Game theory is the science of strategic decision making. It is a powerful tool in understanding the relationships that are made and broken in the course of competition and cooperation. It is not a panacea for the shortcomings of bad management. For managers, or those who interact with management, it is simply an alternative perspective with which to view the process of problem solving. It is a tool, which, like all others, is best used by those who reflect on their own practice as a mechanism for improvement. Chance favours a prepared mind and this book is intended as much for those who are seeking effectiveness as for those who have already found it.

Game theory has been used to great effect in sciences as diverse as evolutionary biology and economics, so books on the subject abound. They vary from the esoteric to the populist; from the pedantic to the frivolous. This book is different in a number of ways. It is designed for both students and practitioners. It is theoretical insofar as it provides an introduction to the science and mathematics of game theory; and practical in that it offers a praxis of that theory to illustrate the resolution of problems common to management in both the commercial and the not-for-profit sectors.

The book is intended to help managers in a number of ways:

• To expand the conceptual framework within which managers operate and in doing so, encourage them to develop more powerful generic problem-solving skills.

• To resolve practical difficulties as and when they occur, more efficiently and with increased effectiveness.

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