2013



Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations

Business Environment and Outlook

Chevron is a global energy company with substantial business activities in the following countries: Angola, Argentina, Australia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chad, China, Colombia, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Denmark, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Myanmar, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Norway, the Partitioned Zone between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the Philippines, Republic of the Congo, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Kingdom, the United States, Venezuela, and Vietnam.

Earnings of the company depend mostly on the profitability of its upstream and downstream business segments. The biggest factor affecting the results of operations for the company is the price of crude oil. In the downstream business, crude oil is the largest cost component of refined products. Seasonality is not a primary driver of changes in the company’s quarterly earnings during the year.

 To sustain its long-term competitive position in the upstream business, the company must develop and replenish an inventory of projects that offer attractive financial returns for the investment required. Identifying promising areas for exploration, acquiring the necessary rights to explore for and to produce crude oil and natural gas, drilling successfully, and handling the many technical and operational details in a safe and cost-effective manner are all important factors in this effort. Projects often require long lead times and large capital commitments.

The company’s operations, especially upstream, can also be affected by changing economic, regulatory and political environments in the various countries in which it operates, including the United States. From time to time, certain governments have sought to renegotiate contracts or impose additional costs on the company. Governments may attempt to do so in the future. Civil unrest, acts of violence or strained relations between a government and the company or other governments may impact the company’s operations or investments. Those developments have at times significantly affected the company’s operations and results and are carefully considered by management when evaluating the level of current and future activity in such countries.

The company continually evaluates opportunities to dispose of assets that are not expected to provide sufficient long-term value or to acquire assets or operations complementary to its asset base to help augment the company’s financial performance and growth. Refer to the “Results of Operations” section beginning on page FS-6 for discussions of net gains on asset sales during 2013. Asset dispositions and restructurings may also occur in future periods and could result in significant gains or losses.

The company closely monitors developments in the financial and credit markets, the level of worldwide economic activity, and the implications for the company of movements in prices for crude oil and natural gas. Management takes these developments into account in the conduct of daily operations and for business