British Petroleum

British Petroleum (BP) has survived for many decades even with the changes in mix assets and people over time. This is because there is no fixed territory or population for a given company or business. Companies change what they do and over time, they evolve to form a different form from what the founders of such companies did years back. This is because individuals join companies based on rewards and expected outcomes and remain loyal to their companies even in third times. The oil industry has big surprises which affects the planning of BP in its strategic thinking in endeavors to meet the goals of the company (BP, 2011).

BP planning has been to ensure oil which is needed for most production and consumption nations runs smooth.  This leads to inclusion of politics in the management table, as both oil and gas production are key source of revenue in countries of production which include Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Alaska, and Venezuela. This means that the governments of those countries are at involved in BP’s oil business (Energy Information Administration, 2011).

Management planning in BP puts into consideration the global nature of oil business that is through trading. Enlarging economic activities and the pursuit of new resources has pushed BP to new technology and intricate global markets where prices are preset and this affects the movement of supplies. However, BP core skills of exploration, trading, development, trading, as well as marketing have persisted. Because the oil market has for some time has been integrated, the market for gas and oil has also become integrated and the growth for liquefied gas rises, the marginal prices internationally has been set (BP, 2011).

The timescale of BP investment is also another key strategic planning element. There are investments in North Sea, Azerbaijan, Alaska and Caspian fields which have provided a wake up call about the developments of the future. BP complex and large scale operations across geographical regions are a key planning theme. The company is found in over 100 countries making BP the principal single international investor.

BP has higher social and environmental performance as one of its business realities which it seeks to fulfill. This is because corporate social responsibility helps in minimizing companies costs, creates new opportunities and creates extra income, as well as, coming up with prized relationships. If ignored, they can reduce the business profits. There have been cases in China where the company had to adhere to global standards which is one of the obligations of the company that ensures its sustainability (BP, 2011).

Towards this the company has been affected to change its planning and legal check points in regards to corporate social responsibility especially pollution. The company had vowed to minimize its emissions by 10% before 2010. BP also introduced ultra low sulfur fuels in most cities across the world. This is because the world is coming to a low sulfur produces where emissions will be nearly zero. BP has also increased its operational efficiency through gas flaring in the exploration process and production operations.

BP has three core factors that shape its planning; scheduling, training of employees and work processes. In employee training, BP has came up with strategic development of managerial skills, and has engaged in assessment of employee skills and gauging and developing their skills in varied tasks to ensure maximum production. Scheduling involves a routine of hours worked and the rate of machine production. This has to satisfy customer demand. It also includes shipment ordering of raw materials, coordination, and picking up from distributors.  In work processes, the routine that works for each work process and ensure that the work is efficient and effective. This is in times of labor hours by machines and employees (Energy Information Administration, 2011).

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