Strategy for Petroleum Based Fuels Brokers

The profitability of independent brokers of petroleumbased fuels has suffered in recent years in comparison to historical performance levels. Performance problems may be attributed, in part, to a plethora of factorsactions and policies of the major integrated oil companies, environmental considerations (and associated governmental regulations) related to the burning of fossil fuels, the nation's dependence on foreign energy sources (including both [1] economic implications associated with the international trade deficit and [2] alternative fuels development), and the level of proven crude oil reserves. In the contemporary environment, independent brokers of petroleumbased fuels must formulate and implement strategies that will enhance their prospects for continued viability.

The population that will be studied includes all independent brokers of petroleumbased fuels in the United States. The subgroups of interest within this population are those brokers that concentrate on (1) crude oil, (2) refined products, and on (3) integrated brokers marketing both crude oil and refined products.

Primary data will be gathered through the administration of a survey instrument to a sample of the research population. The survey is the most efficient method of collecting data from the geographically dispersed population of independent petroleu

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by a dependency on foreign sources of energyprimarily on crude oil (Ashton, 1992, p. 82). Overall, the United States produces energy in an amount equivalent to 88.9 percent of its total energy consumption (Energy Information Administration, 1992, pp. 126127). Aggregate measures, however, do not reflect the mismatch between the country's energy production mix, and the energy consumption mix required to support its economic and military needs. As a result of the mismatch between the energy production mix and the energy consumption mix in the United States, the country's net energy imports are far greater than the aggregate data indicate would be the case. Thus, rather than importing 11.1 percent of the energy it consumes (as indicated by the aggregate data), the country actually imports 18.6 percent of the energy it consumes, at a time when there exists no national emergency to cause an escalation in energy demand. The energy production/consumption mismatch for the United States is even more serious than is indicated by the country's net energy imports, as a proportion of total energy consumption. Petroleum accounts for 42 percent of total United States energy consumption. United States production of petroleum accounts fo
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Value Line, Information Administration, PROPOSAL Statement/Purpose, Research Questions, RESEARCH PROPOSAL, Findings Findings, Management Decision, Castanias Johnson, Scope Research, Background Recent, petroleumbased fuels, crude oil, independent brokers, brokers petroleumbased, independent brokers petroleumbased, brokers petroleumbased fuels, energy sources, oil companies, proposed study, energy consumption, major integrated oil, major integrated, integrated oil, integrated oil companies, burning fossil fuels,
Approximate Word count = 1601
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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