Case Study

Bharat Petroleum: Way Forward

OR

Abstract:
In 2004, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd (BPCL), was one of the leading state-controlled oil retailing companies in India. The case talks about the evolution of the oil industry, its structure, its changing regulatory environment, the resulting competitive scenario and its implication for BPCL. With the partial liberalisation of the industry and the entry of private players, state-owned downstream marketers were forced to focus on marketing in order to protect their customer base.

Pedagogical Objectives:

• To discuss the strengths of BPCL as an oil marketer over the years, and the initiatives taken by the company in the wake of changes in the business environment
• To discuss the challenges faced by BPCL
• To discuss BPCL's foray into the upstream sector of exploration and production consequent to the deregulation, and the crude supply scenario
• To discuss the following points: (1) the growth motives of companies in a regulated and a deregulated environment; oil industry economics and the pros and cons of vertical integration in an industry such as oil and gas; (3) analyse the changes in the oil industry structure due to deregulation and how it affects new and established companies; (4) SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis of BPCL; and (5) analyse the rationale behind BPCL's foray into the exploration and production sector

Keywords : Bharat Petroleum; Oil industry in India; Upstream sector; Downstream sector; Growth Strategies Case Study; Regulatory environment; Reorganisation; Petroleum industry value chain; Energy sector; Competition