Research Paper on:
SWOT Castrol USA

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
British Petroleum merged with Amoco, and then bought Atlantic Richfield Company (ARCO) (Hoovers, 2005). BP has "proved reserves of 18.4 billion barrels of oil equivalent, including large holdings in  Alaska" (Hoovers, 2005). BP is the "largest oil and gas producer in the US" and is also a top refiner, producing 3.4 million barrels of oil/day; it is also  a "petrochemicals and specialty chemicals manufacturer" (Hoovers, 2005). The company operates 14,700 gas stations in the U.S. (Hoovers, 2005). However, since Castrol is a wholly-owned subsidiary of BP,  we have to look at the parent company for our SWOT analysis. Strengths BP competes in an industry that produces products that are always in demand. As long  as Americans continue their love affair with the automobile, oil companies will have customers; and despite occasional protests from people that theyre sick of high prices and perceived manipulation, the  fact is that most people will continue to drive cars and SUVs. Only a very few will use mass transit or find alternatives. A customer base is thus  assured. Next, the fact that BP is the largest oil company in the world means that they should have a significant cash reserve and a great deal of operating capital.  They have a world-wide reputation and instant name recognition, as do the brands which come under the BP "family": am/pm, ARCO, and Castrol. But these brands are  more than just names; they represent excellence on the part of the corporation, and they are trusted the world over (Jackson, 2005). By that I mean that consumers consistently  rank BP products as the best in their class; "[I]n lubricants, our Castrol brand has used its technological advantage, rigorous segmentation and customer loyalty to drive sales consistently ahead of