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Winning the marketing war: A practical guide to competitive advantage
128
Long
Range
Planning
Vol.
organization ing pressures
than how to manage change within of corporatism and individualism.
23
December
the conflict-
The Dialectic of Change, BORIS KAGARLITSKY, Verso 393 pp., A29.95 (hard), AlO. (paper).
1990,
The author, together with help from the excellent translation by Rick Simon, attempts to develop a dialogue between the emergent Soviet Left and the radical forces in the West, in pursuit of a coherent and consistent strategy of change. It is a noble effort. Once the author becomes familiar with Western literature, from studies on managing change to The Rise and Fall oftke Great Powers, he should be in a position to write a definitive book on this vital subject. Another book for the philosophically minded is The Vumpire ofReason: An Essay in the Philosophy of History, RICHARD JAMES BLACKBURN, Vcrso 1990, 222 pp. A32.95 (hard), QO.95 (soft).
Strategic Planning for Information Systems, JOHN WARD, PAT GRIFFITHS and PAUL WHITMORE, JOHN WILEY 1990, 450 pp., A24.95. A clear exposition of the impact that IS has had on business performance and the contribution it makes to the strategic development of organizations. The authors argue that developing a strategy in this critical area has to be treated as an integral part of the business planning process; only when this h appens is it possible for the full benefits of IS to be identified and realised.
The Viable System Model: Interpretations and Applications of Stafford Beer’s VSM, Edited by RAVEL ESPEJO and ROGER HARNDEN, John Wiley 1990, 472 pp., L25.95. Presents a reflective and critical assessment of the Viable System Model, as well as looking at the ongoing development of the model. As the publishers put it: ‘Invaluable for all those who wish to cope more effectively with complexity-managers, management scientists, information scientists and organizational theorists as well as management students--The Viable System Model will be greatly welcomed in particular by those who have hitherto found Beer’s work stimulating but difficult to apply in practice.’ The latter half of the sentence is certainly true.
1990
Company Courtesy: An Action Plan for CHRISTOPHER WARD, 140 pp., A9.95.
Curing
Companies,
The way managers behave towards their staffs affects the way staff treat their customers. Treat staff with courtesy and consideration and they will treat customers in the same way. An easy to use A-Z basic guide that ought to make sobering, and rewarding, light holiday reading for many managers -unfortunately.
Housing and Social Change in Europe and the U.S.A. MICHAEL BALL, MICHAEL HARLOE and MAARTJE MARTENS, Routlcdge 1988, 222 pp., AlO.99. Looks at housing markets, housing policies and specific institutions connected with housing provision in many advanced capitalist countries, including Britain, the U.S.A., France, West Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. It considers the different sectors and the changes taking place within them, using case study material where appropriate to support its arguments. As the authors argue: ‘Housing is a clear example of the regressiveness of subsidies.’ Housing is an area where a systematic strategic planning approach should have much to offer to both content and presentation.
Employment in the 1990s: Making the Best of Employee Resources, PATRICK TOLFREE, Croner Publications 1990, 106 pp., Ll4.95. A brief introduction to the actions employees can take to plan and deal with their changing requirements in the 1900s. The contents cover: The 1990s scenario; Recruitment and retention; Under-utilized sources of labour; Changing work patterns; Training and retraining.
Winning the Marketing War: A Practical Guide to Competitive Advantage, ROBERT DuRo, John Wiley 1989, 161 pp., E17.95. Provides practical advice on how to plan competitive strategies and tactical measures against competitors by offering a model that shows, step-by-step, how to work towards the goal-market place superiority. An excellent guide. (Also most effective translation from Swedish.)
The Manager’s Casebook of Business Strategy, Edited by BERNARD TAYLOR and JOHN HARRISON, Heinemann Professional Publishing 1990, 358 pp., A25.00. Problem Management: BRYANT, John Wiley,
A Guide for Produces and Players, JIM 340 pp., A25.95.
A basic introduction to the practical business of managing problems. It considers both the conceptual framework for structuring the substantive content of problematic situations and the interactive group processes through which they may be creatively explored. Clearly written. The kind of book that ought to be widely read by strategic planners but rarely is, then they are surprised that implementation is difficult.
Organized around the five vital themes of: Setting strategic direction in an uncertain environment; Crisis and recovery; Managing turnround situations; Implementing strategies for profitable growth; Transforming company cultures and achieving excellence; and Responding to deregulation and privatization. The core of the book consists of 26 papers (24 from Lange Range Planning) based on the experiences of commercial businesses such as British Airports Authority, Atlantic Richfield Inc, Shell U.K. Ltd and Nederland BV, Fiat group and Thomas Cook Ltd. The authors describe what problems were faced, how they were overcome and what lessons were learnt to create strategy-driven businesses. An
Long
Range
Planning
Vol.
organization ing pressures
than how to manage change within of corporatism and individualism.
23
December
the conflict-
The Dialectic of Change, BORIS KAGARLITSKY, Verso 393 pp., A29.95 (hard), AlO. (paper).
1990,
The author, together with help from the excellent translation by Rick Simon, attempts to develop a dialogue between the emergent Soviet Left and the radical forces in the West, in pursuit of a coherent and consistent strategy of change. It is a noble effort. Once the author becomes familiar with Western literature, from studies on managing change to The Rise and Fall oftke Great Powers, he should be in a position to write a definitive book on this vital subject. Another book for the philosophically minded is The Vumpire ofReason: An Essay in the Philosophy of History, RICHARD JAMES BLACKBURN, Vcrso 1990, 222 pp. A32.95 (hard), QO.95 (soft).
Strategic Planning for Information Systems, JOHN WARD, PAT GRIFFITHS and PAUL WHITMORE, JOHN WILEY 1990, 450 pp., A24.95. A clear exposition of the impact that IS has had on business performance and the contribution it makes to the strategic development of organizations. The authors argue that developing a strategy in this critical area has to be treated as an integral part of the business planning process; only when this h appens is it possible for the full benefits of IS to be identified and realised.
The Viable System Model: Interpretations and Applications of Stafford Beer’s VSM, Edited by RAVEL ESPEJO and ROGER HARNDEN, John Wiley 1990, 472 pp., L25.95. Presents a reflective and critical assessment of the Viable System Model, as well as looking at the ongoing development of the model. As the publishers put it: ‘Invaluable for all those who wish to cope more effectively with complexity-managers, management scientists, information scientists and organizational theorists as well as management students--The Viable System Model will be greatly welcomed in particular by those who have hitherto found Beer’s work stimulating but difficult to apply in practice.’ The latter half of the sentence is certainly true.
1990
Company Courtesy: An Action Plan for CHRISTOPHER WARD, 140 pp., A9.95.
Curing
Companies,
The way managers behave towards their staffs affects the way staff treat their customers. Treat staff with courtesy and consideration and they will treat customers in the same way. An easy to use A-Z basic guide that ought to make sobering, and rewarding, light holiday reading for many managers -unfortunately.
Housing and Social Change in Europe and the U.S.A. MICHAEL BALL, MICHAEL HARLOE and MAARTJE MARTENS, Routlcdge 1988, 222 pp., AlO.99. Looks at housing markets, housing policies and specific institutions connected with housing provision in many advanced capitalist countries, including Britain, the U.S.A., France, West Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark. It considers the different sectors and the changes taking place within them, using case study material where appropriate to support its arguments. As the authors argue: ‘Housing is a clear example of the regressiveness of subsidies.’ Housing is an area where a systematic strategic planning approach should have much to offer to both content and presentation.
Employment in the 1990s: Making the Best of Employee Resources, PATRICK TOLFREE, Croner Publications 1990, 106 pp., Ll4.95. A brief introduction to the actions employees can take to plan and deal with their changing requirements in the 1900s. The contents cover: The 1990s scenario; Recruitment and retention; Under-utilized sources of labour; Changing work patterns; Training and retraining.
Winning the Marketing War: A Practical Guide to Competitive Advantage, ROBERT DuRo, John Wiley 1989, 161 pp., E17.95. Provides practical advice on how to plan competitive strategies and tactical measures against competitors by offering a model that shows, step-by-step, how to work towards the goal-market place superiority. An excellent guide. (Also most effective translation from Swedish.)
The Manager’s Casebook of Business Strategy, Edited by BERNARD TAYLOR and JOHN HARRISON, Heinemann Professional Publishing 1990, 358 pp., A25.00. Problem Management: BRYANT, John Wiley,
A Guide for Produces and Players, JIM 340 pp., A25.95.
A basic introduction to the practical business of managing problems. It considers both the conceptual framework for structuring the substantive content of problematic situations and the interactive group processes through which they may be creatively explored. Clearly written. The kind of book that ought to be widely read by strategic planners but rarely is, then they are surprised that implementation is difficult.
Organized around the five vital themes of: Setting strategic direction in an uncertain environment; Crisis and recovery; Managing turnround situations; Implementing strategies for profitable growth; Transforming company cultures and achieving excellence; and Responding to deregulation and privatization. The core of the book consists of 26 papers (24 from Lange Range Planning) based on the experiences of commercial businesses such as British Airports Authority, Atlantic Richfield Inc, Shell U.K. Ltd and Nederland BV, Fiat group and Thomas Cook Ltd. The authors describe what problems were faced, how they were overcome and what lessons were learnt to create strategy-driven businesses. An