Dallas, Texas

Sitting in his father's office, listening to him rant about the state of the economy, JR could almost physically feel the return of the tension Sue Ellen had helped relieve him of earlier in the morning. He was a forward thinker, so he had been planning for the predicted economic downturn for months and he was confident that his plan would help Ewing Oil when things eventually did take a turn for the worse, but there was something in his father's words and tone that made him feel uneasy. The last time he, Bobby and his father had met with the Ewing Oil accountants, they had heard nothing but good news, but for whatever reason, his father now seemed convinced that bad things were coming and they and their accountants had misread the figures and misjudged the situation.

JR didn't know what to think; he had decided almost a year ago that Ewing Oil should take a different path to their counterparts; instead of being cautious and worrying about the economy, they would going full steam ahead and pump as much, sell as much and buy up as much of other, less fortunate companies as they could. He had planned it with both the goals of saving them from having to worry about their current profits, as well as eventually making Ewing Oil the biggest independent oil company in Texas. From his perspective, it made sense to own and operate as many productive fields as they could get their hands on, because at the heart of the issue was a dwindle in national supply. Essentially, for Ewing Oil to grow, they had to sell as much oil as they could, and for that to happen, they needed to be able to access as much oil as they could. The price they were selling for didn't necessarily matter too much as long as they were selling a large quantity of it.

JR wasn't stupid or naïve though, he knew the market was unpredictable and things could change very quickly, so he had also been consulting with Ewing Oil's scientists and engineers in order to gauge what other options they had. A long time ago, Bobby had suggested Ewing Oil expand into other fields, namely natural gas, however, JR knew better than to just impulsively jump into a decision. Natural gas was at present, a less profitable business than oil, because unless a company was already established in the natural gas field, it simply wasn't worth the trouble. Natural gas was in demand, but it was also a product that had an artificially set price, one that was well below the market price, making the cost of the equipment and exploration too high in comparison to any potential benefits, especially for a company just starting in that field. Because of that, it didn't make sense for them to put resources into developing a plan for expanding into natural gas. Natural gas wasn't the only other source of energy available though and JR was confident that their excellent employees could come up with some kind of achievable and profitable plan for if the oil market did ever drop dramatically.

Planning everything, keeping in mind that things could change quickly and they had to be prepared, JR had been sure that if he succeeded, he would make his father proud, make him a very rich and powerful man and give his son a wonderful foundation and legacy for his future. Unfortunately, from the way his father was speaking now, pride was the last thing on his mind, and if his opinion was to be believed, the future of the Ewing family's success and good fortune was not as guaranteed as JR thought. Watching as his father shook his head and then looked at the pages of statistical information in front of him, it suddenly became clear to JR why his father was worried, because after ranting angrily about the situation all morning, he was now speaking a lot more clearly and calmly.

"People are dependent on oil, we produce and sell oil. In that respect, we're fine, but you forget JR, the vast majority of Ewing Oil's customers are not personal customers, they're other companies. If the economy keeps going downhill, everyone will start to cut back their operations, which in turn will mean when we go to renegotiate our contracts to sell to them, we're not going to be selling nearly as much as we had anticipated because no one will be able to afford to do as much business as they are currently. You keep talking about how great our plan is, but I don't think you're considering the wider context. We may be working toward Ewing Oil controlling a large percentage of the oil market in Texas and there may be a high demand for it, but if no one has any money because the economy is going downhill, or the price of oil drops dramatically, our actual profit is going to be very different to what we predicted. This is serious, you can be as confident as you want and you can try as many things as you think will work, but sometimes the economy has a mind of its own and we're left to just helplessly follow its lead. I've been around for a long time, I've seen bad things happen and good, prepared men go bust. We need to be serious and start preparing for the worst".

Listening to his father finally explaining things in a less emotional and more clear manner, JR still didn't necessarily agree with his interpretation of what information they had available to them, but he did find it easier to understand why from his father's perspective of the situation, things were bad. Fortunately for Ewing Oil, JR wasn't interested in passively accepting that the state of the economy was what it was and bad things were about to happen, he was more interested in preventive action; he loved a good challenge and he loved winning. "I understand and I agree this is a serious situation. I do believe though that with the way our business is set up currently, we do have the opportunity to be successful even if things around us are heading in a different direction. That being said, what do you have in mind? Because you know me daddy, I don't think I need to remind you, but I will anyway, because I mean it; Ewing Oil means a lot to me, and just as you wanted to build it into a successful company for you and your sons, I have the same ambition for myself and my son. I will work with you to come out on top; I need you to work with me too though. Please, don't doubt my abilities or plans, not without analysing the information I'm making decisions based on. We want the same thing, so tell me, how do you think we can achieve that? I'm listening and I'm willing to do whatever it takes". Not allowing his earlier uneasy feeling to control him, JR spoke directly and respectfully to his father and then waited for his response. He was gambling a bit, because his father was still annoyed with him about his and Sue Ellen's decision to leave Southfork and then to make a point of reiterating their position when it came to parenting, however, that was personal and this was business, and he had faith that his father, like him, was able to separate the two. Without Ewing Oil, their families would have a lot less than they currently did, so they needed to work together to ensure the company stayed strong; there was no place for petty personal disagreements in business and he hoped his father would remember that.

To be continued…