ExxonMobil ( XOM) is one of the half- dozen major oil companies in the world. The firm has four primary operating divisions ( upstream, downstream, chemical, and global services) as well as a number of operating companies that it has acquired over the years. A recent major acquisition was XTO Energy, which was acquired in 2009 for $ 41 billion. The XTO acquisition gave ExxonMobil a significant presence in the development of domestic unconventional natural gas resources, includ-ing the development of shale gas formations, which was booming at the time. Assume that you have just been hired to be an analyst working for ExxonMobils chief financial officer. Your first assignment was to look into the proper cost of capital for use in making corporate investments across the companys many business units.

a. Would you recommend that ExxonMobil use a single company- wide cost of capital for analyzing capital expenditures in all its business units? Why or why not?