Answer to Question 1
Key accountabilities are broad areas of a job for which the employee is responsible for producing results. Objectives are statements of important and measurable outcomes. Finally, a performance standard is a yardstick used to evaluate how well employees have achieved each objective. Performance standards provide information on acceptable and unacceptable performance regarding, for example, quality, quantity, cost, and time.
The first step in determining accountabilities is to collect information about the job. Tasks included in the job description can be grouped into clusters of tasks based on their degree of relatedness. Each of these clusters or accountabilities is a broad area of the job for which the employee is responsible for producing results. Once the accountabilities are identified, we need to determine their relative degree of importance and specific objectives. The purpose of establishing objectives is to identify a limited number of highly important results that, when achieved, will have a dramatic impact on the overall success of the organization. After objectives are set, employees should receive feedback on their progress toward attaining the objective, and rewards should be allocated to employees according to whether they have reached their objectives. Once accountabilities and objectives have been determined, the next step is to define performance standards. Standards can refer to various aspects of a specific objective including quality, quantity, and time.
Answer to Question 2
C
The Pantanal, Brazil, seen here in flood condition, is a critical jaguar range area.
Critical Thinking Model
The Critical Weather Maker: Atmospheric Stability
Critical-Thinking Tip
Describe the Conceptual Forecasting Framework in your own words.
Describe the Conceptual Forecasting Framework in your own words.