By investigating a simple question, a philosopher of science and a molecular biologist offer an accessible understanding of microbial communities and a motivating theory for future research in community ecology. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, are important determinants of health at the individual, ecosystem, and global levels. And yet many aspects of modern life, from the overuse of antibiotics to chemical spills and climate change, can have devastating, lasting impacts on the communities formed by microorganisms. Drawing on the latest scientific research and real-life examples such as attempts to reengineer these communities through microbial transplantation, the construction of synthetic communities of microorganisms, and the use of probiotics, this book explores how and why communities of microorganisms respond to disturbance, and what might lead to failure. It also unpacks related and interwoven philosophical questions: What is an organism? Can a community evolve by natural selection? How can we make sense of function and purpose in the natural world? How should we think about regeneration as a phenomenon that occurs at multiple biological scales? Provocative and nuanced, this primer offers an accessible conceptual and theoretical understanding of regeneration and evolution at the community level that will be essential across disciplines including philosophy of biology, conservation biology, microbiomics, medicine, evolutionary biology, and ecology.

By investigating a simple question, a philosopher of science and a molecular biologist offer an accessible understanding of microbial communities and a motivating theory for future research in community ecology. Microorganisms, such as bacteria, are important determinants of health at the individual, ecosystem, and global levels. And yet many aspects of modern life, from the overuse of antibiotics to chemical spills and climate change, can have devastating, lasting impacts on the communities formed by microorganisms. Drawing on the latest scientific research and real-life examples such as attempts to reengineer these communities through microbial transplantation, the construction of synthetic communities of microorganisms, and the use of probiotics, this book explores how and why communities of microorganisms respond to disturbance, and what might lead to failure. It also unpacks related and interwoven philosophical questions: What is an organism? Can a community evolve by natural selection? How can we make sense of function and purpose in the natural world? How should we think about regeneration as a phenomenon that occurs at multiple biological scales? Provocative and nuanced, this primer offers an accessible conceptual and theoretical understanding of regeneration and evolution at the community level that will be essential across disciplines including philosophy of biology, conservation biology, microbiomics, medicine, evolutionary biology, and ecology.

Despite its size and importance, a surprising lack of basic knowledge exists about the oil and gas industry.
With their timely new book, authors Andrew Inkpen and Michael H. Moffett have written a nontechnical book to help readers with technical backgrounds better understand the business of oil and gas. They describe and analyze the global oil and gas industry, focusing on its strategic, financial, and business aspects and addressing a wide range of topics organized around the oil and gas industry value chain, starting with exploration and ending with products sold to consumers.
The Global Oil & Gas Industry is a single source for anyone interested in how the business of the worldis largest industry actually works: business executives, students, government officials and regulators, professionals working in the industry, and the general public.

The Global Oil & Gas Industry: Stories from the Field relates specific examples of challenges in decision making, changing business practices, and the difficulties in executing complex projects across the global industry. From contentious border disputes over mineral rights to the emergence of industry disrupters shaking the status quo, each story presents contemporary issues to distill lessons that are transferrable to management challenges both inside and outside of the global oil and gas industry. Bestselling PennWell authors Andrew Inkpen and Michael Moffett join with industry expert Kannan Ramaswamy to provide a narrative of 18 stories, each highlighting a different aspect of the industry. This collection provides an enriching, thought-provoking look into a business that many believe to be globally mature, but as these stories intimate, are increasingly local, emerging, and evolving with the global economy. Features and Benefits: Examples of the complex business situations in oil and gas and how excellent (and sometimes less-than-excellent) leaders navigate these difficult circumstances. Insights into the decision making of oil and gas companies from around the world Different themes that span the entire industry value chain: upstream, midstream, and downstream Timeless truths for the hydrocarbon sector and for many other businesses

There are few industries, if any untouched by global competitive forces. Firms and countries long accustomed to dominance in their respective international markets must now reckon with aggressive and innovative competitors from all corners of the world. As the cross-border flow of people, knowledge, ideas, products, services and management practices accelerates, the notion of home-based advantage is becoming weaker. Unlike their domestic counterparts, firms competing across borders must deal with differences in political, legal, financial, cultural, governance and macroeconomic contexts. These contextual differences shape competition in international strategy and make the study of international strategy more than just a simple extension of classic strategic analysis. Global Strategy deals with the question of how firms can compete in a global environment. Andrew Inkpen and Kannan Ramaswamy examine the issues considered central to the study of strategic management in a global context, such as the nature of global advantage, strategic alliances, competing in emerging markets, international corporate governance, global knowledge management and ethical issues in international business. Much as been written about the relevance of global, regional and domestic strategies to counter competition from overseas and as a means to enter foreign markets. However, lobal Strategy takes a broader view, organizing itself around a set of strategic management issues that arise specifically because a firm is international. While there is obviously some overlap between domestic strategic management and global strategic management, it is Inkpen and Ramaswamy's contention that the differences between domesticand global strategy warrant specific attention. By integrating academic research with practical examples and case studies, they inform students and managers of global business about a diverse set of important strategic issues.

Many factors set oil and gas apart from other industries and make unique demands on its human resource management, including its global nature, the importance of safety, the involvement of governments, proactive stakeholders, a multifaceted workforce, and project focus. Managing Human Resources in the Oil & Gas Industry provides an in-depth look at human resource management for all aspects of the oil and gas sector. The authors provide a full picture of human resource management and its role in staffing, training, performance management, compensation, and labor. This book is relevant to all human resource management department employees and all managers in the oil and gas industry and is suitable for workshops, seminars, and courses in human resource management in the oil and gas industry.