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Business and Operations

In: Business and Management

Submitted By deemcollins
Words 1555
Pages 7
Production and Operations Management
Strayer University

May 14, 2011

Production and Operations Management
On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded fifty miles from the coast of Louisiana, killing eleven men and setting off the largest oil disaster in U.S. history. Its impact would reverberate well beyond the Deepwater Horizon and the families of the eleven men who died, and even beyond the people and places of the Gulf of Mexico. Known as the BP spill, this tragedy seemingly was not an isolated incident. According to Juhasz (2011), “BP was not a lone actor; rather, this tragedy was the predictable outcome of an industry that has pushed well beyond its own technological capacity and beyond the government’s ability to regulate it” (p. 2). This oil well disaster has had important ramifications for the future of our country. In order to tackle the nation’s energy crisis, there must be an establishment of an orderly transition from crude oil to an affordable, sustainable energy future.
The purpose of this paper is to explore ways of converting crude oil to consumer fuels. The paper will examine Marathon Oil’s product process and give a determination as to which phase shows a need for the greatest efficiency improvements. In addition, the paper will address the retail price of gasoline and its relation to the world’s demand for crude oil, as well as what Marathon can do to keep the gas prices the same without losing profits even if global crude production is decreased by 10%. Finally, the impact of a continuation of a deep-water drilling moratorium on U.S. gas prices will be addressed.
Marathon Crude Oil Supply: Phase 1
Marathon Oil Corporation is a global corporation that is among the world’s leading energy companies. The company’s strategies lie in “applying innovative technologies to discover and develop valuable energy

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