Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies Research Paper - 1

Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies - Research Paper Example Transcontinental Oil Company was the owner of the Marathon brand. Ohio Oil Company transformed into Marathon Oil Company in 1960s, making it grow through purchasing or merging with other companies. Besides, the company has enjoyed good fortunes through drilling oil in regions outside the USA. Such regions include Mexico, Canada, Alaska and Ireland (United States Congress, 1981) United States Steel bought Marathon Oil in 1982 and moved its headquarters from Ohio to Texas. In 1998, Marathon Oil merged with Ashland Inc. and formed Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC. This enabled Marathon Oil to expand its base in the USA. In 2001, USX sold the steel firm in Marathon Ashland Petroleum LLC and concentrated on oil business. The company was then named Marathon Oil Corporation (Donnell, 2007). The company has opened up drilling facilities in Louisiana, Illinois, Canton, Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky, Texas City, Catlettsburg, Texas, Minnesota, Angola, and Equatorial Guinea because of merging. The com pany also experiences good returns on its investment. For example, the latest financial statement for the company stated returns on investors appreciated by 9.8%, earning yields of 8%, revenue increase of 16 billion and profit margins of 9 billion. The company made a profit of 4 billion more compared to the previous year. Though the company had an increase of daily expenses from 166 million daily to 174 million, it experienced a daily income of 384 million. The main reason why the company has sustained good profits is its ability to conquer new markets and merge with other companies (Donnell, 2007). Question 2 CarMax, Inc was established in 1996. The company deals in second-hand cars through its subsidiaries. Last year the company sold over half a million cars. The company also sales some of its cars through auction; last year, the company sold thirty thousand cars at its on-site auction centers. At times, the company is allowed to sell new cars at four locations together with manuf acturing companies. Last year, two percent of its cars sold were new cars. Apart from this, the company offers other products and services. They include purchasing of cars directly from consumers, guaranteed asset protection, accessories, and vehicle repair. The company acquires cars from consumers through car-buying centers and in-store appraisal process and sales them to other buyers or leases them out to hires or individuals who want to use them in racing or wedding parties (CarMax, 2013). It would be profitable if CarMax merged with Suzuki Motor Corporation. This is because Suzuki Motor Corporation operates worldwide. This would make CarMax expand its services to the international community and widen its market. Lastly, by going international, CarMax would improve its image as an international company. The company would also deal in a wide range of cars such as pickups and Nissan motorcycles. This would enable the company to outshine major rival companies such as General Motors (American Suzuki Motor Corporation, 2013). Question 3 Marathon Oil Corporation has a cost leadership system that improves level of efficiency and reduces costs of operation. Such system is able to convince countries to allow Marathon Oil Corporation to operate in their regions in a cost-effective mode. This has enabled the company to deliver goods and services to its clients at a relatively lower price compared to its rivals. The company has also differentiated its