...IAE Université Jean Moulin Lyon 3 General Management Program – 2012/2013 Business Economics BENIN – COUNTRY STUDY FOR INVESTMENT IN SOLAR ENERGY SECTOR Compiled by: Thi Hien Anh Nguyen Thi Hien Anh NGUYEN 2012 PREAMBLE This report is prepared as a preliminary research based on hypothetic scenario of an investment project of EUR10 million in solar energy sector in Benin. The report hence firstly focuses on the analysis of Benin’s macro-environment, including the political, socio-demographical, economic, legal and ecological environments which might impinge on the project. The report then goes further in analysing the current situation of the energy sector in Benin and the prospects offered for the solar energy sector in Benin. I/ BENIN – COUNTRY CONTEXT AND PROSPECTS 1. Country overview Benin (French: Bénin, formerly Dahomey), officially the Republic of Benin (French: République du Bénin), is a country in West Africa. Situated in the Gulf of Guinea, it is bordered by Togo to the west, by Nigeria to the east and by Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. A majority of the population live on its small southern coastline on the Bight of Benin. The capital of Benin is Porto-Novo, but the seat of government is in Cotonou, the country's largest city. Benin covers an area of approximately 110,000 square kilometers (42,000 sq mi), with a population of approximately 9.1 million. Benin is a tropical, sub-Saharan nation, highly dependent on agriculture, with substantial employment...
Words: 6728 - Pages: 27
...alone because of the money that it generates for oil companies. During the last decade hybrid automobiles have begun to take a more prominent role in the automobile industry. “Historically, many in the automobile and oil industries have fought progress on electric cars. It's the same story we've seen before with seat belts and catalytic converters: The automakers leave the technology on the shelf until policymakers require them to do what is in the best interests of the American people.” (Anair & Shahan, 20011). Policy will dictate how the industry will be impacted over the next five years. Lawmakers are constantly changing the rules and regulations that automakers have to produce cars by. In the following essay we will use a macro trend analysis to determine the path of the hybrid vehicle. Issues Legislation has evolved over recent years requiring automakers to adhere to a minimum fuel economy standard. As gas prices continue to rise, people have started to trend toward more energy efficient means of transportation. Hybrid vehicles have an electric motor along with rechargeable batteries and have an increased efficiency of up to 50 percent. There is an onboard computer that switches between gas and electric power. The hybrid car runs on the energy of the battery when it is cruising, using less energy. When it needs additional power, the fuel engine is used for energy purposes. The market for hybrids can be analyzed by looking at the macro-environmental...
Words: 985 - Pages: 4
...In August 1980, I was named general manager of the newly created Westinghouse Synthetic Fuels Division (SFD). The division’s nucleus was a department engaged in coal gasification research and development and supported, in part, by the U.S. Department of Energy The technology was highly regarded, and the outlook for synthetic fuels was promising. Oil prices were continuing to rise; worldwide oil shortages were forecast, as were crude oil prices of $100 per barrel; and the Carter administration had just created the Synthetic Fuels Corporation to stimulate the production of synfuels from domestic resources and reduce U.S. dependence on imported oil. Before my assignment at SFD, I had been general manager of a division that marketed turbine generators and related services worldwide. My 16 years with Westinghouse had been spent selling complex, high-technology systems to sophisticated customers. My charge from the president of Westinghouse’s Power Systems Company (then my boss’s boss)was straightforward: “ We think we have a very promising coal gasification technology—maybe one of the best in the world. See what you can do to make it into a good business. You may conclude that we can’t, and that’s an okay answer. See what you can do. I’m always available to consult and help. Keep me informed.” When I first arrived at SFD, I had mixed feelings. The Waltz Mill site, located 35 miles south east of Pittsburgh and set in rolling hills dotted with small farms and houses, was (and is)...
Words: 5004 - Pages: 21
...Music Performance Experience Paper On April 27th 2012 I went to the Stagecoach festival and saw the band Alabama to which I am going to be comparing to what I have learned in class as well as the experience I had during the concert. Alabama is an older country band that is from Fort Payne, Alabama and was founded in 1969. Alabama is known for bringing the country music “band” to the mainstream music scene. In addition Alabama crossed old time traditional country music with southern rock and created a new sound in the early 70s. Alabama uses 2 lead guitars, a rhythm guitar, the fiddle and drums to create their own unique country sound. Alabama sticks to the older country sounds as well as bringing a newer style of music that melds almost seamlessly together, in their song “Mountain Music” they sing about the old country music from the mountains of the east where country music was started and the Carter family pioneered. “Play me some mountain music like grandma and grandpa used to play, then ill float down on the river to a Cajun hideaway,” this opening line from “mountain music” speaks of the old times of country music where Alabama got their sound from. This song sings about the music the artists were brought up listening to with their parents and also gives a little foresight into the Cajun type of country music that came later on after country began spreading from the mountains of the Virginias. “Play some back-home come-on music that comes from the heart, play...
Words: 740 - Pages: 3
...Droning in Modern Rock The song being analyzed in this assignment is titled, “Slip to the Void” by the Orlando based rock band Alter Bridge. The song was the opening track in the band’s third album titled, “AB III”, which was released on November 9, 2010 (“Alter Bridge – Music”). The song was composed by Myles Kennedy (the band’s vocalist and rhythm guitarist), Mark Tremonti (the lead guitarist), Brian Marshall (bassist) and Scott Phillips (drummer/percussionist). The song’s lyrical content deals with making poor decisions and slipping into a useless state. The technique of droning can be traced back to the Near East. In music, drones are described as sound effects where a note or chord is continuously sounded throughout most or the entire piece. It is usually achieved through a sustained sound or through repetition of a musical note. Though the song being discussed above doesn’t use a drone instrument to sustain the pitch, it achieves a similar effect by the repetition of the same note/chords. The song opens with this repeated harmony, which is played by a clean rhythm guitar. The same chords are repeated in this note and a sustained sound is produced over which the vocalist sings the entire first verse. This combination of unchanged chords borrows from the ancient drones as it involves a sustained sound which serves as a monotonous baseline over which the vocalist sings, which is similar (not same) to the Near-eastern technique. The repeated harmony can be heard till the...
Words: 485 - Pages: 2
...Comparison of CO2 Emissions from Electric Vehicles and Internal Combustion Engine Vehicles | | In order to determine if the emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) was significantly less from electric vehicles (EV) compared to gasoline powered vehicles, an evaluation was conducted using 5 EV’s and 5 comparable gasoline powered vehicles that were driven 8,000 miles with the average CO2 emissions being measured. The results were that the average CO2 emissions for the EV’s were 4,329 lbs. and the average CO2 emissions for the gasoline powered vehicles were 6,433 lbs., which equates to a 32.7% difference. These results did answer our research question but raised subsequent questions as to whether electric vehicles are the long-term solution in reducing overall non-renewable energy. | | March 22, 2012 March 22, 2012 1.) Introduction The purpose of this experiment was to determine if the emissions of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from electric vehicles (EV) is significantly less than that of internal combustion vehicles (ICE). Our rational for this experiment is due to the increasing number of electric vehicles that are being manufactured and purchased and to answer the question: Is there really a significant positive impact on the environment or more of a psychological impact for society? To answer this question we began research on how the U.S. is getting its electricity. There are several sources of electricity in the U.S., with coal at 48.9%, natural gas at 20%, nuclear at...
Words: 2401 - Pages: 10
...March 26, 2013 Telephone Analysis Report The telephone analysis was conducted with several telephone providers. These providers were AT&T, Earthlink, and Comcast. I received several quotes and information regarding 3 years contract terms. The findings are as follows: Current Service with AT&T: The audit of the AT&T bill revealed a monthly increase for several reasons. One reason the monthly increase arose over several months is that the promotional contract expired after a 24 month term. The price that was originally quoted was based on a 24 month term with the company entering into a new contract after the term was fulfilled, because we failed to renegotiate with AT&T, our bill increased by an average of $150 dollars at its highest price. I have enclosed an AT&T Monthly Analysis to show the increase over the past year. We also had a double increase in our long distance charges during the months of September, October, and November. The charges also made our monthly charges higher. The only consistent charges that we are paying are the internet charge. It was consistent at $54.95 per month. The areas of comparison were on set-up fees, local, long distance, internet, voicemail and installations. The findings are as follows: * AT&T- This term is for 2 years, the local service includes all of our current services plus the internet will be charged at a rate of $139.00 monthly. This includes 3 lines, long distance, internet, and voicemail. There...
Words: 582 - Pages: 3
...change the future especially when it comes to transportation. The main idea of future of transportation is to reduce emissions and the amount of people in individual vehicles. A major concern is the use of our fossil fuels, and the damaging gasses that are released during the combustion of these fuels in our vehicles. Researchers for years have been coming up with ideas to reduce the carbon footprints of these things. Energy experts and historians of energy agree that as societies advance, they need more and more concentrated, intense forms of energy, like rocket fuel instead of gasoline. Transportation will be pollution-free and versatile. “of the several converging trends for getting around, “ultracapacitors” are being developed for electric cars to completely replace batteries. They have lighter weight and ten times the energy density of lead-acid batteries. In the future energy portfolio, another surprising development is the permanent magnet powered motors, which are an emerging trend bound to come to market. A number of developments, such as the Spiral Wankel Magnetic Motor and other different designs, all point to the use of the “magnetic gradient” in the...
Words: 1568 - Pages: 7
...CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) Corporate social responsibility (CSR, also called corporate conscience, corporate citizenship, social performance, or sustainable responsible business/ Responsible Business) is a form of corporate self-regulation integrated into a business model. CSR policy functions as a built-in, self-regulating mechanism whereby a business monitors and ensures its active compliance with the spirit of the law, ethical standards, and international norms. The goal of CSR is to embrace responsibility for the company's actions and encourage a positive impact through its activities on the environment, consumers, employees, communities, stakeholders and all other members of the public sphere who may also be considered as stakeholders. The term "corporate social responsibility" came into common use in the late 1960s and early 1970s after many multinational corporations formed the term stakeholder, meaning those on whom an organization's activities have an impact. It was used to describe corporate owners beyond shareholders as a result of an influential book by R. Edward Freeman, Strategic management: a stakeholder approach in 1984. Proponents argue that corporations make more long term profits by operating with a perspective, while critics argue that CSR distracts from the economic role of businesses. Others argue CSR is merely window-dressing, or an attempt to pre-empt the role of governments as a watchdog over powerful multinational corporations. CSR is...
Words: 3899 - Pages: 16
...time in Singapore, there are no current users for the product in market. • PRODUCT EVALUATION The Nissan LEAF (Leading, Environmentally friendly, Affordable, Family car) is a fully electric, zero emission, 5-door hatch back car that was introduced in 1999 by Nissan. It was first launched in Japan and United States in December 2010 further in Europe and since then it sold more than 27000 units worldwide. Nissan plans to launch LEAF by September 2012 with an on road price of close to SGD 90,000 after a substantial deduction in COE (Certificate of Entitlement) and other taxes based on TIDE Plus scheme by Singapore Energy Market Authority and Land Transport Authority. • COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS Though the Nissan LEAF has many market competitors in Singapore, its main rivals are the Mitsubishi I-MiEV from the electric vehicles segment and the Toyota Prius C from Hybrid segment. The following is the competitive analysis between these two major brands and Nissan LEAF: |Name/ Specifications |Nissan LEAF |Mitsubishi i-MiEV |Toyota Prius C | |Engine |80 kW, 280 Nm Torque |47 kW, 180Nm Torque |HSD Electric motor~40 kW, 90NmTorque | | | | |Hybrid output ~90 kW | |Type |5-seater...
Words: 2406 - Pages: 10
...the emissions that are produced by factories and automobiles have some effect on the atmosphere. To that end, many people are looking to reduce their carbon footprint. One of the ways to do this is to purchase an alternative fuel car such as a hybrid or electric car. There are many positives and negatives of owning an electrically powered vehicle. Some pros of an electric car include emission free driving, it is very energy efficient, and it has an energy storage system located in the car. There are also some negatives to having an electric vehicle. These include problems charging, miles per gallon, and they increase the amount of factory pollution. One of the highest sought after features of an electric car, is the fact that it produces no tailpipe emissions. Electricity is said to be more commonly produced by water or wind; getting clean power to run electric cars will leave an even smaller carbon footprint. In my research I found that electric cars are extremely energy efficient. These vehicles get almost 3x the amount of stored energy in jut the wheels than in a regular cars internal combustion engine. And the electric car needs no transmission because the vehicle can produce maximum torque starting from zero R.P.M. Electric cars also have a regenerative breaking system. This is a method of braking in which energy is extracted from the brakes, to be stored and reused. This method can which can saves 20 percent to 25 percent of the energy that normal breaks loose and redirect...
Words: 521 - Pages: 3
...Tesla Motors 3500 Deer Creek Palo Alto, CA 94304 650-681-5000 650-681-5101 I. I. Background and Introduction The focus of this analysis is on Tesla Motors and the electric vehicles they design, develop, and manufacture. Tesla Motors was incorporated in 2003 and using technology developed at the headquarters in California the company introduced the Tesla Roadster in 2008 (Tesla Motors, 2010b). On June 28, 2010 the company filed an initial public offering that was accepted by the SEC. They have also become business partners with Toyota Motor Corporation to develop an electronic version of the Toyota RAV4 to be sold in 2012 (Tesla Motors, 2010b). The importance of this analysis is two-fold. First, if a company can successfully develop a fully electric vehicle that is affordable and has mass market appeal it would mark a realistic solution to the diminishing worldwide oil supplies. Second, the technology that would be developed could be used as a springboard for the entire automotive industry. As with any business that is being hinged on new technology, there are significant risks and issues that could potentially be detrimental to the company. Being a new company, there is a very limited operating history for potential investors to go by (Tesla Motors, 2010b). Therefore, future earnings cannot be predicted based on past earnings. The company is losing money and in the SEC filing for the last quarter they state that they expect to keep losing money for...
Words: 15318 - Pages: 62
...Felicia Andersson BADM 2003W 3/4/2012 Paper 2 Introduction to Company: Coastal Uniforms is a Boston-based publicly traded U.S. Company with $200 million in sales and 2,000 employees (Cases in Business Ethics). Coastal provided work uniforms and uniform cleaning services to manufacturing and services industries. Until 1999, “Coastal had achieved steady growth for the past 22 straight years”, after 1999 the company started having some financial issues. Corners were cut in the manufacturing process and management started adding fees to the invoices without letting customers know. Summary of Past Activities: In 1999, Coastal noticed that several small competitors had negotiated some key contracts away from Coastal. Sales and profit were flat this year and Coastal management’s “Rule 35” was not going to be met. This was only the start of Coastal’s rough decline. In 2000, Coastal decreased the quality of their uniforms by ordering lower quality cotton and polyester uniforms, yet they sold them at the same price as the higher quality ones. They also reduced “unnecessary features” such as extra buttons, snaps on cuffs and name patches were sewn on using wider stitches. Coastal stopped putting their customer first and started prioritizing profit. They also added a “delivery surcharge” to each order, and only removed the extra cost for those few customers who complained. The sales quotas for delivery personnel were increased from $300/week to $800/week. In one year, Coastal...
Words: 717 - Pages: 3
...Fusion Power - The Cons While fusion power may be the answer to our energy prayers, it is not currently a viable option. While there are no obvious drawbacks to the use of fusion power, we are years if not decades away from harnessing this power. Scientists must achieve the necessary temperatures, which has been done; demonstrate sustained reactions where substantial amounts of energy are produced, and complete operation of a demonstration fusion power plant. To better understand what needs to be done, one needs to understand the fusion process. To produce net power the fusion reactions of a gaseous deuterium-tritium fuel must be heated to about 100 million degrees Celsius (more than six times hotter than the interior of the sun). Since nuclei normally repel one another because they carry positive charges, their movement will coincide with their temperature - i.e. the higher the temperature, the faster they move. At a faster speed, they overcome the force of repulsion of the positive charges and fuse. These collisions release energy. To date, scientists have attained temperatures as high as 510 million degrees to create these collisions. | | The problem in producing fusion energy is in developing a device that can heat the above fuel to a high enough temperature and then confine it for a length of time that will result in more energy being released through the fusion reactions than it took to actually heat the nuclei. Nature lends a hand...
Words: 821 - Pages: 4
...Introduction In 2004 NBC became NBC Universal, Inc. through the merger of NBC, wholly-owned by GE, and Vivendi Universal Entertainment (VUE). The merger was intended to strengthen NBC’s already successful company and to create a multimedia powerhouse that would produce and distribute its content through a variety of networks (Proquest). Although NBC has gained more viewers it still trails behind its biggest competitors at #4, while FOX, CBS, and ABC stay ahead. Within every company there are strengths and weaknesses. It’s important to evaluate and understand a company’s internal analysis and implement strategic plans to turn their weaknesses into strengths. NBC has done a great job in trying to keep their head above water throughout the years with their poor ratings through their strengths such as innovation, diversity, company acquisitions, and internal employee growth and success (EMS). The company also has it weaknesses which have held them back at times, but they continue on finding ways to decrease them. Weaknesses include; structure of company, time management, money management, and company growth. Overall I believe that NBC has done all possible in maintaining their company internally well-balanced. I will discuss NBC Universal, Inc. strengths and weaknesses and how they have affected the company now and how they will in the future. Strengths Innovative NBC Universal, Inc. is one of the first in the television broadcasting industry and it continues to strive...
Words: 2215 - Pages: 9
