The development of competitive advantage in the current global economic context is a widely studied issue within academics and professionals. However, competition in the oilfield services industry, despite its relevance in the global economy, has not yet received significantly attention. Within the international business context there are very few studies that seek to analyze the increasing market for simulation software technology within the oil and gas industry from the viewpoint of competitive analysis.

Access to new technologies is enabling the oil and gas industry to reduce project cost as well as increase safety and product reliability, all while reducing environmental impact and becoming more efficient in the extraction process. For many years, the industry has relied on technology to find, produce and process petroleum. Now, oil and gas operators have a great opportunity to accelerate the pace of innovation through the benefits from advances in simulation technology, which will play an increasingly important role in technology development for drilling, production, transport, and processing of petroleum and derivatives.

This thesis examines the sources of competitive advantage in the oil and gas simulation market through a competitive analysis of the specific industry. The framework used for the present analysis is founded on concepts acquired primarily from the business strategy and strategic marketing management fields, in particular, theories focused on competitor analysis, competitive advantage and competitive differentiation and service development. The study helps as well to analyze the competitive landscape of the oilfield services industry, concretely those providers of visualization and simulation software within the oil and gas industry.

The study is based on a qualitative research to explore and assess each of the competitors and the specific characteristics within the industry. The qualitative approach used seems the most appropriate since no other studies were found on the topic of competitive advantage and service differentiation for oilfield simulation providers. The gathered information is therefore mainly of a qualitative kind. The thesis is besides conducted as a case study, concretely a competitive analysis for the oil and gas simulation industry through an analysis of four of the main players in the market. To gain a better inside of the market and the factors affecting the competitive landscape, semi-structured interviews to managers with relevant experience within the companies were also conducted.

The findings based on both the theoretical framework and the empirical research are then analyzed using the analysis model proposed in the form of a strategic tool.

As a conclusion, the study provides an outline of a competitive analysis and landscape for the oilfield virtual reality simulation industry and emphasizes the importance of identifying the key success factors inherent to the market to enhance a solid competitive advantage. Finally, the findings of this research emphasize the important role that service differentiation and innovation plays in the strategic marketing management process of B2B services providers operating in highly competitive, high-tech B2B markets