry is boiling over with changes. Deregulation, new opportunities in foreign fields and markets and environmental challenges are rushing together head-on to shape the energy and utilities business of the future. Castrol is facing threats from many foreign competitors producing vehicle oil. And whilst they have been very successful in developing world position, particularly in Asia Paci ¬Ã‚ c, that was unlikely to offer sufficient to offset the difficulties that might be going to encounter over a  ¬Ã‚ ve-year run absent of action in the bigger developed markets in Europe and North America. This had let to re-think what may happen to their passenger engine oil business and how competitor may take advantage over this situation. Further the Castrol group must increase its quality control procedure to avoid competitors defects in the production stage to avoid losses and meet competition effectively. Managing change The alternative which management developed, in considerable detail, involved is breaking the Group up. This acknowledged market skepticism about the coherence of the portfolio. Although the need for radical restructuring was accepted, an issue which management did not fully resolve at this point in the process concerned how the slicing should be carried out. The restructuring would not give the expected results unless the employees are satisfied with the changes. So Castrol should take measures to create confidence in the minds of the employee with regarding to changes. The employee participation in changes will make them success. In other word it should reduce resistance and increase cooperation within organisation. The management should increase two way communications from the top to bottom level of the hierarchy in order to implement the strategic changes successfully. Value chain analysis (Appendix6), balance score card (Appendix7) and cultural webs (Appendix8) are given in the Appendixes, which could be integrated in to Castrol organisation system to yield better results. Financial performance of Castrol The financial performance at Castrol during 1999 was very poor; either a lost or just break-even. This was attributed to several factors: high financial costs, low -margin product lines, poor sales, high interest rates and high procurement costs. (Gerry, n.d) Conclusion The case study evaluated by this report concentrates on different restructuring strategy and structure processors under taken by Castrol during the period of 1995-1999. In this analysis I have taken each structure one by one and commented on factors which led Castrol to do each restructuring process, characteristics of each structure and elements which led each structure to its failure. I have the identified the critical issue that are faced by Castrol as the lack of focus into future in making organizational structures for the corporation. In order to evaluate this case from a strategic management perspective I have used different models such as 5 forces model, 7S matrix, SWOT analysis, PEST analysis and Cultural web. Introduction has been given to each model applied and how it can be related to Castrol Company. Future Castrol is also looking towards further development of the engine oil business, possibly restructuring its strategy or by joint venture to survive in the competitor edge. Therefore I concluded that the success of most of the businesses was based on competences to do with high levels of service rooted in localized knowledge of how their product applications could meet customer need. Success was not so much based on the technical aspect of product as on industrial marketing and service on a local basis. An important exception to this pattern was that part of the passenger car lubricants business which involved sale of product through retail channels. After critically examining the company I will be giving my recommendation for Castrol and a proposed action plan for the required period. Recommendation The success of these businesses was much more to do with understanding customer needs than the production of oil. Therefore moving into much greater focus on devolution of responsibility to the market-facing business units is recommended. And Castrol was using the old approach which was not going to enable them to continue to grow the business at the previous rate of strategic plan. So its recommended for Castrol to develop a new strategy for their business in order to compete in this environmental market. They should also look at the other business such as the industrial lubricants business, the marine lubricants business and the commercial lubricants business which can be the key factor to survive in the market. Since their internal structure for managing the global Castrol lubricants business was no longer appropriate they have to re-structure the organisational structure if they want to optimize their position in each of the four markets. To reach that to optimize performance over the whole business, and to achieve economies of scale, they have to move away from a geographic structure to one focusing on each of the four areas of Castrol as global businesses in their own right. The old structure had been immensely successful. It had enabled a very strong ethic of customer focus and a strong esprit de corps. So its recommended to fellow as overall it benefiting the company. As an executive team they have to explore what opportunities there were for us to play a part in the process of consolidation. It concluded that the success of most of the businesses was based on competences to do with high levels of service rooted in localized knowledge of how their product applications could meet customer need. Similar to the earlier exercise on the Chemicals businesses, the conclusion was that success was not so much based on the technical aspect of product as on industrial marketing and service on a local basis. An important exception to this pattern was that part of the passenger car lubricants business which involved sale of product through retail channels. Justification Castrol is well recognized engine oil manufacture in the world have established in worldwide counties. Since there was a management deficiencies, the performance of the Castrol have reduced. Therefore practicing traditional approach as it helps the Castrol it is recommended to above so in case of problem in future the company can adopt old strategy to sustain its position in the market. As recommended above, moving into much greater focus on devolution of responsibility to the market-facing business units as the success of these businesses was much more to do with understanding customer needs than the production of oil. And Castrol was using the old approach which was not going to enable them to continue to grow the business at the previous rate of strategic plan. So it has been recommended for Castrol to develop a new strategy for their business in order to compete in this environmental market. By having tight relationship with customer can help Castrol to perform effective and efficiently by segment its product according to the need of the customers. And also having a well defined marketing strategy would increase the market share and the revenue of the company. Thus Castrol should make a long range plan to satisfy the needs of the two segments through increased product plan, research and development. References Hubbard, G. Rice, J. Beamish, P. (2005). Strategic management thinking analysis action. (3rd ed) .Pearson education Australia Johnson, Gerry (n.d). The sale of Burmah Castrol to BP Amoco.Exploring Corporate Strategy Kotelnikov, Vadim (Shared Values).[ n.d] retrived January 18, 2010 from http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/crosscuttings/shared_values.html. Plunkett (Business Information) [December 01, 2008]. retrived on January 22, 2010 from http://www.alacrastore.com/storecontent/Plunkett_Research-Energy_Industry_Market_Research_and_Competitive_Analysis_2009_from_Plunkett_Research-2082-13. Viljoen, J. Dann, S. (2003). Strategic management (4th ed.). Frenchs Forest, New South Wales: Pearson Education Pty Ltd. Appendixes APPENDIX 1 MC KINSEYS 7SMATRIX http://www.vectorstudy.com/management_theories/img/mckinsey_7s.jpg Strategy The strategy of the Castrol Corporation was to continue to develop as a very successful global business with an increasingly powerful brand, motivate functional managers to take part in corporate decisions making in order to improve performance and to meet competition efficiently. It is through this vision the whole organization should perform and it takes the leading role in getting other elements of the 7S matrix to follow in order to achieve those targets. Structure The structure of Castrol company had been a geographically based model, with four regional directors, the line managers responsible for over 50 country managers who ran their country businesses, very successfully hitherto, like individual freedoms. Traditional flat structure, where there were two way communications between the top management and the functional management. However by restructuring each department was converted into autonomous cellular structure where the C.E.O of each company was responsible for his own company. Systems Systems can be regarded as day today ongoing processors of the any company, thus these can vary from Human Resource procedures, accounting procedures, production lines, documentation etc. Castrol should try their best to make their systems more effective through innovations and management layouts. Style Castrol company had a straight span of management with most of the decision was made at the top level of management since it was vested with CEO of that company. This represented a autocratic style of leadership but under the restructuring Castrol can change its decision making style which was previously was under CEO and staffs can be encourage to make decision in critical situations. Staff Organizations are made up of humans and its the people who make the real difference to the success of the organization in the increasingly dynamic knowledge-based environments. The importance of human resources has thus got the central position in the strategy of the organization. This involves the methods how businesses develop employees to shape up value to improve performance. The two way feedback introduced after the restructured programmes improved the communication between the top management and the subordinate staff. Shared Values Shared values are what engender trust and link an organization together. Shared values are also the identity by which an organization is known throughout its business areas. These values must be stated as both corporate objectives and individual values.   (Vadim Kotelnikov, nd) All the employees of the Castrol should be encouraged to take the in the strategic implementation process. Skills Skills of staff member are not sufficient for Castrol since they had lack of trust internally with hindered the company performance. But after that restructuring and reconsidering strategy the company can improve its performance since present year profit have declined comparing to previous year profit.. This can be solved by training and educational programmes for the staff paradigm of operation, recruitments of young, dynamic, innovative technical staff to infuse organisational culture. Appendix 2 SWOT Analysis Strengths The Burmah Oil Company was founded in 1886 by Scottish entrepreneurs. Operates petrochemical businesses worldwide through the network of its subsidiaries and retail brands The passenger car engine oil business, which represented 75 per cent of total profits faced the prospect of more efficient engines oil suppliersCastrol strong brand loyalty for oil Very successful developing world position, particularly in Asia Paci ¬Ã‚ c. Weaknesses Castrol had some lack of belief internally, lack of belief externally and a possibly time-limited opportunity as a result of oil industry consolidation. Some of the areas of business were suffering because of the dominant culture of the passenger car engine oil business. Reduce in share price of Castrol Opportunities The strategic review identi ¬Ã‚ ed an underlying theme of industrial marketing and quality service as the core competences of the successful chemicals businesses. Extension of strategic oil and gas acquisitions in North Sea area; Launch of more flexible price policy to compete main rivals.   Threats Environmentally unsound policies due to oil and toxic spills; Possibilities for rendering the Chemicals portfolio as a whole more substantial and therefore more able to sit comfortably alongside Castrol Ceasing operations in a number of potential locations   with their further re-branding (Conoco); Sale of corporate-owned stations; Share price was sliced down to  £7 which was the extremes of a dull range. Since the passenger car engine oil business, which represented 75 per cent of total pro ¬Ã‚ ts, faced the prospect of more efficient engines requiring longer and longer gaps between oil changes; and therefore of potential long-term volume decline. Further lawsuits considering the companys ecological activities. Appendix 3 Industrial Environment analysis of Castrol by using Porters Five Forces model The strongest competitive force or forces determine the profitability of an industry and become the most important to strategy formulation (Porter .M,2008). Analysis by Porters five forces can be said that threat of new entrants is low due to huge capital and cutting-edge technology. Suppliers are weak because they are spread all over the world and cannot easily forward integrate. Buyers are weak due to low demand for non-consumer goods and high switching costs; moreover, buyers are not able to backward integrate. Substitutes are moderately strong due to different and less-expensive transportation facilities. On the other hand, intensity of rivalry is strong because of major players are dominant in the market by nearly same technology and manufacturing processes, suppliers relationship and distribution systems. Treat from New entrance Bargaining Power of Buyers Bargaining Power of Suppliers Revelry among Competitors Treat from Substitutes Threat of New Entrants- The expansion of foreign competitors began to decrease the market of car companies. As the world is experiencing economic downturn there is a great opportunity for the low cost customers to enter into the market. The conference of customers towards the brand is the only barrier to entry the market. Power of Suppliers A lot of suppliers depend on a certain oil companies to buy a majority of their products. If Castrol decided to change suppliers it could be the end of the suppliers business. Consequently, suppliers have little power.  Castrol should have a tightly bound network of suppliers, and partly to hedge against the loss of key suppliers. Threat from substitutes- There are oil companies such as BP, Shell, reliance etc which are the major competitor in the oil business market. Switching cost, change in buyers preferences and qualities of supply all create threat to Castrol Company. Power of buyers Castrol bargaining power of buyers, is quiet weak for Castrol and the entire automobile industry with a large number of alternative suppliers, hence, the aggressive pricing strategy. The five forces analysis gives an improved understanding of the degree of competition within the business environment. The analysis shows that the automotive industry is highly competitive, with buyers possessing and exerting a very powerful influence to the large number of substitute brands available to them. Appendix 4 PEST Analysis POLITICAL World energy markets are becoming more volatile due to the threat of geopolitical instability. Greater climate destabilisations from CO2 emissions are leading governments to encourage more sustainable forms of energy. World energy markets are becoming more volatile due to the growing oil requirements of a buoyant Chinese economy, creating tension between nations   Ã‚  ECONOMIC Economy is underpinned by its energy Energy markets will see demand increasing by almost 60 percent, with fossil fuels meeting most of this, and nuclear and renewable energy markets having limited relative contribution Alternative energy sources as a percentage of total energy supply are increasing and are expected to continue to do so. SOCIAL Kyoto Agreement, signed in 1992, has led to carbon funds (World Bank,) and emission trading in Europe and around the world, which is becoming a legal requirement. Peoples worldview is starting to change to a concern over the sustainability of the future, although this is not expected to change dramatically to justify widespread changes to energy use for some time.   TECHNOLOGY The International Energy Agency states that alternative energy markets will be underpinned by technological breakthroughs. Research shows technology is the key to competitiveness in the alternative energy industry; whilst alternative energy technologies are underpinned by 48 critical success factors across technological, commercial, socio-political and organisational categories. Appendix 5 Organisational structure Castrol adopted an organisational structure that was significantly different from a traditional approach to reflect the new business environment in the mid 1997s. Unlike the structure of many modern structure oil companies they have adapted to their tradional approach because of it convenience. The Tim Steven at the companys level holds a position as the CEO of Board of Directors, and the manager was in charge of all other functions at Castrol. All functional heads at Castrol also hold the position of party secretary at that function. These, to a great degree, facilitate the coordination between the CEO and management at Castrol, particularly at the functional level. The organisational structure that created for Castrol is shown in this figure, CEO Vice President (Production) Vice President (Technology) Vice President (Equipment) oil making oil rolling Production office Technology Automation Quality inspection Equipment Maintenance Planning Accounting Materials Supply Personnel Chairman Board of directors 50 country managers Line manager Regional director Regional director sident Regional director Regional director Appendix 6 Value Chain analysis Firm Infrastructure (Administration, Salaries and Wages, Assets of BMW, After sale services) Technology Development (New models, Development of new technological programs) Human Resource Management ( Recruitment and selection of qualified engineers and general managers, continuous training and development/ supervision) Procurement (Increase output of new models such as mini and Road rover) Inbound Logistic Getting contact with new supplier for back up and production of new models to attract different groups of customers Operation Carrying out activities such as acquiring technology and employing skill workers Outbound Logistic consumer loyalty created by quality Marketing and Sales Marketing is done by providing a Effective branding and establishes emotional contacts to the customers of Toyota Appendix 7 Balance score card of Castrol FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE How should we appear to our shareholders? Vision and strategy LEARNING AND GROWTH PERPECTIVE: To achieve our vision how should we sustain our ability to challenge improve? CUSTOMER FOCUS: How should we appear to our customers? OPERATINGPERFORMANCE: What business processes must we excel at? The balanced scorecard is a performance measurement and management tool which is gaining in popularity and which is particularly useful for the implementation and assessment of strategy. The balanced scorecard is a comprehensive framework that translates an organizations vision into a coherent set of strategic initiatives and performance measures. Financial perspective Burmah Castrol is in fact very much more than one homogenous business and indeed the Castrol Lubes business extends across a number of segments, each quite different in nature. Each business group is run independently from the others in Burmah Castrol and we have a strong tradition of local operating unit autonomy. Indeed, it is fair to say that we never operate as a centralized business and the size of our operating units runs right across the spectrum from the very small to the very large, as this chart of annual turnover illustrates. It have got 109 units, with an annual turnover of less than  £5m and then move down the scale; 26 less than  £10m; 20 at less than  £15m; etc. And then go right up the scale and there is what we would see as mega units: 1 at  £100m; 1 in the  £200m range; and 2 in the  £300m range. Customer perspective Castrol Consumer is world leader in the supply of car and motorcycle lubricants and services, marketing to workshops and retail chains, auto accessory stores and petrol stations. Principal products are engine oils, e.g. GTX, transmission  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uids and brake  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡uids. To establish in todays market its vital for every company to establish a strong relationship between customer and the company. Complete customer satisfaction is what is needed to achieve this relationship. Castrol should build a strong relationship that reflects their values as individuals and members of the society. And they always try to build relationships with customers based on mutual trust and loyalty. Internal business process perspective Castrol Commercial provides products and services principally to on and off-road vehicle  ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å¡eets. Off-road business includes vehi

Passing Places and Trainspotting

Passing Places and Transporting. They play I am analyzing Is Passing Places, by Stephen Greenhorn. It is a Scottish play from 1998 which Is set In Motherly. Alongside with this, I will also analyses the movie ‘Transporting', a movie directed by Danny Bayle based on the novel ‘Transporting' by Irvine Welsh. First I will focus on the mall characters In the several works and analyses their development throughout the play and the movie. Afterwards I will compare the play and film, and how they each depict Scotland. In the Scottish play Passing Places, the main characters are the two boys Alex and Brian.Of those two characters, Alex is the one who develops most during the play. In the beginning he is aggressive, angry and tough, and has nothing but hate towards his home-town Motherly: ALEX: Look at this place. Nothing but shoe shops and burger bars. BRIAN: I'm starving. . It shows his feeling of disenchantment with his home-town, but also with his life. It feels Like he needs to leave Motherly, In order to discover what life really Is. HIS life Is full of emptiness, the only relationship he has Is with Brian.Even his relationship with his mum Is poor: ALEX: No. Look. I Just need to go away for a while. Trust me. MUM: About as far as I could throw you. Throughout he changes in a better way. He learns to relax and discovers the better sides of Scotland. He has achieved some kind of tranquility, which perhaps is a result of his meeting with Mirror. Brian is Ale's best friend. He is more clever than Alex, more sensible and more aware of the â€Å"other side† of Scotland. He has a big knowledge of Scotland and is not afraid to bombard Alex with facts during their ride through Scotland.Just as Alex, he is also seeking something besides the walls of Motherly. He knows that there are better things, and uses the stolen surfboard as n excuse to run away from Motherly. On their trip, he meets people who are Just like him. At first It's Loan, but later It's p articularly Frank the Shaper, who makes him realism that there are others like him. They have created a computer program, but also a whole way of life that gives Brian the satisfaction he has been searching for. Bran wants to do the same thing.In the film ‘Transporting', the main character is a young heroin addict living in Elite, called Mark Rent. He has a serious drug habit, and resort to shoplifting and petty theft due to his unemployment: RENT: Choose your future. Choose life†¦ But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin? 3 Mark actually goes to Aberdeen university before the narrative begin, but dropped out and really hit the drugs when his disabled brother dies In hospital.As a person he Is very dreamy, troubled, sharp, and as a viewer you never know where you are with him – he never knows where he Is himself. He actually manag ed to get rid of his heroin addicted, moved to London to start a new life and doing business. But with his old friends. Therefore, he ends pop getting involved in a drug deal and sells 4 kilos of heroin. He then escapes with the money from his â€Å"friends†, which Just shows that he has changed into a better person and has decided to choose life, instead of living in the fast lane.Both works describes the dark sides of Scotland in the beginning, only to end it up by giving the reader/viewer a good impression of Scotland. All three of them aren't really proud of being Scottish when the narrative starts: Mark Rent: It's Shiite being Scottish. We're the lowest of the low! The scum of the bucking earth! 4 Mark expresses clearly that he isn't proud of being Scottish. If you look at Alex and Brian, their way of talking and living can be seen as a result of the town they have been brought pop to. They are, to a certain point, unconcerned about everything.It is clearly illustrated i n scene 29: ALEX: I can't. I can think it but I can't say it. It's Just It's not part of my language, alright? 5 Alex can't say the word beautiful because during his adolescence in Motherly, he hasn't seen any signs of beauty. The director uses, especially Alex, to criticism the modern big cities. The brings up the contrast of beauty in the landscape and ugliness in the towns. ‘Transporting' shows some of the same things, UT of course brings up the problem of the rising usage of drugs in Scotland, mainly in the larger cities.In the film and play alike, the main characters go through a positive development. They go from being troubled and disturbed in the big cities of Scotland, to better human beings when they leave their home-towns. Both the feeling of being Scottish and the Scottish society are criticized. As a reader, you get the impression that the Scottish society is filled with improper practices and an ascending drug abuse. In order to discover the beauty of Scotland or to live life, you have to move to landscapes or even another country.

Road Traffic Noise

1 . R O A D T R A F F I C N O I S E S T R A T E G Y As our towns and cities continue to grow, so too does the volume of traffic travelling on our roads. While this traffic represents an essential part of society's development and prosperity, it is also a growing source of concern for the community. This paper discusses many of the issues relating to the impact of road traffic noise on the community. Section 1 outlines the proposed Road Traffic Noise Strategy, its scope, development and how you can contribute. Section 2 contains information on the ffects, levels and sources of traffic noise, and outlines the current programs that contribute to reductions in road traffic noise in Victoria. 1. 1 Scope and Purpose of this Paper This background paper is the start of a process to develop an integrated Road Traffic Noise Strategy (the strategy) for Victoria. This background paper:  · explains what a road traffic noise strategy is;  · explains how the strategy will be developed, includin g how you can contribute to the process;  · provides information about the effects, levels and sources of road traffic noise in Victoria Section 2); and  · outlines current programs that address road traffic noise issues (Section 2). 1. 2 What is a Road Traffic Noise Strategy? A road traffic noise strategy is a plan for managing the noise from motor vehicles on the road network. The strategy will guide the activity of government, business and the community to achieve reductions in road traffic noise over time. Solutions to address road traffic noise are not often found in a single program but rely on combinations of programs. The strategy therefore needs a broad range of tools for reducing the impact of road traffic oise. An integrated traffic noise strategy will require administration from a number of organisations to implement the elements of the strategy over the short, medium and long term. The strategy will contain a range of tools such as:  · a State environment protecti on policy (SEPP) for providing the policy framework and setting legal standards for noise levels from roads;  · national processes for the development of regulations and programs to reduce noise from the motor vehicle;  · programs for managing noise from roads by VicRoads and local government