Anti-dumping and anti-subsidy on Saudi’s petrochemical products

This thesis was submitted for the award of Doctor of Philosophy and was awarded by Brunel University London.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

Information Technology and the QS Practice

The paper examines how Quantity Surveying practices can improve their business performance, market share and profit levels by embracing and evolving with the latest technological developments in electronic business practices and data/information analysis and exchange in the construction industry. Firms in the new millenium will need towork smarterto gain competitive advantage and electronic commerce provides probably the greatest scope for this to be achieved. More importantly, current project procurement trends strongly indicate that firms not able to communicating electronically at all levels with project participants will find it increasingly difficult to secure work. The results of three nationwide surveys of the Australian Quantity Surveying profession spanning from 1995 to 1999 are used to identify current business practices and technology utilisation by Quantity Surveying firms and to analyse whether firms are positioning themselves to meet future industryrequirements. The paper concludes with a range of Information Technology strategies aimed at improving business opportunities and performance for Quantity Surveying firms

Smart Grid Technologies for Efficiency Improvement of Integrated Industrial Electric System

The purpose of this research is to identify the need of Smart Grid Technologies in communication between industrial plants with co-generation capability and the electric utilities in providing the most optimum scheme for buying and selling of electricity in such a way that the fuel consumption is minimized, reliability is increased, and time to restore the system is reduced. A typical industrial plant load profile based on statistical mean and variance of industrial plants\u27 load requirement is developed, and used in determining the minimum cost of producing the next megawatt-hours by a typical electric utility. The 24-hour load profile and optimal power flow program are used to simulate the IEEE 39 Bus Test System. The methodology for the use of smart grid technology in fuel saving is documented in the thesis. The results obtained from this research shall be extended to include several industrial plants served by electric utilities in future work by the UNO research team

Japan, Iran and the oil business: a case study of the Iran Japan petrochemical company

The issue of Japan's heavy dependence on Middle Eastern oil has attracted a lot of attention in the political and academic circles for the reason that Japan is the second biggest consumer and the largest importer of oil in the world. Consequently, any action by Japan would not only have a major impact on petroleum markets, but also on international relations, security and on the Middle East itself. In the late 1960s Japan began negotiations with Iran, her biggest oil supplier at that time, about the establishment of a petrochemical joint venture. These negotiations led to the creation of the Iran Japan Petrochemical Company (UPC) in 1973. This study examines the different reasons why the main partners, Mitsui Bussan of Japan and the National Petrochemical Company of Iran as well as their respective governments, were so interested in the idea of a joint venture. It traces the troubled history of UPC from the preliminary negotiations in 1968, through two decades which saw the Iranian Revolution and the setting up of an Islamic state, the Iran-Iraq War, and two oil crises, until its dissolution in 1990. The research reveals conflicts of interest between Japanese and Iranian motivations behind the venture, between the goals of the privately owned Mitsui Bussan and the state-run National Petrochemical Company as well as their contrasting organisational and managerial styles, which led to the failure of UPC and its eventual dissolution. Using the case of IJPC as an example, the study argues that the setting up of a joint venture of this nature was an inappropriate response to the main purposes of each nation, i.e. the Japanese desire for a stable oil supply and the Iranian desire for rapid industrialisation and transfer of technology. Finally, it suggest alternative policies through which each country could achieve its respective ambitions