Oil/Gas Pipelines: Opportunities and Challenges

Oil has become the most in-demand product in the world. It has become the center of round-table discussions, and never that a single day passed without it being on the news. Decrease in its supply could mean the downfall of nations, especially the industrialized ones. This was evident in three world oil crises in 1973, 1979, and a brief one in 1990, which reversed the flow of money, making the oil-producing countries in the Middle East the vital force that could change the direction of the future of the world. Their cut-offs in production led to the creation of policies and rules on consumption, saving, and independence from oil.A nation, controlling the production, selling, and over-all management of oil, is assured of a significant posting in any field of the world’s lifestyle, but most importantly in politics and economics (Tanter, 2007). To become something like this, a nation should invest in ways on how to transport oil from its sources to its consumers, like the creatio n of networks of pipelines.Research and development projects have been carried out and continuously be done to meet the challenges in connection with oil and gas pipelines. One of these is the continuing drive to discover more oil and gas reserves locked under the earth or offshore. There are still many places in the planet that need to be explored. Even the most extreme environments should be included, like what they did to the North Sea.Designing and manufacturing pipes will still emerge as one of the important factors in the realm of oil and gas pipelines. Through the years, designs have been continuously improved to accommodate several factors like environment, and the nature of oil and gas. Researchers now consider the direct relationship of the size of the diameter of the pipe with the flow capacity of the product. Moreover, they also examine the expansion and contraction of pipes during the transportation of oil and gas due to significant temperature change, which could resul t to cracks, collapse tensions, and other similar effects. Materials will continuously be tested to determine the best for pipes. Though steel is already being used, improvements are still being done to test durability. Stresses and fractures, especially offshore projects, should be accounted for to minimize the percentage of failure. Cathodic protection against corrosion should be upheld to the highest level to assure the survivability of the pipes throughout the project.Terrorism attacks on pipelines will remain one of the most feared human phenomena. This is due to the fact that whenever pipelines are bombed or attacked, industries are affected. With this, countries should strengthen their monitoring schemes to ensure the safety and zero attack on their pipelines.Keeping with the laws of nature and environment also poses great challenge to companies engaged in oil and gas pipelines. Discovery of new sites for extraction will always encounter similar scenario with the trans-Alaska crude pipeline project, which was delayed for nine years, because the construction of pipelines was attached to environmental issues (Kennedy, 1993). Environmentalists will still be around the corner to watch the movements of oil companies.A greater challenge is on the side of politics and regulation. Better policies and laws covering the construction of pipelines, and transportation of oil and gas should be enacted to cover threats and possible failure-causing movements, especially in explorations crossing two different countries. Faster approval of laws should be done to maximize the economic potentials of the discovered oil and gas reserves.The greatest challenge could be the offering of affordable price of pipelined products to consumers. Companies must take note that the advancements they make with pipe designs and manufacturing, and the entire pipeline construction and transportation project, should go at par with the purchasing power of consumers, who are directly affected b y any oil price hike.Since the drilling of the first commercial oil well in 1859 in Pennsylvania, the evolution of pipelines has gone a long way, though remaining as the most economical way (Kennedy, 1993). Oil and gas pipelines are efficient, using only 4% of the energy content of the transported product. This is far better in comparison with other modes of transportation like water, rail, and trucks (Dykesteen & Frantzen, 1991).Higher levels of technology give way for the development of better pipes and more sophisticated pipeline networks. These could yield higher efficiency rate and better service for the people, who basically need the product in their everyday living.The construction of country’s own pipelines could spell independence from importing oil and gas from foreign countries. This could also alleviate problems on oil crisis, and cut-off on importation rate. This could consequently clip the country to economic prosperity because of the removal of the burdens of o il importation.Pipelines transport oil, and natural gas from extracting wells located in the different parts of the globe, including the most hostile areas like Alaska and Siberia. These products are then refined, and prepared for consumption by all citizens in all corners of the world. These products when properly used could continuously fuel the economic progress of any country involved with it.References:CBC News Online. 2006. The price of oil – in context. Retrieved 29 June 2007. http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/oil/.Dykesteen, E & K Frantzen. 1991. Multiphase Fraction Meter Developed and Field Tested. Oil & Gas Journal. 18 February 1991: 50.Kennedy, JL. 1993. Oil And Gas Pipeline Fundamentals. 2nd ed. Oklahoma: PennWell Books.Tanter, R. 2007. Pipeline Politics: Oil, Gas and the US Interest in Afghanistan. Znet. Retrieved 29 June 2007. http://www.zmag.org/tanteroil.htm.Tobin, J. 2006. Additions on the Capacity of the US Natural Gas Pipeline Network: 2005. Energy Informat ion Administration, Office of Oil and Gas. Retrieved 29 June 2007. http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/natural_gas/feature_articles/2006/ngpipeline/ngpipeline.pdf.

Common Characteristics of an Organization Essay

The Walt Disney Company was founded in 1923 by Walt and Roy Disney, and has become globally known and worth billions. It began as motion picture company and eventually expanded to include television, tourism, hotels, sports, retail, and book publishing. The company’s Mickey Mouse logo is one of the most famous throughout the world and considered to be one the world’s most influential businesses. The Walt Disney Company has five entities that include: The Walt Disney Studios, Parks and Resorts, Disney Consumer Products, Media Networks, and Disney Interactive. The Walt Disney Studios is one of Hollywood’s major film studios today, and includes Pixar Animation and Lucas Films in their group. The Park and Resorts segment of the company includes the theme parks, resorts, and Disney Cruise Lines. Disney Consumer Products includes all merchandise, clothing, toys, and food that is based on their Disney properties. The Disney Media Networks contain various networks and cable channels including, ABC Television Network, ESPN, and the Disney Channels. Disney Interactive includes all of Disney’s social media, websites, and computer games. â€Å"The mission of The Walt Disney Company is be one of the world’s leading producers and providers of entertainment and information. Using our portfolio of brands to differentiate our content, services and consumer products, we seek to develop the most creative, innovative and profitable entertainment experiences and related products in the world.† The resort, media, film, and products target the family audience with a focus on children. The majority of their products, attractions, shows, and films center on the cartoons that the world has grown to love. In the last ten years the company has expanded with the acquisitions of Lucas Films, ABC network, and ESPN sport cable network it expanded to a more mature audience for the company. Nonetheless, the bulk of the companies’ profit comes from their award-winning animated films and the  millions of people that visit the Disneyland resorts every day. The Walt Disney Company is an open system since its profits are based on communication with the public outside the system and their responses to the products and services. â€Å"The more open an organization system is, the more communication it has with those outside the system.† (Richmond & McCroskey, 2009, pg. 4) This type of company needs communication with the outside to determine what direction will be more favorable to maintaining its popularity and reputation as being an innovator. Each segment in the company has their own individual system at work to produce results. For example, The Walt Disney Studios depends on the roles of their producers, animators, designers, directors, and casts to be successful in their department. In 2005, Bob Iger took the reigns as The Walt Disney Company’s CEO and chairman of the organization. Each division and subsidiaries of those have their hierarchy’s within, for example, the President of Pixar Animation Studios is Edwin Catmull. Each subsidiary within the organization has their distinct leadership taking place with Bob Iger overseeing the whole operation. The organization orientation for The Walt Disney Company would be considered as achievement orientation. â€Å"These people are high achievers, sometimes overachievers.† (Richmond & McCroskey, 2009, pg. 88) The employees working within this company work endlessly to come out with best animated films, and innovate the newest attractions for their customers. â€Å"Each of our companies has a unique ability to harness the imagination in a way that inspires others, improves lives across the world and brings hope, laughter and smiles to those who need it most.† The employees within this organization work for one of the most influential companies in the world, and with that platform have the opportunities to make an impact. Leadership within the billionaire dollar organization is crucial to the success and the maintenance to stay at the top. Having positions that require unique skills such as, an animator require leadership skills that keep their employees happy. These types of individuals that work on films and imagine new attractions are not easily replaceable, and for that reason the leadership must maintain a concern for their people. The leadership within the organization must keep in mind deadlines, and constantly focus on the tasks to on schedule for various projects. The leadership approach best suited for this would be a moderate leader. â€Å"This person is concerned with adequate output and will have  adequate concern for personal issues.† (Richmond & McCroskey, 2009, pg. 113) The communication style for management is the consult and join approach when interacting with their employees. The majority of the divisions work with their employees and consultants to produce products, film, and attractions. For the lower level employees working in the tourism divisions of the organization, the management communication approach is more on the telling side. Those types of positions do not require feedback from employees, so the majority of communication is leadership instructing employees to successful complete their operations. The leadership within this organization uses positive reinforcement when handling their employees. Overall, the environment in The Walt Disney Company is positive, and that supportive atmosphere is seen throughout the resorts, stores, and studios. Praises of employees are recognized for their work in films, television, and attractions throughout the company. There is mainly form communication networks throughout this type of organization, but with different flow and impact throughout. In most corporate organizations, there is formal communication where there is a process how critical information is released, and feedback released by upper management, this type would be downward communication. The Walt Disney Company atmosphere for their employees down involve upward communication from lower level employees. Horizontal communication is a flow within the organization and involves the communication from peer to peer. There are thousands of employees within The Walt Disney Company compared to the leadership, and this type of communication can improve employee satisfaction. The Walt Disney Company is poised for more growth and expansion for years to come. The recent acquisitions of Lucas Films, Pixar Animation, and the branching out with television networks will keep the company relevant. This organization has been around for years, and it continues to expand its business within their markets. For years to come, the movies will keep coming out with new characters for c hildren to love and products to purchase. References http://disneycareers.com/en/working-here/culture-diversity/ Jedd, M. (1996). Walt disney’s logistical magic. Distribution, 95(10), 64. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/236496926?accountid=458 The walt disney company. (1995, Sep 10). Toronto Star Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/437338624?accountid=458 Disney Company. (2014). In Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/165722/Disney-Company

An Analysis of the Influence of Music and it’s Contrasting Message on the Youth of Today

Music is a way of life, it is all around us. It can influence who you are and how you go about your daily lives. Music can manipulate the emotions in a powerful way, which can sometimes determine your mood and your conscience. Sometimes different cultures adapt different music into their lifestyle. Example, Reggae is usually listened to by the Black Caribbean Community. Their music is relaxed and optimistic, as is their lifestyle. The style of music quite often reflects the culture. Music in the 21st century can have positive and negative influences. Different types of music give off different impressions on how the youth of today should live their lives. An example of how diverse cultures can influence a music style can be found in artists such as Ms. Dynamite and 50 Cent. In this essay I will be contrasting the different messages both artists give out through what they say and how they present themselves in their videos. The image they convey is partly determined by their background. Both Ms. Dynamite and 50 Cents music were prompted by their own/previous lifestyles. They were both brought up in dominant cultures, but although it had strong influences on them the cultures themselves were very different. Ms. Dynamite aka Naomi Mclean-Dayley, was born in London in 1982, and lived on a council estate. The eldest of 11 brothers and sisters, she was raised by her primary school teacher mother whose passion for roots, reggae and soul had a profound effect on Naomi. This early part of Ms. Dynamite's journey differs from 50 Cent. 50 Cent was born Curtis Jackson and raised in Queens, New York. He grew up with his grandmother after his mother died under mysterious circumstances when he was 8, and his father left shortly after. The influence placed upon 50 Cent from theses early-life tragedies left him with a sense of insecurity and lack of self-esteem, eventually luring him into the Gangster lifestyle. When he was 12 he was used as a runner and at just 15 he owned his own gun. This all left him with an immense amount of responsibility. This was a diverse contrast compared to Ms. Dynamite. She always had that support wherever she went and whatever she did, as she states, â€Å"My life generally, I've bin lucky to have a lot of Intelligent, loving people around me who will take out five minutes to teach me things about myself without preaching at me just showing me naturally. â€Å"Niomi passed up an opportunity to study social anthropology at Sussex University in order to concentrate on music. Her first single ‘booo! ‘ hurled Ms. Dynamite into the spotlight swiftly establishing her as one of the hottest young talents to emerge from the UK Garage scene. On the contrary 50 Cent was entrenched within the gangster industry, so it wouldn't surprise anybody why he'd been shot 9 times. It was only after his first born baby he became a rap artist. Curtis' first album wasn't a success at all. It wasn't until Eminem noticed him and took interest that 50 Cents career took off. After signing a deal with ‘Shady records' he immediately went to work on his new album entitled ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin. ‘ 50 cent soared to popularity with the first single from his new album ‘In Da Club. Ms Dynamite and 50 Cent both introduce past experiences and elements of their cultures into their songs. The songs that most strongly illustrate these elements are Ms Dynamites ‘It takes more' and 50 cents ‘P. I. M. P'. The titles set the foundation of the songs, and have to be well thought out to interest and catch the attention of the audience. The song ‘It takes more' generally promotes an opposing view of the gangster lifes tyle, unlike 50 Cent, who promotes it in ‘P. I. M. P'. Even though both songs have similar themes the artists themselves express the message in very much different ways. The first twenty to thirty seconds of a video can determine what the remainder is about, and how it impacts the audience. In ‘It takes more'Ms Dynamite starts her video with a strong contrast. As she steps out of the trailer there is a background of a divine scenic beach, but as she carries on walking reality begins to kick in and the beach is replaced with strippers and run down sets. Ms Dynamite is wearing casual clothing portray the message of not flaunting yourself. This makes a statement that you don't need to be made up to feel good or be happy with yourself. That is a good approach in to setting the scene and following the message through. 50 Cent however, starts ‘P. I. M. P'by arriving straight into the master bedroom surrounded by girls in underwear. The room is large and white symbolising wealth and a type of heaven on the outside, relating to the phrase ‘don't judge a book by its cover. ‘ Compared to Ms Dynamite's video, 50 Cent gives the audience a false impression because Ms Dynamite expresses the true reality of the gangster lifestyle through her opening scenes The core of both videos is where the biggest influences are established. In ‘it takes more' the image moves from inside the car to a newspaper picture which transforms to a colour image of a man with two women in a club. The camera zooms in on a tattoo on one of the women. It changes from saying ‘Sadie' to ‘aids. ‘ The message put across in that scene is meant to enlighten you to have self-respect and not get caught up in the gangster lifestyle. A complete opposite message is put across in ‘P. I. M. P. ‘ A later scene in the video shows a man holding several dog leads with women on the ends as though he owns them. This implies his control, and lack of respect shown for women. A quote the lyrics that backs up this point is, ‘ I could care less how she performs in bed,' meaning as long as she's good in bed and making money for me, that's all I care about. The message conveyed in that incident is that women are treated no better than dogs in the organised crime business. Comparing the videos the colours illustrated are very different. In Ms. Dynamite's video there are very dull and dry colours, (such as black and grey) giving the effect of gangster life in reality. The contribution of the colour red symbolises death in that joining the lifestyle can mean you are gambling with your life. 50 Cent in P. I. M. P however, uses totally opposite colours like bright whites. This gives an impression of a heaven like environment. White can also signify his involvement in drugs, because the majority of drug colour is white. The camera angles used in both videos accentuate the ways each person wants to be perceived. Ms. Dynamite focuses the camera level with her face to portray the message of equality. In opposition to this 50 Cent uses camera angles from his feet looking upwards. This gives the message that he's bigger than everyone else, God like and worthy of adoration. The way both artists present themselves in their videos gives us an insight into the kind of message they are trying to communicate. The messages and implications of the artist's videos and lyrics are influenced by their similar early life experiences. Whereas Ms. Dynamite presents the reality of the lifestyle, 50 Cent exaggerates and embellishes it into something quite out of the ordinary. The impact both artists have on the audience differs. Ms. Dynamite promotes a social conscience and 50 Cent promotes his underground street culture, by romanticising the gangster image. He relies on people's fascination with violence and the criminal element. In conclusion my essay shows how easily influenced the youth of today can be, through the medium of music. The messages are quite often designed to be relevant to them whether their content is good or bad. I understand that music is important and we all need it as part of our lives, but we need to realise there are many other ways to be motivated and challenged concerning life issues.

Edict the Expulsion of Jews (1492) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Edict the Expulsion of Jews (1492) - Essay Example Some conversos—Jews who converted to Catholicism—flourished in places of learning and commerce. However, many ruling Spanish—both secular and religious—viewed these Jews with deep suspicion heightened by the fact that some conversos were insincere. Some chose to save their social and commercial status by embracing the Catholic faith, but privately adhering to their Jewish practice and faith. The Alhambra Decree, or the Edict of Expulsion, was issued on March 31, 1492 by the joint Catholic Monarchs of Spain—King Ferdinand II of Aragon, and Queen Isabella I of Castile. Ferdinand and Isabella took seriously the reports that some crypto-Jews who were not only privately practicing their former faith, but were secretly trying to draw other conversos back into the Jewish fold. In 1480, the king and queen created the Spanish Inquisition to investigate these suspicions; under the authority of this new institution, thousands of converted Jews were killed within 12 years. It is not known how many, if any, had lapsed from their new Christianity, or were trying to convince others to do the same. The said decree was issued less than three months after the surrender of Granada—a vassal state to Spanish royals for more than two centuries. It was Juan de Coloma, secretary of the king and queen, who wrote it at the royalties’ command. Under the edict, Jews were only given four months and ordered to convert to Christianity or leave the country. However, Jews were promised royal "protection and security" for the effective three-month window before the deadline. They were permitted to take their belongings with them - except "gold or silver or minted money". In the edict, Jews were accused of trying "to subvert their holy Catholic faith and trying to draw faithful Christians away from their beliefs." The punishment for any Jew who did not convert or leave by the deadline was death. The punishment for a non-Jew who sheltered or hid Jews was the

Evaluating Fashion and its Impact on Individuals Essay

Evaluating Fashion and its Impact on Individuals - Essay Example The essay "Evaluating Fashion and its Impact on Individuals" analyzes the influence of Evaluating Fashion on Individuals. Fashion has been used as the resource by individual for the purpose of construction of their identity and positioning themselves at a higher place in comparison to other. Fashion has an important role to play in articulation of ethnic identity in relation to the contemporary setting in routine life ethnic identity just like other types of social identity. It is not considered to be real and essential, but actually it is a multi faced phenomenon, which is different at varied places and time. An imperative factor, which is helpful in construction and articulation of ethic identities with the help of fashion, is cultural displacement. In relation to force, which is exerted for the purpose of relocation to different parts of world because of slavery, poverty, religious and political persecution, etc. have been very helpful in marking out a new space for cultural prefe rence in terms of fashion. Along with this, the advent of globalisation has also been a key factor, which has influenced the lives of young people. There has been a debate over the change in fashion patterns because of globalisation. Late modernity, which is a period representing the disjunction between the communities and securities of modernity and the realities of post-second world war has been highly influence by the trends of fashion industry. At the time of 1970s, the research undertaken by Dick Hebdige.

The Viewpoint assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Viewpoint assignment - Essay Example The relationship between the United States and Japan had been a complicated mix of completion, cooperation, and conflict. This began in 1853, immediately Commodore Mathew Perry came to Edo Bay and insisted on a termination to over a couple of years of Japanese isolation. Only ten years prior to this, Britain had imposed Nanjing unequal treaty on China following the First Opium War (Doyle & Xiaoming 78). The disposal of Perry’s naval power convinced leaders in Japan to sign the Kanagawa treaty of 1854 that provided for the opening of two ports to ships from the U.S. The first U.S minister to China, Townsend Harris, negotiated extra agreements to extent the rights of the United States to Japan. Thus, the U.S had showed to Japan how economic weak points had left it helpless. The Chinese were further disgraced by having to surrender legal authorities over the foreigners that resided in their nation and the port cities. The Chinese citizens were even forced by the treaties to give way to Christian missionaries from the West to proselytize in the interior parts of China. Hostility to such foreign dictations forced a rebellion that re-established the Meiji emperor and commenced rapid industrialization and modernization in which leaders in Japan borrowed and learned from foreign countries, especially the U.S. The ability of the Westerners to inflict their economic demands on China forcibly was too harsh to the Chinese perception of themselves as an extremely developed civilization. In addition, the Western concept of a structure of international relations carried out among supreme nation-states challenged the identity of the Chinese as universalistic, advanced civilization. It was also hard for the courts in China to adapt to a system that had developed in the West by the 1800 where supreme nation-states interrelated as equals (Doyle & Xiaoming 90) The intellectual history of the Qing dynasty in the late 18th century shows how

The selection process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

The selection process - Essay Example This is the list of requirements an employer should have at least in order to qualify for the job. This is an overview of the abilities and characteristics one must possess to adequately perform the job. Similarly, a job description list is also prepared to explain what the job is all about, including the specific duties and responsibilities for that particular position.[2] In this case, a marketing project manager supervises projects based on quality, time-schedule and budget. Please refer to Appendix A and B for a complete list of job descriptions and specifications. To hire employees, organizations have different methods of recruitment or attracting probable employees. This is time and cost-consuming and should be therefore done efficiently and effectively.[1] Job advertisements must be put somewhere where they are noticed and easily accessed. According to the 2009 Recruitment, retention and turnover survey report in United Kingdom, The top three most used methods of attracting ap plicants are through the organization’s own corporate website (78%), recruitment agencies (76%) and local newspaper advertisements. However, other means of reaching the target group include specialist journals/trade press, employee referral scheme, links with schools/colleges/universities, search consultant, commercial job boards, physical posters/billboards/vehicle, radio or TV advertisement, and social networking sites (such as Linkedln). [3] The proposed design of the job advertisement for the position of Marketing Project Manager (Figure 1 and 2) can be placed or uploaded to the company’s own website via the internet. Since the people of today rely most, if not all of their activities in the internet, it will be best to post it there. Also, if the position is not only open to the natives of the country, citizens of other nations can access it readily since internet caters to everyone else around the globe. Every organization is challenged to keep pace through the f ast changing technology and environment of today. These multifaceted features of the internet should be seen as an opportunity for better communication and utilized for the benefit of the organization. Another applicable way is to publish the job advertisement in local newspapers. It is indeed less costly to buy a newspaper than secure an internet connection most especially if an employee comes from low-income groups. There in the classified ads section of the newspaper list hundreds of job ads open for hiring. There’s a big chance that people scan or read through these pages. After the different recruitment methods are employed, decisions on the selection process is next to be made. When it comes to applicant selection, competency-based interviews are the most common selection method (69%). Ranked second and third are the more traditional methods of interviews – following the contents of a CV/application form and structured interviews (panel). Others include tests for specific skills, general ability tests, literacy and/or numeracy tests, telephone interviews, personality/aptitude questionnaires, assessment centres, group exercises (for example role-playing), pre-interview referencing, and online tests selection.[3] Normally, the selection process involves some or all of the above-mentioned activities. For the example given on the Marketing Project Manager position, it is recommended that aspiring employees undergo three stages. First is the filling of the