nicolasrapp.com

Shell bets billions to drill for oil in Alaska

nrapp — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:28:12 +0000

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Shell says that it expects the 410 Alaskan offshore leases it holds in the Arctic to become the company’s biggest source of crude oil globally within 10 to 20 years. Were it to capture just a 10th of the oil in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas, Shell would, over time, add 2.7 billion barrels to its proven reserves. To put that number into perspective, Shell’s total proven reserves of oil stood at 4.3 billion barrels at the end of 2011. Given Shell’s perpetual need to find new reserves large enough to replace what it pumps, the company must aim high when it comes to exploration, says Clint, the Bernstein analyst. “Adding 200 million barrels in new reserves doesn’t move the needle for an oil company as big as Shell,” Clint says. “They really have no choice but to push into the big, unexplored basins like the Arctic.”
In the latest issue of Fortune magazine.

Charlotte just fine after the bank crisis

nrapp — Mon, 21 May 2012 14:03:25 +0000

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Charlotte is a corporate town. Counting its suburbs, it’s still home to eight Fortune 500 companies and is still very much the country’s other banking center.

Thanks to Jamie Metz from the Mecklenburg county GIS division for the help with the data. In the most recent issue of Fortune magazine.

The booming shipping network

nrapp — Mon, 14 May 2012 13:27:24 +0000

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Not since 1956, when a North Carolina truck driver named Malcom McLean created a standard-size container for cargo, has global shipping seen such radical change. Carriers are bigger than ever, ports are becoming automated, and routes are shifting. The volume of goods that move between ports in Asia now accounts for 13% of all seaborne trade, up nearly a third from a decade ago. Routes through the ice-free far north now beckon. While global shipping volumes rose 6.2% in 2011 and port operators were profitable, owners of container ships were hit hard by overcapacity and falling cargo rates. In the latest issue of Fortune magazine..

America’s biggest companies smashed records for earnings in 2011

nrapp — Mon, 07 May 2012 13:28:01 +0000

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Given the sluggish recovery and a strapped consumer, you’d expect to see corporate America trudging along, not racing for glory. In fact, the Fortune 500 are thriving as a group. Unlike the U.S. economy, they’ve shown quicksilver agility, rapidly shifting their product mix and producing more goods at little new cost. This nimbleness belies the immense size of these companies and, frequently, their advanced age. In the latest issue of Fortune.

Exxon’s big bet on shale gas

nrapp — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 13:21:59 +0000

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America’s most profitable company now produces about as much natural gas as it does oil. CEO Rex Tillerson thinks the fracking party has just begun.

Wheels of tomorrow

nrapp — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 09:38:47 +0000

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While we’re not going to see flying cars for a long, long while, the global automobile industry is indeed undergoing an epic transformation. The rising price of gas, stricter mileage requirements, and concerns about global warming are causing carmakers to rethink how we travel. In the U.S. a newly found 70-year supply of natural gas could mean more trucks powered by this plentiful fuel. Natural gas can also drive power plants, providing cleaner juice for all-electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids. And don’t count out the highly efficient combustion engine. Here’s a look at where we’re headed and how we’ll get there.
In the latest issue of Fortune Magazine.

World’s most admired companies

nrapp — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 17:49:35 +0000

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Which companies have the best reputations? Apple tops the list for the fifth year in a row. See who else made the top 50 this year in this tree-map graphic. In the latest issue of Fortune Magazine.

Silicon Valley startup’s best friend

nrapp — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 13:30:17 +0000

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In the crowd of hoodie-wearing twentysomething entrepreneurs and flashy stars that he often hangs out with, Ron Conway is easy to spot He’s the 60-year-old guy with an ample girth, a full head of snow-white hair, khakis, and a crisply pressed shirt that might have come from the Brooks Brothers catalogue. He sits at the intersection of these worlds, connecting people and steering money, talent, and ideas to companies in a pugnacious style that seems almost a throwback.
Conway may not be a brand name outside of tech circles, but in the startup-fueled economy of the Bay Area, he’s a ubiquitous character with an outsize personality who is often called the godfather of Silicon Valley. It’s a moniker he’s earned, in part, by investing relatively small sums in more than 600 Internet companies since the mid-1990s. Hundreds went bust, but there are a few you might have heard of.

Read more in the current issue of Fortune magazine.

On their own in the big city

nrapp — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:36:49 +0000

A record number of people in the U.S. now live by themselves — and they spend $1.9 trillion a year. Businesses are beginning to take notice.
In the latest issue of Fortune Magazine.

The 100 Best Companies to work for

nrapp — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 15:46:19 +0000

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Fat paychecks, sweet perks, fun colleagues, and over 70,000 jobs ready to be filled — these employers offer dream workplaces. Like Google, which reclaims the top spot this year to become a three-time champion. Meet this year’s top 100, network with the winners on LinkedIn, and more.
In the latest issue of Fortune Magazine.