Conoco Inc. - Continental Oil and Transportation Company

Conoco Inc., formerly known as the Continental Oil and Transportation Company, was founded in 1875 as a western US supplier of oil, kerosene, coal, candles and grease. In 1981, driven by a need to diversify its business, Seagram Company Ltd. showed interest in acquiring the company. However, in a surprise move, chemical company DuPont entered the picture and outbid Seagram to acquire a large chunk of Conoco. Though Seagram managed to acquire 32% of stakes, Edgar Bronfman Jr., the then CEO of Seagram, sold back all shares owned by Seagram in early 1995. DuPont benefited immensely from this acquisition, becoming one among the top ten producers of petroleum and natural gas in the market. In 1998, DuPont decided to go public with Conoco resulting in what was the largest IPO in U.S. history.

In early 1998, DuPont announced its exit from the oil and gas company in an attempt to allow both firms to make maximal use of market opportunities. DuPont announced what was to be one of the high profile US IPOs in May 1998 and offered 20% stake to the public initially. The remaining stocks were sold within a span of twelve months by the end of 1999. The initial plan was to sell about 150 million shares with an aim of raising $3 billion to $3.6 billion in capital. However, the plan was later changed and about 192 million shares being sold to the public. The shares were priced in the range of $20 to $24. However, by the end of the IPO, the share price was at the top of the range, priced at $23. Due to this, an additional private equity of about $1 billion was raised along with the initial estimate of $3.6 million with the final figures being $4.4 billion. The turbulence in the market meant that it was not the best time to offer an IPO. However, despite the skepticism in the market, the strategy of offering 3-4% dividend for the stocks paid off adding stability to the IPO.

From the shareholder perspective, it was a win-win situation. While they had an opportunity to acquire shares of either DuPont or Conoco or both, they were also exempt from taxes. For DuPont, the IPO allowed a gradual shift from the petrochemical industry to the life-sciences. Conoco, however, profited the most by finally realizing its aim to become an independent organization.

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How to Calm Dogs When They Are Frightened

Use a soft, gentle voice when calming your scared dog.

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Dogs can become frightened for a number of reasons, including exposure to a new object, person or pet. Thunderstorms, firecrackers or loud noises can also scare your dog, causing it stress and anxiety. When a dog becomes frightened, it reacts by whining and displaying fearful body language, such as lowering its body, flattening its ears and tucking in its tail, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Reduce your dog's anxiety and fear by calming it during a frightening situation.

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Take the dog out of the frightening situation on a leash while remaining calm and confident. Determine what is causing the dog's fear, such as a person or object, and ask the person to back away from the dog, or remove the object if your dog is not on a leash. Speak to the dog in a calm, nonanxious voice to calm it once it is away from the object or situation.

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Give the dog a series of treats to distract it from a frightening situation you cannot leave, such as a thunderstorm. This helps to associate the situation with something positive, like a tasty treat. If the dog prefers to play, engage it in a game of fetch or hide-and-seek with a favorite toy. Reward it for nonanxious behavior with a food reward.

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Plug in a diffuser that contains synthetic dog pheromones or spray the pheromones around the room. These chemicals have a calming effect on your dog and reduce its anxiety and fears. In outdoor situations, you can place special collars, which contain the pheromones, on your dog.

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Give your dog an herbal remedy like a flower extract to calm it down during a stressful, frightening situation. Apply these remedies in the dog's water or in the dog's food. During storms, you can use a specially designed jacket-type wrap that goes around the dog's body to calm it.

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Massage your dog to calm it during a frightening situation. Play calming, soft music in the background during the massage. This not only distracts the dog from what it fears, but positively reinforces the experience.

Tips & Warnings

Expose young puppies to a variety of objects, people and situations to prevent it from fearing new things later in life.

Keep a frightened dog away from strangers. The dog may lunge at or bite a stranger as a reaction to its fear.

Never punish your dog if it becomes frightened of a person, object or situation. This increases its stress and anxiety, making it more likely to react aggressively toward you or others.

Don't spray dog pheromone sprays directly on your dog.

Bring the dog to a veterinarian if it shows consistent signs of fear. This could indicate an underlying medical condition or behavioral problem, which may require medication or treatment.

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ReferencesAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Fear of Objects2ndchance.info: Curing Your Fearful Or Frightened DogAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Is Your Dog Afraid of Thunderstorms?Webvet: How to Calm a Dog Scared of Loud NoisesSan Diego Humane Society: Was Your Dog Abused?Partnership for Animal Welfare: Dog Tip -- Help for the Shy and Fearful DogAmerican Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals: Pet PheromonesPhoto Credit George Doyle/Stockbyte/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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United Parcel Service (UPS) - The Big Brown Machine

The big brown machine, as the United Parcel Service is colloquially known, began its services in 1907 as American Messenger Company. Today, the ubiquitous brown package cars deliver over 15 million packages every day in more than 200 countries across the world. After an illustrious history spanning nearly a hundred years, the transportation company went public in the later part of 1999 to become one of the largest high profile US IPOs of all time. The offering by the Atlanta based company literally took the market by storm at the time of its announcement.

The company initially planned to float about 10% of the shares priced between $36 and $42 per share. Contrary to other major IPOs of its time, the market speculation about this IPO was both positive and negative. The offering was a hit among small investors who saw this as a chance to get a chunk of the blue chip stocks. Moreover, the company had a reputation to boast about. In 1998, the company had made $1.7 billion in profits. Compared to its famous counterparts such as Federal Express Corp. (FedEx) and United States Postal Service (U.S.P.S.), it had achieved a higher return on equity (24%) in 1998. The company had also outperformed its competitors in the newly emerging e-commerce segment. However, there were concerns about the additional costs such as the cost of including more trucks and drivers. Additionally, the dependence on the fluctuating fuel prices and the not-so-pleasant labor relations added to the concerns of the public. The company had been forced to shutdown in 1997 due to a strike by Teamsters.

The company filed a prospectus with SEC in July, 1999 and divided the stakes into two types of shares. The Class A shares, which constituted for 10 votes per share, were distributed among the owners whereas the Class B shares, with a single vote per share, were included in the offering. Morgan Stanley was chosen to be the investment banker with Goldman Sachs and Merrill Lynch acting as co-managers. In October 1999, UPS announced that it would be offering 109.4 million shares (10%) priced between $36 and $42 per share. The increasing popularity among institutional investors caused the investment banking syndicate to hike the offering price to $50 per share. This hike in the stock price reached the peak on the trading day when it was sold at $70. At the end of the trading day, the shares closed at $67.25 taking the company's market value to a staggering $80.9 billion.

From small businesses to enormous corporations, all successful businesses began with business plans. Hire business plan writing services by visiting http://BusinessPlanWritingServices.Com/ or calling (323) 570-HIRE.

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How to Fix Jealousy Between Pets

Consistent structure can help stave off pet jealousy.

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Some pets experience a wider range of emotion than many people realize. This includes jealousy, which can manifest itself in aggressive and unpredictable behavior. Jealousy in pets usually occurs when a new pet is introduced into the home. The key to staving off pet jealousy and the associated negative behavioral involves a clear routine and structure that promotes stability and calmness.

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Pets thrive on routine. Depending on a structure that remains consistent day in and day out provides the security most pets need to behave and stay mentally balanced. Jealousy usually indicates some type of disruption in the routine. For example, the introduction of a new pet can take an owner's attention away from the incumbent pet. This, in turn, causes the owner to neglect the old routine, such as daily walks and scheduled feeding times. Maintaining the old routine demonstrates to the jealous pet that not much changes. Jealous pets are more likely to move back into a stable frame of mind when after an owner re-establishes structure.

Exercise

All pets need some type of exercise to keep physically fit. Exercise also provides bonding time between the pet and the owner along with important mental stimulation. An obvious but underestimated part of exercise includes physical exertion. A well exercised and tired pet does not have the physical or mental energy for aggression -- or at least not long bouts of aggression. This means you should exercise a jealous pet more often than usual. The additional energy expended makes it easier for an owner to give direction when a pet acts out of jealousy. Furthermore, your pet just won't have the energy to exhibit some of the negative traits associated with jealousy.

Separation and Reprimands

Regardless of how well you train your pet and make an effort to stave off jealousy, your pet still has a mind of its own and might suffer from some regression. Don't lose faith when this occurs. Separate the jealous pet from the other pets and reprimand them with a stern voice. These two actions alone indicate to your pet that jealous behavior will not be tolerated. Staying persistent in this approach eventually teaches your pets to not engage in certain behaviors. Positive reinforcement provides a stronger incentive to act accordingly than reprimands serve as a deterrent. As such, give your pets extra affection when they exhibit the types of non-jealous behaviors you want.

Maintain Pack Order

Some pets, such as dogs, have a natural pack order that includes a dominant leader and submissive followers. Failing to recognize this natural order causes confusion within the pack and forces the dominant leader to re-establish dominance through aggressive behavior. This situation requires owners to give dominant pets special privileges in recognition of their leader role. This includes earlier feeding times and the first pet to receive affection. Recognition of the pack order creates stability in the pack and keeps owner-induced jealousy at bay.

ReferencesPet Side: Taming Pet JealousyOdor Destroyer: How to Handle a Jealous DogResourcesDaily Mail: Why Dogs Get Jealous Too - Scientists Reveal our Pets Complex Range of EmotionsPhoto Credit Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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The Benefits of Using a Courier Service

When you own a small business, your list of responsibilities can seem endless. From maintaining an inventory of supplies to marketing, you've got better things to do than stand in line at the post office or wait for important packages to ship. Whether you need to transport essential business documents or delicate goods, courier services have a bevy of benefits over the postal system and other traditional methods of shipment.

Speed
There are days when you don't have the time for a trip to the post office or the UPS store. Although most delivery services offer options for expedited shipping, local couriers offer same-day delivery. This can be particularly important when you are setting up your business, as time is of the essence when it comes to returning signed legal documents. A courier can be especially convenient when it comes to sending sample products to important clients, as well. Rather than waiting days to receive a package, you can discuss design options with a client first thing in the morning and have them looking at samples and mockups that afternoon! With traditional shipping services, it can be difficult to know where your packages actually are. When you employ couriers, you'll never have to wonder if your package is sitting on a warehouse floor somewhere--your important mail goes from your hands straight to its destination.

Reliability
Unlike national services such as USPS or FedEx, most courier services have a small base of customers they regularly serve, resulting in more personal delivery service. Most large delivery services have absolutely no connection to the customers they serve. A local courier handles the delivery of documents and packages from start to finish, so there is personal accountability for the safe delivery of materials. With a courier, you'll never have to worry about your package being lost or damaged in delivery.

Affordability
If you need something to ship quickly, or you are shipping materials of a sensitive nature, most traditional shipping methods require additional fees for expedited services or additional package insurance. When you enlist a delivery courier, you can typically avoid package regulations and mounting fees. Most courier services utilize per-mile or flat-rate payment options, in order to keep prices low.

As a business owner, you need a way to transport documents, correspondence, and goods. Rather than spending time and risking the integrity of your shipments with a large, impersonal company or spending thousands of dollars establishing and staffing an in-house shipping service, give your local courier service a call.

Maria Allen is an Internet marketer for Prospect Genius, a leader in online local advertising.

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How to Build a Squirrel Corn Feeder

Squirrels may destroy bird feeders in an attempt to reach the seed.

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Squirrels love to eat nuts, seeds and corn. Setting up a feeder for squirrels allows you to enjoy watching the critters scamper about and feed. It also helps keep them from destroying any bird feeders you might have in your yard and gobbling up all the bird seed. Building a squirrel corn feeder is easy enough that youngsters can do it with some adult supervision and assistance. In no time, you will be watching squirrels at dinner.

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Collect two pieces of wood. They can be any size, but ideally one would be 1-by-5-by-9 inches and the second 1-by-5-by-5 inches. One piece needs to be large enough to hold the end of an ear of corn and allow a squirrel to sit next to it, and the other end needs to be large enough to attach it to the surface you have in mind, such as a tree.

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Nail the two pieces of wood together so they create an L-shape. The smaller piece forms the base of the holder.

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Turn the feeder upside down and tap a long nail through the middle of the short board. The nail must be long enough that it pokes through the wood on the other side by at least 1/4 inch.

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Attach the holder to a tree by nailing through the long piece and into the tree. Add enough nails that the holder is secure.

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Push an ear of corn onto the nail that sticks up through the base. The corn cob stands straight up so the squirrels can get to it on all sides. Replace the corn cob when needed.

Tips & Warnings

Squirrels like corn more than birdseed, so creating a corn feeder and keeping it stocked should help keep the squirrels out of your bird feeders.

Avoid putting paint, stain or grease on the feeder since such chemicals may be toxic to wildlife. Leave the wood in its natural state.

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ReferencesCornell University Lab of Ornithology: Bird Notes from Sapsucker Woods: What Can You Do About Squirrels?Photo Credit Thinkstock Images/Comstock/Getty ImagesRead Next:

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Best Way To Store Jeans

The perfect pair of jeans can be hard to come by. Once you do find that treasured pair, you most certainly want to care for them properly to insure that they will last you a good long time. The way that you wash and store your jeans can make quite a difference in how long they last, and how true their color stays.

Really, there isn't just one specific way that works for storing all of your jeans. Depending on the style of your denim, you should store them differently. So first, separate your jeans out by style. All of your nice trouser-like jeans should go in one pile. All of your distressed, very casual, or light wash jeans should go in a separate pile. Any jeans that are too large or too small for you, just put those in a box marked "Goodwill." There's no sense in hanging on to pants that don't fit, or that are dated.

For your jeans that are designated Saturday afternoon casual wear, these can simply be folded and kept either in a bureau drawer or on a shelf in your closet. Some creases from being folded will really not affect the way the fabric lays when you wear them. If you have ones that are honeycombed or distressed, a few extra folds in the fabric will not hinder the style at all. So feel free to fold these however they best fit in your drawer or on your shelf.

For your jeans that are a darker wash, and/or trouser cut, these should be hung in your closet. Your "dressier" jeans should be treated with care, just as you would your favorite tie stylesand wool sweaters, to prevent creasing, stretching and fading. It is wise to invest in several good quality wood trouser hangers, the kind that clip at the top, to hang your nice denim. Look for hangers without abrasive clips or serrated teeth and instead opt for ones with padded clips. Serrated teeth are much more likely to snag on the fabric, whereas those with a smooth, round edge or padding will prevent snagging and tearing.

When you hang your jeans, simply clamp them from the top over the waistband of the pants. This is preferable to hanging your jeans upside down from the hem because denim is such a heavy fabric. If you hang your jeans upside down by the hem, it will cause the fabric to stretch, therefore placing unneeded wear and tear on the fabric fibers. Although you may not notice a visible difference when you put the jeans on, it will cause them to more easily develop rips and runs while in the washing machine.

Speaking of washing, this is the second crucial element to insuring that your jeans have a long life. If you have a habit of dumping all of your jeans into the washing machine and washing them together, try to break this habit. Only wash your jeans when they start to look whiskery around the thighs, or when they are truly dirty (such as if you spill something on them). Oftentimes pants can just be hung in your closet and allowed to "breathe" for a bit rather than washed. So for your nicest jeans, try to wash them only after you have worn them a few times. When you do wash them, turn them inside out first. Use a gentle and high quality detergent to help care for the fabric, along with cold water. If you have very dark denim that you would like to prevent from fading, add a cup of white vinegar in along with your detergent. (Don't worry, the vinegar smell will wash right out.) It's okay to put them in the dryer on low heat, or hang them on a clothesline outside to dry.

Author: Michael Taylor is a Marketing Manager at TIE SNUG. TIE SNUG eliminates continuous adjusting and makes wearing a tie more comfortable. The right necktie accessories can ensure you look professional and help you stand out for the right reasons. Now you can be confident knowing your tie knot looks great. For more information, please visit http://www.tiesnug.com/blog/.

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