Though not the sole operator in its industry in Colombia, the company provides the vast majority of oil and natural gas products to the domestic market, and its international market share makes it one of the world's thirty-five largest petroleum companies (Sourcewatch 2010). Ecopetrol has also established a very strong market presence in the Caribbean and South America; fluctuations in purchasing overall and through competition with other regions -- particular the Middle East -- make the establishment of a single concrete measure of market segment fairly difficult (Ecopetrol 2010).

Domestic and Export Strategy

Again, Ecopetrol's state-owned status plays a large role in determining the company's strategy for in its domestic market. The company has essentially monopolized much of the hydrocarbon resources that exist within Colombia's borders, and through its existence as a governmental organization has a much greater deal of price flexibility than its domestic competitors (Ecopetrol 2010; Sourcewatch 2010)....
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