Fortune 500: Exxon Mobil

So you hate Walmart? Don’t shop there. The way to express your disdain of Walmart’s business practices is to take your money elsewhere and encourage others to do the same. No amount of whining or complaining is going to change such a huge machine. The bottom line in all decisions made in that corporation’s structure is MONEY/PROFIT. You may think Walmart is going to Hell in a handbasket, but as long as we offer tax breaks and incentives to corporations who obtain most of their goods from foreign nations then bombard us with low priced, unsafe and shoddy merchandise, Walmart/Walmart wannabes will rule. Sending jobs to other nations and allowing skilled individuals in this country to lose their livelihood because we sit on our hands and don’t vote to make necessary changes to the basic structure of how America does business, makes us all as guilty as Walmart.

I think ExxonMobil deserves everything they get. They work hard and they are not made of hippies. Also their stance on Global Warming is the best in the world. I have and I do work there.

It strikes me that 3 of the top 5 revenue and the top profit goes to oil companies. Eveyone complains about gas prices and these people are raking it in? They are gouging us!

This store is terrible. Everything is made in China, and it’s all junk. Their corporate motto is: Cheap crap sells.

I don’t know about New York, but in Owensboro, KY Wal-Mart has raised it’s prices across the board recently here about 15-20% after the Christmas holidays, including grocery items.
We have been faithful with Wal-Mart until now with our grocery buying, but have started to venture to more attractive prices at stores like Kroger.
Please check out the rest of the nation on their pricing not just the reports that they give on their profits. It sounds like their profits are coming from the increased prices as well.

I just started at wal-mart. I feel i am treated like a kid. The people that have been at walmart long term are to afraid to move on there use to the abuse. Well i dont want use to that. Sam is gone. It is all corporate politics and who you know. The long term employees stay due to fear of change. Sure wal mart is awesome if its all you want to see.

Who ever thought there would be a time when staying warm in your home, being able to afford good food, being able to afford gasoline for the car, or praying you don’t get sick enough to lose everything you have worked for would happen in the United States. So, keep buying all your good at Walmart, and maybe, as the economy nose-dives, you can use your Walmart toilet paper, as you go to the bathroom in the creek, next to your hut, which is all you will be able to afford—The New Middle Class America!

GET SMART you bargain-shopping idiots!
Walmart sells Americans well over 90-percent chinese-made products. As the nations largest retailer, what do you think this is doing to American manufacturing jobs? Duh!!! And I am a life-long republican who believes in capitalism and is against labor unions (in north-east Ohio of all places)! But let’s keep it in America and figure out how to balance our greed with our love for cheap products!
Anyone ever hear the phrase…”you get what you pay for”!!!

wrong, corporations were not chartered to serve the people. They were however created to make money for owners, stockholders or investoers. Non-Profits serve a different purpose, but let’s not confuse the two.

If eveyone keeps turing a blind eye on Wal-Mart’s injustices it dishes out to employees, communities, suppliers, and yes even shoppers what will happen when Wal-Mart no longer has any competition? I vote with my money and I will never vote for Wal-Mart.

Pinnacle West outsourced my job to India

Both Fannie and Freddie have done magnificent jobs for our Country, arousing the jealousy several of our largest banks and seemingly the displeasure of the Wall Street Journal’s editors. And then, there’s the greed of Fannie and Freddie’s officers and directors, using all sorts of devices to push their incomes higher (certainly at the expense of the F&F shareholders). And derivatives do NOT work for what they are supposed to do.
Is it any wonder F&F are in trouble? No. B ut Fannie did work through similar trouble back in the 1980s. I say, let them do it again.

“It’s really too bad these “big” companies are profiting from the labor and loss of the American worker.” – Posted By Un Easy Newtonia Missouri

Profit can never be bad.

Corporate excess is a direct result of consumer excess. Any company that is successful is only successful because they have customres who continue to buy goods and services from them. If people would learn to consume less and save more, companies would downsize and people would gain steady employment in stable industries.
If workers would learn to live with less money, then the economy would balance itself out. Many of these companies that sell non-essential goods and services would go out of business. Some companies would cut back on offering certain goods and services. This would cause temporary layoffs, but in a few years the economy woudl rebound and become resilient.

Nobody wants to lose jobs. But many of the jobs out here are not very essential to the well-being of others. If people bought less fast food, smaller vehicles, less entertainment, and cheaper education, the middle class could easily survive with lower wages. The problem is that new trends are followed and people get jobs with companies that are not meant to last long. As soon as Americans start consuming less, the middle class will become comfortable and stable once again.

Delta is going down. It is failing. Try using your frequent flier mileage (Sky Miles) to book a domestic RT flight for 25,000 miles. IMPOSSIBLE. You’ll need 50,000. Unable to operate competitively, Delta will go down. Pull out while you can.

There are several things most of those who criticize the “oil giants” seem to fail to recognize:

(1) More of the profits of at least the top two “oil giants”, ExxonMobil and Chevron, come from outside the U. S. than here.

(2) More of their profits come from “upstream” (exploration and production) than from “downstream” (refining and marketing).

(3) The company with the greatest U. S. refinery capacity is Valero, not ExxonMobil or Chevron. However they operate primarily in the U. S. (they have a refinery in Aruba and interests in Canada) and no U. S. crude production. They are opening retail outlets under the Valero name but primarily supply “quick sacks” and companies that market gasoline (such as grocery stores) but do not produce any. They make only about 6% on revenues.

(4) Probably the third and fourth largest oil companies are not U. S. companies but BP (British) and Shell (Dutch).

In fact BP might be larger than Chevron. They now own several companies that used to be U. S. companies. I believe their first purchase was a couple of refineries and some (older) gas stations once owned by Sinclair they bought when Sinclair was taken over by Atlantic Richfield (ARCO). They then bought Standard Oil (Ohio). ARCO itself (who first discovered oil on the North Slope of Alaska) was next and they purchased Amoco (formerly Standard of Indiana) most recently.

Venezuela (Chavez) is in the picture as well. They own CITGO (formerly Cities Service) and until recently shared ownership of Lyondell – Citgo. Lyondell was a “spin off” from ARCO.

Even the “big camel,” Saudi Arabia, has a “nose under the tent.” They have a half interest in a company called Motive with a refinery in Louisiana.

(5) The “oil giants” also make a lot of their money on natural gas sales. I can’t find details on crude vs. gas profits in any of the data I have but they are investing heavily, (mostly overseas again) on finding gas and transporting it as LNG to the U. S.

(6) At least ExxonMobil and Chevron collect and pay far more in taxes (no company actually “pays” taxes they merely collect them and pass the costs to their customers) than they make in profits. But again most is outside the U. S., where most of their profits come from.

It’s really too bad these “big” companies are profiting from the labor and loss of the American worker. Wages and bennifits are being cut and profits are going up. You all wanna send our jobs out of country? Well pack up and get out and dont bother trying to sell us your forgin made crap. One of these days you will find your self with out workers or customers. You’ll cut your selves out of work. Good riddence! Wake up Corporate America.

I have no professional experience with Exxon – I do invest in XOM and have been pleased. However, from my experience in the computer field, Exxon looks very good, if your background fits (not for computer folks, however – go to IBM, or HPQ, or the like). Exxon is big, very profitable, and the critical value of oil and exploration, extraction, and processing, and Exxon’s presence in all aspects of energy and oil, assures decades of stable growth and job opportunities. Starting out in a large company has the tremendous advantage of learning the business, getting continuing education, great health care, IRAs, and stability. The time to work for a smaller company is when you already have the expertise that is critical to the business and will provide a major jump in salary, position, and possibly stock options prior to an IPO. Nothing replaces doing the research about your specific position within a company, its value and your opportunity for growth – you must do that yourself. Do you have the specific skills that Exxon wants? Have you considered further education? Are you an engineer or scientist, especially in geoscience or chemistry, possibly with a masters degree in marketing? Then Exxon would provide professional development while offering a reasonable lifestyle (I’d beware the travel and transfer expectations, however, unless you want to travel, and if so, Exxon might be all the better). Be careful. All large companies have divisions and managers that can make life miserable. Know who will be your boss and how he treats people – ask one of the people “on the team”. If that costs you the job, you don’t want it anyway.

Quite frankly, I’m surprised that Pepsi is that much higher than Coca-Cola on the Fortune list. Not that that’s necessarily a bad thing. I avidly partake in the consumption of Pepsi products and rather prefer them to Coke products (with one or two exceptions). I simply find it a strange thing that the country’s most recognizable brand isn’t higher (no sarcasm intended). Of course, maybe I’m not as economically savvy as I should be.

In any event, keep pushing, Coca-Cola, and Pepsi, keep up the great(er) work.

why is there not a list for the worse companies to work for

Drug companies have been extremely profitable because during the Reagan administration, legislation was passed that favored them, and the added wealth has enabled them to lobby aggressively for laws that are even more favorable to their economics, and no one has bothered to stop them. There are whole books about this.
The argument about drug companies needing big $$ for R&D is of course made weak when you notice twice as much is spent on their advertising budget. Scary, considering we are the only industrialized country that allows direct-to-consumer advertisement. Which of course pressure on doctors because patients come in asking for the drug by name, and the doctor that doesn’t prescribe that may lose a customer. As for Walmart, I doubt nepotism/ favoritism is an encouraged corporate policy, but low-price/discount type companies tend to pay little and therefore end up with poor management judgment, especially on a local level. Same kind of thing can be found in fast food chains and so on. I have no good advice for the people exploited by this scenario due to lack of other job options. Pack up and move? Easier said than done, of course. Microsoft profits are irrelevant, because when it comes to lower income families and “survival”, computer equipment has never been a necessity compared to drugs and food, and even gas to get to work. Want online access? Move near a town with a library with necessary resources that are free. But again, easier said than done. A completely corporate-owned government is becoming more a reality every day, but in the end, it’s our own fault because we are letting it happen by buying these products, electing any crook with an ivy league education, and turning a blind eye when it’s not convenient to do otherwise… So expect it to get much, much worse before it gets better. My advice? if you’re living in poverty: ditch your home, get a gym membership, (so you have somewhere to bathe), and then live in your car–Preferably in a community with a college. Work two jobs until you can afford to get an education, and don’t take any more classes than what you can get straight A’s in, and you’ll be on full scholarship and/or working for a professor within 2-3 years. After you have about 10 years experience in a credible field, start a business that will help change it all. Aspiring actors/actresses do the “live in your car” thing all the time. Do it with a couple families so daycare can happen for free.

Change is never easy nor convenient… which is of course why it isn’t happening. Everyone should be ashamed of the mass complacency, I know I am.

Pacific Life would be # 4 in Nebraska if Fortune could figure out what “state of domicile” means

Notice that ExxonMobil has held the top spot with the highest “profits”. I attribute this to their conservative business techniques, employee competence, and technical expertise.

To everyone who complains about ExxonMobil’s profits:

1) Much more goes into the price of gasoline than you realize — the price of crude oil, government regulations, changing fuel specifications, taxes, transportation costs, geopolitical uncertainty, etc.

2) Instead of complaining about buying gas to drive to your minimum wage job, get an education so you can make a better living or get a bike.

3) Listen to the other comments about the profit margin of ExxonMobil compared to that of other companies.

Lets all just go back to hunting and gathering. Some people hunt for vacation, others may hunt for life. Native Americans were a lot less stressed than us, lived longer, and did not revolve around materialism. If we do not take our actions into consideration, we will be the cause of our own destruction and especially in the United States of America.

Walmart will hire anybody you dont,t have to have any skills or manners to do work with the public for this company. most are very uncouth.

After reading some of these comments, I feel the need to reply. I have been employed with Wal Mart for 6 years and can tell many people who have worked for the company are not happy and the open door policy is nonexitising. Capping people out after so many years those who have hit that mark just don’t care about the job. The ideal of getting another job is a joke because Louisiana have such a low job rate that Wal mart and Chase are to job many have to choose from. That is way so many of us complain.Some of us just xan’t go out and find a new job we just have to put with until the political changes happen down we just stuck

The Fortune 500 is primarily for investors rather than job seekers – no surprise there. But there are ways to utilize the list for purposes of evaluating employers. For job seekers, the most useful part of the F-500 is called the Fortune 1000 – a (larger) ranking of U.S. companies by industry that is organized by revenue but also, usefully, employment. It shows the total number of employees and the percentage of increase or decrease on a year-over-year basis.
To read more about this, check out:
http://www.myglobalcareer.com/archives/2007/04/26/sizing-up-this-years-fortune-500/
Rusty Weston, Chief Blogger, My Global Career

I’m amazed by the fact that, despite three out of the five top spots being held by oil companies, some people are still naive enough to believe these companies aren’t stealing our money. I’m a Republican, and even I can see that.

Transnational Corporations are the cause of too many problems on this planet. Let’s stop patronizing these companies and instead buy from small shops and indivuduals whenever possible. In this way we can strive to decentralize power!

How come UAL has $23 bn in profits while revenues add up to only $19 bn?

The top money in the U.S. in the hands of a CHRISTIAN Company? It’s about time.

This raw data can be misleading. Properly accounting for the risk and time for R&D, (and the true asset value of intellectual property from this R&D), really change the profit calculations and rankings. When these factors are accounted for, the profits of the pharmaceutical industry are more in line with US industrial average – not high above as the raw data indicates, and as some industry critics state in their arguments for price cuts or government controls over the industry.

I wish more people would take economics, Exxon is economy of scale…they might make $39.5 billion but it takes $347 billion in salesto get there. This is capitalism if you don’t like go to the basketcase that is Europe

I worked for Wal Mart for 6 years and they were a great co. to work for. I don’t understand why people bash them all the time.

Delphi and Northwest Airlines are the top two companies for one-year returns? Something is wrong with the methodology if these two bankrupt train-wrecks are first and second.

Wow, it’s interesting how there are 3 oil companies in the top 10 and 10 in the top 500. Keep jacking up gas prices…. They’re just not making enough money!

I am proud to say that I work for Citigroup and was very pleased to see its ranking in the Fortune 100. Citigroup is a very good company to work for and is not only fiscally responsible but socially responsible as well. Go Citi!!!

Once again the media plays to the uneducated masses. Exxon may have generated the most dollars of income. but the highest percentages of profit are the banking industry and big pharm. That figure, in some cases is almost double the percentage of profit of big oil.

Oil company profits are from the pockets of hard working middle class struggling to survive. 3 of the top 10, what a joke.

Discriminating against Texas? Last year Texas had the most Fortune 500 companies, yet on the website it ranked California as having the most because it did it by Fortune 1000 companies of which CA had more. Well this year Texas has more F1000 companies than anyother state and shocking, they change the criteria and New York is now the winner with 57 companies, ranked by Fortune 500. They are just dealying the inevitable which is Texas domination of this whole list. If so many Fortune 500 companies wouldent have gone private this year in Texas, it would have won also. But really, Texas has 17 more Fortune 1000 companies than New York, at least they should keep the criteria the same.

Wal-mart No 1! yes, I believed. what really Wal-mart is worry about is profit, profit, profit. does big really mean better? for Wal-mart it is, and the way of how they obtained such profit isn’t for low prices is for low wages and huge explotation to the associaties.

What seems to be lacking in the discussion on Wal-mart’s number one ranking is the fact that they sell many American made products. Those American made products are produced by American companies that provide a more than living wage to thier employees. Just because Wal-mart makes a profit doesn’t mean they are “evil”. They are giving a market to many American companies that provide well paying jobs and make a profit as well.

It’s frustrating that Oil and Energy companies rank in the top 10, especially looking at their profits compared to how much WE as Americans are having to pay for gas and energy costs. While we struggle to pay our bills, these energy giants take home ridiculous profits home with them. Thanks a lot Bush.

Walmart may have had the most revenue and Exxon had the most profit, but if you look at the profit to revenue ratio, Walmart made about 3%, XOM-11.4% (which is 10th t f top 100).
1) Pfzer – 36.8% 2) MSFT – 28.4%
3)JNJ – 20.6&% 4)Bank of Amer – 18%
5) Altria – 17% 6)Citigroup – 14.6%
7)JPM – 14.4% 8)GE & AIG – 12.3%
10) Exxon – 11.4%
Oil companies may make lot of money, but they sell a lot of product. Excess taxes should be based on % not $$.

As Steve Briggs pointed out, the real test of how much a company gouges the public is to look at the profit / revenue. ExxonMobil is a measley 11 % and Walmart is much lower. Just about every banking and pharmaceutical company on the top 100 list exceeds that profitability.

Per capita is revealing…
Per capita, the leaders are Minnesota (3.9), DC (3.6), Connecticut (3.1), NY (3), Nebraska, and NJ (2.8), and Illinois (2.7) and Colorado (2.6). The oft-disregarded Northeast remains the powerhouse, along with the oft-ignored midcontinent (forgive me, Colorado, but you’re half-flat). Oh, Texas and California are powers, to be sure… but not on a per capita basis!

I think it would be a better measure to rate each company by the profits made and not only the total revenue. Fortune only considers total revenues to list their top companies, but if you look at the profits and what the the profit margin of each company is you’ll see that WalMart’s profit consists of only 3% of their total revenues (which makes it fall all the way to No. 80), while Pfizer’s profit margin is 37% (!) and Microsoft’s is 28%.

But, if you want to know who made the most money, of course, you guest it, it’s big oil’s Exxon followed by two banking firms.

I remember when Wal Mart touted the fact that products sold were American made. I would like to know Wal Mart’s share or the imbalance of trade with China. It’s a sad day for America and its manufacturers. It isn’t all about cheap!

First of all i work for the sister company of walmart(sams club) and i regret to say that i am very underpaid.. i have worked for the company for over 5 years and barely make $9 an hour.. i have a family to support and i have struggled, while tryin to move up in the company and continually get shot down and overlooked… while friends and family members of management, which are usually less time on the job and underqualified,continually get the better paying positions. I am considering looking for other employment because i am gettin no where fast. Sad to say this is a company that promotes family as a priority and me and my family are about to become homeless..

As gas prices go sky high more oil companies reach the top 10

Exxon is the biggest rip off company in the United States. Look at their prices, almost always higher than all other stations. They hold their prices higher when others are coming down and they move higher faster than all outher companies. And I still see cars at the pumps. Why?

It is a BIG JOKE that all of these Oil/Petroleum companies are so highly ranked and all of us that buy their gasoline have to take their high prices and just accept them without much else being said.

Where in the heck are the politicians that we have elected to put pressure on these blood sucking oil giants?

SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS!!!

In considering the behavior of these large corporations, we see a clear and present danger to the security of the United States

I can’t believe people continue to shop at Walmart. I have refused to shop there the last 11 years due to customer service issues!

YAY!! For STARBUCKS! #338 to #310 that’s a great annual change! There is no doubt that STARBUCKS sells the number one coffee in the world! And it’s no wonder why they profit in the billions each year! Starbucks has some of the best coffee products available on the market!
It is however a wonder how they can retain GOOD managers in their company?! Having been management at Starbucks before I can tell you that the pay is absolutely appalling for what is expected. Only in the Thirty thousands annually for a load of stress, horrible retail hours, minimal days offs and high corporate politics?! No Thanks. I Can also say that in my opinion that the proposed “Work life balance” and were in the “People business” mottos Starbucks has was non existent towards their salaried managers in the district I worked for. Leaving Starbucks was the best decision I could have ever made; I make more than Fifteen thousand more a year and I TRULY have real work life balance.
In my opinion there is more internal politics at Starbucks than there is in Washington! Good Luck!

I think Airlines are agressively abusing their employees..Since the industry took some hits all of their employees have had to sacrifice by working for very little and benefits have been lowered where its difficult to live on pay checks they receive versus what the upper management and ceos receive..There has been no one watching over these companies and holding these people accountable for this..Its just been very inhuman that they can behave like this and no accountability for their behavior..Someone needs to look into this for those employees..I am one of those employees..We all need some serious help..

I think there is something fundamentally wrong with three of the oil companies being in the top 5 of the Fortune list when working families are struggling with the high cost of gasoline to get to their minimum wage jobs. I wish our senators and representatives would get up the nerve to do something about it.

Interesting that WalMart is on top. I strongly contend that America’s loss of manufacturing to China is going to very slowly destroy America. Only time will tell……

All oil company’s should be a shamed of there selves.they make so much money and then cry that they apy so much for oil. but if you look at it, they can afford it by all means.then they go charge people in a america so much for gas. they are all the same, millions of dollars a week almost and they cry, makes me sick. wll mart is teh same way. they hike there prices just as well. afetr making so much money. start caring abotu the people who do not make millions of dollars like these big compnay’s do.

Interesting that Walmart, who offers the public a chance to save money, tops Exxon Mobil and the other gas companies who gouge the public….

Any of the top companies on the list are in that position because they emphasize quantity, making a profit, and lack severely in quality! Walmart is, obviously, the worst – top of the list!

If Walmart is #1 in Fortune 500, why have they withheld annual bonus pay to their employees two years in a row in Salem, Oregon. All Walmart ever does is whine and complain they don’t make enough money and then brag about making #1 in Fortune 500.

Exxon Mobil is the most irresponsible company in America. Their arrogant former CEO retires with $400M and our gas bills go thru the roof. Then they pay a PR firm to downplay global warming? Disgusting.

WalMart is number one, had almost double the revenue as the number two company, and yet cannot provide health care to its employees? Whats wrong with that picture????

Everyone who curses Exxon should look at the % of profit to sales and compare to Microsoft. Exxon 11% Microsoft 28%.

I have worked at citibank, bank of America and GE. I now work for an internet company. I can definitively say I would never work at at any of the top 10 companies in the list. The rules and policies that these monoliths hide behind are enough to make my stomach turn. Not to mention the less than desirable work hours and locales.

I work for a company in the top 50 and I must say, they make their profits buy cutting associates income by 15 to 25 percent. Its ashame that people that make or try to make their living and be loyal to a company, can no longer afford health care, even offered by their employer at a lower rate, because of these pay cuts. Its not profitable for anyone to be loyal to large corporations anymore. What happened to the family friendly jobs in this country, Greed Greed, thats whats happened!

I have worked for 2 500 companies in my career, central soya in the 60’s and 70’s and now near the end of my working career, wal mart. Central soya was by far the better company to work for.

What happen with Southwestern Bell?

Why GM??? I don’t understand.