Adhering to an Environmental Management System (EMS) is the start point in moving an organisation towards a sustainable future. The aim of this study is to identify the barriers for effective implementation of an EMS (ISO4001) in the Libyan oil sector, which would benefit in smoother implementation in future and as a result will lead to environmental sustainability to the oil sector and the country as a whole. To meet the aim, literature reviews and interviews were carried out, and a case study of Azzawya Oil Company in Libya was conducted. The results of the study show that the most significant barriers are those related to poor leadership and management, resources issues of financial, HR and technical were the second most significant barrier, and external political obstacles of organizational culture and negative attitudes were the third most significant barriers. It is recommended that awareness of environmental issues in the oil sector is raised through the provision of effective human resource management along with appropriate financial and technical means.

Sustainability is increasingly considered an essential business function, but in Libya, petroleum companies are slow to address operational issues that could reduce environmental concerns. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of upstream petroleum operations. The methods adopted in the study are a literature review, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study and qualitative analyses from, fieldwork trials and 56 semi-structured interviews. The results of the study show that the main environmental impacts are aquatic, terrestrial or atmospheric, with the most significant pollutants linked to the latter category, mainly from engine exhausts, turbine emissions, gas flaring and venting. Major environmental degradations are identified in Libyan upstream operations and a number of recommendations formulated minimising their effect. Particular importance is placed on establishing strict sustainability policies and regulations, and the implementation of an environmental management system.

Water-cooled air conditioning units have huge potential for providing a low carbon emission solution to controlling the temperature and humidity of commercial and domestic buildings as they do not rely on hazardous refrigerant materials in their operation unlike most present devices. Currently, however, its use is limited in high humidity areas due to low cooling efficiency and no effective method for controlling this type of system remotely. This research developed a novel remote-controlled system for use with airconditioning units utilising solid desiccant dehumidifiers which can be employed to create low carbon emission buildings. The system employs multiple information technologies such as sensor fusion, digital input/output communication and mobile technologies to monitor and control the internal conditions of air-conditioned buildings and provides data collection, data processing, system control, and mobile access. The data collection module is built based on sensor fusion technologies to detect the operating status of the conditioned air. The real-time data processing module is implemented with feature extraction and non-linearization computing to process received data and transmit commands to a control unit. A case study involved monitoring and controlling the working conditions of a solid desiccant dehumidifier employed in an air conditioning unit. Remote control of the process was performed by tuning a NI-DAQ controller's parameters to regulate humidity, temperature, flow rates and other conditions in the unit. A mobile phone was utilised to demonstrate the remote-control function. The results prove that the system developed is successful in controlling the operation of water-cooled air conditioning units.

Sustainability is increasingly considered an essential business function, but in Libya, petroleum companies are slow to address operational issues that could reduce environmental concerns. This study aims to evaluate the environmental impacts of upstream petroleum operations. The methods adopted in the study are a literature review, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) study and qualitative analyses from, fieldwork trials and 56 semi-structured interviews. The results of the study show that the main environmental impacts are aquatic, terrestrial or atmospheric, with the most significant pollutants linked to the latter category, mainly from engine exhausts, turbine emissions, gas flaring and venting. Major environmental degradations are identified in Libyan upstream operations and a number of recommendations formulated minimising their effect. Particular importance is placed on establishing strict sustainability policies and regulations, and the implementation of an environmental management system.

Purpose -This paper presents a case study to discuss approaches taken within a traditional undergraduate degree course to embed employability skills, encourage student uptake of sandwich placement and increase graduate prospects. A number of new initiatives are presented, including working with live industrial clients, formally preparing students for placement applications and the introduction of an externally facing student run design consortium. Alongside these new initiatives, details of the existing sandwich year provision are also considered and their effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach -A case study based action research approach presents changes to a specific undergraduate course, measuring the effectiveness over a 4-year period using externally collected national DLHE data and internal student feedback to assess the long-term effects on employability. Findings -The paper considers improvements in the graduate employability over the 4 year period covered, in particular, an increase in the graduate employability from 81%-100% and graduate prospects from 62.5% to 95.2% for sandwich students. Data presented also considers additional student feedback correlating with an increase in their preparedness for employment. Practical implications -The implications of undertaking the changes highlighted within this paper have been relatively straightforward, due to the small incremental nature of the changes and the opportunities available through the agencies within the university, and should be replicable at least in part at other HE institutions. Originality/value -This paper considers the impact of employability initiatives undertaken on a single undergraduate course and how these have affected the employability of graduates over a 4-year period, supported by student feedback both internally and externally through national feedback mechanisms. It is anticipated that this research would be beneficial for informing and guiding the development of employability on other undergraduate programmes.