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Under normal conditions, there are different protection objects inside and outside the gas station, so two sets of independent cathodic protection systems are adopted. At the same time, an insulating flange is applied at the position where trunk pipelines access to the gas station, which realizes electrical isolation of the structures inside and outside the station. However, as a result of short distance between the two cathodic protection systems, there will be stray current interference between them. The purpose of this paper was to study on the interference between cathodic protection systems of gas station and long distance trunk pipeline.

Based on the above, in this paper, first, the mathematical model of interference between cathodic protection systems was established and the control equations solved using the boundary element method. Second, the influence of cathodic protection system of gas station on long distance trunk pipeline and the influence of cathodic protection system of long distance trunk pipeline on gas station were studied separately using BEASY software. Finally, a new thought of cathodic protection design for local station was put forward.

It was concluded that there were serious interference problems between the cathodic protection systems of gas station and long distance trunk pipeline. By moving the potential control point to area outside the influence scope of anode ground bed could avoid the influence of cathodic protection system of gas station on long distance trunk pipeline. By moving the auxiliary anodes away from gas station could avoid the influence of cathodic protection system of long distance trunk pipeline on pipelines in gas station. The new thought of cathodic protection design could avoid the interference between the cathodic protection systems effectively.

It is considered that the results can guide cathodic design for gas station and long distance trunk pipeline. The results can also avoid the interference corrosion between the structures in gas station and trunk pipeline.

The purpose of this investigation was to study these problems and design regional cathodic protection, using numerical simulation. Regional cathodic protection technology is immature at home and abroad. This is reflected in the fact that in gas stations, there are many underground pipelines, which can lead to serious interference and shielding phenomena, and there are many grounding networks that can cause substantial loss of the cathodic protection current.

Based on the above, in this article, first of all, the mathematical model of the buried pipeline cathodic protection potential distribution was established and the control equations solved using the boundary element method. Second, the cathodic shielding effect in pipeline concentration areas, the effect of instrument equipment grounding systems on cathodic protection and the influence of DC stray current on the interference of pipeline corrosion were studied separately using BEASY software. Finally, the BEASY software was used for a regional cathodic protection design for a real gas station.

It was concluded that impressed current used in combination with sacrificial anodes for regional cathodic protection design is often the most economic and effective approach. However, the output current of the auxiliary anode is large with high energy consumption. In consequence, it may be recommended that the station pipelines should be laid on the ground, rather than under it.

It is considered that the results can guide regional cathodic protection design for real-life installations very well.

The purpose of this paper is to propose a quantitative model for risk-based maintenance and remaining life assessment for gas turbines.

The proposed model uses historical failure and repair data from the operation of gas turbines. The time to failure of gas turbines is modeled using Weibull distribution.

The total risk is estimated considering replacement cost, repair cost, operation cost, risk of failure and turbine remaining value after a specified period of time.

The model is an effective tool to make optimal decisions regarding maintenance strategy (repair or replacement) and to assess the remaining life based on a comparison of the total risk. The literature review focusses on developing different models to make risk-based decisions regarding the selection of a maintenance strategy and maintenance interval, however, literature is silent regarding risk-based assessment of the equipment remaining life, which is the focus of present work. The model is tested and applied to ageing gas turbines in a cross-country pipeline.

EuroPet S.A. was a multinational company operating gas stations in many European countries. There was a growing propensity for supermarkets to attach gas stations to their retail operations, which was developing into a major threat to EuroPet. As a result, in the mid-1990s, the company began to develop and brand its own convenience stores co-located with its gas stations. However, the company was spending much more on advertising the convenience stores than its competitors did. Management now had to decide if the increase in sales attributed to advertising efforts justified the advertising spend by analyzing the market data from one large metropolitan area: Marseille, France.

Students will learn: how to use cross-tabs and other marketing research tools to identify segmentation descriptors; how to analyze data and interpret results; and how these research results could guide new product development and positioning strategies in order to effectively target relevant customer segments.

The purpose of this paper is to explore how a company which developed an environmentally friendly innovation attempted to address diffusion issues. Specifically, the purpose is to describe the ways in which an electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure company, in partnership with a major car manufacturer, tried to address barriers to diffusion of an environmentally friendly innovation during the development stage to improve the likelihood of success and lessons learned from its failure.

The authors explore a single instrumental case of an Israeli company that developed infrastructure for EVs in partnership with a major automaker. The authors collected data using a series of semi-structured interviews at the companies’ headquarters, through direct observation in the company, and through the examination of archival and secondary data sources.

The authors find that the company tried to incorporate design features in both the product and organization to address key diffusion barriers identified through survey and consumer focus research. The study maps product/service design innovations for infrastructure that combined with multi-stage organizational diffusion strategies for EVs, were used to address both functional (usage, value, and risk) and psychological (tradition and image) barriers for mass-market adoption.

The study provides insights on how to incorporate information about barriers to adoption into product/service design and on the development of organizational-level diffusion strategy to address changes of customer’s behavior required by certain innovative sustainable solutions. In addition, the authors speculate potential causes for more recent developments with the technology that can serve as a lesson for future projects.

Past studies have advanced the knowledge about issues surrounding the adoption and diffusion of EVs. The study expands this stream of research by focussing on product/service and organizational strategy design and by illustrating, through an empirical exploratory case study, how a company attempted to overcome these obstacles. The authors advance various propositions and point out potential exciting avenues for future research on the dissemination of environmentally friendly innovations.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the concept of employee empowerment, and the implications for management control systems (MCS), as the style of management changes from a hierarchical, top‐down, style to a more lateral, bottom‐up, orientation, in which workers assume greater responsibility for situated decision‐making and self‐monitoring.

A longitudinal, multiple method, case study explores how empowerment is both understood and applied by management and workers. Simons “Levers of Control” framework is employed as a sensitising device to understand the implications for MCS.

The transformation strategy is largely successful in changing the long‐standing, bureaucratic, public‐sector culture, to a more devolved style in which challenge and participation is encouraged, although actual adoption patterns are uneven and developments are not always linear. By the end of the study period, there is a move back towards centralised control but, significantly, the study is able to confirm Simons' argument that the use of an appropriate mix of levers in a “loose‐tight” manner can still promote empowered working.

The field work consists of a single case, albeit this is a large company with a number of autonomous units and, over time, each developed its own style of management control. At times, it is difficult to establish clear linkages between the empowerment initiative, operational management, actual performance and the MCS due to numerous contextual factors, hence the longitudinal nature of the project.

Whilst practitioner literature has made copious exhortations to empower workers, there is little empirical work on the practical application of empowerment, or the implications for MCS in the longer term. This paper finds that empowerment can, despite some academic reservations, have an honest purpose and indeed outlive its otherwise faddish tendencies.

This paper aims to identify the built environment attributes and dimensions to assess customers’ satisfaction concerning the built environment in a gas station located in southern Brazil. Besides, this study aims to verify the dimensions that most impact customers’ satisfaction and the attributes that are most relevant to customers.

The research was operationalized through a survey and data were analyzed with confirmatory factor analysis. Multiple regression analysis was used to assess the impact of the dimensions on perceived customer satisfaction, while stepwise linear multiple regression was used to identify the most significant attributes.

The factor analysis result indicates that 66.77% of the variance explained concerns to six built environment dimensions (or factors). The regression analysis shows that overall satisfaction with the gas station is predicted by the dimensions appearance, functionality and location, and positively related to seven attributes. In relation to the built environment satisfaction, the location and functionality of the dimension are its predictors and positively related to five attributes.

Further studies in different contexts are required to test the reliability of the built environment dimensions – comfort, functionality, configuration, location and appearance. Also, the study calls for further debate about the built environment related to the occupant or user satisfaction and other factors that can impact it.

This study identifies the need to evaluate the impacts of post-occupancy evaluation of measurable factors related to the user’s judgment.

Data collecting systems are described and the faults and problems indicated. Examples are given of the effort to prepare the data for analysis. The data analysis was carried out in collaboration with the University of Bradford, including FMECA, trend analysis and distribution fitting. The results of the analysis were compared with data from the SRS databank and with subjective estimates provided by Gasunie engineers. On the basis of the experience, recommendations are given to increase efficiency of data collection systems.

The purpose of this paper is to investigate changes in the environmental state of Pääsküla landfill in the post‐closedown period, especially changes in the soil and groundwater quality, composition of leachate water and air quality, and to analyse the effects of the works carried out and the measures implemented during the closing down of the Pääsküla landfill on the surrounding environment.

The study is based on the official environmental monitoring reports (EERC 2005‐2009) combined with the practical work experience and observations of the author on the landfill.

The study reveals that the most evident changes, which have taken place in the environmental state in the Pääsküla landfill were those in the quality of surface water. Remarkable improvement of the water quality of the Pääsküla River was detected after installation of the vinyl pile wall around the landfill body. After capping of the landfill, a drop in the content of methane in landfill gas was detected, as well as a decrease of the total gas production in the landfill.

The conclusions justify the efforts made in the course of closing down works of the Pääsküla landfill and the chosen technical solutions. It is necessary to continue the environmental monitoring of the landfill leachate water, ground water and surface water as well as monitoring of air quality and subsidences on the landfill.

The paper provides a detailed overview of the post‐closedown environmental monitoring and maintenance activities in the landfill as well as progress in the state of environment regarding the measures taken in order to decrease the negative environmental impact of the landfill. The experience of closing down the landfill can be used for similar projects, especially the impacts of capping the landfill on the methane production and installation of the protection wall and leachate collection drainage around the landfill on the suface water.

This case deals with several types of uncertainties faced by project team in an oil company north east in India. These challenges and uncertainties are in the areas drawing approval, supply chain, critical equipment availability, soll type, control room, soil type, employee availability, environmental clearances, safety and wildlife clearances. This project demonstrates the ownership issues, why it is difficult to complete a project on time in the Northeast of India or why public sector project gets delayed.