Question

Introduction: Objectives, defined as results that can be achieved should be crafted in a way that each goal is strategic, tactical, and operational. The environmental objectives need to fit within the larger goals of the organizations EMS policy, so while defining objectives below is a useful practice, they should be reconsidered within the broader context of the organization when possible. Successful and well defined goals or objectives should be supported by measurable and concrete indicators, should be used to gain commitment to organizational purposes, and can additionally serve as a source of motivation and accountability with well-defined scales. Gates Corporation manufacturing processes exist within the context of a broader organization and overarching EMS policy. These specific objectives should be defined relative to how they fit into longer term goals and objectives with specific indicators for each objective. Emissions to Air: Description: Greenhouse gas reductions that consider Scope 1,2, and 3 emissions account for a significant impact of the organizations carbon footprint. Persons Responsible: The environmental health and safety manager sets organizational goals and cascades those goals to individual facilities. Resources Required: This goal requires accounting software that can be used to compile and analyze total emissions from individual facilities. This objective also requires the head count to facilitate this work. Date to be completed: This objective exists within the longer EMS time frame of 2025 for greenhouse gas reductions. Indicator scale: This objective is evaluated in line with its five year target reduction and year over year success measures are used to set target levels along the scale. Use of raw materials: Description: The use of synthetic rubbers and other volatile organic compounds should be reduced and recycled to minimize waste and scrap to landfill. This also includes manufacturing off-cuts that are generally discarded. Persons Responsible: Individual plants and quality managers will be responsible for ensuring waste is minimized by implementing process improvement plans and defect reduction plans. Resources Required: This requires monthly monitoring of scrap creation and monitoring of defect rates. Waste should be weighed before discarding and logged in a central database. Date to be completed: Within the framework of the EMS policy, this objective requires constant improvement and is monitoring on an ongoing basis. Indicator scale: An annual waste weight reduction of 5% and a long term objective of no more than a total 5% waste to landfill based on raw material use. Release to Land: Description: Water runoff and water recycle programs can have a dramatic impact on the ability to reduce waste water that is discarded from individual facilities. Persons Responsible: Individual plant managers are responsible for a year over year increase in water recycle rates Resources Required: This objective will likely require some capital allocation for investments in advanced water condensate systems in addition to monitoring and controlling systems that regulate process flows. Date to be completed: This is an ongoing year over year improvement Indicator scale: This specific objective requires a 2% year over year increase in water recycle rates for 5 years. This indicator scale analyzes the cost of investment versus the cost of water saved from the investment in the advanced condensate systems.

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Answer 1

Absolutely. Objectives, defined as results that can be achieved should be crafted in a way that each goal is strategic, tactical, and operational. However, the strategic goals are usually the main objective or goals determined by the top management. These strategic goals are not technically specific however they have a broader scope. For example- information security is the strategic goals of an organization. In the pursuit of achieving the strategic goals, the tactical goals are the steps/techniques used to achieve the strategic goals. Hence, encryption tools and techniques is adopted as tactical objectives. Implementing the tactical objectives is operational goals. Operational goals are very specific and details each and every step of the tactical goals.

In the given post, though the objectives are specific and measurable, they are broader in scope and it does not have technical specifications. Let us consider the objective- “Emissions to Air: Description: Greenhouse gas reductions that consider Scope 1,2, and 3 emissions account for a significant impact of the organizations carbon footprint”. This is the strategic goals however persons responsible and resources required are part of operational goals. Hence, the question arises in relation to tactical goals. The tactical goals are the steps to achieve these specific objectives. Does that mean that tactical goals are determined in support of the strategic objectives? In other words, is tactical goals implied. If it is implied, does it have accuracy in interpretation or should they be assumed?

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