Iraq War Case

The money spent on one day of the Iraq war could buy homes for almost 6,500 families or health care for 423,529 children, or could outfit 1.27 million homes with renewable electricity. (Lydersen, 2007) The war cost the United States almost 1 billion a day. Why was our country willing to spend that much money on a war chasing non-existent weapons of mass destruction? Many believe it was due to what was actually there that required no speculation as to its existence...oil.

Why is oil so important? For starters, it is by far the No. 1 energy source, supplying 38.7 percent of the world's demand. Oil is one of the most important raw materials we have. Every day we use hundreds of things that are made from oil or gas. With oil there is fuel that is made to run or vehicles, buses, airplanes and to heat hour homes. But here in the United States our dependency has raised 2 concerns. The first fact is that our security as a country is compromised due to the fact that we are so dependent on oil. When certain oil producing countries in the world experience civil tension or go to war, the United States is on high alert and ready to deploy. Not necessarily to bring justice to the deprived but to protect the resources that the U.S can't do without. Secondly, the question has been raised how much longer can we rely on the planet earth to produce the amount of oil needed for us to survive the way we have. These concerns have led to the dire need for us to find alternative sources of energy. The perfect alternative will be a local resource and abundant. Many believe that abundant local resource is Natural Gas. The question is does the extraction process pass the "red face test".

Natural gas deposits trapped deep in the earth are released using a process called hydraulic fracturing or "fracking". Supporters say "fracking" is essential to U.S. energy independence, a way to revitalize depressed rural areas with new mining jobs and gas projects. The fracking process includes drilling down approximately 8,000 feet and then across into the shale. Then tiny explosions are detonated fracturing the rock, millions of gallons of water, sand and chemicals are then forced in to make space for the gas to flow back up the shaft. Opponents warn that hundreds of millions of gallons of chemically treated water used in the process will pollute drinking water supplies and agricultural fields. New research by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado say methane, a potent greenhouse gas may be escaping from gas sites at much higher rates than previously thought. And so begins the debate as to whether this is a viable option and if the collateral damage is worth the effort.

To have a chance at winning in the court of public opinion the oil and gas companies will have to employ an effective strategy. 1) A strategy - outlines the organization's game plan for success. (p 16 Ferrell & Hartline, 2011) The movie Promised Land showed just how important a game winning strategy is for the company to be successful. Currently some states such as New York have a moratorium on fracking and when this expires the oil and gas companies will need to ensure they have a chance at the opportunity to drill. There is no such thing as a fair strategy, in the movie the company sent in a bogus environmentalist to sway people against fracking, and then orchestrated it so that the residents would know the environmentalist was a fraud. This tipped the scales back into the company's favor as the uncertain residents needed someone they could rely on. A subset of strategic planning is tactical planning. The movie also provided an example of that when they sent the salesman who had a farming background to that town. They knew that people feel more comfortable and trusting of others when they have more in common. Another tactical plan was the attempt to host a town fair and sponsor the local youth baseball teams. Companies perform these acts every day and they seem negligible to us but what it really accomplishes is subconsciously letting our guard down and seeing the company as a friend and an asset. This makes it more likely for us to choose their products and services when the time comes to choose one.

The best way to communicate your intentions and the cornerstone for the marketing plan is the mission statement. 2) A mission statement seeks to answer the question "what business are we in?" It is a clear and concise statement that explains the organization's reason for existence. (p 33 Ferrell & Hartline, 2011) Exxon Mobil's mission statement is "Exxon Mobil Corporation is committed to being the world's premier petroleum and petrochemical company. To that end, we must continuously achieve superior financial and operating results while adhering to the highest standards of business conduct. These unwavering expectations provide the foundation for our commitments to those with whom we interact." Especially in the wake of the Exxon Valdez oil spill should mission statements be more than about financial success. Oil companies need to make its consumers feel that they care about them and are concerned about the manner