Shell Is A Multinational Company Commerce Essay

Shell Is A Multinational Company Commerce Essay Shell is a multinational company dealing with oil and gas. The Headquarters of the company is in Hague, one of the cities of Netherlands. It has a registered office in London, and by 2011, the company was second largest company in relation to revenue growth, and profitability. In the oil and gas sector, the company is second to ExxonMobil in terms of operations and its capital base (Bruijn et al, 2002). The company is grouped among the six most influential oil companies in the world. The other five are Chevron, Exxon Mobil, B.P, Conoco Philips and Total S.A. The company operates in all areas of oil and gas industry, these areas include exploration of oil and gas, supplies and distribution, marketing, production, refinery, petrochemical development and power generation (McIntosh, 2001). The company is also concerned about environmental conservation, and it has invested heavily on the production, and distribution of renewable energy (Carroll, 1999). It supports initiatives of developing and distribution bio-fuel energy, wind and solar power, and hydrogen energy. Shell has branches in 100 countries, and operates an approximate number of 44000 service stations. The company producing more than 3 million barrels of oil per day, and this makes it second to Exxon Mobil. Due to its massive size, and huge capital base, the company is an important player in the international system. It has the capability of influencing world leaders to enact policies that will encourage capitalism, and liberalization of their economies (Carroll, 1999). Due to its size, and the complex business activities the company engages in, the company operates under four main divisions. These are projects and technology, upstream international, upstream Americas, and downstream (Bruijn et al, 2002). The role of upstream international is to manage business operations of shell that are outside the American continent. The division is responsible for identifying new oil and gas fields. It refines crude oil, liquefies it and transports the gas. The division creates the necessary infrastructure required to supply and deliver the oil products of the company to the target market. The division operates through geographic locations, and each location has its own CEO. In some instances, the upstream international unit collaborates with all its geographic units to deliver a service considered essential and important (Bruijn et al, 2002). This only applies when the geographic unit of the company does not have the necessary skills to deliver the service. The Projects and Technology department is responsible for developing new and technological innovative systems, for purposes of improving the efficiency of the organization. The Unit concerns itself with the distribution of the organizations major projects, and it is not restricted to regions (Carroll, 1999). It supplements the technological innovations of Upstream and Downstream divisions of Shell, and it is responsible for providing leadership and advice on the areas of environmental conservation, health, safety, and procurements and contracting. The downstream division is responsible for the production, manufacture, marketing, and distribution of the products and services of Shell Company. The unit refines, distributes and transports crude oil products (Green, 1985). The upstream America is responsible for the business activities of the organization in North and South America. In this region, the organization looks for new sources of oil, and gas. It also creates an infrastructure that has the capability of efficiently transporting the products of the company to its target markets (Jordan, 2001). The division is responsible for extracting bitumen from oil sand. It converts them to crude oil, and thereafter refines them to produce energy. The main objective of the company is to search for oil and gas, and thereafter produce the product, manufacture ità ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s, and deliver the product to the market. The company also explores for gas, refines it, and transports the product to its target market. The company also produces chemical products, and an example is the shell lubricant used to service the spare parts of motor vehicles (Carroll, 1999). To effectively sale petroleum, the company operates more than 44000 thousand petrol stations all over the world. The company operates oil refineries, and their objectives are to convert crude oil to finer oil particles that can be used. The company produces renewable energies. And it does this by developing solar panels that have the capability of transforming sunlight into electric energy (Bruijn et al, 2002). The company has operations in Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas, and therefore there target market is anybody using automobiles in the countries of their operation. Shell Company has various innovative challenges, and opportunities. The chairman of Royal Dutch Mr. Jorma Olila states that the success of the organization is because of its innovation in technology, market research, customer relations and production. The company invests heavily in research and development, for purposes of developing products that will stimulate the market, and give them an edge over its competitors. The management of Shell realizes that business organizations are under pressure to innovate (Carroll, 1999). This is because of the recession happening in Europe and America, the growth of the Chinese and other developing economies, an increase in the population of the world, advanced technological developments, and changing trends at the international business environment. On this note, shell identifies three opportunities on which it needs to develop innovative ideas. These are, investing heavily in research and development, initiating measures to quickly commercialize their ideas, and looking for ways of effectively working with external partners (Bruijn et al, 2002). The growth of the Chinese economy and of other developing countries presents a challenge to the objectives of Shell Company. This is due to the fact the market conditions in this countries call for low cost products. These markets also insist on the different lines of production. This is a challenge to shell because it will require the organization to revamp its business strategy, so that they can penetrate through these markets. However these markets present a lot of opportunity in relation to energy requirements, which is an essential element for the growth of an economy (Jonker, 2007). It therefore calls for an innovative mind, to penetrate through these markets, and shell has done exactly that. Shell recognizes China as an important market, and center for research and development. To penetrate the market, shell involves the various universities, and institutions of higher learning, in researching on the various energy products that is sufficient for the Chinese market. An example is the relationship between the company, and Qingdao institute of Bioenergy, and Bioprocess technology. The two are working together to develop biofuel energy for the Chinese economy. Advances in technology, and new gas and oil finds which are difficult to extract presents the company with an opportunity to innovate, at the same time it is a challenge. For instance the company projects an increase on the demand of energy products, by the year 2050. To satisfy these demands, the company must adopt an innovative culture, and develop machineries that have the capability of extracting oil and gas from these sources (Bruijn et al, 2002). For instance, the company has identified sites that contain gas in impermeable geological formations. These gas deposits are found in United States of America, and to extract them, it requires it requires innovative drilling techniques and extraction methods. On this note, the company looks for other sources of gas and oil, so that they may extract them, and distribute the products to the market. On this note, the company projects to find new energy sources in China and Australia, and unlock them for purposes of developing energy products (Jordan, 2001). The company does not only involve innovation in the extraction of oil and gas. Technological innovations are also depicted on the products of the company. The company has among its staff talented engineers and scientists whose role is to create and develop petrochemical products, and their related energy products. There other role is to advice the business organization on the impact of various technological innovations. They device strategies that will help the company overcame its technological problems, giving it an edge over its main competitors. Through the hardwork of these engineers, the company developed products such as, Shell Rimula, an heavy duty diesel engine oil (Jonker, 2007). The lubricant has the capability of withstanding unfavorable temperature from the outer space, while performing its function. On this note, it is the culture of the organization, for its engineers to develop products whose main aim is to satisfy the needs of the customers. The company identifies the need of the energy efficiency, the need of minimizing lubrication costs and the various legislations that govern carbon emission as the driving force of their lubricants innovations (Carroll, 1999). On this note, the company invests heavily on lubrication research, and it uses an approximate amount of $ 1.3 billion annually. The company involves its own customers in the research and testing of the lubricants. This makes the company to develop products that are needed in the market, increasing its revenue and profitability. The company does not only focus on technology, but also on business strategies. For instance Shell Company managed to acquire Arrow energy, an Australian energy company. The deal was worth 3.2 billion dollars, and the objective of this venture was to supply liquefied gas to the Asian markets (Jonker, 2007). These innovative tendencies by the company are meant to improve their business activities, and to develop new technologies that will help in opening up new markets for the company (Jordan, 2001). These innovations have an adverse effect on the organization, in relation to the perspective of change. The company advocates for innovation, and a change in my management might try to influence new cultures within the organization (Marcel et al, 2006). They might face resistance in the process of changing the culture of the organization. In case the new management might want to continue with the policy, it will take time before they are oriented with the innovative practices of the company. A change in the management will create inconsistencies, in the innovative tendencies of the company. A company that responds best to a change in management is one which is prepared for such a change (Jonker, 2007). It is better to psychological prepare employees for a change in the management, and establish structures that will mitigate against inconsistencies that might arise from such changes. Inconsistencies will arise if the new management shows some signs and symptoms of inconsistencies to the culture, value and norms of the organization. However, if the new management promotes the values, culture and beliefs of the company, then the employees will continue to develop new ideas that will propel the company to growth. The following are the organizational cultural barrier of innovation at Royal Dutch Shell (Bruijn et al, 2002). The four divisions of the company are independent of one another. They only work together in special circumstances. This is a barrier to innovative practices in the organization, because the divisions of the company have to coordinate together, to identify the various needs of their customers. Another cultural barrier to technology is the bureaucratic channels of decision making. Before any important decision is made, the board of directors has to approve it. They may either reject or approve the idea. Even though the company encourages ideas on its business strategy, its main focus is on technology, and it invests heavily on technology, at the expense of other divisions of the company, such as marketing, distribution and transportation. Despite these barriers to innovation, there are cultural values in the organization that encourages innovation. These values are (Carroll, 1999), The desire to satisfy the customerà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s needs. The desire to improve profitability and growth of the company. The desire to capture new markets, and exploration sites. It is possible to address the mentioned barriers to innovation at Shell Company. One of the ways of addressing the problem is to integrate the four divisions of the company, by creating a communication liaison office. The responsibility of this office is to share information on the performance and operations of the four units to various heads of the units under consideration. This will enable the organizations to develop ideas that are convenient, and applicable to the four divisions under consideration. Another method is to increase the number of days that the board of directors should sit, and deliberate on the ideas on offer. This will result to a quicker implementation of an idea, therefore increasing the efficiency of the organization. The company should also invest on other areas of its operations, such as marketing, transport, and distribution. By doing this, the company will not only use technology to develop products, but it will also ensure that the products are effectively distributed, and sold to the market.

Fast food †Obesity Essay

Obesity is an epidemic that is sweeping over the United States today. It’s affecting both adults and children. With the increase in fast food availability and a decrease in the time most Americans have to prepare nutritious meals at home, it’s obvious why more people are eating at fast food restaurants. Obesity is a growing problem in the United States and more and more children are being affected. But do uneducated families have the right to put the blame on fast food restaurants for the health issues they could easily prevent? I believe that we are taking it too far by blaming fast food restaurants for obesity and that it is an individual’s responsibility to take the blame. While R. A. Ames â€Å"The Food Isn’t to Blame† and Richard Daynard â€Å"You Want Fries with That? † use different themes of blaming fast companies and individual decisions to underscore the effects of fast of food on America, the Rahul K. Parikh in â€Å"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Fats Kid† picks up the same theme, he blames advertisements for America’s Obesity. In the article, â€Å"Fast Food Isn’t to Blame? † R. A. Ames states that weight difficulties are the responsibility of the individuals and we should not blame the fast food industry or other biological and environmental causes. Human beings are individuals with the freedom to make their own choices. Nobody forces us to eat anything we do not want to. Choosing to eat fast food is all our own decision, and we put ourselves at risk for obesity. Obesity due to excessive consumption of fast food can only be blamed on our own actions. Fast food chains appear everywhere in today’s world. Home delivery of various foods is more accessible than ever before. These are common excuses when overweight people blame fast food industries for their bodies. Before reading these essays, I already had an opinion about fast food in my mind. I believed that if someone was overweight or obese, that it was no one’s fault but their own. In his essay, however â€Å"You Want Fries with That? † Richard Daynard explained why he believes that today’s fast food industry is largely responsible for the dramatic rise in obesity cases in both children and adults of America. Daynard discussed how the fast food industries played a large role in deceiving the public into buying their food. Daynard said that society needs to find a happy medium when dealing with the fast food industry, whether it be through lawsuits or some other action! Daynard also backed up his claim by using supporting statistics surrounding fast food and obesity in America over the years. Ames’s essay on the other hand used no statistics. He based his entire essay on personal opinion. His frequent use of the word â€Å"I† also made the essay less effective. Overall, Richard Daynard had a much more objective argument about fast food than R. A. Ames. Daynard used specific statistics, and facts about the fast food industry, and he kept himself out of the article for the most part. Daynard was very effective in making me believe his argument. Another essay I have compared R. A. Ames is with Rahul K. Parikh’s â€Å"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Fats Kid† . Both of these essays had strong opinions concerning who is to blame regarding obesity in America. The â€Å"Fast Food Isn’t to Blame† was more persuasive I thought because it placed the blame for the obesity problem on the individual person and what he/she put into their bodies not on the fast food industries. According to R. A. Ames, â€Å"Americans tend to drive to Burger King and order a Double Whopper with Cheese with a King size fries instead of driving to a supermarket and pick up some turkey and whole wheat bread† (326). They are obese because they make a choice to eat fast food themselves, not because fast food chains force them to stop by their restaurants to eat their food. Ames went on to say that instead of people taking responsibility for being obese they are blaming the fast food industry. Ames compared obesity to smoking. He made this comparison because both can be deadly and that in the end â€Å"you still have to put the cigarette in your mouth the same way you put a candy bar. After this Ames said that in the â€Å"land of the free† we are able to make our own decisions but with this freedom we as people have to be responsible for our decisions. Rahul Parikh said in his essay that â€Å"Parents need to take charge of what foods they’re buying and how they’re preparing those foods† (1). This statement is suggesting that instead of blaming fast food companies parents should control their children’s food buying habits. They should limit their television hours where they see all those advertisements that attract them to eat fast foods. Rahul said that companies use superstars, action heroes, cartoons to promote their products in the market that attracts people and mainly children’s. Rahul compared child advertisement to obesity and suggested that today children will see 40,000 advertisements in a year. In this huge number of advertisements, two third of those are for junk and fast food. Ames and Rahul were both arguing that it is our individual choices to eat fast food, so we should not blame companies who provide them. In our society, we are always looking for someone or something to blame for our problems. We seem to want to avoid taking responsibility for our actions and their consequences. Overall obesity has nothing to do with the fast food industry and genetics, but rather the choices. People should be encouraged to take personal responsibility for their actions and realize what they put into their mouths, and that how much exercise they do contributes to their health and well-being. When overweight people admit that they cause their own obesity, they can swiftly move away from being obese and recognize a healthy lifestyle. While in R. A. Ames â€Å"The Food Isn’t to Blame† and Richard Daynard â€Å"You Want Fries with That? † use different themes of blaming fast companies and individual decisions to underscore the effects of fast of food on America, One other hand Rahul K. Parikh â€Å" Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of Fats Kid† has same theme has R. A. Ames essay, he blamed advertisements for America’s Obesity. I have discussed the Ame’s essay with my friends and family. Most of them are agreed with the essay but there were also some people who were disagreed. I eat very precisely, before eating anything I check calories and fat of the product I am going to eat.

Example of Oral Presentation

The text in which the author speaks in public to fellow students, colleagues or other interested groups trying to share results of years of experience and research, defining key issues to reach success is called example of oral presentation. Writer’s idea has to be supported by the pieces of evidence and have the essential elements on preparing and organizing a successful oral presentation. Example of oral presentation consists of several stages which include preparation and planning, structuring of the speech and necessary language, forming visuals in order to make the best use of them, discussing the approaches of establish and maintain a relationship with the audience, dealing with body language, and providing comments on using the voice and correct pronunciation. Good morning everyone, I would like to start with introducing myself. I am an international student from China who is currently studying at the University of Michigan. Five years ago, I came to the United States and experienced culture shock

The Stages of Pregnancy and Nutrition during Your...

Do you wish to have your first baby early and feel the unique experience of motherhood? Are you making plans to get conceived in the right period of time with certain steps? If your answers to these questions are â€Å"sure, why not?† then you need to know about the stages of your pregnancy as soon as you get the pregnancy test with positive results. In fact, pregnancy is a big event in every woman’s life and a very exciting experience for the first time. Some women feel confident that they were pregnant at the time of conception and others don’t believe until they perform a test after missed periods which are an early sign of the chances of getting conceived. You feel the signs and changes in the body that lets you know about the reasons for†¦show more content†¦After 4th week of pregnancy, your body undergoes excellent changes like: symptoms, body weight, swollen ankles and changes in eating habits, and the same continue till the 8th week of pregnancy. We will know in detail from 5th week with some useful points that proves helpful to you. It is thrilling to have changes in your body and with your baby every week based upon the developmental changes which are taking place during pregnancy. Let us know from the 5th week of the pregnancy stage. Foods to be taken from 5th to 8th week of pregnancy A safe and healthy diet is recommended for 5th to 8th week of pregnancy. Include fresh fruits, mixed grain, bread, boiled potatoes and pasta. Foods that are rich in protein like eggs, chicken, beans, pulses, lentils and soya nuggets are advices to take. In case of dairy products, foods such as milk, cottage cheese, curd and yoghurt is recommended. Even healthy snacks are also recommended during this time with ten glasses of water in a day. You can try healthy drinks like coconut water; skimmed milk and banana shake which is very good for the health of mother and baby. If you are feeling to have healthy snack then try Upma. 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