I notice that many use the "system of comparing Apples to Oranges" when comparing profits of various businesses. There are a number of ways to compare profits, i.e., Total Dollars, Percent on Investment, Percent of Costs, Percent of Revenue, Variation over time, etc.
Using standard accounting procedures, over the past 30+ years you will notice that oil companies have actually earned less profit than the average for all or most Corporations.
For Example, last year only one oil company (Exxon/Mobil) was in the top five Corporations (Microsoft, Wal-Mart, P&G, IBM) in total Dolars profit earned, and Exxon/Mobil earned the lowest Profit Percent.
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