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Abstract

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Industrial Lubrication and Tribology, vol. 57 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0036-8792

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 May 2023

Hisham Ali Yousef, ElHassan Anas ElSabry and Alaa Eldin Adris

Petroleum companies have various goals in light of high energy prices, uncertainty and potential fluctuations in demand in the current digital age, including making a profit while…

Abstract

Purpose

Petroleum companies have various goals in light of high energy prices, uncertainty and potential fluctuations in demand in the current digital age, including making a profit while maintaining long-term sustainability and lowering their environmental impacts. The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact of technology management (TM) and its practices through process and maintenance technologies on sustainability performance (SP) for petroleum refineries and petrochemical companies in terms of economic, environmental and social sustainability.

Design/methodology/approach

A new proposed framework has been developed for a clearer understanding in relation to these aspects. The study was conducted among Egyptian refineries and petrochemical companies. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 65 petroleum experts and professionals, which was then summarized using statistical analysis, hypothesis testing and regression analysis.

Findings

The findings demonstrate that TM has a significant and direct impact on SP. Furthermore, the study shows that process technology (PT) has a positive influence on the three aspects of SP. Although maintenance technology has a positive impact on economic and environmental sustainability, it shows no direct effect on social sustainability.

Research limitations/implications

The degree to which TM and sustainability principles are implemented across petroleum companies in various countries varies significantly because of managerial and cultural dimensions. Therefore, when conducting the research, it is important to consider the study’s geographical area to comprehend how these practices are impacted by the distinctive managerial and cultural settings of each country. Also, respondents in developing countries do not participate in such surveys with much enthusiasm.

Practical implications

The study shows that implementing TM practices generates more economic stability and ensures environmental and social sustainability. The research studied how PT and maintenance practices affected each aspect of sustainability. These findings can apply to all downstream oil companies, regardless of their size or type of operations. Further research can be conducted to examine the relationship between variables in other industries.

Social implications

Decision-makers and managers may use the study's findings to improve their companies' performance and develop new plans and policies. The results demonstrate that companies will have a greater chance of achieving sustainable performance if they incorporate process and maintenance technologies into their activities. Besides economic and environmental sustainability, petroleum companies must strive for social sustainability.

Originality/value

The study is regarded as a significant contribution to the management of petroleum refineries and petrochemical companies, as it combined TM practices with SP in a single research framework. Industry executives and researchers can use this research as a guide that can be applied to all petroleum companies in the same country.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 18 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 25 January 2023

Endang Sylvia and Yos Sunitiyoso

This paper aims to identify all variables and parameters related to business and emission within the petrochemical industry. The variables and parameters specified will be modeled…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to identify all variables and parameters related to business and emission within the petrochemical industry. The variables and parameters specified will be modeled into a system dynamic model that will be a baseline for the proposed best scenario(s) to address the business issue related to emission reduction in the petrochemical industry.

Design/methodology/approach

Literature review and stakeholder interviews were conducted to define the key factors contributing to the emission reduction of the petrochemical industry. The key factors are then developed into a system dynamic model to measure the quantitative impact of changes in those variables on emission and industry profitability.

Findings

This paper provides an analysis of system dynamic model. It suggests that process optimization can lead to a slight amount reduction in emissions. In contrast, a significant reduction shows in the simulation result of bio-based feedstock utilization and implementation of advanced technology. To sustain the emission reduction, strong commitment from stakeholders and support from the government will play an important role.

Research limitations/implications

This research is limited to problem analysis of the primary product (high-value chemical) of the petrochemical industry by only considering the changes in the key factors of emission reduction.

Practical implications

This paper includes implications for interventions that can be imposed to reduce emission while retaining the business profitability.

Originality/value

The contribution of this study is to find the best scenario that can boost emission reduction within Indonesia’s petrochemical industry.

Details

International Journal of Energy Sector Management, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1750-6220

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 October 2019

Rasha Kamal El-Deen El-Mallah, Alia Abd el Hamid Aref and Sherifa Sherif

The purpose of this paper is as follows: First, understanding the nature of the relationship between corporate adoption of the concept of societal responsibility [availability of…

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Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is as follows: First, understanding the nature of the relationship between corporate adoption of the concept of societal responsibility [availability of environmental awareness, clear vision of the impact of societal responsibility on financial performance, managers informing employees of the latest developments in societal responsibility programs, managers' response to their corporate social responsibility (CSR) proposals] in the form of an annual report that supports the success of the company's objectives, the company's management encourages employees to participate collectively in societal responsibility programs and to protect the environment from pollution in the petrochemical industry. Second, understand the nature of the relationship between the dimensions of corporate social responsibility concept (cultural, social, economic, ethical and legal) and protect the environment from pollution in the petrochemical industry. Third, the research also seeks to show the role of societal responsibility and its application in the petrochemical companies to protect the environment from pollution in The Governorate of Alexandria – Egypt, and come out with results and recommendations that could help protect the environment from the forms of environmental pollution resulting from the production processes of this industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The researcher has relied on each of the following approaches: Case study methodology is a research strategy aimed at solving a problem or facing a particular situation. It is based on preliminary hypotheses through full analysis of all data collected and recorded. Which depends on the study of a limited number of cases or vocabulary in-depth comprehensive study through the study of all or a large number of variables overlapping and interrelated and influential on the problem under consideration. Thus, it provides a deep and rich understanding of what is going on around the research and the processes that are related to it, and not only the external or apparent description of the situation or phenomenon; it cares about the total description and looks at the particles, in relation to the whole. Quantitative approach: by giving a numerical description indicating the size or size of the phenomenon or the degree of association with the phenomenon. Other phenomena. Accordingly, the role of the petrochemical companies in Alexandria Governorate, and the social responsibility programs carried out within the governorate in terms of importance, growth and requirements, and the most important characteristics and constraints and components and methods of work and developments have been described. Thus, the researcher can analyze the relationship between CSR and environmental protection from pollution in Alexandria Governorate.

Findings

There is paucity in the studies that dealt with the relationship between CSR and environmental protection against pollution in public organizations. There is agreement among the sample on the importance and feasibility of adopting the concept of social responsibility and placing it at the top of the top management concerns, especially in the field of petrochemical companies. With the need to take concrete implementation measures to support social responsibility programs aimed at serving the community among all stakeholders. The effective implementation of the mechanisms for the implementation of meaningful social responsibility programs requires fundamental changes in management practices, existing organizational structures and the quality of personnel working in the relevant departments, in general, and the social responsibility group, in particular, which may be difficult for political and economic reasons.

Research limitations/implications

Time: The study period was set from 2015 to 2017. Place: The study focuses on the petrochemical companies operating in Alexandria. Humanity: The study focuses on the employees of the petrochemical companies operating in Alexandria Governorate.

Practical implications

The adoption of social responsibility positively affects the protection of the environment from pollution, and this effect shows that the adoption of the concept of corporate social responsibility is influenced by the following factors: increasing the participation of workers with healthy environmental contributions to the productive process; increasing the companies' economic and social activities toward protecting the environment from pollution; increasing the capacity of companies to pay greater costs to preserve the environment; increasing the awareness of green consumers with the products it offers Companies; development of continuous internal work environment companies; and clearly defined strategy followed in social responsibility programs.

Social implications

The social responsibility of the public organizations derives their strength through, first, the keenness of these organizations to analyze the variables of the ethical dimension of social responsibility and their availability, which will lead the organizations to provide their services with the highest quality and sincerity. That this analysis (ethics of individuals) as training members of the social responsibility team to solve problems using brainstorming and provide employees with official data related to improving work (ethics of leadership), such as the identification of business objectives through the participation of managers with subordinates, and the punishment of workers who exhibit immoral behaviors (ethics of productive processes) as a decision-making process to ethical standards regardless of the costs involved. When there is an immoral behavior and managers are responsible for implementing the changes needed to reach the targeted outcomes), second, promote partnerships with other relevant sectors for community service.

Originality/value

According to the results of the previous studies and the applied study results, the researcher would like to submit a mechanism to the directors and heads of the boards of directors of the Egyptian petrochemical companies under study.

Details

Review of Economics and Political Science, vol. 8 no. 6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2356-9980

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 April 2010

Emanuela Todeva and Yan Fu

The paper discusses the new concept of “Multinational Investment Projects” (MIPs) and its application in the context of international business operations in China. The…

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Abstract

Purpose

The paper discusses the new concept of “Multinational Investment Projects” (MIPs) and its application in the context of international business operations in China. The petrochemical industry in China is used as the industrial context in which we investigate the interplay between the Chinese government, which encourages growth and investment activities in the sector, and the multinational petrochemical firms competing for global market share in this sector.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper investigates the nature of the petrochemical value chain and the investment activities in all of its segments. Using an originally created database of the top 180 MIPs in the petrochemical industry in China and additional context information the business environment in China, the paper reviews the investment strategies of multinational petrochemical corporations, and discusses their strategic choices for mode of entry in China, geographic location and location within the value chain.

Findings

The overview of MIPs in the Chinese petrochemical industry confirms the theoretical expectations of the critical impact of Chinese Government policies. The paper explains the emerging shape of international competition in this sector of the Chinese economy.

Originality/value

The main contributions of this paper are the new conceptual framework for analysis of the drivers for strategic investment choices, the assembly of a database with the top 180 MIPs in the petrochemical industry in China, and the analysis of the relationships between the regional endowments, concentration of value‐chain activities and location choices by multinational firms from different countries of origin. The results demonstrate the factors that drive growth in a knowledge‐, technology‐ and capital‐intensive sector.

Details

Journal of Knowledge-based Innovation in China, vol. 2 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-1418

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 21 June 2019

Florina Livia Covaci and Pascale Zaraté

This paper aims to overcome some of the limitations of previous works regarding automated supply chain formation (SCF). Hence, it proposes an algorithm for automated SCF using…

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to overcome some of the limitations of previous works regarding automated supply chain formation (SCF). Hence, it proposes an algorithm for automated SCF using multiple contract parameters. Moreover, it proposes a decision-making mechanism that provides means for incorporating risk in the decision-making process. To better emphasize the features of the proposed decision-making mechanism, the paper provides some insights from the petroleum industry. This industry has a strategic position, as it is the base for other essential activities of the economy of any country. The petroleum industry is faced with volatile feed-stock costs, cyclical product prices and seasonal final products demand.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors have modeled the supply chain in terms of a cluster graph where the nodes are represented by clusters over the contract parameters that suppliers/consumers are interested in. The suppliers/consumers own utility functions and agree on multiple contract parameters by message exchange, directly with other participant agents, representing their potential buyer or seller. The agreed values of the negotiated issues are reflected in a contract which has a certain utility value for every agent. They consider uncertainties in crude oil prices and demand in petrochemical products and model the decision mechanism for a refinery by using an influence diagram.

Findings

By integrating the automated SCF algorithm and a mechanism for decision support under uncertainty, the authors propose a reliable and practical decision-making model with a practical application not only in the petroleum industry but also in any other complex industry involving a multi-tier supply chain.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this approach reveals in situations where the parameters can take values over continuous domains. In these cases, storing the preferences for every agent might need a considerable amount of memory depending on the size of the continuous domain; hence, the proposed approach might encounter efficiency issues.

Practical implications

The current paper makes a step forward to the implementation of digital supply chains in the context of Industry 4.0. The proposed algorithm and decision-making mechanism become powerful tools that will enable machines to make autonomous decisions in the digital supply chain of the future.

Originality/value

The current work proposes a decentralized mechanism for automated SCF. As opposed to the previous decentralized approaches, this approach translates the SCF optimization problem not as a profit maximization problem but as a utility maximization. Hence, it incorporates multiple parameters and uses utility functions to find the optimal supply chain. The current approach is closer to real life scenarios than the previous approaches that were using only cost as a mean for pairwise agents because it uses utility functions for entities in the supply chain to make decision. Moreover, this approach overcomes the limitations of previous approaches by providing means to incorporate risk in the decision-making mechanism.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. 49 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 March 1982

A.A. Antony and H.D. Gholston

There is no need to elaborate on the key position that petroleum has in our lives today. Everyone who reads this article is aware that it is the most important raw material energy…

Abstract

There is no need to elaborate on the key position that petroleum has in our lives today. Everyone who reads this article is aware that it is the most important raw material energy resource in the United States at present. It will remain important for some time to come. Most readers are also aware that petroleum is the basic starting material for many industrial chemicals; but some may need to be reminded that it is, in fact, the principal raw material from which most of the synthetic chemical products made in the United States ultimately derive.

Details

Reference Services Review, vol. 10 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0090-7324

Article
Publication date: 1 November 1985

Z.A. Foroulis

This paper reviews some of the important processes underlying high temperature degradation of structural materials used in the petroleum and petrochemical industries. Particular…

Abstract

This paper reviews some of the important processes underlying high temperature degradation of structural materials used in the petroleum and petrochemical industries. Particular emphasis is palced in degradation processes involving the interaction of structural metals and alloys with environments containing sulfidizing, carburizing, and halogenizing species. In addition the effect of gaseous hydrogen environments at elevated temperatures and pressures on the mechanical properties of steels will be discussed. The mechanism of attack and the effect of alloying elements in these phenomena will be described and discussed.

Details

Anti-Corrosion Methods and Materials, vol. 32 no. 11
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0003-5599

Book part
Publication date: 9 June 2015

Massood V. Samii

Iran’s non-oil export has shown noticeable growth in recent years. The gap between the oil export and non-oil export revenue has closed considerably, partly as a result of decline…

Abstract

Iran’s non-oil export has shown noticeable growth in recent years. The gap between the oil export and non-oil export revenue has closed considerably, partly as a result of decline in the oil revenue, but mainly due to the rise in non-oil export. There are certain interesting developments in Iran’s foreign trade. One is the direction of Iran’s trade and its trading partners that has shifted from the West to the East. Another is the composition of Iran’s non-oil export from primary and agricultural products to more processed goods particularly petrochemical and other industrial products. This chapter explores Iran’s trade policies and strategies. It also focuses on the obstacles and challenges that the country still faces for further expansion of its export.

Details

Reintegrating Iran with the West: Challenges and Opportunities
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78441-742-0

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 January 2001

Uche Jack Osimiri

Petroleum products are prime commercial sources of energy throughout the world in spite of the impressive efforts of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and European Economic…

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Abstract

Petroleum products are prime commercial sources of energy throughout the world in spite of the impressive efforts of the International Energy Agency (IEA) and European Economic Community (EEC) to find viable alternatives. Energy is the vehicle for economic development and the policy of the Nigerian government is that petroleum should be tapped, developed and optimally distributed for the overall development of society. Owing to several factors, the distribution and marketing of petroleum products have developed hydra‐headed problems constituting a major source of concern and embarrassment to the government, private organisations and individuals.

Details

Journal of Financial Crime, vol. 8 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1359-0790

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