`Cummings′ book is very interesting, refreshing and intellectually stimulating... It should be a mandatory textbook for all serious students of management′ - Management Learning `Stephen Cummings′ Recreating Strategy is currently the best book on strategy, combining a holistic and critical understanding of the issue′ -Stewart Clegg, University of Technology, Sydney `An imaginative attempt to bring together and apply the many analytical frameworks relating to the organization as a whole into strategy theory and practice. Written for students on strategy, change management and more general management and organization theory courses. Encourages students to question assumptions and think creatively about strategy and management. Stimulating and original′ - Long Range Planning `In this intriguing book [Cummings] claims to be surprised that academics critical of management theory don′t critique its history, and proposes a kind of liberation theology in response, but this is not as doctrinaire. It′s more like replacing some well-justified habits with a refreshing originality of approach. The outcome is stimulating.... The author offers a cogently argued deconstruction of some well-known frameworks in strategy, and delivers his own reinterpretation of strategic discourse. There are five longer case studies in the book and several shorter vignettes scattered throughout early chapters, as well as pedagogical aids at the end of each chapter′ - Best of Biz, The Business Information Site `Do you worry about organizations becoming slaves to markets? Do you wish that organizations had the nerve to build their own ethos rather than just grubbing for profit? Do you aspire to inspiration rather than perspiration? Why does management practice get in the way of thinking and creativity? Stephen Cummings provides insight and guidance in a book of genuine scholarship and creativity′ - John McGee, President of the Strategic Management Society, USA `Management courses need more of what Stephen is offering. He wants us to go on an `unlearning curve′, one which leads to fresh thinking about strategy and the emerging roles and responsibilities of business and companies. This book not only tells us where we are coming from but, more importantly, it inspires us to think profoundly about where we could go. It′s also a very good read′ - Josephine Green, Director of Trends and Strategy, Philips `ReCreating Strategy provides a challenging examination of the emergence of management which combines postmodern and orthodox perspectives. Stephen Cummings is able to provide not only a fresh treatment of strategy and ethics but also to engage with a variety of potential audiences. He provokes and informs in equal measure′ - Richard Whipp, Cardiff University ′A truly eclectic approach to strategy! Intellectually capturing, the book is great fun to read at the same time. A must for those who want to discuss management beyond styles, fads and fashions′ - Hubert Wagner, Qonsult ReCreating Strategy is written for students of strategy, change management and more general management and organization theory courses. It will provide a better understanding of how to bring together and apply the many analytical frameworks relating to the organization as a whole. Stephen Cummings challenges the view that there is never one best framework and shows why the latest theory is not necessarily better than earlier ones. The textbook includes short and long case studies, interesting pictorial aids and examples, and a generally more participative and rewarding approach than that offered by more mainstream texts. PowerPoint slides to accompany the book are now also available by clicking on the link to `Sample Chapters and Resources′ in the left hand margin. The book also offers more scope for individual lecturers who wish to encourage students to question assumptions and think creatively about strategy and management.

C̀ummings book is very interesting, refreshing and intellectually stimulating It should be a mandatory textbook for all serious students of management' - Management Learning. St̀ephen Cummings Recreating Strategy is currently the best book on strategy, combining a holistic and critical understanding of the issue' - Stewart Clegg, University of Technology, Sydney. Àn imaginative attempt to bring together and apply the many analytical frameworks relating to the organization as a whole into strategy theory and practice. Written for students on strategy, change management and more general managem.

People tend to think of creativity and strategy as opposites. This book argues that they are far more similar than we might expect. More than this, actively aligning creative and strategic thinking in any enterprise can enable more effective innovation, entrepreneurship, leadership and organizing for the future. By considering strategy as a creative process (and vice versa), the authors define ‘creative strategy’ as a mindset which switches between opposing processes and characteristics, and which drives every aspect of the business. The authors draw experiences and cases from across this false divide – from the music industry, sports, fashion, Shakespearean theatre companies, creative and media organizations and dance, as well as what we might regard as more mundane providers of mainstream products and services – to uncover the creative connections behind successful strategy. “Creative Strategy is a talisman for those looking to take a new path” Matt Hardisty, Strategy Director, Mother Advertising “It has been said that business is a hybrid of dancing and calculation – the former incorporating the creative within a firm, the latter the strategic. Bilton and Cummings show how these apparently contradictory processes can be integrated. Their insights about how firms can ‘create to strategize’ and ‘strategize to create’ are informative for managers and management scholars alike.” Jay Barney, Professor and Chase Chair of Strategic Management, Fisher College of Business, The Ohio State University “In today’s world, new thinking – creativity – is required to tackle long-standing problems or address new opportunities. The trouble is few organizations understand how to foster and apply creativity, at least in any consistent manner. This book provides new insights into just how that can be done. It moves creativity from being just the occasional, and fortuitous, flash of inspiration, to being an embedded feature of the way the organization is run.” Sir George Cox, Author of the Cox Review of Creativity in Business for HM Govt., Past Chair of the Design Council

In Mapping Strategic Diversity, Dany Jacobs extends Henry Mintzberg’s work to demonstrate the genuine diversity of strategy approaches used in the real world of strategic management.

Describing the field, spanning individual, organisation societal and cultural perspectives in a cross-disciplinary manner, this is the premier reference tool for students lecturers, academics and practitioners to gather knowledge about a range of important topics from the perspective of organisation studies.

For help preparing for, and support during your MBA course, The Essential MBA brings together a comprehensive overview of the main subjects taught on MBA and business and management programmes in one book. Each chapter is written by a specialized contributor and offers students a helpful introduction to each topic of study, including: Sections on research methods and study skills Further reading recommendations and questions for reflection A critical perspective of the subject matter and reviews of alternative approaches. This text is an invaluable guide for MBA students, as well a useful introduction for undergraduate and postgraduate students of business and management. Susan Miller is Professor of Organisational Behaviour at Hull University Business School

′If strategy is the queen of business, then this book offers us the perfect introduction to her court! It is accessible, lively, and informative. The book repays the reader with wonderful account of how strategy works. It also lets the reader in on some of the darker secrets of strategy′ - André Spicer, Associate Professor of Organisation Studies, Warwick Business School Studying Strategy is a welcoming, lively and thought provoking account that helps students get to grips with strategy′s key issues and broad debates and introduce them to the latest ideas. Conceived by Chris Grey as an antidote to conventional textbooks, each book in the ‘Very Short, Fairly Interesting and Reasonably Cheap’ series takes a core area of the curriculum and turns it on its head by providing a critical and sophisticated overview of the key issues and debates in an informal, conversational and often humorous way. Suitable for students of strategy at Undergraduate, Masters and MBA level, professionals involved in strategic decision making and anyone interested in how strategy works.