Competitive strategy of the Oil and Gas Industry

Challenge: Through intense research, interviews, and interaction with NOC executives, created a comprehensive picture of the current regional situation; an assessment of the “size of the prize” available to foreign oil companies, including our client; and a model of stakeholder objectives along with a core set of options for a new type of relationship to be introduced .

Solution: Using country-specific models and expertise, we can identified key opportunities for the client to improve its short-, medium-, and long-term positioning in each potential target country and gave the client significant advantage and bargaining intelligence before approaching new investor relationships.

Oil & Gas: Competitive strategy

Corporate & business unit strategy

Management works with oil and gas companies to design and implement corporate and business unit strategies that deliver profitable growth and enhance shareholder value. Our clients include upstream, downstream, and service companies.

Management approach to corporate and business unit strategy is built on a solid understanding of the economic fundamentals of our client’s business and its competitive position in the industry. Company help clients sort through complex market, competitive, and economic issues to enhance or reshape corporate and business strategies and work :

the external industry environment and the value chains in which we participate evolving

positioned against changes in the external environment and our competitor’s strategy

The capabilities and assets can we bring to bear on new markets and opportunities

improve our position or alter the competitive landscape

strategic options do we have to grow our business scale and geographic breadth

attractive opportunities to accelerate growth via M&A or partnership investments

strategic options do we have to enter a new market

Assess resource and execute our growth strategies

current reserves and production assets meet target levels of risk and returns

restructure to enhance growth and facilitate resource access?

investing in the right technologies to compete and grow and enter a new growth sector?

Selecting best  partners given our structure

What are critical areas of market uncertainty and how can we mitigate risk

Oil & Gas: Competitive strategy

Market analysis

In highly competitive environments, incisive market assessments can help companies capitalize on growth options, capital investments, and new product or technology introductions.

experienced industry consultants specialize in defining market structures, driving forces, and global competition. We have deep expertise in the industry and in economics, and consistently deliver world-class market research, insightful analysis, and tangible results.

We collaborate closely with our client’s strategy development, marketing, and sales teams, and tailor our research and analysis to particular client needs.  Specifically, we help companies:

Analyze strategic and competitive industry position

Develop new strategies for market entry and growth

Develop new markets and products tailored to customer needs

Segment existing markets to identify growth opportunities

Assess technologies to define opportunity and/or threat

Assess competitor strategies and likely competitive response

Understand customer behavior to identify new ways to profitably serve them

Analyze programs and budgets to ensure spend is appropriate to expected returns

Oil & Gas: Intellectual property & technology management

Company can combines a high degree of technical competency, proven management tools and processes, and deep industry knowledge to help our clients identify sources of technology value and transform them into profitable growth. We help clients align technology strategy with overall business strategy and advise on:

Technology strategy, planning, and execution

Technology platform development, structuring, and execution

R&D portfolio and resource management

Commercialization

Technology market and competitive evaluation

Intellectual property strategy and management

Technology strategy, planning, and execution

A sound business strategy must be supported by a properly-aligned technology strategy. We work with R&D heads and corporate or business unit management to forge the links necessary to define, create, and execute  properly-aligned technology strategies. We also work side-by-side with management and R&D teams to ensure that programs with the highest potential are properly resourced and managed, and that technology and capabilities critical to the future of the company are accessed and nurtured to deliver advantage and profitable future growth.

Technology platforms

Technology platforms are vital to gaining competitive advantage. We can help you develop, structure, and commercialize platforms that leverage your firm’s distinctive technologies and competencies to yield market-leading performance.

Portfolio and resource management

Achieving the appropriate balance of new and long-term, as well as incremental and breakthrough, technology investments is essential to balancing risk and performance. CRA works with clients to create and deploy portfolio and R&D process design tools to increase the expected value of R&D portfolios, inform make/collaborate/buy decisions, and maximize the value created from R&D resources.

Commercialization

Unfamiliar markets, partnership tensions, and capital constraints are a few of the challenges faced by companies seeking to commercialize technology. We help companies exploit the full value of their technology portfolios through robust IP strategies that align with commercialization programs.

Technology market and competitive evaluation

The foundation of technology strategy, planning, and execution is a sound market evaluation. CRA combines technical expertise with in-depth knowledge of the energy industry to evaluate new technologies in relation to current and potential markets, and to define the dimension of the opportunity, drivers of change, and entry/expansion requirements. We work with clients to assess the competitive situation and define appropriate strategies to take advantage of business opportunities.

Intellectual property strategy and management

Creating and exploiting intellectual property is the lifeblood of technology-based firms. From IP strategies to patent valuation, licensing, and litigation, CRA has the expertise to help oil and gas companies manage, enforce, and extract value from IP portfolios.

Oil & Gas: Risk management

Clients around the world engage CRA to help them develop more effective and more comprehensive strategies, processes, infrastructure, and controls for managing risk.

We cut through complexity to give clear, direct answers based on rigorous analysis of hard data. We also provide concrete action plans that enable clients to better manage credit, market, operational, and strategic risks.

Mutual respect – Management consultants have a deep commitment to success, integrity, and collaboration. We co-develop sustainable frameworks in partnership with clients.

Industry focus – have a full understanding of our clients’ businesses, including exchange-traded and over-the-counter products, market participants, and institutions.

Risk expertise – Management consultants are leaders in the provision of marketing, credit, and operational risk management expertise to top global financial services companies.

Proven track record – outstanding record of past performance in the implementation of management infrastructure, business processes, and regulatory compliance.

Seasoned practitioners -have deep kn Management owledge of the operating environment, as well as underlying capital market participants, regulators, marketplaces, and vendors

Oil & Gas: Organization & performance improvement

Organization and performance improvement is a never-ending necessity for oil and gas companies. Shifts in global supply and demand, record-high energy and materials prices, and chronically underperforming assets are only a few of the current challenges. Executives also face considerable pressure to boost shareholder returns, whether through revenue growth, margin improvement, asset efficiency, or some combination.

CRA helps clients identify and utilize the levers that can improve business performance. Our tailored, comprehensive approach addresses process, organization, systems, and performance metrics

Oil & Gas: Environmental strategy

Regulatory policy and litigation involving air and water quality and waste disposal now impact virtually every industry. Annual expenditures on environmental protection, cleanup, and damages total hundreds of billions of dollars, and a reduced burden is not expected.  Oil and gas companies have challenged themselves to be positive environmental contributors, and a sound environmental strategy is increasingly important to maintain regulatory compliance and demonstrate responsible care.

CRA provides expert, far-reaching support to clients facing challenges related to the environment. We help our clients respond to environmental regulatory and legal action, influence the regulatory and legal setting, and anticipate and adapt to future requirements, including possible climate-change regulation.  Our consultants advise on:

Corporate strategy to address risks and uncertainties surrounding greenhouse gas (GHG) policy

Environmental strategic compliance options with federal, regional, state, and local regulations/legislation

Emissions trading planning surrounding cap-and-trade policies for SO2, NOX, Mercury and CO2, among others

Environmental policy analysis to shape future policy design

Regulatory/litigation support in conflict situations involving costs/damages resulting from claims related to the environment

Identification of business opportunities that could relate to environmental trends, such as renewable power generation, demand-side management, and energy efficiency