1
Energy Technologies and Institutions BUEC 563 – X5 – Winter 2011
Instructor: Richard Dixon Email: [email protected] Phone: (780) 248-1650
Office hours: by appointment, CABREE Office Class times:
Room:
Site visits: As scheduled on Fridays
Prerequisite: BUEC 502 – Managerial Microeconomics (or equivalent)
Course goal:
The course learning objectives are first, for students to acquire a basic understanding of the regulatory, market and technology issues relevant to the resource and energy sectors.
And second, to develop skills in scenario and strategy development that are an important added value for working in the sector.
Course material:
The instructor’s power point presentations for each topic will be posted on the course’s U-Learn website. The power point presentations include web links to sites with current information on the topics to be addressed in the course.
The following reference material will be distributed to the students free of charge:
• National Energy Board
Demand to 2030.
• National Energy Boar
2015 An Update – June 2006
• National Energy Board
• National Energy Board
• National Energy Board
• PriceWaterhouseCoopers
• Alberta Energy
• Government of Alberta
Grading:
The different elements evaluated during the course will be summed to a total of 100%, as follows:
• Class attendance, participation and challenge questions: 20 % - Attendance is compulsory.
- Active and constructive participation in class is compulsory.
• In particular this is best demonstrated through the Challenge Questions. Answers are submitted by email in a prescribed format.
• Site visits attendance and participation: 10 %
2 - NOTE: Attendance is compulsory. Failure to attend site visits and
guest lectures, can lead to a student not passing the course, despite the fact that the site visits account for only 10% of the course grade.
• Term papers: 70%
- Students are required to submit two fifteen page papers (fifteen pages of text, not including cover page, executive summary, table of contents, figures, graphs, charts and references). Each paper will count for 35% of the course grade.
- First paper: includes the development of four scenarios on a particular aspect of one of the energy sectors studied in the course. Students are free to choose the topic. Students can work in teams of up to 4 people however the same grade is awarded to each member of a team. Students will also prepare and present a draft of their scenarios during class.
- Second paper: is based on the first paper – the energy or natural resources scenarios. The focus of this paper will be the development of strategies and strategic thrusts that address the key issues discovered in the scenarios work.
Timing:
• Focal Question for first paper: January 14, 2010
• Draft scenario matrix slide presentation due and presented: January 28, 2010
• Scenarios paper: February 25, 2010.
• Strategy paper: April 16, 2010.
• Papers are submitted in both paper and electronic form. Details for how to submit will be provided in class.
• Penalty for a late paper is 20% for each day that the paper is late.
Criteria for evaluation:
• Structure of paper and strength of arguments (is this a convincing, well organized and well-written paper?)
• References and evidence of research (demonstrate the quality of the research, including modeling that was done in preparation)
• Overall quality of the text (hint: have your paper proof read)
• The results (%) will then be converted to the course grade, based on the following scale:
o Excellent: A+, A, A- o Good: B+, B
o Satisfactory: B-, C+
o Failure: C and below Course plan:
The following plan provides an outline of the topics to be covered in class. Some adjustments may be made during the course of the module to accommodate invited speakers or other developments in the industries. Each topic is presented via a power point presentation that is available on the course website.
3 Topic 1 – Class Overview & Scenario Planning for the Energy Sector
Topic 2 – Energy Markets & Regulation Topic 3 – Coal
Topic 4 – Oil
Topic 5 – Natural Gas Topic 6 – Petrochemicals
Topic 7 – Nuclear and Renewables Topic 8 – Electricity
Topic 9 – Pipes and Wires
Topic 10 – Oil Sands and Royalties Topic 11 – Forestry and Land Use
Topic 12 – Climate Change, Risk and Energy Sector
Site visits: Summary details of the site visits posted on the course web site. More detail will be communicated to the students in advance of each site visit. Currently planned are:
January 15 – Alberta Research Council – Edmonton January 29 – Petrochemicals – Joffre
February 5 – Electrical generation, pipes and tank farms – Edmonton area February 26 – Oil and gas HQs in Calgary
March 26 – Fort McMurray
There is also a planned opportunity with the Alberta Chamber of Resources – date to be announced.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
“The University of Alberta is committed to the highest standards of academic integrity and honesty. Students are expected to be familiar with these standards regarding
academic honesty and to uphold the policies of the University in this respect. Students are particularly urged to familiarize themselves with the provisions of the Code of Student Behavio potentially result in suspicions of cheating, plagiarism, misrepresentation of facts and/or participation in an offence. Academic dishonesty is a serious offence and can result in suspension or expulsion from the University.” (GFC 29 Sep 2003)
I expect you to reference and cite material that you use appropriately. I expect that you will familiarize yourself with the University of Alberta code of student behaviour as it applies to “inappropriate academic behaviour”, and specifically the following section.
This is your responsibility. Feel free to see me if you have any questions.
30.3.2 Inappropriate Academic Behaviour
30.3.2(1) Plagiarism “No Student shall submit the words, ideas, images or data of another person as the Student’s own in any academic writing, essay, thesis, project, assignment, presentation or poster in a course or program of study.”
More information is available at:
4 Here is a very clear and straightforward explanation:
Fundamental message: You are responsible for what you write. If in doubt, ask.
