the rather tired discussion of `HRM' perhaps tells us something ofthe sort of teaching materials the author has to prepare as a `lecturerin HRM'.

One gets the impression that the author is far from con®dentabout what he is doing with this book. He has question marks in twoof his chapter headings (`New Paradigms for Change?', for example)and the best he can manage for his ®nal chapter is `Towards aConclusion' (my emphasis). Now, the reader of this review mightspeculate that this is a bolder gesture than I have taken it for. Might itnot be that the author's sociological reading has led him to apostmodernist position which makes him cautious of falling into anykind of foundationalist trap? Indeed, in the place where one often®nds a dedication in a book, this author has had inscribed `Made inKilmarnock'Ða truly postmodern gesture you might think! Yet,believe it or not, this author of a book published in 1998 andpurporting to present `sociological perspectives' appears totallyunaware of the vital debates about postmodernism and post-modernity which have occurred among sociologists, organizationtheorists and many others who are concerned with the waysocieties, cultures and organizationsÐand indeed ways of thinkingand theorizing about the worldÐare changing in the late twentiethcentury.

Sadly, then (and I mean that!), one can neither recommend thisbook to the practitioners who have to `manage change' nor thestudents and academics who are struggling to make sense of it. Asfor those interested in processes of strategic changeÐ`hard luck,folks'.

Tony J. WatsonNottingham Trent University

Principles of Small Business. Colin Barrow and Robert Brown,International Thomson Business Press, London, 1997, ISBN1-86152-189-2, 226pp, price £15.99 (paperback).

There are so many books around at the moment that purport to offerthe potential entrepreneur/small business practitioner assistanceand advice on the best way to both start and remain in business thatone could be forgiven for wondering what another text has to offerthat is either new or better than those currently on the market.Indeed, much of what is available to the small ®rm owner-manager israther arid or mechanistic in that so many books are constructedaround a `checklist' approach, i.e. if you follow these establishedguidelines, then you stand a reasonable chance of making a pro®tand trading successfully. If only running a business was like that! Thereality is of course radically different, with the small business sectorexhibiting rates of failure which, even in these more enlightenedtimes, is still much too high. The social and economic costs ofenterprise failure, both to the individuals involved and to the widereconomy, must mean that the business support infrastructure, such

Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Strategic Change, May 1999

184 Book reviews

as the TECs and business links and writers on the subject of enter-prise development, are responsible in their consideration of notonly the process of business formation but also the method chosento achieve enterprise success and longevity.

This new book from two of the most respected writers andteachers of business development from the Cran®eld School ofmanagement is refreshingly different in its approach, content andstyle. Colin Barrow and Robert Brown are both experiencedlecturers and business consultants in the Enterprise Departmentat Cran®eld and this is re¯ected in their treatment of the subjectmatter. To quote from their introduction.

Principles of Small Business is designed to help business practi-tioners to understand the complex issues involved in creating aprofessional and successful ®rm. It addresses the issues in threesections: the dif®culties of getting into business; the dif®cultiesof staying in business; the dif®culties of deciding whether toinvest or to sell the business.

The authors use selected case examples which they draw from thebusiness growth and MBA programmes at Cran®eld to illustrate thekey problems and issues that small ®rm practitioners have toconfront and also attempt to explain potential solutions that can beimplemented. The book is written in a concise format covering thefundamental principles of each topic in a pragmatic style whichemphasizes the balance between theory and application. The textoffers real help and guidance to those people who may be studyingsmall business enterprise, for example, on an MBA or undergraduateprogramme, to those planning to start their own venture, or toowner-managers already running a business who seek to enhancepro®tability, ef®ciency or performance. I have no hesitation inrecommending this excellent new book to its target audience.

Graham BeaverProfessor of Business Development,

Nottingham Business School

Strategic Issues Management: Organizations and Public Policy

Changes. Robert L. Heath, Sage Publications, London, 1997,ISBN 0-8039-7035-8, 402pp, £46.00 (cloth), £22.00 (paper).

This book is about issue management, and how companiesshould deal with stakeholders in the public policy arena. It includesmanaging public relations communications, and moves beyond thatto look at how strategic business planning can address the concernsof stakeholders. The author de®nes issue management at one pointas a process that `fosters mutually bene®cial relationships betweenorganisations and involved publics' (p. 4). He identi®es the study aspositioned within what is termed a rhetorical perspective. The

Copyright # 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Strategic Change, May 1999

Book reviews 185