Supermajors

The supermajors are the elite of the energy industry, often characterised by the breadth of their international holdings, their large stake in the global energy market, and their dominant financial standings. Because of their titanic size and the large percentage that they control of the global energy market, there is only a very small number of supermajors, often bunched in a group known as the Five Sisters: Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch/Shell, BP, ChevronTexaco, and TotalFinaElf.

Supermajors try to reap economies of scale at every level of the energy supply chain and thus are able to derive greater profits. During the past decade, supermajors have adopted a business policy of "bigger is better" and thus gobbled up their competitors through a string of acquisitions.