ABSTRACT
Decisions about R&D affect all of us. They are linked inextricably with the performance of firms and of economies as a whole. Their importance means that they are of concern to a large number of practitioners, policymakers and researchers. Their scope means that their study can be approached from a wide variety of perspectives. It is hoped that this book will demonstrate the range of issues and perspectives which R&D can encompass and, at the same time, that it will bring out the elements which unite them. This introductory chapter is thus in two parts. The first describes the chapters in terms of the three sets of issues around which the book is structured: strategy and organization, policy and performance, and finance and disclosure. The second part addresses the themes which emerge from all this and which bring together contributions from the different sections of the book.
