Robert Boyer

Steven Tolliday

Elsie Charron

Ulrich Jurgens

Recent years have seen intense debates among management and academics on the rise of `lean production' and `Japanization'. Some authors have stressed the `universal' impact of new forms of work organization and `best practice' while others have questioned the limits of convergence, stressed the weight of national contexts or `societal effects', or highlighted the evolutionary effects of unpredictability in the external environment. The international automobile industry has been a focus for much of this debate and this book, written by a team of leading international researchers in the field, uses this industry to examine in detail the actual practice of the transfer and adaptation of productive models and the trajectories of innovation, compromise, and failure that can result. Case studies cover in detail the Japanese transplant experience in North America, and the global experience of hybrid production systems in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The book contributes to theoretical discussions about the transfer, adaptation, or convergence of productive models. In particular, the authors argue that direct transplantation or imitation of these models is rarely feasible or even desirable. Systems cannot be transferred without being significantly reshaped. Instead, the book focuses on the process of `hybridization', the complex interaction of productive models with national and societal effects. Hybridization, it is argued, is inevitable. But this should be seen not simply as a process of compromise and retreat but also as an important dynamic of innovation and learning. This book is from the French-based international research network GERPISA (Groupe d'étude de récherche permanent sur l'industrie et les salaries de l'automobile). See related titles below.

The Transfer and Hybridization of Productive Models in the International Automobile Industry

Between Imitation and Innovation

A collection of 32 articles written between the 1910s and the 1990s. They focus on the questions of where mass production came from, the fundamental elements of Fordism and why it emerged when and where it did, why and how far mass production spread into the wider economy and how it changed in the process, its impact on work and workers, whether the 20th-century success of Japan is due to a more ruthless exploitation of the principles of mass production or to a new form of productive organization, and whether the late 20th century is witnessing the end of mass production as a dominant or viable paradigm. They are reproduced from the original publications, so the type is variable and the illustrations generally of a poor quality. No subject index. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

The Rise and Fall of Mass Production

Terry Gourvish

Francis Goodall

The field of business history has changed and grown dramatically over the last few years. There is less interest in the traditional `company-centred' approach and more concern about the wider business context. With the growth of multi-national corporations in the 1980s, international and inter-firm comparisons have gained in importance. In addition, there has been a move towards improving links with mainstream economic, financial and social history through techniques and outlook. The International Bibliography of Business History brings all of the strands together and provides the user with a comprehensive guide to the literature in the field. The Bibliography is a unique volume which covers the depth and breadth of research in business history. This exhaustive volume has been compiled by a team of subject specialists from around the world under the editorship of three prestigious business historians.

Steven Tolliday

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