BP plc (formerly known as The British Petroleum Company plc) is a UK-based gas and oil company. It has been around for 100 years and is still expanding into new markets (“#24 BP”, 2019). BP plc operates in every part of its home country, the United Kingdom. It sells fuel through over one thousand service stations across the kingdom that weekly reach seven million customers (BP, n.d.). In its home country, BP plc is a major employer: 15,835 people work for the corporation directly, and 123,000 jobs in total are supported by BP in one way or another (BP, n.d.). BP hires a wide range of high-skilled professionals from rig technicians to retail assistants and well intervention engineers.
BP makes significant contributions to UK GDP, which in recent years has amounted to £10.3 billion or 0.5% (BP, n.d.). BP plc remains one of the most important investors in the North Sea, which promotes UK energy security (BP, n.d.). Today, there are around 120 sites with 260 operating wells in the United Kingdom located primarily in southern England, the Midlands, South Wales, and central Scotland (“#24 BP”, 2019). Daily, they produce between twenty and twenty-five thousand barrels of oil equivalent.
BP’s primary contender is Royal Dutch Shell, a British-Dutch oil and gas company headquartered in the Netherlands and incorporated in the UK. Over its century-long history, Royal Dutch Shell has expanded into 78 countries (“#9 Royal Dutch Shell”, 2019). Currently, Royal Dutch Shell’s activities can be categorized into four business groupings: upstream business, integrated gas and new energies, downstream business, and projects and technology (“#9 Royal Dutch Shell”, 2019). In Africa, Algeria, RDS is doing upstream business in Cameroon, Egypt, Algeria, Gabon, Ghana, Libya, Morocco, Nigeria, Tunisia, and South Africa. In Asia, RDS is active in China, Hong Kong, Brunei, Malaysia, Singapore, Philippines, and India. Among European countries, the British-Dutch company is operating in Ireland, the UK, and Nordic countries. Lastly, RDS is present in North America (the US and Canada) and Australia.
BP’s target markets largely overlap with those of Royal Dutch Shell; however, there are significant differences as well. In Europe, BP is operating in far more countries than RDS, which includes the United Kingdom, France, Germany (through the Aral brand), the Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, Austria, Poland, Greece, and Turkey (BP, n.d.). On the contrary, as compared to RDS, BP is not present in Nordic countries. BP has expanded into South America (example: Brazil and Trinidad and Tobago), which RDS has yet to do (BP, n.d.). Both BP and RDS are present in the US, Canada, and Australia (BP, n.d.). Among other overlaps in operating countries are Egypt in North Africa and China and India in Asia (BP, n.d.). In contrast, RDS is not active in Angola, where BP is involved in offshore oil development at a total of nine oil exploration and production blocks.
Being some of the largest oil and gas companies in the world, BP and Royal Dutch Shell offer full-cycle solutions, which is especially important when it comes to emerging economies. Both BP and RDS have business groupings that include upstream and downstream activities as well as search for new energies, projects, and technology. Some operating countries are involved in the full cycle, while for others, it makes sense to focus primarily on only one aspect (example: upstream business in Algeria). While RDS outpaces BP in producing capacity, BP stands out due to its efficiency and superior refining availability (Vara, 2019). According to Vara (2019), BP’s upstream operations show better cost efficiency. Its ten-year average upstream unit production cost is 20% less than that of Royal Dutch Shell: $9.46bn per barrel of oil equivalent vs. $11.64 respectively. Apart from that, BP’s refining availability is somewhat higher compared to Royal Dutch Shell: 94.87% and 91.66%.
References
“#24 BP”. (2019). Forbes.
“#9 Royal Dutch Shell”. (2019). Forbes.
BP. (n.d.) Who we are.
Vara, V. (2019). BP vs Shell – whose business is better and more efficient?
The Leadership Theories: Pros And Cons
Introduction
The ongoing debate around the issue of whether leaders’ skills and traits are innate or acquired has been at the center of experts’ discussion. However, research suggests that although individuals might be born with a set of personal characteristics contributing to their leadership potential, one can learn and develop necessary skills using multiple approaches (Iordanoglou, 2018). The situational leadership theory, the path-goal theory, and the five-factor personality models might illustrate a leader’s role as a set of skills that can be acquired.
The Situational Leadership Theory
Definition
Leadership is flexible and adaptive; styles and approaches differ depending on the personnel’s characteristics and the organization; “follower development level is a crucial moderator of the relationship between leader behavior and efficiency” (Thompson, G., & Glaso, 2018, p. 574).
Pros and Cons
The advantage of this theory is that it enables followers’ effectiveness prioritization and provides a leader’s flexible decision-making depending on a situation and the anticipated results; the disadvantage is that it meets short-term needs rather than long-term ones.
Examples
When managing a stressful situation, a CEO might direct employees instead of delegating tasks.
Theory Utilization
The theory might help adjust various leadership styles to the requirements of particular situations to achieve desired goals.
The Path-Goal Theory of Leadership
Definition
According to this theory, “leadership behaviors as a source of inf1uence, can change the attitude, motivation, and behavior of an individual subordinate” (Farhan, 2018, p. 17).
Pros and Cons
The advantage is that a leader continuously learns and motivates the team; the disadvantage is that the team greatly depends on the leader.
Examples
An executive officer monitors the process of the team’s work on a project being in constant connection with them.
Theory Utilization
This theory can help increase employee motivation via supportive and directive styles of leadership.
The Five-Factor Personality Model
Definition
The model defines neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness as the most essential traits of a leader (Ozbag, 2016).
Pros and Cons
The advantage is that the model allows for determining what personality traits are good or bad for an effective leader. For example, openness to experience contributes to a leader’s success; neuroticism does not provide positive results in different situations (Hassan et al., 2016). The disadvantage of the model is that it is limited in the number of traits and does not include other important characteristics vital for leaders’ performance within an organization.
Examples
The dominance of extraversion as a leader’s personality type implies an inspirational style of leadership. It means that such a person would perform best when practicing a supportive or directional leadership style.
Model Utilization
The model might be used to assess one’s personality against their inclination toward a particular leadership style. The placement of a personality on a particular spot in the continuums of each of the five traits allows for evaluating the consistency between personality and used leadership style. This information can be used for further improvement of particular practice areas or the development of leadership skills.
Conclusion
Leaders’ skills and traits play an important role in their leadership styles and the overall performance at their position. People can develop their attributes to achieve positive results. The application of the analyzed theories and models can help in validating the most effective leadership approach.
References
Farhan, B. Y. (2018). Application of path-goal leadership theory and learning theory in a learning organization. Journal of Applied Business Research, 34(1), 13-22.
Hassan, H., Asad, S., & Hoshino, Y. (2016). Determinants of leadership style in big five personality dimensions. Universal Journal of Management, 4(4), 161-179.
Iordanoglou, D. (2018). Future trends in leadership development practices and the crucial leadership skills. Journal of Leadership, Accountability and Ethics, 15(2), 118-129.
Ozbag, G. K. (2016). The role of personality in leadership: five factor personality traits and ethical leadership. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 235, 235-242.
Thompson, G., & Glaso, L. (2018). Situational leadership theory: a test from a leader-follower congruence approach. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 39(5), 574-591.
Essay Voice-over
Fictional Memoir Of Kerry Brodie
My journey began in childhood when I learned to cook with my grandmother. I always liked to get new skills and be close to people, so this process has become one of my favorite activities. However, years passed, and we spent less and less time together. I had new things to do with studies, personal life, sports, and other activities. At some point, perhaps, I began to forget what was important to me. Even while working in public policy, despite the importance of my work, I often felt that I was too impatient. It was necessary to choose something else to unlock my potential.
However, the topic of social equality and justice has always remained important to me. My dream was to allow different people to communicate on equal terms because everyone deserves it. I thought for a long time about how to realize this dream and become truly useful to a large number of people, bringing changes to their lives. At some point, I realized how food could bring people together. First, this is one of the most critical aspects of human existence. Second, many people have some experience of cooking together with loved ones. Third, culinary skills are quite easy to learn, so anyone can be taught this.
I cannot say that right after this idea came to my mind, I started to act. I tend to be accurate and thoughtful, so I planned this journey. I paid attention to various details, including the employment of people and the facility where they will study. I needed to make this project work well so that it could be beneficial. It may look like indecision from the outside, but in reality, I was full of readiness and confidence in my idea.
Then, having thought over and settled everything, I hit the road. My destination was New York, a city full of people and opportunities. Indeed, at first, it was scary, but still extremely interesting. I was enthusiastic because my idea seemed meaningful to me. As it turned out later, it was so: people needed my work. However, before starting, I had to visit the culinary school myself. This was another point in my route, and I successfully passed this stage.
So, the end of my journey is a functioning organization that allows refugees to master culinary science and thereby find a job. I am convinced that every day of its work is worth the effort. Despite all the difficulties and challenges associated with it, this project has become significant for society. I see this myself, but it is even more vital for me to get feedback from the grateful people we help.
My journey is not yet finished at all. Now I have many opportunities for the development of what I am doing. In addition, meeting every new person in Emma’s Torch is an integral part of the journey. Each of them has a story, and we learn from each other’s lives. This all keeps arousing my interest and will probably never stop. I feel in my place on this path, and I think that I am developing, giving people the skills necessary for life, and making the world a better place. This journey makes me and those around me happy, and I am glad that I once started it.
Works Cited
Denver, Frederick. “Kerry Brodie, Founder and Executive Director of Emma’s Torch, Joins Denver Frederick.” The Business of Giving. 2017.
Gannon, Devin. “Where I Work: How Kerry Brodie Helps Empower Refugees Through Food at Emma’s Torch in Brooklyn.” 6 sqft, 2019.
Goldfield, Hannah. “Dishes from Refugees’ Home Countries at Emma’s Torch.” The New Yorker, 2018.
Helfand-Rogers, Candice. “Amid Angry Rhetoric, Kitchens Helping Immigrants and Refugees Are on the Rise.” The Story Exchange, 2019.
Hirt-Manheimer, Aron. “This Restaurant Is a Beacon of Hope for Refugees and Asylum Seekers.” Reform Judaism, 2019. Web.
Kiernan, Pat. “Kerry Brodie: Non-profit Founder Empowers Refugees Through Food.” Spectrum News NY1, 2018.
Klairmont, Laura. “Daughter of Immigrants Helps Refugees Find Their American Dream.” CNN, 2019.
Lipman, Steve. “Kerry Brodie, 27: Altruism Through Pots and Pans.” The New York Jewish Week, 2018. Web.