Geography Case Studies

• Shell

  • European-based TNC involved in oil and gas production
  • Jointly owned by the UK and Netherlands
  • Operates in more than 70 countries and employs more than 92,000 people worldwide
• Shell's operations

  • Nigeria, Canada, Argentina, UK
• Shell's operations account for more than 21% of Nigeria's total petroleum production
• Shell's research and development

  1. Major technology centres in the USA, the Netherlands, and India

  2. Shell Technology Centre in Amsterdam houses around 1,300 people in labs and offices
• Shell made its first move into the wind business over 20 years ago
• Shell's renewable investments

  • More than 8 gigawatts of wind projects including in the UK and USA
• Shell's headquarters moved to London from the Netherlands in 2022 for taxation purposes
• Positive impacts of Shell's operations in Nigeria
• Positive impacts of Shell's operations in Nigeria

  • Employment opportunities for roughly 5,000 people (95% Nigerian)
  • Multiplier effect with $1.3 billion spent on contracts awarded to Nigerian companies in 2018
  • Paid $1.7 billion in taxes to the Nigerian government in 2018
• Negative impacts of Shell's operations in Nigeria
• Negative impacts of Shell's operations in Nigeria

  • Over 4,000 oil spills since 1960 contaminating food supplies and destroying habitats
  • Deforestation reducing local forest cover and food supply
  • Ogoni people not benefiting from $30 billion extracted since the 1950s, facing pollution and land poisoning
• Conflict between Shell and local tribes in Nigeria

  Protests by the Ogoni people about environmental issues and lack of government support
• Large-scale commercial sugar farming in Eswatini

  • Sugar cane production is the single biggest industry in Eswatini
  • Large commercial sugar cane estates account for about 77% of Eswatini’s production
  • Sugar is easily Eswatini’s largest export
• Sugar cane production in Eswatini

  1. Growth of the sugar cane crop takes about 12 months

  2. Irrigation methods include furrow, sprinkler, drip, and centre pivot

  3. Ripe sugar cane is burned in the fields before harvesting
• Labour inputs in large-scale sugar farming in Eswatini
• Capital inputs in large-scale sugar farming in Eswatini
• Commercial farms in Eswatini’s sugar estates are not run on extensive principles. Inputs of labour, fertiliser, and irrigation are quite intensive. The growth of sugar cane crop in Eswatini takes about 12 months
• Irrigation

  Irrigation water is taken from rivers by canals. It then reaches the cane by a variety of methods: furrow 39%, sprinkler 54%, drip 4%, and centre pivot 3%
• Burning

  Ripe sugar cane is burned in the fields to make harvesting easier by removing all the leaves without damaging the sugar inside
• Harvesting

  The cane is cut down and taken to the sugar mills for crushing
• Replanting

  Sugar cane will regenerate for several years before replanting is necessary. New plants are raised in a nursery for replanting in the fields
• Outputs of Eswatini's sugar mills

  • Raw sugar
  • Refined sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Molasses
  • Bagasse
• Outputs produced by all three sugar mills

  • Raw sugar
  • Brown sugar
  • Molasses
• Outputs produced by Mhlume and Ubombo sugar mills

  • Refined sugar
• Molasses is a sticky substance that does not form sugar grains. It is used for the production of alcohol and as animal feed
• Bagasse (fibre) is used as animal feed
• In 2021, one third of Eswatini’s population were suffering from acute food shortages due to various factors including low GDP per capita, COVID-19 impact, and high unemployment rate
• In recent years, Eswatini has been affected by droughts, HIV/AIDS prevalence, cash crop decisions, and social unrest contributing to food shortages
• Negative effects of food shortages in Eswatini include malnourishment, premature deaths, dependence on international food aid, protein deficiency diseases, and increased risk for HIV transmission
• Organisations like the UN’s World Food Programme have supplied food aid directly during emergency situations to address food shortages
• Eswatini already has the highest HIV prevalence in the world (27% infected)
• Possible solutions to food shortages

  • Organisations such as the UN’s World Food Programme have supplied food aid directly during emergency situations
  • The World Food Programme addresses vulnerable people's immediate food needs with cash or food transfers while supporting the development or rehabilitation of assets that enhance the resilience of communities
  • Measures to increase crop outputs: For the last few years, the UN’s World Food Programme and other organisations have been moving away from distributing food aid towards programmes that encourage self-sufficient food production instead
• World Food Programme actions

  • Clearing land to tap into more agricultural potential
  • Developing irrigation infrastructure such as canals, ponds and wells
  • Building and rehabilitating community infrastructure like low-cost housing, schools, storage facilities, aggregation centres and toilets
  • Improving access to markets by building/rehabilitating feeder roads
• The Nissan Motor Manufacturing - Sunderland is an industrial zone or factory
• Inputs for the Nissan factory

  • Capital (money) and Government Incentives
  • Components
  • Aluminium and Steel
  • Energy
• Pressing at the Nissan factory

  Steel and aluminium pressing is the first process in assembling at the Nissan factory. This is when steel sheets are shaped into the outer and inner body panels of the vehicle
• Welding at the Nissan factory

  Pressed-panels are welded together to create complete body shells
• Painting at the Nissan factory

  The body shells are painted using solvent-based paint. They are immersed in an anti-corrosion paint dip called Electrocoat Dip
• Outputs of the Nissan factory

  • Cars
  • Waste
• Nissan factory location

  Chosen due to government incentives, availability of skilled labour, transport links, energy sources, land availability, and market proximity