French Enterprise and the Challenge of the British Water Industry: Water Without Frontiers

Eighteen months before the 1989 privatisation of the ten regional water authorities of England and Wales, the UK market for public water began to be 'invaded' by three French distributors. They entered the market by a route which everyone else had overlooked: the Lilliputian world of the private water companies. This book seeks to assess the potential advantages and disadvantages for Britain of this French presence. It highlights those ideas which may play a key role in determining the future success of Britain's water businesses in the 1990s, when with the advent of the Single Market, competition in Europe is stepped up. It suggests that foremost among the differences which may be of importance are the following: sufficient room to manoeuvre on the part of management teams; management ambition and capabilities; a cultural leap from public to private sector; and the cultivation and projection of a favourable image in accordance with a new (quality) identity. Finally, the book selects some of the broader implications of the episode for Britain and France in post-1992 Europe.