This book provides a variety of answers in its description and discussion of new, sometimes radical approaches to usability evaluation', now an increasingly common business tool. It contains new thinking of the subject of usability evaluation in industry. Contributions come from those involved in the practice of industry-based usability evaluation as well as those involved in related research activity. The chapters are derived from and developed from presentations and discussions at the invited international seminar Usability Evaluation in Industry', and give a leading edge overview of current usability practice in industry - identifying those issues of concern and approaches to tackling these.
Key Features:
* Provides a comprehensive overview of current practice
* International examples
* Contains practical examples of ergonomics at work and gives clear ideas of what does and doesn't work under industrial constraints

This collection of previously unpublished articles addresses in a comprehensive fashion the 1990s' question of whether the industrial model of human progress can be sustained in the long run. It analyzes the social, political. economic, and environmental implications as well as potential solutions to the problem of resource-intensive growth. Twenty experts consider matters on a global scale, focusing on institutional and value issues, international issues such as Global North vs. Global South, and the debate between growth and development.

This book looks at the experience of 13 leading-edge European companies, drawn from the manufacturing, services and health sectors. It shows how organisation has been the key to their productivity growth. It also shows that whilst Europe has much to learn from Japan and the USA, there is a distinctive European approach to organisational expertise. This has important implications for strategic policy, in these institutions themselves, but also in government at both the national and local levels. Here, too, as the case studies show, Europe has considerable expertise on which the production sector can grow.

A study of environmental degradation, this work presents the environmental problems of South Korea. The effects of rapid industrialisation and modernisation are documented along with the choices and actions which are available to the country.

A study of environmental degradation, this work presents the environmental problems of South Korea. The effects of rapid industrialisation and modernisation are documented along with the choices and actions which are available to the country.

With its unique mix of theory, historical discussion, case studies, and contemporary analysis, this book provides a complete and detailed comprehension of the business environment in Central America, with a focus specifically on Guatemala. Identifying the key drivers of Central America economic growth and development, it outlines what must be done to take advantage of the opportunities as Guatemala moves into the future. This book will serve as a valuable resource for IB scholars and students seeking to learn more about the changing focus and interests of Central America, and the implications and opportunities this poses for global business interests.

The Prospects of Industrial Civilization provides a rare glimpse into areas of Russell's political thought which are often ignored. Written with Dora Black (who became Russell's second wife) on a trip to China in 1920, it is revealing both as a period piece and as a book for our times. Russell criticises his own age, and demonstrates how humanity perpetually struggles against the centralising forces of industrialism and nationalism. He views industrialism as a threat to human freedom, as it creates large populations which have to be subject to controls and he likens Bolshevik Russia to Cromwell's England, asserting that both were dictatorships designed to force an essentially feudal society to adopt industrialism. He sees industrialism and nationalism as fundamentally linked and proposes one government for the whole world as a solution. Russell is not blind to the positive side of industrialism; without machines an economy of subsistence would be the best for which society could hope, but argues that the global village and prevailing political democracy should be its eventual results.

The British Economy in Transition: From the Old to the New? examines attempts at economic regeneration in areas that have experienced the decline in 'traditional' industry of recent years. The contributors also look at the impact of techno and managerial modernization strategies in industries that have survived, but have had to adapt rapidly to do so. Coverage includes:
* Coal
* Steel closure and economic regeneration
* Defence conversion
* Modernizing textiles
* Modernizing motor vehicles
* Trading ports in Merseyside
* From manufacturing to sevice industries in the Midlands
* the Engineering industry - prospects in the South East
* Deindustrialization and regeneration in the North East
Each industry is discussed by an expert in this area. The book will be a valuable guide to all those interested in change in British industry and business.

The gap between western and Japanese business cultures in particular, and cross-cultural exchange in general, must be bridged further, as the pressure to extend commercial, political and cultural links continues to grow at an accelerated rate.

Location is vital to the efficiency and profitability of industrial activity. Industrial Location presents a comprehensive introduction to and critical review of this field of growing academic and business interest.
In business, the right choices have to be made to produce profit. Industrial location is a fixed investment, crucial to the strategy and capital investment of any organization. Location also impacts upon non-investors, directly affecting employment, the environment, and economic activity in the locale.
Focusing chiefly on the United States, but drawing on an international range of cases, the authors explain the economic, social and political forces which have shaped comtemporary patterns of industrialization and examines the changing nature of production and systems.

After years of official disrepute, industrial policy (IP) is back in vogue at regional, national and international levels driven by concerns over competitiveness, globalisation, de-industrialisation, unemployment and the comparatively slow growth of the EU economy especially in this post-recession phase. At the same time, IP has been seen as a catalyst for designing economic recovery strategies at regional, national and international levels, as well as being a concerted strategy to develop new 'clean-tech' industries to tackle environmental challenges. If anything, the recent global recession and credit crunch have highlighted the fragility of some states' and localities' economic development paths and the unbalanced nature of their economies, in terms of an over-reliance on sectors such as retail, financial services, and construction, to the detriment of manufacturing. This also suggests an accompanying need for greater economic diversity so as to avoid over-dependencies on certain sectors, and a better balance of ownerships forms. But what should be the shape of IP in the wake of the crisis and how can IP rebalance economies, help support sustainable development and catalyse new technologies and innovations whilst learning lessons from past experience and debate? This edited volume examines these questions through a wide range of diverse contributions from expert international authors. This book was originally published as a special issue of Policy Studies.

The recognised success of the post-war Japanese economy has rested on the qualities of its manufacturing industries. This book explores the origins, rationale, and consequences of this transformation. Using theoretical insights and detailed evidence, it reviews the rise of the Japanese economy and the nature, causes, and changing objectives of vertical and horizontal integration; ownership, control, financing and bank-industry relations; and the major operational functions of production, human resources, distribution and marketing.

In a balanced and readable account, this book explains how international, domestic, economic and political factors interrelated to shape the world of modern industry in the thirty years before it was originally published in 1987. It conveys some of the richness and diversity in the political and economic landscape of modern industries and provides a real-world background for the theory of economics and business. Drawing on the work of business analysts and industry specialists, as well as of economists and political scientists, it treats the subject in terms of applied economics in an empirical and practical perspective. After tracing the post-war development of manufacturing up to the mid-1980s, the same approach is applied to specific industries: steel, automobiles, consumer electronics, semiconductors, computers, automated machinery and textiles. Two themes are stressed throughout: industrial growth and development have become truly international, if not global; and most manufacturing takes place under oligopolistic conditions in a world of state intervention and pressure-group activities.

Discusses the causes of economic achievement in the leading East Asian countries in relation to the Porter thesis which links economic success with the capabilities of indigenous industrial clusters. Contributors review Porter's evidence on Japan and South Korea, extending the debate to Singapore, H

The Industrial Revolution is one of the most enduring and studied areas of economic history. This text takes an innovative look at this much discussed subject in order to stimulate interest and elicit new responses. It studies: the way the classical economists viewed natural resources as a constraint on rapid and sustained growth; how the Industrial Revolution might have appeared when looking forwards from the Middle Ages rather than the usual retrospective view; what can be expected from growth rate calculations that have a substantially subjective basis; what contribution can be made to the living standard debated from an understanding of income distribution within the family; and what has been gained from these new explorations.

Was the Industrial Revolution Necessary? takes an innovative look at this much studied subject. The contributors ask new questions, explore new issues and use new data in order to stimulate interest and elicit new responses. By looking at it from such previously unexplored angles the book brings a new understanding to the Industrial Revolution and opens a new debate.

Much has been made of the post-war Japanese economic miracle. However, the origins of this spectacular success and its effect on the region can actually be traced back to an earlier period of Asian history. In "Japanese Industrialization and the Asian Economy", the authors examine the factors which contributed to the period of major industrialization from 1870 to 1940. They trace the roots of this growth back to 17th-century rivalry between Japan and China and describe how this acted as a spur to the expansion of Japanese manufacturing skills. They go on to examine how the development of the Asian market was an important pre-condition of Japanese economic growth but was, in turn, fostered by that growth. The volume comprises nine chapters by eminent economic historians. While the style is non-technical, details are backed up by diagrams and graphs. "Japanese Industrialization and the Asian Economy" offers a guide to the origins of economic dynamism in the Pacific Rim. Latham has also published "Decline and Recovery in Britain's Overseas Trade 1873-1914", with Platt and Ranald (Macmillan, 1993); and "The Market in History", with Anderson (Croom Helm, 1986).

The economic success of East Asia is often attributed to the relationship between state and business. This text presents a more balanced view of Korea's "industrial miracle". It examines the limits of a strong authoritarian state as a vehicle for intervening in the market or for sponsoring liberal reform, focusing on how state-controlled industrial adjustment in Korea has succeeded and failed. The work examines the unsuccessful state intervention in the heavy industry and chemical sectors, which led to the breakdown of the state-business governing coalition. It contrasts this with the successful transformation of these same industries in the 1970s. The unsuccessful attempts at liberalization during the mid-1980s led to the failure of many enterprises. Further insights into these limitations are provided by a comparison with state-industry relations in Japan and France.

Because of the potential ease with which transnational corporations can relocate, many governments have avoided direct attempts to intervene in their activities. Nonetheless, the major economies have adopted a wide range of policies towards transnational corporations. Some (Japan and France in particular) have been very concerned by the impact of such firms. Others (most notably Britain) have had a relatively relaxed attitude. This book offers an account of policy towards transnationals over the last 30 years or so. It features: detailed, up-to-date accounts of policy in Japan, France, Germany, the United States and Britain; the role of organizations other than governments, including trade unions, business and opposition parties; summaries of which issues have most concerned which countries overall characterizations of each country's policy stance. The result should appeal to those interested in industrial economics, international business, global political economy, and international law.

First published in 1998, this volume explored the recent growth in university-based commercial start-up companies as a means of applying research in industry and as an alternative method of funding. Blair and Hitchens melded the practical experiences of universities with more theoretical understandings of technology transfer to assess whether it is more effective for universities to make commercial use of their research themselves as opposed to licensing, whether this is an effective way to get research applied by industry and the economic implications of these decisions. Drawing on the experiences of 25 universities, of which 18 are in the UK and Ireland, and including a detailed study of the QUBIS Group from Queen's University of Belfast, the authors explore universities' deliberate commercial exploitation of their research through university spin-off companies, the potential stresses on staff who are simultaneously academics and entrepreneurs along with universities' attitudes to the practice and possible managerial strategies.

Transnational corporations are now of immense significance for most economies. However, by definition they are involved in international production and this poses problems for national governments. The threat of a major company leaving gives it leverage over its host government. This means that even though there is a broad consensus that in some respects the impact of a transnational on an economy can be negative, there is a marked reluctance on the part of governments to try to do anything about it. Although they remain sensitive to the problems posed by transnationals, the authors of "Making Transnationals Accountable" do not accept that there is nothing that can be done to influence the behaviour of transnationals. The authors advocate a policy of monitoring their activities and use a comparative approach to show that many governments know surprisingly little about the impact of transnationals on their economies. They identify areas which governments might like to know more about. In an attempt to show what their approach might mean in practice, they draw upon the new techniques developed in social accounting to prepare a detailed social and economic account of "Glaxo".

Transnational corporations are now of immense significance for most economies. However, by definition they are involved in international production and this poses problems for national governments. The threat of a major company leaving gives it leverage over its host government. This means that even though there is a broad consensus that in some respects the impact of a transnational on an economy can be negative, there is a marked reluctance on the part of governments to try to do anything about it. Although they remain sensitive to the problems posed by transnationals, the authors of "Making Transnationals Accountable" do not accept that there is nothing that can be done to influence the behaviour of transnationals. The authors advocate a policy of monitoring their activities and use a comparative approach to show that many governments know surprisingly little about the impact of transnationals on their economies. They identify areas which governments might like to know more about. In an attempt to show what their approach might mean in practice, they draw upon the new techniques developed in social accounting to prepare a detailed social and economic account of "Glaxo".

Designed for various types of college courses, this book discusses the interpretation of statistical data in such fields as the economy, business, demography, housing, health, education and crime.

The relationship between trade policy and industrialization has provoked much controversy. Can trade policy promote economic growth in developing countries? Those actively working in the area are becoming increasingly sceptical about the conventional advice given by international policy advisors and organizations.
This volume builds upon earlier theoretical and empirical research on trade policy and industrialization but is the first cross-the-board attempt to review developing country experiences in this realm for twenty years. The experience of fourteen developing countries in the 1970s and 1980s is assessed by the contributors, each of whom have a detailed understanding of their country's recent experience.

This volume provides new insights to the history of international business. The international group of authors, drawn from the United States, Canada, Britain and Japan, address two main themes: How has global business developed over the last century? And what has been its impact on host economies? These original and wide-ranging essays, prefaced by an extensive editorial introduction, are required reading in courses on international business.