In recent years, petrochemicals products from Saudi Arabia have been the subject of anti-dumping (AD) cases in several countries. This has raised questions about whether Saudi Arabia’s domestic laws and regulations relating to AD and anti-subsidy are, (1) effective, and (2) compatible with Saudi Arabia’s international legal obligations under the World Trade Organisation (WTO). This thesis examines the compatibility of Saudi Arabia’s domestic laws concerning AD, with international trade law, under the WTO agreement on the Implementation of Article VI of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade 1994 (Anti-Dumping Agreement (AD Agreement)). It critically analyses cases filed against Saudi Arabia’s petrochemicals products in a number of countries; including India, China, and Turkey, and in the European Union. It is observed that the high number of AD cases filed against Saudi Arabia’s petrochemicals products around the world reflect a need to strengthen Saudi Arabia’s domestic laws, and the regulations applicable to dumping. Arguably, some aspects of the WTO AD Agreement are in need of reconsideration by the contracting parties in view of the modern context of trade between contracting parties. Aspects to be re-examined include, for example, dispute resolution procedures. In this respect, this thesis argues that some parts of the WTO AD Agreement should be subject to further negotiations between the WTO contracting parties, with a view to making appropriate amendments. Finally, this research will present recommendations for the Saudi Arabian economic system, suggest amendments relating to AD and anti-subsidy provisions under the WTO and finally offer recommendations for the dispute resolution mechanism under the DSU. This will help to improve and develop an effective AD legal regime under the WTO agreement, which would be applicable in the context of the changing circumstances of global international trade.

It is recognised that as with any other risk; health, safety and environment issues require an integrated management system to comprehensively and sustainably manage the risks in the workplace. However to move beyond the paper based systems, ultimately require a behavioural change that can only be achieved through a culture change that continually re-invents itself and that motivates staff (human beings) to intrinsically do the right thing every day, every time and without any overseer. This study focuses on the critical success factors for the practical implementation of a safety culture improvement initiative in South Africa.

A study was undertaken to investigate developing biofilms in a petrochemical wastewater treatment plant encompassing the architecture, microflora and the chemical nature of the matrix. Biofilms were developed on glass slides immersed in the activated sludge unit and analysed at known time intervals using a range of techniques. Initially, biofilms were investigated using conventional and emerging microscopic approaches to select a suitable technique. Scanning Confocal Laser Microscopy (SCLM) allowed visualisation of biofilms in situ with minimal background interference and non-destructive and optical sectioning which were amenable to quantitative computer-enhanced microscopy. SCLM was superior over Light microscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy. This study demonstrated biofilm growth, presence of extracellular polymer substances (EPS) in early biofilms associated with cells and the development of porous nature of mature biofilms including channel-like structures. Overall new information has been obtained on developing biofilms in an Australian petrochemical wastewater treatment plant / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) (Biological Sciences)

A distribution channel decision is very important. A foreign chemical additive manufacturer wishes to develop an indirect distribution channel into the China refinery and petrochemical market. The selection of a favorable distributor to work with in the China market will involve a number of complex decisions by the manufacturer. Developing the criteria and strategy to screen and select a China distributor is studied in this research. A mutual understanding and cooperation between the manufacturer and distributor to define explicit roles, expectations, and responsibilities is necessary. Three critical definitions include: 1) The contract terms and conditions, especially with regard to time period, contract termination, and consideration of efforts during contract life once contract is terminated; 2) Commitment of the manufacturer to fully support distributor once distribution contract is awarded; 3) The distributor¡¦s opportunities to expand distribution rights in return for strong performance. Motivating the owners and employees of the independent organizations in a distribution chain requires great effort. Methods of motivating a distributor organization will be reserved for a more advanced study in the future.

Business transformation has become the sole means of survival for today¡¦s traditional businesses in Taiwan that were, once upon a time, star performers. So challenging has the business environment become that even today¡¦s star performers¡Xthe high tech and advanced industries¡Xwill someday become yesterday's news as well. The lessons of business transformation, therefore, are applicable to all businesses. Old school thinkers used to emphasize the impact company strategies had over the operation performance of a company, that the right strategies could alone produce effectively and efficiently performing companies. However, it has been proven over the years that the same strategies adopted by different companies could produce vastly different results. Execution has proven to be a bigger deciding factor in the success or failure of an enterprise. This study aims to demonstrate that proper and effective execution of the right strategies plays a critical role in deciding the future of a company, and success of its transformation. This study utilizes case studies, investigating how the petrochemical companies in study choose their transformation strategies, and how the choice of execution methods affects their operating performance after effecting transformation strategies. It also aims to understand the cause and effect relationship between the choice of transformation strategies, execution methods and the operating performance. Interviews and analysis have been carried out in the conduct of this study. The following is a list of major conclusions: 1.A continuously competitive company is able to deliver a high operation performance. 2.Strategies towards business transformation impact the company¡¦s operation performance. In the petrochemicals industry, the most effective strategies towards business transformation include, in order of impact, vertical integration, globalization, multi-faceted strategy. Horizontal integration is not a recommended strategy. 3.Execution affects the operation performance. Petrochemical companies with effective execution deliver high operation performance. 4.Manpower is any company¡¦s important resource. A high operation performance is also a result of effective manpower. 5.Companies that have been successful in its business transformation are equipped with leadership abilities, high quality of manpower and astute leadership by top management are critical factors to a successful company.

Abstract E-Marketplace is a major model for B2B commerce. The thesis uses the transaction cost theory to investigate factors affecting the intention of adopting e-marketplace for Taiwanese petrochemical companies, Factors under study include characteristics of petrochemical products, the readiness of computerization in business, and attitude toward adopting e-marketplace. The results indicate that larger companies have stronger intentions than smaller ones to adopt an e-marketplace. Companies having a great demand on digitizing their procurement procedures are more willing to reduce their transaction costs through e-marketplaces. Businesses with higher degree of computerized operations require more functions in the e-marketplace. In addition, security over the Internet and the degree of collaboration among partners are also key factors. With regard to choosing a marketplace, most local petrochemical companies prefer joining the e-Marketplace, managed by large suppliers of raw materials. Based on the above observations, Chinese Petroleum Corporation, may be the largest upstream company producing petrochemical raw materials in Taiwan, may be the most suitable for offering such an e-marketplace to facilitate collaboration and alliance among companies. This also provides a means for globalization in the future.

Companies and organizations in different industries around the world make use of different technologies for many reasons and purposes, such as to improve performance and to stay competitive. This raises some questions and concerns about the use, benefit, risk and the investment decision-making process for the selected technology. A review of the available literature shows that the decision-making processes related to investments in general are difficult and complex. As a result of this, many organizations that have invested in technology have not achieved the required benefits; this leads to unsuccessful investment decisions and loss of opportunities. This can occur when decision makers and planners do not pay enough attention to some critical factor that may affect the investment, or they may just not have planned sufficiently carefully for it. This research aims to examine and investigate the gaps and factors behind technology investment decisions, with a focus on several of the more important factors and elements that may have a huge impact on these decisions. These include investment justification techniques, technology selection, organizational readiness, technology alignment, and benefits realization. The unique aspect of this research is that these five elements have not previously been linked in research publications or reports, particularly within the petrochemical industry. Thus, the research focuses on these five elements to identify the critical factors and difficulties to support decision makers in order to achieve successful technology investment in the petrochemical industry. To address the research aims, the issues affecting investment decision-making within a number of the biggest petrochemical companies in Saudi Arabia were investigated.

My study is a sub-study of the Resilient Youth in Stressed Environments (RYSE) Project (ethics clearance UP17/05/01). RYSE aims to develop a more in-depth understanding of the resilience of youth who live in environments challenged by the petrochemical industry and associated risks, specifically the community of eMbalenhle. In particular, the purpose of my qualitative sub-study is to explore which resilience-enabling factors in social ecologies (SEs) of tertiary education institutions (TEIs) shape the resilience of older adolescents from the eMbalenhle community who are engaged in tertiary education. Despite the common assumption in current South African literature that students who come from backgrounds challenged by disadvantage (the disadvantages that challenge them are often a variety of stressors in their immediate surroundings, with few public resources or services where help can be accessed) are doomed to failure at TEIs, some students from backgrounds challenged by disadvantage progress to TEIs and succeed in completing their studies. However, only a few such students succeed in completing their studies. Research shows that TEIs are not sufficiently prepared to accommodate students coming from backgrounds challenged by disadvantage. Therefore, my study of limited scope might potentially give voice to the perspectives of older adolescents from communities challenged by disadvantage regarding resilience-enabling factors in the SE of TEIs. Phenomenology was the epistemological assumption of my study and a qualitative methodological approach was used. I made use of a phenomenological research design, purposefully selected my six participants (with an average age of 20), and made use of photo-elicitation with conversational interviews to generate data. To analyse the data I made use of Braun and Clarke’s (2006) six-step guide to inductive thematic content analysis. The main themes that emerged from my study were that university structures, a sought-after qualification (underpinned by a certain view of the future), and fellow students (with the subthemes same course and different course) were resilience-enabling factors. The usefulness of these themes to resilience theory is that older adolescents entering TEIs might potentially demonstrate resilience when experiencing the identified resilience-enabling factors in the SE of their TEI, and, therefore, my suggestion would be for TEIs to consider prioritising these protective factors. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

My study is a sub-study of the Resilient Youth in Stressed Environments (RYSE) Project. RYSE endeavours to better understand the resilience shown by youth who reside in communities that are affected by the petrochemical industry, and the risks associated with this industry. My study is of limited scope, and aims to explore the role of families in facilitating resilience amongst youth between the ages of 15 and 24 years who reside in the petrochemical-affected community of eMbalenhle in the Mpumalanga region of South Africa. My study made use of the social ecology of resilience theory (SERT) as proposed by Ungar (2011). Furthermore, my study followed a phenomenological research design, seeking to better understand the experiences of the 30 adolescent participants recruited for this research. Participants were selected from the community of eMbalenhle, and engaged in arts-based activities, namely, body mapping and draw-write-talk. Data generated from these activities was analysed using thematic content analysis, in which coding was used to identify key themes. The themes identified include family members work at Sasol, families provide affective support to youth, and families motivate youth to create positive futures. My study serves to provide information that is absent from current resilience literature relating to the resilience of youth affected by the petrochemical industry in South Africa, and how family (both immediate and extended) can champion resilience in this context. / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2019. / Educational Psychology / MEd / Unrestricted

The essence of this study is to measure the factors that lead to the negative perception of poor service delivery from the Supply and Demand Management (SDM) department of Company X. The Sasolburg operation was selected to pilot the study in order to determine the underlying issues that contribute to the perceived poor service delivery. Improved service delivery would contribute to the organisation’s overall strategy of functional excellence through its operations and service departments. Using a qualitative approach, this study attempts to obtain a clear insight of the perception of poor service delivery and ways of stimulating uniform approaches in order to being able to work together It is essential for the organisation to regularly assess its operational performance in order to ascertain whether progress has been made in terms of strategy changes. The purpose of the study is not to prove that the supply and demand department is not delivering to expectations, but to measure the delivery the factors that create the perception of poor service delivery. The initiative is also to identify the weaknesses, and suggest how these weaknesses can be remedied as well as to share the findings with the various stakeholders within the organisation. The findings of the study demonstrate that communication gaps exists within the organisation and communication is perceived as playing a key role in overcoming poor service delivery / MBA, North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014