Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The petroleum industry concern itself with natural resource extracting activities which are highly sensitive for contributing to environmental degradation by oil spills or gas flaring. A large proportion of the world’s oil and gas reserves is located in developing countries where the presence of multinational oil corporations (MNOCs) is high as host countries often lack the infrastructure needed or are financially unable to conduct extracting operations on their own. The Niger Delta in southern Nigeria has one of the largest oil reserves in Africa and is one of the world’s leading oil exporters. MNOCs like Shell, Chevron, Total, ExxonMobil and Statoil are some of the firms present in the Niger Delta region. The oil-rich area in the developing country poses high levels of political risk for the MNOCs. Local grievances, paired with environmental degradation and human rights violations by the oil companies, have led to a tense relationship between the local stakeholders and the MNOCs, with so-called petro-violence at the center of the oil conflict. Frequently, oil installations are sabotaged and crude oil is stolen, causing major financial losses for the firms, and armed attacks on oil facilities and kidnapping of MNOCs’ staff constitute the majority of political risks facing MNOCs operating in the Niger Delta. This study investigates how MNOCs can successfully manage such political risks, providing a business advantage in a challenging business environment. By addressing the companys’ own behaviour, the research analyses if social engagement through corporate social responsibility (CSR) can mitigate political risk in the Niger Delta. The study looks at two different MNOCs operating in the Niger delta, Shell and Statoil, and scrutinises their methods of implementation of their CSR initiatives. The difference in approaches to CSR is elucidated where Shell claims it has repositioned its approach from a top-down angle during the first years of conducting CSR projects, to a more stakeholder-oriented approach. Yet, their approach is still found to carry elements of the previous top-down approach, and has not resulted in satisfactory performance in relation to stated goals. Statoil undertakes a stakeholder-oriented bottom-up approach, executed with a high level of commitment. The stated CSR goals have to a great extent been met. By assessing the two companies’ CSR strategies in relation to the frequency of political risks experienced by each MNOC, the study finds that CSR has the potential to mitigate political risk depending on the approach to implementation, and could serve as a political risk management strategy. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die brandstofbedryf is betrokke by die ontginning van natuurlike hulpbronne, ’n aktiwiteit wat hoogs sensitief is vir sy bydrae tot omgewingsbesoedeling as gevolg van storting van olie en opvlamming van gas. ’n Baie groot deel van die wêreld se olie en gas reserwes word aangetref in ontwikkelende lande. Die teenwoordigheid van Multinasionale Olie Korporasies (MNOKs) in hierdie lande is groot omdat daar gewoonlik ’n gebrek aan toepaslike infrastruktuur is en die lande ook nie finansieel in staat mag wees om die ontginning op hulle eie te doen nie. Die Niger Delta in die Suide van Nigerië beskik oor een van die grootste olie reserwes in Afrika en is een van die voorste olie uitvoerders in die wêreld. Shell, Chevron, Total, ExxonMobil en Statoil is van die bekende MNOK wat ontginning doen in die Niger Delta gebied. Die olieryke gebiede in ’n ontwikkelende land kan groot politieke risiko vir die MNOKs inhou. Plaaslike griewe gekoppel aan omgewings besoedeling en menseregte skendings deur die oliemaatskappye het gelei tot ’n gespanne verhouding tussen hulle en die plaaslike belange groepe, en sogenaamde “petrogeweld” staan sentraal hierin. Heel gereeld word olie-installasies gesaboteer en ru-olie word gesteel, wat natuurlik groot finansiële verliese die firmas inhou. Daarby word gewapende aanvalle op die olie-installasies uitgevoer en van die MNOKs se personeel ontvoer. Al hierdie dinge vorm die groot politieke risiko’s wat die MNOKs in die Niger Delta in die gesig staar. Hierdie studie ondersoek hoe die MNOKs met welslae hierdie politieke risiko’s kan teenwerk om vir hulle ’n suksesvolle besigheid te vestig in ’n baie mededingende bedryfsomgewing. Deur te kyk na die maatskappy se eie gedrag, sal die navorsing analiseer of gemeenskapsbetrokkenheid deur korporatiewe sosiale verantwoordelikheid (KSV) die politieke risiko in die Niger Delta kan temper. Die studie kyk na twee verskillende MNOK wat in die gebied bedryf word, Shell en Statoil, en kyk noukeurig na die manier waarop hulle KSV inisiatiewe toegepas word. Die verskil in benadering tot die probleem word toegelig deur die feit dat Shell beweer dat hulle ’n bo-na-onder benadering in die beginjare van KSV projekte verander het na ’n beleid waar meer na die betrokkenheid van belangegroepe gekyk word. Tog word gevind dat daar nog oorblyfsels is van die bo-na-onder benadering en dat doelwitte wat gestel is nie bevredigend bereik is nie. Statoil daarenteen. Implementeer ’n onder-na-bo benadering met betrokkenheid van belangegroepe en ’n hoë vlak van toewyding deur die maatskappy. Die gestelde KSV doelwitte is grootliks behaal. Deur te kyk na die twee maatskappye se ervaring van politieke risiko in verhouding met hulle KSV strategieë bevind hierdie studie dat KSV wel die potensiaal het om, as dit suksesvol toegepas word, politieke risiko te temper en dus kan die as ’n strategie om sodanige risiko te bestuur.

PhDENV (Geology) / Department of Mining and Environmental Geology / The Cretaceous period marked the breaking up of Gondwana, giving rise to the separation of the African and South American continents with the subsequent emergence of the South Atlantic Ocean. Most correlation studies between the two continents with respect to paleoenvironmental conditions and tectonic settings during the Cretaceous- Tertiary periods have been concentrated more on the use of flora and fauna as indicators with less application of kaolinite as paleoenviromental proxies, hence, this study. The research involved the evaluation of paleoenvironmental conditions and tectonic settings of four (4) selected Cretaceous-Tertiary kaolin deposits with two (2) each from the Eastern Dahomey (Eruku and Lakiri) and Niger Delta (Awo-Omama and Ubulu-Uku) Basins in Nigeria. Representative kaolin samples collected from the selected deposits were analysed for physico-chemical, mineralogical, geochemical, isotopic, and geochronological data. The geochemical data obtained by x-ray fluorescence (XRF) spectroscopy and laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (LAICPMS) were used in unraveling the provenance and tectonic settings of the kaolins. The kaolinite stable isotopic data for oxygen and hydrogen determined using a Finnigan Delta XP Mass Spectrometer were used to assess the paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic conditions under which the kaolins were formed. The detrital zircon geochronological data acquired by laser ablation – single collector – magnetic sectorfield – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (LA-SFICP-MS) as well as kaolinite stable isotopic data were employed in constraining the probable timing of kaolinisation. The industrial applications of the kaolins were assessed based on the physico-chemical (Colour, particle size distribution (PSD), pH, electrical conductivity, and Atterberg limits), mineralogical, and geochemical data. The mineralogical data were obtained through x-ray diffractometry (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Thermogravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Correlative studies between selected Cretaceous African and South American kaolins were conducted. The results showed that the dominant colour in the studied kaolins was pale red (39 %) followed by pinkish and light grey (35 %) as well as reddish yellow, light pink, light brown, vii reddish brown, and pinkish white. The pH and EC values generally ranged from 4.27 to 5.29 and 0.2 to 13.1 μS/cm, respectively. The kaolins predominantly have clay to sandy clay textures with plasticity indices between 10 and 22 wt %. Bulk mineralogical quantitative results indicated that the Cretaceous kaolins have kaolinite, quartz, and muscovite present in that decreasing order with anatase, goethite, and hematite in traces whereas Tertiary kaolins have kaolinite and quartz present in that decreasing order with anatase and goethite in traces. In the silt fractions, kaolinite and quartz were the dominant mineral constituents, whereas in the clay fractions, the dominant clay mineral was kaolinite accounting for 69 to 99 wt % with the non-clay minerals like quartz, anatase, hematite and goethite accounting for percentages between 1 to 28 wt % in the Cretaceous – Tertiary kaolins. Morphologically, the studied kaolins were characterised by pseudohexagonal stacks to books and thin platy kaolinite particles with moderate structural order. The chemical compositions of the Cretaceous-Tertiary kaolin deposits were identical to hydrated alumino-silicates based on the dominance of SiO2, Al2O3 and LOI. The chemical index of alteration (CIA) and chemical index of weathering (CIW) values varied between 96.98 to 99.39 % and 98.95 to 99.89 %, respectively. The clay fractions were enriched in Cr, Nb, Sc, Th, U, V, Zr, and LREE and depleted in Ba, Co, Rb, Sr, and HREE, respectively, relative to the average Upper Continental Crust (UCC). The Th/Sc, La/Sc, Th/Cr, and Eu/Eu* ratios were within the range of sediments derived from felsic rocks. The TiO2 versus Al2O3 and La-Th-Sc plots indicated source rocks with granitic – granodioritic - gabbroic compositions. Geochemical discrimination plots showed that the Cretaceous and Tertiary kaolins were deposited in passive margin tectonic settings. The stable isotopic results indicated that the values of the Cretaceous kaolins ranged from – 47 to – 57 ‰ and 19.1 to 19.8 ‰, respectively, with paleotemperatures between 29.0 and 32.2 ˚C, whereas the δD and δ18O corresponding values for the Tertiary kaolins ranged from – 54 to – 66 ‰ and 20 to 21.5 ‰, respectively, with paleotemperatures between 17.0 and 23.9 ˚C. viii The U-Pb dating of the detrital zircons showed that the Cretaceous - Tertiary kaolins have inputs from rocks of Eburnean (2500 – 2000 Ma) and Pan African (750 – 450 Ma) ages. The age of maximum deposition determined from the least to statistically robust approach corresponds to the Ediacaran Period (645 – 541 Ma) of the Neoproterozoic Era (1000 – 541 Ma). The Cretaceous – Tertiary kaolins were formed under intense anoxic chemical paleoweathering conditions of predominantly felsic rocks in addition to contributions from intermediate and mafic rocks in passive margin tectonic settings. The Cretaceous kaolins were formed under warmer conditions relative to the Tertiary kaolins. The West African Massif rocks were the main sediment sources for the Cretaceous kaolins, whereas both the West African and Northern Nigerian Massif rocks were the major sediment sources for the Tertiary kaolins. The most probable timing of kaolinisation for the Cretaceous – Tertiary kaolins occurred between the Ediacaran (645 – 541 Ma) and Early Cretaceous Periods for the Cretaceous kaolins and between the Ediacaran Period (645 – 541 Ma) and Oligo – Miocene age for the Tertiary kaolins. The Nigerian and Brazilian Cretaceous kaolins formed under similar warm tropical paleoclimate. The study corroborated the occurrence of the Eburnean (Transamazonian) and Pan African (Brasiliano) orogenic events across the African and South American continents. Beneficiation of the Cretaceous – Tertiary kaolins will allow large scale industrial applications in paper coating, ceramics, pharmaceutical, and cosmetics industries. The major contributions from this study have been: the better understanding of the past environmental conditions and tectonic settings, the dating of the possible timing of kaolinisation, and improvement on the potential industrial applications of the Cretaceous – Tertiary kaolins. / NRF