This study investigates the use of discretion by oil and gas companies in reporting financial performance and oil and gas reserve estimates during times of high political scrutiny resulting from increases in energy prices. Hypotheses tested in prior literature state that companies facing the...

Acknowledgments -- Introduction. p.1 -- 1. Early years in the West. p.7 -- 2. Oil and railroads in Southern California, 1892-1902. p.23 -- 3. The birth of the Mexican oil industry, 1900-1910. p.52 -- 4. Return to California, 1908-1912. p.87 -- 5. Creating an international oil company, 1912-1915....