ITEM 1.       BUSINESS 
Exxon Mobil Corporation was incorporated in the State of New Jersey in 1882. Divisions and affiliated companies of ExxonMobil operate or market products in the United States and most other countries of the world. Their principal business is energy, involving exploration for, and production of, crude oil and natural gas, manufacture of petroleum products and transportation and sale of crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products. ExxonMobil is a major manufacturer and marketer of commodity petrochemicals, including olefins, aromatics, polyethylene and polypropylene plastics and a wide variety of specialty products. ExxonMobil also has interests in electric power generation facilities. Affiliates of ExxonMobil conduct extensive research programs in support of these businesses. 
Exxon Mobil Corporation has several divisions and hundreds of affiliates, many with names that include ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, Mobil or  XTO. For convenience and simplicity, in this report the terms ExxonMobil, Exxon, Esso, Mobil and XTO, as well as terms like Corporation, Company, our, we  and its, are sometimes used as abbreviated references to specific affiliates or groups of affiliates. The precise meaning depends on the context in question. 
Throughout ExxonMobil’s businesses, new and ongoing measures are taken to prevent and minimize the impact of our operations on air, water and ground. These include a significant investment in refining infrastructure and technology to manufacture clean fuels as well as projects to monitor and reduce nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxide, and greenhouse gas emissions and expenditures for asset retirement obligations.  Using definitions and guidelines established by the American Petroleum Institute, ExxonMobil’s 2012 worldwide environmental expenditures for all such preventative and remediation steps, including ExxonMobil’s share of equity company expenditures, were $5.5 billion, of which $3.5 billion were included in expenses with the remainder in capital expenditures. The total cost for such activities is expected to have a modest increase in 2013 and 2014 (with capital expenditures approximately 45 percent of the total). 
The energy and petrochemical industries are highly competitive. There is competition within the industries and also with other industries in supplying the energy, fuel and chemical needs of both industrial and individual consumers. The Corporation competes with other firms in the sale or purchase of needed goods and services in many national and international markets and employs all methods of competition which are lawful and appropriate for such purposes. 
Operating data and industry segment information for the Corporation are contained in the Financial Section of this report under the following: “Quarterly Information”, “Note 18: Disclosures about Segments and Related Information” and “Operating Summary”. Information on oil and gas reserves is contained in the “Oil and Gas Reserves” part of the “Supplemental Information on Oil and Gas Exploration and Production Activities” portion of the Financial Section of this report.
ExxonMobil has a long-standing commitment to the development of proprietary technology. We have a wide array of research programs designed to meet the needs identified in each of our business segments. Information on Company-sponsored research and development spending is contained in “Note 3: Miscellaneous Financial Information” of the Financial Section of this report. ExxonMobil held approximately 11 thousand active patents worldwide at the end of 2012. For technology licensed to third parties, revenues totaled approximately $176 million in 2012. Although technology is an important contributor to the overall operations and results of our Company, the profitability of each business segment is not dependent on any individual patent, trade secret, trademark, license, franchise or concession.
The number of regular employees was 76.9 thousand, 82.1 thousand and 83.6 thousand at years ended 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. Regular employees are defined as active executive, management, professional, technical and wage employees who work full time or part time for the Corporation and are covered by the Corporation’s benefit plans and programs. Regular employees do not include employees of the company-operated retail sites (CORS). The number of CORS employees was 11.1 thousand, 17.0 thousand and 20.1 thousand at years ended 2012, 2011 and 2010, respectively. 
Information concerning the source and availability of raw materials used in the Corporation’s business, the extent of seasonality in the business, the possibility of renegotiation of profits or termination of contracts at the election of governments and risks attendant to foreign operations may be found in “Item 1A–Risk Factors” and “Item 2–Properties” in this report. 
ExxonMobil maintains a website at exxonmobil.com. Our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 are made available through our website as soon as reasonably practical after we electronically file or furnish the reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Also available on the Corporation’s website are the Company’s Corporate Governance Guidelines and Code of Ethics and Business Conduct, as well as the charters of the audit, compensation and nominating committees of the Board of Directors. Information on our website is not incorporated into this report.