Managing Drilling Real-Time Center Remotely Amid Covid-19 Pandemic in Compliance to 100% HSE

COVID-19 pandemic shifted the conventional working paradigms, forcing an accelerated adaptability to remote working, ensuring the wellbeing of the employees without sacrificing the effectiveness, in compliance to 100% HSE. To overcome this challenge, Drilling Real Time Operations Center (RTOC) transformed the conventional Monitoring Onsite Hub into a full virtual collaborative remote center operated from each individual's place. This paper describes how RTOC successfully, continued to support drilling operations off-site through secure portal during work-from-home period. RTOC ensured to have the sufficient connectivity resources and security protocols to access the IT company environment and execute the tasks at the same productivity level, as operating from the hub. The platform design involved virtual machine remoting in an integrated communication environment, in synergy with the conventional ways of communication. Several data access points were developed to ensure an unstoppable link between operational teams and the data deliverables. To grantee productivity, KPIs were established and closely monitored, e.g. active rigs count, connectivity issues, software support, real-time drilling performance reporting, engineering computations, with continuous quality audits. Despite several challenges at start due to change in the nature of the work, RTOC successfully overcame the difficulties by having proper procedures and infrastructure in place. The virtual collaborative environment allowed the team to operate the center remotely and meet the targets for deliverables. Defining a clear communication protocol created efficiency when addressing data aggregation problems. As a result, RTOC was able to maintain the resolution time for data aggregation issues and continue to produce drilling performance reports within time. RTOC launched a mobile application for drilling real-time monitoring to support user mobility prior to the mandate of work-from-home policy. RTOC continued to support drilling operations during work-from-home period by providing real-time computations for drilling operations, doing real-time interactions for drilling events and introducing data analytics platform for users to analyze drilling performance. In summary, systematic implementation of the workflows and following clear chain of command have proven to be effective in ensuring business continuity of RTOC. Building trust and respect helped boost the morale and productivity of the team while ensuring their safety and wellbeing. The pandemic has been, indeed, a tough period for the world but the shift of working lifestyle was indeed a unique experience. It broadened the horizon for RTOC to develop advanced collaboration tools and upgrade the infrastructure to be future-ready for higher mobility. This novelty can also be adopted as standard procedure for Emergency Response Plan.

Defence Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Case Study into the Role of Ethnicity within the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina

<p>Many of the conflicts fought in the world today are fought internally between rival ethnic groups. Although the cause of the conflict may differ, the violent and often brutal nature of these conflicts makes them a threat that the international community cannot ignore. This thesis will analyse the progress of defence reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina - with specific attention to the role of ethnicity within the armed forces. The thesis discusses the challenges and actions taken by the international community to establish a united, state level defence force under a single chain of command. The political situation in the Balkans highlights the fact that ethnic issues are crucial in the security of the region. The central argument of this thesis is that in ethnically divided countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, abolishing ethnically segregated defence forces in favour of one unified force is crucial to the creation of state viability. The thesis hypothesises that ethnic segregation and lack of integration within the forces today contributes to ongoing instability within Bosnia. As a serving member of the New Zealand Defence Force, the author participated in the post–conflict stabilisation process in both Bosnia and Kosovo. Having witnessed first hand the effects of ethnicity in the Bosnian defence forces and the wider community, the author now seeks to analyse the pace of defence reform within Bosnia and Herzegovina which has been challenged by ethnic phenomena since the cessation of hostilities in 1995.</p>

Defence Reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina: A Case Study into the Role of Ethnicity within the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina

<p>Many of the conflicts fought in the world today are fought internally between rival ethnic groups. Although the cause of the conflict may differ, the violent and often brutal nature of these conflicts makes them a threat that the international community cannot ignore. This thesis will analyse the progress of defence reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina - with specific attention to the role of ethnicity within the armed forces. The thesis discusses the challenges and actions taken by the international community to establish a united, state level defence force under a single chain of command. The political situation in the Balkans highlights the fact that ethnic issues are crucial in the security of the region. The central argument of this thesis is that in ethnically divided countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, abolishing ethnically segregated defence forces in favour of one unified force is crucial to the creation of state viability. The thesis hypothesises that ethnic segregation and lack of integration within the forces today contributes to ongoing instability within Bosnia. As a serving member of the New Zealand Defence Force, the author participated in the post–conflict stabilisation process in both Bosnia and Kosovo. Having witnessed first hand the effects of ethnicity in the Bosnian defence forces and the wider community, the author now seeks to analyse the pace of defence reform within Bosnia and Herzegovina which has been challenged by ethnic phenomena since the cessation of hostilities in 1995.</p>

The Implications of Government Departmental Organisational Structures on Fulfilment of OIA Obligations

<p>A study was conducted into the implications of government departmental organisational structures on the fulfilment of Official Information Act (OIA) obligations. The aim of the study was to investigate the systems and processes used by New Zealand government organisations in relation to OIA requests; in particular, to identify any changes since 2001 and the rationale for such changes. The study used authority and responsibility mechanisms, as represented by the chain of command and autonomy, to examine the relationship between organisational structures and effective responses to OIA requests. The research was qualitative and used semi-structured interviews with nine people from three New Zealand government organisations to gather data. The study was not linked to individual OIA requests. Data was analysed using coding of concepts to identify seven main themes, which were: systems and processes; information accessibility; attitude to OIA requests; management of government information; levels of decision-making; timeliness of response, and; managing organisational and political risk. The study found that a range of systems and process are used for responding to OIA requests and that the rationale for these fall into two categories; those designed to support staff and managers to process requests, and those designed to manage organisational and political risks. Whilst most systems had been in place for some time, tracking systems were adopted more recently. The study also found there was an increasing use of pro-disclosure of information to reduce the administrative burden of responding to Official Information Act requests.</p>

The Implications of Government Departmental Organisational Structures on Fulfilment of OIA Obligations

<p>A study was conducted into the implications of government departmental organisational structures on the fulfilment of Official Information Act (OIA) obligations. The aim of the study was to investigate the systems and processes used by New Zealand government organisations in relation to OIA requests; in particular, to identify any changes since 2001 and the rationale for such changes. The study used authority and responsibility mechanisms, as represented by the chain of command and autonomy, to examine the relationship between organisational structures and effective responses to OIA requests. The research was qualitative and used semi-structured interviews with nine people from three New Zealand government organisations to gather data. The study was not linked to individual OIA requests. Data was analysed using coding of concepts to identify seven main themes, which were: systems and processes; information accessibility; attitude to OIA requests; management of government information; levels of decision-making; timeliness of response, and; managing organisational and political risk. The study found that a range of systems and process are used for responding to OIA requests and that the rationale for these fall into two categories; those designed to support staff and managers to process requests, and those designed to manage organisational and political risks. Whilst most systems had been in place for some time, tracking systems were adopted more recently. The study also found there was an increasing use of pro-disclosure of information to reduce the administrative burden of responding to Official Information Act requests.</p>

Like a puppet on a string … exploring Headteachers’ perceived demise of Local Governing Bodies within an English Multi-Academy Trust

Multi-Academy Trusts (MAT) have developed organically in England since 2010. As a result, there appears to be a lack of consistency in the interpretation of delegated responsibilities of Local Governing Bodies (LGB). In a small-scale study of Headteacher (HT) accountability within one English MAT, governance was revealed as a major cause for concern. Accountability links between HT performance management, LGBs, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Trust Board were unclear. There was a perception of a lack of upward communication and an increase in local ‘rubber-stamping’ of MAT strategy. It is argued that, whilst LGBs are used as a form of ‘chain of command’ to monitor individual schools, their actual purpose may be operational; governed and limited by the Trust Board. LGBs appear to have lost their strategic influence in the conversion from maintained school to academy. I suggest that the term ‘Local Governing Body’ is potentially erroneous in its nomenclature, as some LGBs merely provide a middle level of ‘educational responsibility’ – puppets on a string.

“COMMAND WITHOUT DEBASEMENT”: SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVED INTRA-FORCE RELATIONS IN NIGERIA POLICE FORCE THROUGH EXCELLENCE PUBLIC RELATIONS

This paper highlights the imperative of effective intra-relations within the Nigerian Police Force. Most discourses of public relations in relation to the Nigeria Police Force focus more on the external publics with less interest on the internal public. Being a hierarchical organization characterized by top-down communication expressed in form chain of command, it assumes that the police force has no use for symmetrical communication which is the hallmark of Grunig’s excellence theory of public relations. However, this study proves otherwise, that excellent public relations can be practiced in the force when members of the organization especially the superiors realize and operationalize the habit of commanding without debasing their subordinates. In doing this, the status of intra-force relations of the Nigeria police force will be greatly improved. <p> </p><p><strong> Article visualizations:</strong></p><p><img src="/-counters-/edu_01/0797/a.php" alt="Hit counter" /></p>

Perceptions of family acceptance into the military community among U.S. LGBT service members: A mixed-methods study

Lay Summary There are approximately 16,000 families of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) service members in the U.S. military, but very little is known about how accepted they feel in the communities in which they live. This study begins to address this question by considering the perspectives of LGBT service members, which they shared both in response to an online survey and in interviews. Findings suggest that many service members believe their spouses and families are accepted by their chain of command. However, a smaller but important group continued to express concerns about their family being accepted in their military community. Many service members appear concerned that family services available to them through the military are not appropriate for LGBT families. Altogether, this article highlights the need for more research to understand the well-being and needs of this group.

Robot Authority in Human-Robot Teaming: Effects of Human-Likeness and Physical Embodiment on Compliance

The anticipated social capabilities of robots may allow them to serve in authority roles as part of human-machine teams. To date, it is unclear if, and to what extent, human team members will comply with requests from their robotic teammates, and how such compliance compares to requests from human teammates. This research examined how the human-likeness and physical embodiment of a robot affect compliance to a robot's request to perseverate utilizing a novel task paradigm. Across a set of two studies, participants performed a visual search task while receiving ambiguous performance feedback. Compliance was evaluated when the participant requested to stop the task and the coach urged the participant to keep practicing multiple times. In the first study, the coach was either physically co-located with the participant or located remotely via a live-video. Coach type varied in human-likeness and included either a real human (confederate), a Nao robot, or a modified Roomba robot. The second study expanded on the first by including a Baxter robot as a coach and replicated the findings in a different sample population with a strict chain of command culture. Results from both studies showed that participants comply with the requests of a robot for up to 11 min. Compliance is less than to a human and embodiment and human-likeness on had weak effects on compliance.