Practice of Management

Born in Vienna in 1909, Peter F. Drucker was educated in Austria and England. From 1929 he was a newspaper correspondent abroad and an economist for an international bank in London. Since 1937 he has been in the United States, first as an economist for a group of British banks and insurance companies, and later as a management consultant to several of the country's largest companies, as well as leading companies abroad. Drucker has since had a distinguished career as a teacher, first as Professor of Politics and Philosophy at Bennington College, then for more than twenty years as Professor of Management at the Graduate Business School of New York University. Since 1971 he has been Clarke Professor of Social Science at Claremont Graduate School in California. In addition to his management books, Peter Drucker is also renowned for his prophetic books analysing politics, economics and society. These books span fifty years of modern history beginning with The End of Economic Man (1939) and including The Practice of Management; Innovation and Entrepreneurship; Managing in the Next Society; Management Challenges in the 21st Century; The Effective Executive and The Essential Drucker.

'It is a tour de force, brilliantly conceived and admirably carried out. It is original, stimulating and full of wisdom. Every manager in British business should buy a copy. Boards of directors might well consider presenting one to every executive.' The Times Review of Industry 'This is one of the best and certainly the most stimulating of books on management that had appeared for some years. Those who now manage ought to read it: those who try to teach management ought to buy it.' The Times Educational Supplement

• Part 1 Introduction; Chapter 1 The Role of Management; Chapter 2 The Jobs of Management; Chapter 3 The Challenge to Management; Part 2 Managing a Business; Chapter 4 The Sears Story; Chapter 5 What is a Business?; Chapter 6 What is our Business – and What Should It Be?; Chapter 7 The Objectives of a Business; Chapter 8 Today’s Decisions for Tomorrow’s Results; Chapter 9 The Principles of Production; Part 3 Managing Managers; Chapter 10 The Ford Story; Chapter 11 Management by Objectives and Self-control; Chapter 12 Managers Must Manage; Chapter 13 The Spirit of an Organization; Chapter 14 Chief Executive and Board; Chapter 15 Developing Managers; Part 4 The Structure of Management; Chapter 16 What Kind of Structure?; Chapter 17 Building the Structure; Chapter 18 The Small, the Large, the Growing Business; Part 5 The Management of Worker and Work; Chapter 19 The IBM Story; Chapter 20 Employing the Whole Man; Chapter 21 Is Personnel Management Bankrupt?; Chapter 22 Human Organization for Peak Performance; Chapter 23 Motivating to Peak Performance; Chapter 24 The Economic Dimension; Chapter 25 The Supervisor; Chapter 26 The Professional Employee; Part 6 What it Means to Be a Manager; Chapter 27 The Manager and His Work; Chapter 28 Making Decisions; Chapter 29 The Manager of Tomorrow; Part 7 Conclusions; Chapter 30 The Responsibilities of Management;