Dave J. Hickson, Richard J. Butler, David C. Wilson

• Introduction - aims, means and results. Part 1 Issues and ideas: studying deciding - an exchange of views between Mintzberg and Waters, Pettigrew and Butler, H. Mintzberg and J. Waters; decision making at the top of organizations, D.J. Hickson; complexity and cleavage - dual explanations of strategic decision making, W.G. Astley, R. Axelsson, R.J. Butler and D.C. Wilson; organization as power, D.J. Hickson, W.G. Astley, RJ. Butler and D.C. Wilson. Part 2 Decision-making processes: sporadic, fluid and constricted processes - three empirical types of strategic decision making in organizations, D. Cray, G.R. Mallory et al; explaining decision processes, D Cray et al; electricity and resistance - a case study of innovation and politics, D.C. Wilson; the interdepartmental influence of managers - individual and sub-unit perspectives, G.K. Kenny and D.C. Wilson; breaking the bounds of organization in strategic decision making, D.C. Wilson et al; the limits of trade union power in organization decision making, D.C. Wilson et al; strategic investment decision making - complexities, politics and process, R.J. Butler et al. Part 3 Organizational features: strategic decision making - influence patters in public and private sector organizations, G.K. Kenny et al; governmental influence upon decision makingin organizations in the private and public sectors in Britain, D.J. Jickson; volunatry organizations in action - strategy in the British voluntary sector, D.C. Wilson and R.J. Butler. Part 4 National features: implanted decision making - American-owned firms in Britain, R. Axelsson et al; decision style in British and Swedish organizations - a comparative examination of strategic decision making, R. Axelsson et al; sensitivity to societal culture in managerial decision making - an Anglo-Brazilian comparison, C.A. Arruda and D.J. Hickson. Part 5 Successfully managing implementation: decision making - different organizations, differing reasons for success, S.B. Rodrigues and D.J. Hickson; implementing strategic decision - four key success factors, S. Miller; how organizations can overbalance - decision overreach as a reason for failure, D.C. Wilson et al. Part 6 Doing the research: ruminations on munificence and scarcity in research, D.J. Hickson.