基于创新驱动的石油公司成本领先战略

Innovation-driven cost leadership strategy for oil companies

油气行业存在明显的市场同质化现象,实施成本领先战略是石油公司的必然选择。特别是随着全球能源格局的调整,石油逐渐回归其一般商品的经济属性,成本驱动因素在油气生产、市场开发、重组并购等业务活动中的作用日益凸显。成本不是价格下跌的底线,相反价格却是成本上涨的天花板。任何成本都不是刚性不变的,需要随着市场供需和价格的变化而变化。成本领先战略并不追求成本越低越好,而是突出创新驱动,依靠技术创新和管理创新,提高效率、优化运营、减少浪费,实现全方位、可持续地降低成本。技术创新能够直接转化为成本领先优势,赢得市场竞争优势,并为未来发展奠定基础,是石油公司实现成本领先的核心。管理创新是石油公司实施成本领先战略的保障,应着重于:1)管理组织创新——重在防治"大企业病";2)商业模式创新——重在优化价值链;3)运行机制创新——重在激发内部活力;4)管理方法创新——重在控制过程中的成本费用。此外,还要积极培育创新文化,鼓励创新、宽容失败,并把成本领先和勤俭节约意识变为全体员工的自觉行为,努力塑造创新型企业形象。

Cost leadership is the inevitable choice of strategy by oil companies because of the commoditization of oil and gas. In the global energy industry＇s current structural adjustment, oil has gradually been reverting to its economic character as an undifferentiated commodity. Given the growing importance of cost-driving factors in oil and gas production, market development, restructuring and MA in a low price, low revenue environment, cost isn＇t a base-line for a falling price, but the price is the ceiling of a increasing cost. Costs aren＇t all hard and fast and unchanging, but vary with change in market supply, demand and price. The strategy is not ＂the lower the cost, the better＂, but innovation-driven to provide more bang for the buck. It relies on technological and management innovation to improve efficiency, streamline operations, reduce waste and thereby comprehensively and sustainably reduce cost. Technological innovation, the key ingredient for an oil company to achieve cost leadership, can translate directly into a cost advantage, give a competitive-market advantage and lay a solid foundation for future development. To ensure an oil company is implementing a cost leadership strategy, management innovation should focus on： 1） organizational redesign mindful of immunizing against ＂large enterprise＂itis; 2） replacement of business model by one that focuses on optimizing the value chain; 3） configuring an operating mechanism possessed of internal vitality; and 4） adoption of management methods that put the emphasis on cost control. Oil companies should also actively cultivate an innovation culture where innovation is encouraged and failure tolerated, where cost leadership and thrift awareness are manifested in conscious action by staff, and were everyone strives to create an innovative corporate image.