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In the summer of 2014, a large energy company was poised to begin expanding its unconventional natural gas operations in northeastern British Columbia in the hopes of capitalizing on the Canadian province's determination to build a liquid natural gas industry. The company had secured mineral rights from the province but had not simultaneously pursued surface rights from a First Nation community that historically had used the land. When a seismic exploration team appeared on the tribe's traditional territory without consulting it, as was customary (and in some cases legally required), the company unwittingly ignited a firestorm of protest from both First Nation and non First Nation local citizens. Recognizing the importance of social acceptance both to operations and profitability, the company sent senior vice president Maria Paquet to participate in fireside discussions with tribal, regional government, and environmental leaders in the hopes of finding some common ground. Could these leaders arrive at sufficient trust and agreement to allow the company to move forward with its plans? Or would the company face gridlock, community blocking, or even financial peril? In a small-group role-playing exercise, students will step into the shoes of each of these stakeholders as they try to forge a path forward that is acceptable to all.

British gas business users pay worlds highest prices A new NUS survey of world prices for Natural Gas reveals that British gas customers pay the world's highest prices for supply. They also receive less benefit from price discounting for high volume process usage than any other country in the world.

The purpose of this paper is to describe the policies that helped Centrica, the international integrated energy organization, to win last year's AARP International Innovative Employer award for non‐US‐based employers who demonstrate practices to help employees aged 50 or over.

The paper outlines initiatives in the areas of recruitment, internal communications, employee development, flexible working and health promotion and protection.

The paper reveals that some 36 percent of Centrica employees are over the age of 40, around 15 percent of the company's graduate intake is made up of mature students, and the removal of the upper age limits for entrance to British Gas apprenticeship schemes has resulted in 30 percent of the apprentice intake being over the age of 24. Details the case of a 57‐year‐old man who, made redundant after 45 years as an engineering manager in the shipping industry, retrained as a British Gas engineer at the age of 59.

The paper highlights how Centrica's business case for diversity is built on two principles: the recognition that valuing diversity is the right thing to do for any organization; and the commercial recognition that it makes good business sense.

The paper contends that the impact of changing demographics and social and technological change makes good diversity management and the creation of an inclusive organization an increasingly important part of sustainable business success.

The last five years have seen an enormous resurgence of academic and managerial interest in the concept of organisational culture — the taken‐for‐granted assumptions, beliefs, meanings and values enacted and shared by organisational members. While for some academics, interest has centred on the epistemological questions raised in the very conceptualisation of organisational culture, for many managers the interest has been more down to earth. A group or organisation's culture is interesting because it is felt to “make a difference” — in other words, that culture can influence behaviour and, consequently, a company's performance, that a “strong” culture is both symptomatic and generative of “excellence”. Hence several practical questions have been posed. Can the organisational cultures generated in the large companies of economically successful nation states (e.g. Japan and West Germany) be transferred to companies in less economically successful countries? Can organisational culture be managed “in search of excellence”? If it can be managed — and there is much academic controversy on this point — how is this to be done?

By means of a pilot study of the Chairmen’s Statements in the Annual Reports of some major companies, an exploration of the concept of organisational culture is made, as reflected in the corporate image expressed in the language used in the Chairmen’s statements.

This paper examines the role of regulators and ombudsmen in dealing with complaints in the light of the requirement of Britain's ‘Citizen's Charter’. It considers in particular the arrangements for ensuring that potential complainants know of the systems available and the way to put them into operation. Both public and private sector ombudsmen are reviewed and comparison is made with systems overseas. It is argued that in the light of those comparisons the British complaints industry could go much further to reach out to citizens and customers seeking redress.

Where better than Bristol to consider education for a prosperous industrial future. I am using the word industrial in the same sense as it is used in the concept of Industry Year, to sum up all those practical, productive and commercial endeavours which serve people's needs and generate the wealth that supports a caring society. Industry Year has focused our attention on the importance of wealth‐creation. Although it has its detractors, the theme has generally been taken up with enthusiasm by educationists. Interestingly, some clearly believe that the campaign is one designed for education alone, and not addressed to the whole “anti‐industrial culture” in society at large.

The British Gas On Line Inspection Centre is concerned primarily with the inspection of high pressure onshore and offshore transmission pipelines for particular types of damage which may occur during the operating life. Four principal types of damage have been identified:

With a gross revenue fast nearing £700 million, 115,000 employees and over 13 million customers, the gas industry is a vast enterprise, and discovery of natural gas in the North Sea has transformed it.