Social Problems

PROBLEM CAUSE EFFECT

1. Fuel Theft  One of the main
One of the biggest social
problems faced by PSO
is fuel theft, which is a
common occurrence in
Pakistan.
 Corruption: Another
 Lack of security
reasons for fuel theft
is the lack of
effective security
measures in place to
prevent theft. This is
due to inadequate
fencing, surveillance
cameras, or security
personnel at storage  Corruption led to
facilities or petrol
pumps.
factor contributing to
fuel theft is
corruption among
employees and
officials who are
responsible for
safeguarding PSO's
assets. This can
include collusion
with thieves to steal
fuel or turning a
blind eye to fuel theft
in exchange for
bribes.
measure results in
significant financial
losses for PSO,
which can have a
negative impact on
the company's
profitability and
overall operations.
supply shortages
particularly during
peak demand
periods, which can
lead to long queues
at petrol pumps,
increased waiting
times, and
inconvenience for
customers.

2. Price Hikes  Global oil prices:  Global oil prices lead

Price hikes are a social
problem that affects
Pakistan State Oil (PSO)
and its customers. Price
hikes refer to the  Government taxes
increase in the price of
fuel, which can have a
significant impact on the
cost of living for the
average Pakistani
One of the primary
factors that affect the
price of fuel in
Pakistan is global oil
prices.
and levies: Another
factor that cause
price hikes is  Government taxes
government taxes
and levies. The
government impose
taxes on fuel to
generate revenue,
which can increase
the cost of fuel for
to an increase in the
cost of fuel in
Pakistan, which can
be passed on to
customers which
then creates issues
for average
Pakistani.
lead to inflation
which creates higher
prices for other
goods and services,
which can further
impact the cost of
living for the average
 customers. Pakistan.
 Fluctuations in the  Fluctuation in the
Pakistani rupee: currency lead to an
Fluctuations in the increase in the price
Pakistani rupee also of fuel.
affect the price of
fuel. When the value
of the Pakistani
rupee decreases
against other
currencies, it causes
an increase in the
cost of imported oil
3. Environmental  Oil spills: One of the  Oil spills have a
Concerns: main causes of devastating impact
environmental on marine and
PSO has also faced concerns is oil spills, wildlife habitats.
criticism for its impact Oil spills occur This can have long-
on the environment, during lasting effects on
particularly in terms of transportation, biodiversity and the
air pollution and storage, or handling overall health of the
emissions. of oil and its environment.
products.  Water pollution led
 Water pollution: the to contamination of
oil industry also rivers, lakes, and
contributes to water groundwater,
pollution, affecting aquatic life
particularly through and human health.
the discharge of  Air pollution led to
waste water from oil respiratory problems
refineries and other and other health
facilities. issues.
 Air pollution: The oil
industry is a major
contributor to air
pollution because
vehicles release
harmful gases.
 4. Employee Welfare
PSO has also faced
criticism for its treatment of
employees, including issues
related to salaries, benefits,
and working conditions.
 Low wages: Another
 Lack of benefits: The
 Lack of workplace  The effect of poor
safety measures: One employee welfare is
of the main causes of that it can lead to
employee welfare decreased morale,
concerns is the lack increased turnover,
of effective and decreased
workplace safety productivity, which
measures in place. can negatively
This can include impact the
inadequate personal company's bottom
protective line.
equipment,  Low wages lead to
insufficient training, financial stress and
and unsafe working difficulty meeting
conditions. basic needs,
employee
factor contributing to dissatisfaction and
employee welfare high turnover rates.
concerns is low  Lack of benefits
wages. leads to decreased
productivity and low
absence of benefits morale.
such as health
insurance, retirement
plans, and paid time
off can also
contribute to
employee welfare
concerns.

Technological Problems:
PROBLEM CAUSE EFFECT
1 Obsolete  Lack of investment:  Lack of investment
Technology A lack of investment lead to inefficiencies
in technology can and reduced
 The use of outdated result in the productivity.
technology can continued use of  Incompatible
hinder the efficiency outdated systems and systems leading to a
of PSO's operations processes. lack of
and processes.  Incompatible interoperability and
Legacy systems may systems: data inconsistencies.
not integrate well Incompatible  Resistance to change
with modern systems can hinder result in decreased
technology. the integration of competitiveness as
new technology. other companies

2 Cybersecurity
Threats
Cybersecurity threats
can compromise the
confidentiality, integrity,
and availability of data
and systems used by
PSO.
3 Lack of
Digitalization and
Automation
PSO may have manual
processes that could be
automated, leading to
inefficiencies and
increased costs.
4 Inadequate Disaster
recovery and
Business continuity
planning
PSO may not have
sufficient measures
in place to recover
from a disaster or
maintain business
continuity.
 Resistance to change adopt new
also contribute to the technologies and
use of obsolete gain a competitive
technology. advantage.
Employees may be
resistant to new
technologies or
processes, preferring
to stick to what they
know.
 Inadequate  Inadequate
cybersecurity cybersecurity result
measures: in reputational
Inadequate damage for PSO,
cybersecurity leading to a loss of
measures, such as customer trust and
outdated software, decreased brand
unsecured network value.
connections, or weak  Cybersecurity
passwords, create problems can result
vulnerabilities that in financial losses for
cybercriminals can PSO due to the cost
exploit. of remediation, legal
fees, and penalties
for non-compliance.
 Lack of automation  Lack of automation
main cause is lack of lead to reduced
investment in productivity,
automation, lack of increased costs, and
awareness about the decreased
benefits of competitiveness.
automation, or
resistance to change.
 Main cause of  It led to downtime,
inadequate disaster financial losses, and
recovery is lack of reputational damage.
investment in
disaster recovery and
business continuity
planning, lack of
awareness about the
risks, or insufficient
training.
References:
 https://www.iiste.org/Journals/index.php/JEDS/article/download/13838/14112
 https://assap.wum.edu.pk/index.php/ojs/article/download/69/105/870
 https://www.academia.edu/download/34228133/
Corporate_Social_Disclosure.pdf
 https://www.academia.edu/download/46679276/
Greener_energy_Issues_and_challenges_for20160621-9667-
wsskdn.pdf
 https://instacare.pk/blog/social-problems-of-pakistan