Shell is an Anglo–Dutch multinational oil and gas company incorporated in the United Kingdom and headquartered in the Netherlands. Created by the merger of Royal Dutch Petroleum and UK-based Shell Transport & Trading in 1907. By 2011, they became the second largest company in relation to revenue, growth and profitability in the oil and gas sector (Bruijn et al, 2002). The company operates in all areas of oil and gas industry, these areas include exploration of oil and gas, supplies and distribution, marketing, production, refinery, petrochemical development and power generation (McIntosh, 2001). The company is also concerned about environmental conservation, and it has invested heavily on the production, and distribution of renewable energy (Carroll, 1999). It supports initiatives of developing and distribution bio-fuel energy, wind and solar power, and hydrogen energy.
The oil boom of the early 1920s, particularly at Shell’s Signal Hill, California site, provided the company with an opportunity to penetrate the Los Angeles area with sales of Shell gasoline and petroleum products manufactured in its new refineries nearby. In 1922, Shell Company of California and Roxana Petroleum merged with Union Oil Company of Delaware to form a holding company called Shell Union Oil Corporation. Approximately 65 percent of the holding company’s shares was held by Royal Dutch/Shell Group. Upon developing the ability to synthesize 100-octane gasoline, Shell began supplying this fuel to the U.S. Air Corps in 1934, and gradually became one of the largest producers of aviation fuel. Because of the increased demands of the military during World War II, Shell shared this technology with the rest of the industry. It also helped the country overcome its wartime loss of natural rubber supplied by Java and Singapore by providing butadiene, a chemical required for the production of synthetic rubber products.
In the 1980s Shell expanded overseas business through acquisition. The acquisition of 30% shares of Shell Oil in 1985 consolidated Shell's operations and business in the U.S. market. During this period, offshore exploration technology and projects were developed, such as the Troll in Norway and the Gulf of Mexico.The collapse of Communist regimes in Eastern Europe in 1989, Shell gained access to markets in these regions. The first operation was started in Hungary though the joint venture structure. Soon the business expanded at a quick speed to many other Eastern European countries, including Russia. In this time, the "gas to liquids" technology was widely applied, which played a significant role in its later development in the following decades. The opening of its plant in Bintulu, Malaysia marked a new chapter for Shell in terms of the liquefied natural gas production.
In the new century, Shell began to expand business into China and Russia. At Salym, Russia, some large oil and gas projects are established and developed. In China, to meet the increasing consumption demands for oil and gas, Shell has built a massive joint venture company with China National Petroleum Corp. (CNPA)-CNOOC and Shell Petrochemicals Company Limited. Until the first quarter in 2010, its business across the world continues to grow in a steady and favorable tempo. In Australia, Shell Energy Holdings Australia Ltd. and his partner Petro China International Investment Company Ltd have reached an agreement with Australia-based Arrow Energy Limited, in which Arrow decides to sell out his 100% shares to Shell and PetroChina at a total price of 3.5 billion dollars (Arrow Energy, 2010, internet). The acquisition of good quality assets together with high quality employees from Arrow would benefit Shell, PetroChina, as well as the Queensland Coal Seam Gas in the long term. In the Gulf of Mexico, Shell has started his oil and natural gas production in the Perdido Development Project, which is characterized by the operation of the deepest offshore oil platform. At the same time, Shell obtains permission for exploration activities in Pakistan, Egype, Tunisia and French Guiana.
Shell now operates in 90+ countries and operates an approximate number of 44000 service stations, 93000 employees on average, 22.6 million tones of equity LNG sold during the year, 3.0 million barrels of oil equivalent produced everyday. Due to its massive size and huge capital base, the company is an important player in the international system. The company operates under four main divisions. These are projects and technology, upstream international, upstream Americas and downstream. (Brujin et al,2002).

Key Dates:

1912: The company begins selling gasoline in the United States.
1913: California Oilfields, Ltd. is acquired.
1915: American Gasoline Company changes its name to Shell Company of California.
1922: The company merges with Union Oil Company to form Shell Union Oil Corporation.
1929: By now, Shell gasoline is being sold throughout the United States.
1939: Shell Oil Company of California merges with Shell Petroleum Corporation.
1949: The firm officially adopts the name Shell Oil Company.
1970: Company headquarters is moved to Houston, Texas.
1971: Shell introduces the self-service gas station.
1979: The firm acquires Belridge Oil Company.
1985: Royal Dutch/Shell Group acquires the remaining shares of Shell Oil.
1989: Shell is forced to pay cleanup costs related to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal in Colorado.
1994: Production begins at the Auger platform.
1996: The Mars platform is installed in the Gulf of Mexico.
1998: Shell and Texaco Inc. form Equilon Enterprises LLC; Motiva Enterprises LLC is formed by Shell, Texaco, and Saudi Aramco.
1999: Shell begins to restructure operations due to poor financial results.