For an equivariant commutative ring spectrum R, ?0R has algebraic structure reflecting the presence of both additive transfers and multiplicative norms. The additive structure gives rise to a Mackey functor and the multiplicative structure yields the additional structure of a Tambara functor. If R is an N? ring spectrum in the category of genuine G-spectra, then all possible additive transfers are present and ?0R has the structure of an incomplete Tambara functor. However, if R is an N? ring spectrum in a category of incomplete G-spectra, the situation is more subtle. In this chapter, we study the algebraic theory of Tambara structures on incomplete Mackey functors, which we call bi-incomplete Tambara functors. Just as incomplete Tambara functors have compatibility conditions that control which systems of norms are possible, bi-incomplete Tambara functors have algebraic constraints arising from the possible interactions of transfers and norms. We give a complete description of the possible interactions between the additive and multiplicative structures.

For an equivariant commutative ring spectrum R, ?0R has algebraic structure reflecting the presence of both additive transfers and multiplicative norms. The additive structure gives rise to a Mackey functor and the multiplicative structure yields the additional structure of a Tambara functor. If R is an N? ring spectrum in the category of genuine G-spectra, then all possible additive transfers are present and ?0R has the structure of an incomplete Tambara functor. However, if R is an N? ring spectrum in a category of incomplete G-spectra, the situation is more subtle. In this chapter, we study the algebraic theory of Tambara structures on incomplete Mackey functors, which we call bi-incomplete Tambara functors. Just as incomplete Tambara functors have compatibility conditions that control which systems of norms are possible, bi-incomplete Tambara functors have algebraic constraints arising from the possible interactions of transfers and norms. We give a complete description of the possible interactions between the additive and multiplicative structures.

We survey several notions of Mackey functors and biset functors found in the literature and prove some old and new theorems comparing them. While little here will surprise the experts, we draw a conceptual and unified picture by making systematic use of finite groupoids. This provides a ‘road map’ for the various approaches to the axiomatic representation theory of finite groups, as well as some details that are hard to find in the literature.

The project of Greenlees et al. on understanding rational G-spectra in terms of algebraic categories has had many successes, classifying rational G-spectra for finite groups, SO(2), O(2), SO(3), free and cofree G-spectra as well as rational toral G-spectra for arbitrary compact Lie groups. This chapter provides an introduction to the subject in two parts. The first discusses rational G-Mackey functors, the action of the Burnside ring and change of group functors. It gives a complete proof of the well-known classification of rational Mackey functors for finite G. The second part discusses the methods and tools from equivariant stable homotopy theory needed to obtain algebraic models for rational G-spectra. It gives a summary of the key steps in the classification of rational G-spectra in terms of a symmetric monoidal algebraic category. Having these two parts in the same place allows one to see clearly the analogy between the algebraic and topological classifications.