Of Predators and Preys: Corporate Psychopathy and Employee Burnout as Parallels

Different personalities constitute modern workplaces. One of such personalities is the corporate psychopath, whose presence poses manifold threats to organizational existence. This study examines the personality of the corporate psychopath and specifically investigates the relationship between corporate psychopathy and employee burnout. A total of 104 respondents within a university setting in Nigeria completed measures of corporate psychopathy to establish the existence of the traits in their managers; a self-report measure of employee burnout was also completed. Corporate psychopathy correlates positively and significantly with emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and decreased personal accomplishment. Results indicate that corporate psychopathy is an underlying factor of employee burnout. Enhanced whistleblowing structures and ethical regeneration are proffered to mitigate the consequences of corporate psychopathy in the face of cultural complexes that fan its flames

Oil Price Fluctuations and Dependency Malaise: What will Engender Socio-economic Adjustments?

The fluctuations and volatility associated with international crude oil prices confirms and contradicts historical trends in varying respects. For several oil dependent African countries, the characteristic price oscillations necessitate deliberate policy and institutional adjustments. In such circumstances, it seems plausible to prioritize social and economic policy options. Veiled beneath the anticipated and unanticipated movements of oil prices lies a myriad of issues yearning for clear dissection. A fluid approach is tenable to scrutinize established and emerging questions connected with this recurring phenomenon. The ongoing geopolitical re-arrangements across various regions, uncertainties about the renewable energy agenda and policy preferences, further reinforce the importance of distilling a veritable compromise for oil revenue dependent countries. The paper entails a critique on issues impacting on the bottom-line of selected oil export centric economies and amongst other contextual dynamics. It specifically highlights matters dealing with capacity deficits, oil industry transparency and governance imperatives, policy inconsistencies, economic diversification, corporate social responsibility and optimizing governmental regulation. The paper also captures contemporary resource management perspectives, especially against the backdrop of evolving socio-economic dynamics. Applicable conceptual and theoretical views are explored, whilst practical conclusions are discussed. Keywords: crude oil; oil price; oil-dependence; socio-economic policy; Africa JEL Classifications: Q31; Q32; Q35; Q38 DOI: https://doi.org/10.32479/ijeep.679

Business Ethics, Corporate Philosophy and Regulatory Challenges in the Confectionary Industry: An Evaluation of the Bread Market in Nigeria

This study sets out to identify why - in the process of “doing business”- most organizations in Nigeria resort to offering sub standard products to the public, particularly as regards food products. This approach allows businesses to make excess profit without recourse to best ethical practices, the supposed corporate philosophy of their organizations, and to the detriment of the customers. Indiscriminate profit maximization” mentality is now on the increase within the confectionary industry in Nigeria; thus the paper considered the theory of public interest and gives an insight to Kant’s ethical philosophy with a view to critically evaluate the role of The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC); the agency charged with the responsibility of upholding best ethical practices among confectionary and related industries in Nigeria. The study also identified some lapses in the discharge of NAFDAC’s regulatory functions which have contributed to the incidence of unethical practices among Nigerian business organisations. The paper therefore recommends that NAFDAC operations be re-evaluated for better operational performanc

Emotional Intelligence and Academic Performance of Undergraduates: Correlations, Implications and Interventions

This research investigates the correlation between emotional intelligence and academic performance of undergraduates. The survey design was adopted to sample one hundred and fifty two (152) final year undergraduates of a university in South-West, Nigeria. The regression analytic tool was deployed to analyze data. The results show a correlation between emotional intelligence and academic performance; affirming that emotional intelligence predicts academic performance. The outcomes of the research suggest the need for stakeholders and policy-makers to make concerted efforts towards reappraising higher education in Nigeria, in order to meet the demands of industry and the corporate world

ORC cogeneration systems in waste-heat recovery applications

The performance of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) systems operating in combined heat and power (CHP) mode is investigated. The ORC-CHP systems recover heat from selected industrial waste-heat fluid streams with temperatures in the range 150°C-330°C. An electrical power output is provided by the expanding working fluid in the ORC turbine, while a thermal output is provided by the cooling water exiting the ORC condenser and also by a second heat-exchanger that recovers additional thermal energy from the heat-source stream downstream of the evaporator. The electrical and thermal energy outputs emerge as competing objectives, with the latter favoured at higher hot-water outlet temperatures and vice versa. Pentane, hexane and R245fa result in ORC-CHP systems with the highest exergy efficiencies over the range of waste-heat temperatures considered in this work. When maximizing the exergy efficiency, the second heat-exchanger is effective (and advantageous) only in cases with lower heat-source temperatures (< 250°C) and high heat-delivery/demand temperatures (> 60°C) giving a fuel energy savings ratio (FESR) of over 40%. When maximizing the FESR, this heat exchanger is essential to the system, satisfying 100% of the heat demand in all cases, achieving FESRs between 46% and 86%

Oil Spillage in Nigeria's Upstream Petroleum Sector: Beyond the Legal Frameworks

The adoption of a broad based sustainable development strategy, underpinned by prudent management of oil resources, coupled with an enduring model for conservation of the natural environment, is an imperative for the Nigerian State. Thus, the paper identifies specific gaps in Nigeria's environmental legal frameworks and shares critical international perspectives. The study entailed a descriptive legal analysis and utilizes relevant secondary sources. The paper opined that majority of oil spills in Nigeria are not usually addressed in the light of obtainable best practices, inspite of the negative environmental, health and socio-economic consequences. It emphasizes the government's overarching obligation to enforce applicable environmental laws and regulations. Also captured, is the corresponding responsibility of oil operators to ensure due compliance with their corporate obligations and by implication contributing to the achievement of fundamental environmental protection benchmarks. The paper recommends a holistic reform of relevant laws on the integral oil spillage subject matter. Keywords: Oil spillage, law, environment, Nigeria JEL Classifications:  K2, Q4, Q

QUALITY OF WORK-LIFE AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AMONG ACADEMICS IN TERTIARY EDUCATION

This study investigates the relationship between quality of work-life and organizational commitment in the academic environment. Dimensions of quality work- life examined include career advancement, job security, pay benefit and employee participation in decision-making. The study adopted the survey method with data collected from a sample of two hundred and ninety-three (293) randomly selected respondents in a private-mission owned university in Nigeria. Results of data analysis indicate a negative relationship between career advancement, job security and organizational commitment. However, positive relationship was found to exist between employee participation, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The study suggests the imperative for tertiary education institutional managers to prioritize specific dimensions of employee quality of work-life as an integral antecedent to the achievement of organizational objectives. This holds promise to attaining global standard

Potential of Organic Rankine Cycles (ORC) for waste heat recovery on an Electric Arc Furnace (EAF)

The organic Rankine cycle (ORC) is a mature technology to convert low temperature waste heat to electricity. While several energy intensive industries could benefit from the integration of an ORC, their adoption rate is rather low. One important reason is that the prospective end-users find it difficult to recognize and realise the possible energy savings. In more recent years, the electric arc furnaces (EAF) are considered as a major candidate for waste heat recovery. Therefore, in this work, the integration of an ORC coupled to a 100 MWe EAF is investigated. The effect of working with averaged heat profiles, a steam buffer and optimized ORC architectures is investigated. The results show that it is crucial to take into account the heat profile variations for the typical batch process of an EAF. An optimized subcritical ORC (SCORC) can generate an electricity output of 752 kWe with a steam buffer working at 25 bar. However, the use of a steam buffer also impacts the heat transfer to the ORC. A reduction up to 61.5% in net power output is possible due to the additional isothermal plateau of the steam

Industrial waste-heat recovery through integrated computer-aided working-fluid and ORC system optimisation using SAFT-Γ Mie

A mixed-integer non-linear programming optimisation framework is formulated and developed that combines a molecular-based, group-contribution equation of state, SAFT-γ Mie, with a thermodynamic description of an organic Rankine cycle (ORC) power system. In this framework, a set of working fluids is described by its constituent functional groups (e.g., since we are focussing here on hydrocarbons: –CH3, –CH2–, etc.), and integer optimisation variables are introduced in the description the working-fluid structure. Molecular feasibility constraints are then defined to ensure all feasible working-fluid candidates can be found. This optimisation framework facilitates combining the computer-aided molecular design of the working fluid with the power-system optimisation into a single framework, thus removing subjective and pre-emptive screening criteria, and simultaneously moving towards the next generation of tailored working fluids and optimised systems for waste-heat recovery applications. SAFT-γ Mie has not been previously employed in such a framework. The optimisation framework, which is based here on hydrocarbon functional groups, is first validated against an alternative formulation that uses (pseudo-experimental) thermodynamic property predictions from REFPROP, and against an optimisation study taken from the literature. The framework is then applied to three industrial waste-heat recovery applications. It is found that simple molecules, such as propane and propene, are the optimal ORC working fluids for a low-grade (150 °C) heat source, whilst molecules with increasing molecular complexity are favoured at higher temperatures. Specifically, 2-alkenes emerge as the optimal working fluids for medium- and higher-grade heat-sources in the 250–350 °C temperature range. Ultimately, the results demonstrate the potential of this framework to drive the search for the next generation of ORC systems, and to provide meaningful insights into identifying the working fluids that represent the optimal choices for targeted applications. Finally, the effects of the working-fluid structure on the expander and pump are investigated, and the suitability of group-contribution methods for evaluating the transport properties of hydrocarbon working-fluids are considered, in the context of performing complete thermoeconomic evaluations of these systems

Computer-aided working-fluid design, thermodynamic optimisation and technoeconomic assessment of ORC systems for waste-heat recovery

The wider adoption of organic Rankine cycle (ORC) technology can be facilitated by improved thermodynamic performance and reduced costs. In this context the power system should be evaluated based on a thermeconomic assessment with the aim of improving economic viability. This paper couples the computer- aided molecular design (CAMD) of the working-fluid with thermodynamic modelling and optimisation, in addition to heat-exchanger sizing models, component cost correlations, and a thermoeconomic assessment. The proposed CAMD-ORC framework, based on the SAFT-γ Mie equation of state, allows the thermodynamic optimisation of the cycle and working-fluid in a single stage, thus removing subjective and pre-emptive screening criteria that would otherwise exist in conventional studies. Following validation, the framework is used to identify optimal working-fluids for three different heat sources (150, 250 and 350 °C), corresponding to small- to medium-scale applications. In each case, the optimal combination of working-fluid and ORC system is identified, and investment costs are evaluated. It is observed that fluids with low specific-investment costs (SIC) are different to those that maximise power output. The fluids with the lowest SIC are isoheptane, 2-pentene and 2-heptene, with SICs of 5,620, 2,760 and 2,070 £/kW respectively, and corresponding power outputs of 32.9, 136.6 and 213.9 kW