The objectives of this dissertation are to explain the production behavior of OPEC's member countries from 1971 to 1987 and to determine whether there was any structural shift in OPEC's production behavior after the organization attempted to assign a quota to each member. This study focused on political and social as well as economic variables, in order to overcome the misspecification of previous models. In order to achieve the above objectives, the study used the following four models, with modifications: the cartel, competitive, target revenue, and property rights models. The double log multiple linear regression technique was used to operationalize the cartel, competitive, and target revenue models; simple linear regression was used to estimate the property rights model. The cartel model was based not only on economic variables but also on social and political variables. The internal political instability of each OPEC country was measured by the number of armed attacks within the country. The structural shift in OPEC's production behavior between the 1971-1982 period and the 1983-1987 period was evaluated using the Chow-test. The Chow-test showed no significant difference between these two periods for OPEC overall or for individual members. Thus, the two periods were combined so that the study was performed for the entire 1971-1987 period. Because this period of analysis was relatively short, alternative models were applied to pool the data and thereby increase the reliability of the model estimates. A cross-sectional correlated and time-wise auto-regressive model (CCTA) was selected to pool the data and to estimate OPEC's production coefficients. Then each individual OPEC member's production model was estimated and compared to the pooled model. The results indicate that OPEC behaved as a cartel, and that a partial market-sharing hypothesis was significant for all 11 OPEC members. These findings indicate that OPEC was a loose cartel, with only partially effective cooperation on production decisions. Political instability was found to be significant (at the 10-percent level) overall, and it negatively affected production. It was also significant at the 5-percent level for the price-pusher group (Iran, Venezuela, and Algeria). This group was also the only one pooled using least squares with dummy variables (LSDV), because of its common slope and different intercepts. Overall results suggest that OPEC members were basing their production decisions on crude oil prices, excess production capacity, and each member's share of total OPEC output.

Thesis (PhD) -- University of Canberra, 2007. / Thesis submitted to fulfil the requirements of the unit of Masters Thesis in Administration, and complete the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Administration, University of Canberra, July 2007. Bibliography: leaves 177-205.

Research Project (M.R.M.) - Simon Fraser University, 2005. / Research Project (School of Resource and Environmental Management) / Simon Fraser University.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Southampton, 1987. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 237-251).

No description available.

The primary purpose of this study is to develop a realistic model of an oil company which can be used to evaluate alternative systems of petroleum accounting. The model is used to simulate several accounting variables produced by the full cost and successful efforts methods of accounting. The simulated accounting variables are net operating income, net oil properties, operating expenses and return on investment. This study also evaluates the oil company models used in prior petroleum accounting research. There are currently two systems of petroleum accounting (full cost accounting and successful efforts accounting) that are generally accepted. The full cost method basically requires the capitalization of all exploration and development costs while the successful efforts method does not permit the capitalization of either geological survey costs or the costs of dry exploratory wells. A petroleum accounting model should satisfy three requirements. The model should incorporate all significant revenues and expenditures. The values of these revenues and expenditures should be realistic and the timing of the business transactions must be realistic. Earlier accounting studies employed deterministic and stochastic models which failed to satisfy one or more of the three requirements of a petroleum accounting model. Because there are many significant differences between these models and the oil companies which they claim to represent, the findings of these studies cannot be considered to be realistic. The model developed for this study represents the exploration, development and production activities of an oil company. Multinomial probability distributions are used to model exploratory drilling success. A binomial distribution is used to model development drilling success. Exponential decline curves are used to represent oil production. The model displays the type of behavior that is predicted by the economic theory of exhaustible resources and it satisfies the three modeling requirements stated previously.

Originally presented as the author's thesis, M.S. in the M.I.T. Alfred P. Sloan School of Management, 1979.

Thesis (M.B.A.)--Ohio State University, 1984. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 54-58). Available online via OhioLINK's ETD Center.

ABSTRACT The purpose of this thesis project work is to build reservoir models (structural, facies and Petrophysical property models) of the different reservoir surfaces using integrated data sets (seismic, wells, fault sticks, eclipse models, horizon surfaces) of the Norne field which is located in blocks 6608/10 and 6508/1 in the southern part of the Nordland II area. Different visualizations techniques, volume rendering and seismic attributes were applied to aid the seismic interpretation and to provide detailed evaluation/integration of the data. 3D seismic interpretation for the whole seismic volume within the reservoir section was done manually with controlled input surfaces/reflectors of the Top horizons of the Not and Åre Formations. Fault and surfaces interpretation of the reservoir were generated as key inputs in the modeling process The structural 3D grid skeleton and models were generated with critical inputs of the manually interpreted faults/horizons, using different qualitative/quantitative templates in Petrel. This was followed by well interpretation and upscaling to provide discrete facies which are needed in populating the structural models of each of the reservoir surfaces. A probabilistic facies model was done to capture the proportion of the spatial dimensions of each discrete facies in the model frame. The initiation of this study involves quantitative data quality controls and management of inputs files into the Petrel window, qualitative control involves transferring geologic licenses/understanding to the various interpretations in the visualization schemes, seismic interpretation and reservoir modeling templates. The combination of different data type and idea (volumes, wells, top surfaces, and fault sticks) types means that the user must have a multivariate understanding (Geologic, Geophysical, Petrophysical, Geostastistic, Geo-Modeling and Reservoir Engineering) in other to integrate the data sets and deliver the models. Eleven wells were used in reference to the Top surface of the Not, Åre Top surfaces and Statoil Reference report of the field, to deliver and control the seismic interpretation. A wedge shape structure was observed in the reservoir section. Typically, minor and major faults were interpreted as forming compartments in the reservoir, which were interpreted across the different lines. The structural framework in the field was largely defined by the Norne Horst and associated faults, with the erosional surface of the BCU with internal sub unconformities observed. The property facies model of the reservoir surfaces (Garn, Ile, Tofte, and TIlje) suggest that the Norne Horst and sub relief structures are mainly sand rich, which provides additional prospect indicators in exploring the field

Seismic interpretation of 13 lines has been conducted in the Hammerfest and Tromsø basin areas in the southwestern Barents Sea. Based on interpretations, a 3D Geomodel comprising 10 layers has been constructed. Depth conversion of the Geomodel was accomplished after building of the herein required velocity model. Paleobathymetric reconstruction was performed for 9 time intervals from Top Oxfordian/Late Jurassic until Intra Sotbakken/Base Pliocene utilizing SINTEF´s basin modeling tool SEMI Paleowater. The restoration method is based on the information about depositional geometries from seismic sequences combined with zero or near zero water depth indicators. The time intervals have been restored using the deep marine infill scenario. The reconstruction showed that the Early Cretaceous paleo-water depth was greatly influenced by the Late Jurassic-Early Cretaceous rifting episode that resulted in the formation of deep marine basins and structural highs. Differential subsidence during the Cretaceous led to more stable areas in the east and rapidly subsiding basins in the west of the study area. Compressional tectonics in the Early Paleogene resulted in the development of the Senja Ridge as a positive structure. From the Oligocene until the Miocene, a period of shallow marine conditions was restored in the Hammerfest and Tromsø basins. The transition to a passive continental margin and resulting thermal subsidence led to a new deepening in the Neogene.