Development of A Work-based Vestibule Training E-module For Accident Prevention at Malaysian Oil and Gas Drilling Industries: A Proposed Framework

This article discusses the conceptual action plan and detailed methodology for the identification of potential hazard controls and the development of work integrated E-vestibule training module for safe onshore and offshore oil and gas drilling operation at Malaysian industries. According to the previous studies, there is a sheer industrial need of an effective work integrated vestibule training module for accident prevention at oil and gas drilling sites at Malaysian drilling domains. In this proposed study, 80 drilling crew will be randomly selected for quantitative research phase. Similarly, 03 safety experts will be purposively selected for qualitative research from each drilling domain. Whereas, for the identification of hazard controlling measures What-If analysis and thematic analysis approaches will be adopted. Furthermore, the open source vestibule training module will be developed by using ADDIE based on identified hazard controlling measures. However, the visual studio and MySQL software will use to develop the E-Module for drilling crew safety training. The proposed E-vestibule training module development framework will be used as an effective source for the elimination of life-threatening drilling hazards associated with its activities at oil and gas industries. Similarly, the proposed framework can also be implemented on other work-based learning training designs. Moreover, this proposed safety and health vestibule training module will be the first E- drilling safety module which covers all onshore and offshore drilling operation in Malaysian oil and gas extraction settings

Risk Factors for Construction Workforce Safety towards Sustainability

This research article is based on the identification of safety risk factors associated with construction projects in Pakistan related with the China-Pakistan economic corridor (CPEC). In this paper, four construction sites have been targeted from Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Baluchistan province of Pakistan. The research was based on quantitative mode where the questionnaire survey was adopted for data collection and analysed statistically. The targeted respondents were 400 CPEC construction workforces from four different targeted sites in Pakistan. The collected data was analysed using descriptive statistical methods of Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) 23.0 software. According to the findings, it has been specified that the respondents from all four targeted construction sites in Pakistan has considered three major safety risk factors such as administrative, personal protective equipment (PPE) and workforce safety. Risk factors for administrative is between 1.06 and 2.65 (low level to moderate level), for PPE is between 1.06 and 2.65 (low level to moderate level) and for workforce safety is between 2.4 and 3.60 (moderate level to high Level). Meanwhile, the safety experts have been indicated the lack of proper training & PPE equipment’s, falling from height and falling object hazards are as the major cause of injuries at Pakistani construction sites related with CPEC projects. The findings of this study will be the catalyst for the CPEC projects in Pakistan to minimize the safety and health concern among construction industry workforce

Cost evaluation and optimisation of hybrid multi effect distillation and reverse osmosis system for seawater desalination

YesIn this research, the effect of operating parameters on the fresh water production cost of hybrid Multi Effect Distillation (MED) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) system is investigated. To achieve this, an earlier comprehensive model developed by the authors for MED + RO system is combined with two full-scale cost models of MED and RO processes collected from the literature. Using the economic model, the variation of the overall fresh water cost with respect to some operating conditions, namely steam temperature and steam flow rate for the MED process and inlet pressure and flow rate for the RO process, is accurately investigated. Then, the hybrid process model is incorporated into a single-objective non-linear optimisation framework to minimise the fresh water cost by finding the optimal values of the above operating conditions. The optimisation results confirm the economic feasibility of the proposed hybrid seawater desalination plant

Culture And Universal Professional Values In Global Organizations: Is There A Divergence Or Convergence Of Cultural Values?

This article presents and discusses the theory of universal human values, the universal human values of people across cultures, and how culture and values impact organizations. This article reviews the history and research into human values, culture, and behavior, followed by reviews of Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions and Schwartz and Bilky’s Theory of Universal Human Values.A strong connection exists between these theories and their related empirical research, not only chronologically, but also theologically and methodologically. The subjects are presented in a temporal sequence. Thus, the work of Professor Gert Hofstede is presented first; the work of Schwartz, Bilsky, is more recent, but strongly linked to prior research by Hofstede on values and culture. The objective is to improve ones understanding of work-related values, culture, and the impact that values may have on individuals in different cultural environments that are found in international organizations. This study tests to see if there is a difference in individualism scores of Mexican and American engineers when compared to Hofstede’s original study in 1980. This study also looks at the Mexican and American engineer samples to see if their scores on Hofstede’s cultural dimensions show a correlation with the scores on Schwartz’s culture-level dimensions. The study attempts to determine if there is a divergence or convergence of cultural values. Findings of the study are reported

Design and economic evaluation of solar-powered hybrid multi effect and reverse osmosis system for seawater desalination

YesReducing the cost of fresh water has always been a major concern in the desalination industry. A solar powered hybrid multi-effect distillation and reverse osmosis desalination plant (MED+RO) has been designed and optimised from an economical point of view in a previous work by the same authors. In the present study, the possibility of coupling the desalination plant with a photovoltaic (PV) solar farm is investigated, with the aim of generating electricity at low cost and in a sustainable way. A detailed mathematical model for the PV system has been implemented from the literature. Interestingly, the model can predict the cost of the PV system in terms of capital cost and electricity cost per kWh considering the input data of solar irradiation, duration of daylight and technical specification of a real solar module. Consequently, the solar PV model has been combined with the desalination model, which enables to estimate the cost of fresh water per cubic meter. Data about four locations, namely Isola di Pantelleria (IT), Las Palmas (ES), Abu Dhabi (UAE), and Perth (AUS), have been used to economically test the feasibility of installing the proposed plant, and especially of the PV solar farm

The Ranking Of Terminal And Instrumental Values By Working Professionals In Thailand, Singapore And The United States: What Is Important And How Do They Impact Decision-Making?

The purpose of this study is to explore gender and cross-cultural gender differences with respect to individual values. This study will fill a gap in the research literature as few studies have explored male and female value differences in Thailand and few have explored sex differences between eastern values as compared to western values in the United States and another eastern nation, Singapore. An understanding of the attitudes, cultures and values in other countries becomes particularly significant given current globalization trends. Furthermore, researchers also need to understand different demographics to better anticipate the impact of socio-demographic variation in cross-cultural investigations

Applying Moral Development Literature And Ethical Theories To The Administration Of Taxes In Kosovo

The population of Kosovo had suffered years of abuse, ethnic cleansing, turmoil, human atrocities, and constant conflict - the results of which plunged Kosovo into costly war. Following the war Kosovo was placed under the protection of the United Nations in 1999. Kosovo received many years of support and developmental assistance from the international community and became a sovereign nation in February 2008. It was very important for Kosovo’s government to serve the needs of the people without continued oversight and intervention by the United Nations. Public institutions are vital to the success of the government. There is no institution more important to the successful development of a sovereign nation and their economy than the ethical administration of a tax authority. In the spring of 2008, after Kosovo’s declaration of independence, this study was initiated to determine the moral maturity of the members of the Tax Authority of Kosovo. This study provides a review of the current situation in Kosovo and discusses ethical considerations in tax administration. The paper further provides a comprehensive discussion of ethical concerns and discusses the importance of moral development in the tax administration of Kosovo. Recommendations for managers and future research are presented

Examining the Efficacy of the Common Law Tort of Intentional Infliction of Emotional Distress and Bullying in the Context of the Employment Relationship

This article explicates the elements of the tort and illustrates those elements in the context of wrongful discharge, bullying, and discrimination/harassment lawsuits. The authors discuss the implications of the tort, particularly for management; and provide recommendations to employers on how to avoid liability, especially by bully-proofing the organization, and also to employees on how to sustain an IIED cause of action

Entrepreneurial passion and product innovation intensity in new ventures : mediating effects of exploration and exploitation activities

In this paper, we examine the differential effects of entrepreneurial passion (EP) on product innovation intensity through the mediating mechanisms of exploration and exploitation activities. Using time-lagged data from 260 new ventures from Ghana, we examine the direct relationships between the three domains of EP (i.e., inventing, developing and founding) and a new venture’s product innovation intensity (PII). Further, we test the indirect relationships between the three domains of EP and PII through the mediating mechanisms of a new venture’s exploration and exploitation activities. The empirical results provide a fine-grained understanding of the relationship between EP, exploration and exploitation activities and PII. Implications for theory and practice are also discussed

A review of recent advances in the synthesis of environmentally friendly, sustainable, and nontoxic bio-lubricants: Recommendations for the future implementations

Conventional petroleum-based lubricant resources are depleting rapidly, and their utilization severely threatens the environment. Environmental sustainability emphasizes the need for an alternative to petroleum resources. The lubricants play a significant role in machinery's adequate energy-saving performance. Therefore, the tribological aspects of machinery's maximum efficiency should be considered. The current study reviews the part of bio-lubricants towards environmental sustainability. This review has been conducted according to the PRISMA approach, where the sources of bio-lubricants, tribological performance, the role of additives and nanoparticles, benefits and disadvantages, production techniques, economic aspects, and future scope were explored and discussed. Bio-lubricants possess a better viscosity index, lubricity, biodegradability, and non-toxic and renewable nature than petroleum lubricants. However, lower thermo-oxidative stability and higher pour points due to moisture content require further improvements. Food security is another significant concern for bio-lubricants. Consequently, it emphasized the importance of algae-based bio-lubricant sources in reducing the threat to food security, water purification, and greenhouse gas mitigation. Further improvements and optimization of production methods are required to increase lubricant yield rates and promote sustainability. The importance of new (algae-based) bio lubricant substitutes with details of their physicochemical properties for a sustainable future is highlighted in this review research