The UK's Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) annual programme unites senior personnel from around the world who are preparing for the highest responsibilities in civilian and military spheres. Each year, representatives of some fifty countries share on average over a thousand years of experience in some of the most complex and demanding environments on earth. In Business and Battle is the synthesis of the expert analysis and experience of participants in that programme, tested and sharpened by extensive international field work and coupled with contributions by first-rate presenters external to the programme. It deals with strategy and top level strategic leadership together and views them from multinational, multicultural and multisectoral perspectives. In so doing, it pushes the boundaries beyond a mere description of commercial, civilian and military strategic environments; it provides extensive and deep insights into how to interpret and shape those environments.

Contents: Preface, David Ellery; Foreword, Sir John Parker. Part I Introduction and Setting the Context: Introduction, Nicholas Beale; The current strategic environment, N. Stanley, Lord Cope, D. Di Carlo and N. Khokhar. Part II The View from Industry: Perspectives on leadership and strategy, Ian Davis; Commercial top strategic leadership: a helicopter view, Lÿtz Bertling. Part III The Military Perspective: The uniqueness of top strategic leadership, R. Knighton, S. Akulov and K. Engelbreksten; The characteristics of effective top strategic leaders, R. Rider, D. Di Carlo, P. Nazim and X. Tshofela; Defining the context: top strategic leadership in multinational and multilateral context, R. Toomey, K. Engelbreksten, P. Phelan, P. Rutherford and S. Storrie; Decision making in the strategic environment, R. Knighton, HRH Prince Sultan bin Khalid al-Saud, N. Khokhar and X. Tshofela; Developing the talent: spotting and nurturing future top strategic leaders, P. Buxton, S. Akulov, K. Engelbreksten, J. Free and P. Nazim. Part IV: 'Golden Thread' and Unifying Themes: Conclusion, Charles Style; Afterword, Lord Patten; Index.