No one can deny these are volatile times. The Dot.Com crash, S-11 and the attendant war on terrorism; the war on Iraq; economic stagnation and the collapse of supposedly venerable organisations such as Enron, WorldCom and others all lend very dramatic testimony to economic, organisational and social volatility we are currently experiencing.

Volatility will continue and most likely intensify. Organisations will succeed or fail based on their ability to adapt. A key component of this adaptability is their respective control systems. The 2003 UK symposium seeks to address the issue of adaptable control / performance management systems by presenting the views of over 60 local and international experts and practitioners in this field. There are, indeed, recognised principles of performance management. There are also innovative and highly effective new techniques being developed by commercial and defence organisations. A key objective of the symposium is to allow for networking amongst the delegates, sponsors and exhibitors which allows for the technology interchange of these principles and techniques.