Spills and Spin The Inside Story of BP

by Bergin, Tom

• ISBN13: 9781847940827
• ISBN10: 184794082X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-02-01
• Publisher: Random House Business

Summary

A gripping and eye-opening account of a corporation in crisis, setting the spill in its broader context within the history of BP and big oil In April 2010, the world watched in alarm as BP's Macondo well suffered a fatal explosion and a catastrophic leak. Over the next three months, amid tense scenes of corporate and political finger-pointing, millions of barrels of crude oil dispersed across the Gulf of Mexico in what became one of the worst oil spills in history. But there is more to BP's story than this. Tom Bergin, an oil broker-turned-Reuters reporter, takes readers back nearly 30 years to explain how a company that was almost destroyed by privatization and the oil-price crash of the late 1980s was able to transform itself into the industry's most dynamic player, and most sophisticated PR machine, by the turn of the 21st century. His unique access to key figures within BP, including former CEO Tony Hayward, has enabled him to piece together the story of a corporation in crisis, and he examines how crucial decisions made during this remarkable turnaround period paved the way for BP's darkest hour.

Author Biography

Tom Bergin is a former oil broker and a journalist who has reported on the energy industry for more than 12 years. For the past seven years he has headed Reuters's coverage of the oil industry in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, and his work has been published in the Globe and Mail, the International Herald Tribune, the New York Times, the Shanghai Daily, the Times, and the Wall Street Journal. He is a regular television and radio commentator, appearing on BBC, CNBC, and ITV.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. vii
The Sun King Rises	p. l
Climate Change Profiteer	p. 39
There's No Such Thing as Santa Claus	p. 65
The Perfect Candidate	p. 109
Macondo	p. 135
PR Playbook	p. 159
Capitol Punishment	p. 188
Subsea Slip-ups	p. 209
Corporate Cannibalism	p. 224
Rebranding an Oil Spill	p. 248
Notes	p. 269
Bibliography	p. 285
Acknowledgements	p. 287
Index	p. 289
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