In recent years, Unocal's average return on capital employed has been higher than ChevronTexaco's, 9.4% vs. 8.7%.

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For example some companies have well above average returns to capital employed.

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In the long term, when equilibrium is reached (which of course it never is but the trend is generally towards it) the profit made by each competitor will be, on average, just enough to keep the capital employed which each competitor is using.

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