Tobacco Use - 1025 Words

Materials and Instrument Instrument The instrument for this study will contain ten guiding questions to help focus on research question: In what way does S/R protect against tobacco use. The researcher will construct the questions in line with the SLT’s proposed pathways of learning as discussed in Miller (2011). The first five questions will be based on SLT’s proposed pathways: observational learning, vicarious learning, social cognitive process, self-efficacy, and agency. These questions will be reviewed by my research Chair, and afterwards by experts in the field of TU. However, the questions will be to help concept saturation and coding rather than dictate/restrict the content, flow or order of interview. The first question will be a†¦show more content†¦After data collection, database will be created to store, and retrieve the interview transcript (Carson, et al., 2001; NCU, n.d, IRB). Also, a locked safe will be prepared to store the hardware materials used in the study (Carson, et al., 2001; NCU, n.d, IRB). Finally, there will be the interview protocol, the summary of the process of interview (Carson, et al., 2001; NCU, n.d, IRB). Study Procedure Before the commencement of this study, the researcher will seek the approval of Northcentral University’s Institutional Review Board to conduct the study. After the approval, sampling process will begin. Quota non-probability purposive sampling technique (Trochim et al., 2016) will be used for this study. The purposive sampling is more appropriate for the qualitative case study than random sampling (Carson et al., 2001). Researcher will recruit participants who have experienced the social phenomenon she will investigate, the negative influence of S/R on tobacco. Personalization will be employed in recruiting participants. Fan and Yan (2010) suggested personalization during research procedure could double the rate of response. Puckett et al. (2015) used mail, telephone and web based methods for their survey on tobacco smoking, and recorded less than 50% response rate. I will contact the leadership of a protestant/evangelical church for permission to interview five of the memb ers for the study. I will also personally contact some prospective participants whomShow MoreRelatedEffects of Tobacco Use1283 Words   |  5 PagesTobacco use harms everything. Numerous factors of tobacco use play into the destruction of a human health and body. Sadly, 19 percent of all adults in the United States use tobacco on a daily basis. Countless numbers of people currently in use of tobacco products attempt to quit their use of tobacco, but many fall short of their goal due to the addictive nicotine within cigarettes. This nonstop use of tobacco has been the result of more than 440,000 deaths per year of smokers with an estimated 49Read MoreThe Epidemic Of Tobacco Use Essay1273 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction: Worldwide, tobacco-use continues to be one of the leading causes of preventable death and has been estimated to kill more than five million people annually1. Lately, the epidemic of tobacco-use has shifted from developed to developing countries2. It is estimated that by 2030 almost 10 million people will die from tobacco-use per year, with 70% of these deaths occurring in developing countries. India accounts for one-sixth of the tobacco-related illnesses worldwide and is estimatedRead MoreUse of Tobacco Products at the University798 Words   |  4 PagesEvery year around half million people die from smoking tobacco or exposure to secondhand smoke (CDC). Tobacco use is an epidemic that cannot be stopped right away; however, many countries in the world are aware of this problem and have created new regulations that will prevent and reduce the number of smokers, hopefully in time. New polices have been implemented in schools, universities, indoor and outdoor places. Now, smoke-free or tobacco- free laws are posted in almost all colleges around theRead MoreOvercoming the Challenge of Tobacco Use2896 Words   |  12 PagesIntroduction Today one of our biggest challenges as public health professionals is tobacco use which is a leading cause of deaths that be prevented with public health campaign intervention programs. According to the American Lung Association (2010), 6.4 million current child smokers will die a premature death from a smoking-related disease. The campaign is working to give teenagers information on understanding the health risks associated with smoking and long-term health risk when they become adultsRead MoreThe Use of Tobacco Related Products936 Words   |  4 PagesThe use of tobacco related products has over time become a global world epidemic. Day in and out, people die from tobacco related causes. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), currently 12% of all deaths among adults aged 30 years and over were attributed to tobacco. Again in 2004, about 5 million adults aged 30 years and over died from tobacco related to direct tobacco use (smoking and smokeless) around the globe, th at is one death approximately every six seconds. Tobacco causes manyRead MoreHealth Promotion : Tobacco Use1698 Words   |  7 PagesHealth Promotion: Tobacco Use Smoking tobacco and tobacco related illnesses has become the leading cause of preventable illness and premature death in the United States and around the world (Goldenberg, Danovitch, IsHak, 2014). This directed my decision on choosing tobacco use as a topic from the Healthy People 2020 list for this promoting health assignment. In order to support my promotion and inform the reader on this subject matter I have selected an article to analyze: â€Å"Quality of Life andRead MoreHow Tobacco Use Teaching Methods1280 Words   |  6 PagesTobacco Use Teaching Methods Introduction Choosing the correct teaching method is important to help the learner retain and learn information in an effective and efficient way. Tobacco use is a health related topic that needs further education and intervention from a nurse. Group discussion and demonstration, and return demonstration are two teaching methods of interest to me, which I believe will be beneficial to use when educating a small group of five people about this health-related topicRead MoreSocial Context and Tobacco use1239 Words   |  5 Pageslives, including the usage and non-usage of tobacco (Poland et al, 2006). An individual’s social context includes the following: race, gender, resources, education, income, neighborhood, employment, occupation and many more aspects of their environment (Hints). Tobacco use and social context go hand and hand as one affects the other since there is high relevance between the two (Poland et al, 2006). In order to see the broader dilemma of tobacco use, society mus t incorporate and examine the largerRead MoreBanning The Advertising Of Tobacco Use906 Words   |  4 Pagesthe positives and negatives related to countries banning the advertising of tobacco use, the complexities of the argument, finished with my own perspective. This is a highly argumentative debate that countries of the free world have argued for several decades. I’ll start by explaining the dangers of smoking tobacco. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC) in the United States of America, tobacco use contributes cancers of and not limited to: mouth, esophagus, throat, and lungsRead MoreTobacco Use And Smoking Related Illness1659 Words   |  7 PagesMore than 480,000 people smoke every day and over 16 million people suffer from smoking related illnesses. For every dead smoker, at least thirty people live with a smoking related illness. Worldwide, tobacco use causes nearly six million deaths per year, and current trends show that tobacco use will cause more than eight million deaths annually by the year 2030. On average, smokers dies ten years earlier than nonsmokers and if smoking continue at the current rate among U.S. youth, 5.6 million of

Leadership And Management Skills Portfolio Free Essays

string(114) " it was difficult for consensus to be achieved among the group members on the goals and performance expectations\." Introduction This reflective work focuses on assessing my personal weaknesses in different areas. It starts by a self –assessment of my personal development needs.The next section looks at the difficulties I experienced on various issues. We will write a custom essay sample on Leadership And Management Skills Portfolio or any similar topic only for you Order Now Finally, the action plans for self-development in the various areas are suggested. Portfolio Section 1 Planning and personal management skills Using a paper exercise, I assessed my planning and personal management skills to determine areas of development. Concerning planning, I scored 13, which is a relatively low score. This indicates an area for development because my score was less than 24, which was the score I had to attain to show that I did not further development. I knew this was a weakness and a concern for me prior to starting my postgraduate studies while working full time. On the time management dimension, I scored 15 and this demonstrated a need for further development. I should have a score of above 24 to demonstrate that this area did not require further development. The issue of time management was a concern for me because of starting my postgraduate studies and working full time. I have had challenges in the past characterized by attempting to do too much at work and not managing my time effectively. The low scores on both planning and time management reveal that I have challenges with task prioritization. An action plan for self-development in these areas is presented later under task prioritization. Learning style Honey and Mumford designed a Learning Styles Questionnaire that is used in assessing the learning styles of individuals, and these are categorised into activists, theorists, pragmatists, and reflectors (Jarvis, 2005). When I completed this questionnaire, the results showed that I have a strong preference for the activist learning style and a moderate preference for the pragmatist learning style. As an activist, I enjoy novel experiences, I am active and depend on intuitive decision making and I have an aversion to structure (Jarvis, 2005). I learn best from learning activities that provide new problems and experiences, role playing and working together with others in group tasks and opportunities for dealing with challenging tasks. In addition, I prefer tasks with high visibility including presentations, leading discussions, and chairing meetings.However, I learn less when I have to listen to lectures, think, write or read on my own, or absorb and understand a lot of data. Further more, my learning is impaired when I have to follow precise instructions without any form of flexibility. As a pragmatist, I prefer risk-taking, group work and application and testing of concepts (Jarvis, 2005). I learn best when there is a clear association between the learning topic and actual issues in life. Learning activities should be structured around demonstrating techniques for accomplishing tasks with clear, realistic advantages. Furthermore, I prefer to be provided with opportunities for trying out and practicing techniques with feedback or coaching from a reliable expert. Similarly, I need examples or models that I can emulate, and I should be taught techniques that are presently applicable to my work context. I also prefer being offered with opportunities for immediately applying any new knowledge that I have learnt. As a pragmatist, l learn less when the learning activities are not associated with an immediate need, lack clear guidelines, and when there are obstacles to implementation of acquired knowledge. Such obstacles can be personal, managerial, organisational or poli tical in nature. These learning styles have an important influence on the learning activities undertaken in the action plan for developing different skills as demonstrated later. Assessment of how I work In a paper exercise, I assessed the way I work and the results revealed that I procrastinate when faced with tasks that I do not really like, I spend a lot of time attempting to perfect things, and I am unable to find things and notes whenever I require them. This is an indication that I have poor prioritization skills, and this will be addressed through an action plan on task prioritization that is explained later. Personality index I assessed my personality index using an online exercise, and the results demonstrated that I possess various traits. First, I demonstrate low assertiveness as I do not need to be in constant control, and I have a higher orientation toward teamwork than tasks. Second, I am an extreme extrovert because I need to discuss issues in detail with other people. Third, I am extremely impatient as I find it challenging to concentrate on repetitive tasks, and I have a high sense of urgency. Finally, I am highly detailed because I want to acquire knowledge and become an expert. These traits of my personality affect how learning activities will be structured in the action plan to improve learning. Portfolio Section 2 Group leadership In the first week of my course work, I was leader of my group. I did not know my fellow colleagues very well as we had just started on the course. Therefore, stepping up and being a leader of people I did not know was tough considering that I am not a manager or leader at work. I had to lead the group in the preparation of a group presentation on a case study of someone else’s leadership skills and present with them. I needed to take control and set the direction for the team more rapidly, and a lot of time was wasted as I did not know what was expected of me as a leader. For instance, a group or team leader is required to set the goal of the group and establish performance expectations (Morgeson, DeRue Karam, 2010). This was a challenging undertaking as I decided to choose an informal approach to this activity where the group members actively facilitated the process of setting goals and determining how the members would be held responsible in relation to the performance expe ctations. This approach resulted in wastage of time because it was difficult for consensus to be achieved among the group members on the goals and performance expectations. You read "Leadership And Management Skills Portfolio" in category "Essay examples" Similarly, I had challenges in structuring and planning the group in terms of developing a shared understanding among the group members on the best approach for coordinating action and working together to achieve the established goals (Morgeson et al., 2010). I faced difficulties in determining how the activities would be performed, the individual’s responsible for specific tasks, and when the group activities would be done. On the issue of when the group activities would be performed, it was challenging to achieve consensus because the group members had conflicting schedules that interfered with choosing an appropriate time for the group meeting to determine the progress of the tasks. Although I faced various challenges during the initial process of forming group, I eventually embodied the role of the group leader. However, I did not always allow everyone to have input. It is suggested that soliciting and using continuing feedback from the group members is vital for achievin g the group objectives (Morgeson et al., 2010). By failing to allow the group members to offer their input into the group presentation, I ended up not including their diverse and useful perspectives on the group activity. Coaching session I acted as a coach on how to reactively write. There are specific skills required of coaches including social competence, emotional competence, listening, questioning, framing and contributing (Maltbia, Marsick Ghosh, 2014). Social competence is associated with establishing relationships with individuals being coached by increasing a supportive and a safe environment that is characterized by freedom in expression thoughts, mutual respect, and trusted partnership (Goleman, 2006). However, I lacked in this competency as I did not allow the individuals I was coaching to freely express their opinions on reactive writing. Rather than encouraging engagement with my peers, I monopolized the coaching process. Emotional competence is associated with having self-awareness of one’s emotions and those of other people to ensure that the coaching relationship is experienced as productive, flexible, and open (Maltbia et al., 2014). I had a difficult time managing my own emotions when coachi ng others as I got angry whenever any person I was coaching did not understand what I was communicating to him or her. Furthermore, I did not recognize the effects of my actions on the emotions of the people I was coaching. For instance, some of the people I was coaching were visibly frustrated during the coaching process but I did not take time to address these issues. Listening involves understanding the meaning of what the person under coaching is saying with regard to achieving desired outcomes (Maltbia et al., 2014). When I started the coaching session, I did not ask the person I was coaching the specific outcomes they desired from this activity. It is suggested that a hierarchy should not exist in the relationship between the coach and the people being coached (O’Broin Palmer, 2009). By failing to include the objectives of the people being coached into this relationship, their agenda failed to take precedence in the coaching process. As a coaching skill, questioning entails inquiry for revealing the information necessary with the highest benefit to the client (Maltbia et al., 2014). I was lacking in this competence as I rarely asked the person I was coaching questions related to the coaching process. I took on the role of an active coach and required the people I was coaching to assume a passive role in this process.Framing is characterized by expanding the world views of the people being coached through an examination of whether learning is rooted in experience (Maltbia et al., 2014). This skill requires the coach to establish whether the coaching process has had a positive effect on learning in terms of addressing the initial challenge or problem that influenced this activity to be undertaken. During the coaching sessions, I did not frame the coaching process to establish if the people I was coaching had benefited from this activity. Finally, contributing entails effective communication during the coaching sess ion as a mechanism for achieving balance between the support and challenge required for facilitating growth and learning (Maltbia et al., 2014). As initially mentioned, I monopolized conversations, and this prevented the people I was coaching from effectively contributing to the coaching process. Moreover, I failed to offer adequate challenges to promote learning in relation to reactive writing. Role playing as a manager in an appraisal Performance appraisal is an important process as it is utilised in assessing recent performance and addressing future opportunities and objectives (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development, 2014).). When conducting a performance appraisal, employees have to be provided with sufficient notice of the expected performance standards and timely and regular feedback about their performance (Heslin VandeWalle, 2011). During my role play as a manager in an appraisal, I did not offer timely and regular feedback on individual performance toward the achievement of expected performance standards. It is also suggested that employees should have an input in the appraisal process and be provided with opportunities for challenging it if they view it as being unfair (Heslin VandeWalle, 2011). Conversely, during the appraisal, I did not allow the individuals with opportunities for presenting their views and opinions in relation to assessment of their performance. In this regard, I failed t o consider the voice of these individuals that would have provided a deeper understanding of the performance achieved. Acting as a consultant I took up the role of as a consultant in a team of two individuals to pitch to a client our ideas for their people strategy of their new business. According to the Institute of Management Consultants (2014), consultants need competencies to deliver consulting services. Some of these competencies are balanced judgment, awareness of the organisational context and external environment, and listening (de Caluwe Reitsma, 2010). Balanced judgment entails a comparison of potential courses of action and evaluating available information and using relevant criteria, which leads to realistic decisions (de Caluwe Reitsma, 2010). In the role of consultants, my colleague and I only focused on a single course of action for the organisation in relation to the people strategy for the new business. Consequently, when the clients asked us any alternative courses of actions that might be undertaken, we were unable to provide satisfactory responses because we were unprepared. Furthermore, external envi ronment awareness is related to being adequately informed about issues in the business environment that have influences on strategies and utilising such knowledge for the benefit of the organisation (de Caluwe Reitsma, 2010). In our case, we considered legal, economic and technological factors that affect an organisation’s people strategy. However, we failed to consider trends influencing human resources in the organisation and political issues. Thus, the clients were dissatisfied as the people strategy we developed did not take into consideration all the factors in the business environment that have impacts on the organisation’s human resources management strategy. Listening skills are important in management consultancy as they provide the client with the space for expressing their opinions, focusing on their reactions, responding suitably and posing further questions (de Caluwe Reitsma, 2010). Regarding this, my colleague and I did not focus on the clients’ reactions. We were focused on pitching our strategy and thus we were unable to capture nonverbal signals that would have communicated to us whether the clients were in agreement with the arguments we had made in the people strategy that the organisation had to adopt. Regarding organisational context, management consultants are expected to understand how an organisation operates and considering these issues when developing an action (de Caluwe Reitsma, 2010). We strived to develop a people strategy that reflected the organisation’s current practices related to management of human resources. However, the information related to this issue was not easily available. Therefore, w e ended up pitching a people strategy that we considered as non-existing in the organisation. We later discovered that some aspects of the people strategy were already present in the organisation, which means that we had not provided a more effective solution to the clients. Task prioritisation I had two finance classes but missed the first one but then I attended the second class. It was only after attending the second class that I realised that I should have attended the first one. The content covered in the second class was only a continuation of the issues addressed in the first class. Therefore, by failing to attend the first class, I missed out on the necessary context for understanding the topics covered in the second class. This negatively interfered with my learning. Upon reflection, I learned that I did not attend the first class because I did not prioritise the things that I had to do. I have to deal with conflicting demands of working full time and pursuing my postgraduate education (Armstrong, 2012). In this regard, I missed the first finance class because I was attending a meeting at work where I was presenting an important report to senior management. Negotiating as a Client My colleague and I assumed the role of a client negotiating with a software vendor on delivery times and price. As clients, we argued and debated with the software vendor on the relevant issues. For instance, there was prolonged argument and debate on the delivery times because we were considering small insignificant factors on this issue. The outcome was that the arguments related to the main issue of delivery times were largely neglected. Indeed, it is suggested that it is important to have awareness of any insignificant arguments that might derail the negotiation process (Pinet Sander, 2013). In our case, we concentrated on being right rather than winning the arguments associated with the price and delivery times. The negotiation process deviated from the agenda established prior to the meeting with the software vendor. Consequently, a lot of time was wasted on these arguments and compromises were achieved after a protracted process. Portfolio Section 3 This section presents an action plan for developing my postgraduate, management and leadership skills further. The action plan covers skills required for group leadership, management consultant, appraisal manager, coaching, negotiation, and task prioritization as presented below. Action plan for group leadership skills Objective To improve my skills in leading and managing groups in completion, of course, related tasks Tasks Read and brainstorm with my peers on available literature including books, reputable online articles and journal articles about team leadership. I will focus on literature that looks at leadership functions on the different phases of teams namely the transition and action stages. The transition stage is a time when a group or team focuses on activities associated with the team’s structures, planning tasks, and assessing the performance of the team in terms of the whether the team has the ability of achieving its objectives (Marks, Mathieu Zaccaro, 2001). The specific leadership skills that I will learn about for this phase include defining the mission of the team, goals, and performance standards, structuring responsibilities and roles in the team, and promoting feedback processes (Morgeson et al., 2010). The action stage is where the team or group members are focused on tasks that directly contribute to goal achievement (Marks et al., 2001). In this phase, I will learn relev ant leadership skills including creating a positive climate in the group, encouraging autonomous actions by members, resource acquisition for the group, problem solving, involvement in the group’s work, and monitoring the group(Morgeson et al., 2010). Discuss with managers and leaders in my workplace about effective approaches for leading and managing groups or teams Evaluation After acquisition of the necessary leadership skills, I will apply to future group assignments in my course work. I will evaluate the acquired group leadership skills by asking my peers to rate my performance as a leader. I will design a checklist where the group members will provide their responses about my overall leadership skills and areas that require improvement. Review date The reading of literature, applying the relevant knowledge to actual practice, and evaluating leadership skills will be reviewed on a regular basis whenever there is a group assignment. Action plan for coaching skills Objective To become a very effective coach Tasks Read books, journal articles, and online publications on the coaching process and the required skills and competencies for this activity followed by a brainstorming exercise with my colleagues. Participate in training in coaching provided by my organisations to equip with necessary skills. Ask a senior manager in my workplace to act as my coach to enable me to understand this process from a practical perspective and model it. Evaluation The knowledge acquired from literature, training, and on-the-practice will be utilised in coaching my peers in coursework on different topics. The performance data that will be collected to establish the level of my effectiveness as a coach will be obtained from interviewing the individual that I will be coaching. Review date Ongoing throughout my course work. Action plan for management consultant skills Objective To enhance my skills as a management consultant Tasks Read available literature on management consultancy and look at case studies on the process of management consultation. After reading alone, I will brainstorm these issues with my study group. Discuss with management consultants within and outside my organisation to learn the criteria for success. Evaluation Evaluation will be based on establishing the extent to which the client is able to achieve desired outcomes in relation to the consultation services I will offer them. This will be achieved by using a questionnaire to ask the clients whether I demonstrate the skills of a management consultant. Review date Ongoing based on management consultancy projects. Action plan for managerial skills in appraisals Objective To improve my skills in conducting performance appraisals Tasks Read widely and brainstorm on skills for performance appraisals. Role playing with my peers on posing the right questions to the individual under appraisal. Discuss with senior managers in my workplace about successfully performing performance appraisals. Evaluation The assessment of my skills in this area will be based on determining to which I successfully complete a performance appraisal. This will involve asking individuals involved in the appraisal process to rate my performance using a checklist. Review date This activity will be completed on a monthly basis. Action plan for negotiation skills Objective To improve my negotiation skills as a client Tasks Reading widely and brainstorming with colleagues on negotiation skills for clients to understand negotiation skills, negotiation phases, and sources of conflict in negotiation process. Engage in role play to assist in clarification of responsibilities and roles in working in a negotiating team. Evaluation Evaluation will involve collecting evidence indicating whether I applied competencies and skills required in negotiating as a client. This will be achieved by interviewing the other parties to the negotiation process to determine the level of my skills in negotiating as a client. Review date This will be completed by February 2015. Action plan for task prioritization Objective To enhance my skills in prioritizing both work and education tasks. Tasks Listing all the tasks that I have to perform on a daily basis in my work and college and categorising them based on their impacts on my work and educational pursuits. Using a personal calendar to plan my tasks. Using a checklist to determine completion of tasks on daily basis. Evaluation Performance in task prioritisation will be evaluated by assessing the extent to which I complete all the tasks required in my workplace and at college. Review date This activity will be completed on a daily basis. Conclusion This reflective work has identified areas that require further development in improving my managerial and leadership skills. Based on this reflective work, it is evident that I lack skills in different areas including leadership, task prioritization, effective coaching, managerial skills in performance appraisal and management consultancy. Therefore, these skills have to be improved to ensure that I am effective as manager and leader. Therefore, action plans for improving the different skills have been presented. It is expected that implementation of the action plans will equip with skills that are applicable to my workplace and educational setting. References Armstrong, M. (2012) Armstrong’s handbook of management and leadership: developing effective people skills for better leadership and management. PA: Kogan Page. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (2014). Performance appraisal. [Online]Available from: http://www.cipd.co.uk/hr-resources/factsheets/performance-appraisal.aspx (Accessed: 15 Dec. 14). De Caluwe, L., Reitsma, E. (2010) `Competencies of management consultants: a research study of senior management consultants’, In Buono, A., Jamieson, D (Eds), Consultation for organisational change, pp. 15-40. NC: Information age publishing. Goleman, D. (2006) Social Intelligence: the new science of human relationship. NY: Banam books. Heslin, P., Vandewalle, D. (2011) `Performance appraisal procedural justice: the role of a manager’s implicit person theory’. Journal of Management, vol.37, no.6, pp.1694-1718. Institute of Management Consultants (2014) The management consultancy competency framework. [Online] Available from: http://www.imcusa.org/?page=CONSULTINGCOMPETENCY (Accessed: 15 Dec. 14). Jarvis, M. (2005) The psychology of effective learning and teaching. UK: Nelson Thornes Ltd. Maltbia, T., Marsick, V., Ghosh, R. (2014) `Executive and organisational coaching: a review of insights drawn from literature for inform HRD practices’. Advances in Developing Human Resources, vol.16, no.2, pp.161-83. Marks, C., Mathieu, J., Zaccaro, S. (2001) `A temporally based framework and taxonomy of team processes’, Academy of Management Review, vol.26, pp. 356-76. Morgeson, F., DeRue, S., Karam, E. (2010) `Leadership in teams: a functional approach to understanding leadership structures and processes’. Journal of Management, vol.36, no.1, pp.5-39. O’Broin, A., Palmer, S. (2009) `Co-creating an optimal coaching alliance: a cognitive behavioural coaching perspective’. International Coaching Psychology Review, vol.4, no.2, pp.184-94. Pinet, A., Sander, P. (2013) The only negotiation book you’ll ever need. Littlefield Street, MA: Adams Media. How to cite Leadership And Management Skills Portfolio, Essay examples

Development of Oil and Gas Industry UK

Question: Describe about the Development of Oil and Gas Industry for UK. Answer: Introduction In this particular assignment, critical analysis as well as the possible implication of the Oil and Gas retail industry of the United Kingdom is briefly discussed. The effects of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) are also mentioned in this assignment in a cohesive manner (Opec.org, 2016). It is necessary to mention that, as per the standard rules as well as legislations of OPEC, 14 countries are able to export the oil and gas in the context global exportation. OPEC is mainly responsible for managing and maintaining the demand and supply as well as the prices of the oil and petroleum products in the global market. On the other hand, Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is the standard organization who is responsible for helping the government of the nations along with the relevant policies (Oecd.org, 2016). In this assignment, the effect of the economic growth on the refining industries is also included for enhancing the study. Moreover, PESTEL Analysis as well as SWOT Analysis is also included in this assignment for analyzing the environmental situation of the oil and gas retail industry of United Kingdom. Additionally, the responsibilities of the OPEC as well as non-OPEC are briefly discussed in this particular assignment. Overview of the Oil and Gas Retail Industry of United Kingdom (UK) The oil and gas retail industry of United Kingdom is one of the most highly business organization that handle all t he relevant deals for supplying oil and gas in all over United Kingdom (UK). It is necessary to mention that, as commented by (Griffin and Teece, 2016), UK Oil and Gas industry already had invested more than 15 billion pound in producing oil and gas for improving the production rate from the last year. Figure 1: UK Oil and Gas Industry revenues (Source: Yusuf et al., 2013, pp-512) As it is identified from the above chart the fluctuations of the revenues, which are considered in the past years are decreasing in amount. Apart from that, the below mentioned graphical representation is able to provide information regarding the import and export of crude oil in context of the oil and gas of United Kingdom (UK). Figure 2: Crude Oil price import/export of UK (Source: Naifar and Al Dohaiman, 2013, pp-431) Environmental Analysis of the Oil and Gas Retail Industry of United Kingdom (UK) It is observed that the number of petrol fueling stations has decreased from the 37500 to 9000 in 40 years (from 1970 to 2011). That is almost 75% of the stations have closed in this time period. According to Saadet al., (2014), if the number of the closures of fueling stations are considered then it can said that the number or the rate of the closure has been decreased in the last 5 years. Mainly the independent and private, and company owned fuel stations are closed in this time. Whereas the petrol fueling stations that are owned by the hypermarkets are growing and are selling higher volume of the fuels and making higher rate of profit. The difference between the businesses is clearly visible by their market shares. As stated by Ulusoy et al., (2012), the hypermarkets have the market share of 39% in the total sold fuel volumes and the dealer or company owned fueling stations. It has been identified that same trend is continuing on the company or privately owned fueling station that may increase the revenue. The reason behind this will be the capital constraints, competition, and business at a single site. Therefore, the pressure may cause further closures of the private fueling stations. The closure in the privately owned fueling station results in reduction of onsite storage capacity. More over it also causes reduction in number of available station in the reasonable driving time and the fragmentation of the supply chain. Warren (2014) stated that the demand of fuel in UK is mainly driven by the higher demand rate fuel from transport sector; therefore the total demand has increased from 61% to 70% due to the demand from this sector. In the total demand the road transport consumes the majority of the total petroleum products. In the last few decades the demand a well as the price of the petroleum products has increased significantly. The price of the petroleum products is almost doubled in the last two decades in UK. The increase in the price depends on two factors, the price of the crude oil and the refining cost of the crude oil. Therefore it can be said that the closure of the refineries of crude oil will promote the price hike of the petroleum product in UK. PESTEL Analysis The autonomy related to the energy is a goal with the highest priority for each nation which wants to be free from a political shakedown or blackmailing. Different nations or international organizations like OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries), which has more than 42.8% of world oil production, controls the business and distribution of petroleum products. Other significant producers of oil and of other related products are, Countries of European Union, China, United States of America, Russia, Canada and Brazil. As stated by Ahmad, et al. (2016), the countries of Middle East are the highest producers of the crude oil, and then the each and every political conflict or instability can disturb the production and transport of the crude oil. All this reasons can cause hike in the prices of the crude oil that is imported by UK. Economic factors The different economic factors like the influences of supply and demand on the oil price, economic stability or the situations at global and regional stage, the international currency exchange rate, and price per barrel of crude oil. In UK the 10 % of the total oil demand is utilized by the petrochemical industry. Other industries like the iron, steel, mining, auto vehicle; animal husbandry utilizes the remaining part of the total imported oil. Social- Most of the social culture around the world considers the oil industry as a necessity for welfare and the development of the country or the society. But there are some social cultures too that considers the oil industry as the reason for the pollution of environment. These types of societies are located in the developed countries that do not need any high rate of development. As a developed country the UK has also the social culture that thinks that, the oil and gas industry is the source of the pollution in the environment. Technological factors- Technologies that impact the oil industry from outside can also impact whole oil industry of UK. These technologies are utilized for the development of related or substitutable items. The substitutable items can impact the importance of oil by reducing the consumption of the oil and gas products. Environment factors- For the oil and gas industry the environmental factors are the geographical position, rock structure, climate and etc. of the mines. This is important for the oil companies since this can affect the production of the oil and consequently the revenue of the company. Legal factors- The legal factors are the laws, local authorities, and different international law related communities. This can affect the expiration, exploitation and the refining prcess of the crude oil. SWOT Analysis According to Yap and Nixon, (2015), SWOT analysis of the Oil and refinery industry can show the aspect of future references for the industry Strengths Downstream operations of the energy chains that are integrated in nature Presence of high capability engineering structure for production Weaknesses Non renewable nature of the oil and refinery by products Volatile market situations that adversely affect the operations and profit Opportunities Discovery of suitable technology for achieving the greater and efficient operating profile Establishing hydrocracker for improving the diesel of the refinery and yielding jet fuels Threats Increasing capital costs and losses in the refining sectors Environmental and Legal issues that decreases the revenue generation Role of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) According to Loutia et al. (2016), OPEC is the major oil and petroleum price and supply determining factor of the world. It has a significant role in shaping and altering the industries structure for oil refineries. The principle motive of the organization is to maintain a price for the oil, petrol and the different byproducts of it to an optimum level. The OPEC is responsible for the flexible price of the petrol and oils. It provides and insight of the vision of OPEC for marinating the stable situations of the refining market. However, Ghassan and AlHajhoj, (2016), have pointed out that the actions of the OPEC would go in vain and the market of the oil and refinery would not be stable in future. The global prices of the oil and its products have been stubbornly being in fluctuating position due to the lack of improvement of the oil industry. It has resulted in the rise of the prices of the products and improper supply lack of the oil. Limited supply of the oil and distorted oil expo rtation. OPEC would play a vital role in forming a stable situation in the future market of the oil and petrol. The organization is unable to meet the market demand of the oil and petrol in the near future. Role of the non Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Nations The non OECD countries manage the oil consumption in the countries of second world and they alter and manage the oil consumption. According to Artuc, et al. (2015), economic growth of the non OECD nations have a consolidate effect on the oil prices and consumption of the world. The profitability of the economy of these non-OECD countries is responsible for the amount of the import and export of the oil and petrol from the countries. The increase in the usage of the oil shows that the economic conditions are favorable for increasing the consumption of the resources. Ceccobelli et al. (2012) described that the fact by pointing out the relation of the growth of economic conditions and the consumption of the oil from the world. The prices of the oil in the present scenario and the expected price are influenced by the demand of the oil. The organization has form alliance with the oil supplying companies for meeting the growing need of the power resource in the economic sector. On the other hand (Wang, et al.2014), have confronted the population growth of those companies for the increasing demand of the economic development. The economic development has caused the increased demand for the oil and power supply. Effects of Climate Changing Policy on the Oil and Gas Retail Industry of United Kingdom (UK) In todays world the climate change is a burning issue and is discussed in all over the world. This policy is about the impact on the climate of the whole world due to the carbon emission by the use of the oil and gas. This impact helped in the shaping different problems for the climate like the creation of ozone hole in the ozone layer. Loutia et al. (2016) have pointed out that this impact forces different kind of restrictions on the oil refining industry. Therefore this policy acts as the blockage in the development of the oil and gas refining industry of UK. Therefore it is advised to develop the policy while promoting the utilization of the oil and gas. Changes due to the Fossil Reserves in context of the Oil and Gas Retail Industry of United Kingdom (UK) According to Artuc, et al. (2015), the reserves are the resources of oil and gas which has been converted into the permanent storage by using the latest technology and economic strength. But as the resources are limited therefore it is impossible to increase the capacity of the reserves. The reserves can be constructed by drilling and freckling the oil resources. These reserves are helpful for the growth of the oil and gas industry in UK. Conclusion The influence of the OPEC, non-OECD countries and the climate change policy are the factors that have huge impact in the oil and gas refinery industry of UK. The OPEC is the primary reason which affects the prices of crude oil and gas in the whole world. As it is shown in the discussions above the increased control of OPEC on the exploration of mines, extraction of crude oil leads to the hike of price of petroleum and petroleum products. Moreover, the emission of CO2 by the utilization of the oil to produce power also affected the growth of oil and gas industry. Therefore it is advised to use the substitutable petroleum product to maintain the growth of the oil and gas industries. Reference List Ahmad, W.N.K.W., Rezaei, J., de Brito, M.P. and Tavasszy, L.A.(2016). The influence of external factors on supply chain sustainability goals of the oil and gas industry.Resources Policy,49, pp.302-314. Artuc, E., Docquier, F., zden, . and Parsons, C.(2015). 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