Originally published in 1980 but re-issued now with a new preface, this book looks at the German manager from a sociological viewpoint and explains why German management has been so successful and highlights the key factors in the training of the German manager and the attitudes and skills he develops in his work. The views and aspirations of German managers themselves are discussed in the light of the author's first-hand acquaintance with German industry. Throughout there is comparison with the UK, USA and other European countries. The manufacturing function is the subject of a special examination. It is argued that although German management has adopted some American practices the ethic is strictly German and an essential part of the German character.

German industry in particular is a central focus for studying technical and organizational changes in industry due to its pivotal position in international markets, its technological sophistication and its well-established training systems. Originally published in 1992, this study brings together contributions which contain both theoretical approaches and extensive empirical studies, on the manufacturing industry in Germany, including comparisons to other european countries. It looks at the developments of new technology, identifying trends in rationalization and the influences they have on organizational behaviour. As it discusses the relationships between technology and the work-force it includes discussion on flexible specialization, labour processes, union relations, small and large firms and training processes.

Manufacturing Possibilities examines adjustment dynamics in the steel, automobile and machinery industries in Germany, the U.S., and Japan since World War II. As national industrial actors in each sector try to compete in global markets, the book argues that they recompose firm and industry boundaries, stakeholder identities and interests and governance mechanisms at all levels of their political economies. Micro level study of industrial transformation in this way provides a significant window on macro level processes of political economic change in the three societies.
Theoretically, the book marks a departure from both neoliberal economic and historical institutionalist perspectives on change in advanced political economies. It characterizes industrial change as a creative, bottom up process driven by reflective social actors. This alternative view consists of two distinctive claims. The first is that action is social, reflective, and ultimately creative. When their interactive habits are disrupted, industrial actors seek to repair their relations by reconceiving them. Such imaginative interaction redefines interest and causes unforeseen possibilities for action to emerge, enabling actors to trump existing rules and constraints. Second, industrial change driven by creative action is recompositional. In the social process of reflection, actors rearrange, modify, reconceive, and reposition inherited organizational forms and governance mechanisms as they experiment with solutions to the challenges that they face. Continuity in relations is interwoven with continuous reform and change. Most remarkably, creativity in the recomposition process makes the introduction of entirely new practices and relations possible.
Ultimately, the message of Manufacturing Possibilities is that social study of change in advanced political economies should devote itself to the discovery of possibility. Preoccupation with constraint and failure to appreciate the capaciousness of reflective social action has led much of contemporary debate to misrecognize the dynamics of change. As a result, discussion of the range of adjustment possibilities in advanced political economies has been unnecessarily limited.

This volume, originally published in 1995, investigates the variation in rates of new venture inititations across manufacturing industries. Based on Austrain and other perspectives on market disequilibrium, the book proposes a model of new venture formation in dynamic markets. It focuses on the environmental factors which immpact rates of entrepreneurship in industries and argues that more dynamic industries will contain more profit opportunities and therefore exhibit a greater degree of entrepreneurship and new venture creation.

Most books on the biotechnology industry focus on scientific and technological challenges, ignoring the entrepreneurial and managerial complexities faced bio-entrepreneurs. The Business Models for Life Science Firms aims to fill this gap by offering managers in this rapid growth industry the tools needed to design and implement an effective business model customized for the unique needs of research intensive organizations. Onetti and Zucchella begin by unpacking the often-used 'business model' term, examining key elements of business model conceptualization and offering a three tier approach with a clear separation between the business model and strategy: focus, exploring the different activities carried out by the organization; locus, evaluating where organizational activities are centered; and modus, testing the execution of the organization's activities. The business model thus defines the unique way in which a company delivers on its promise to its customers. The theory and applications adopt a global approach, offering business cases from a variety of biotech companies around the world.

Several years have passed since the 'store wars' over barriers to foreign products at Japanese distribution firms. Yet among English-speaking readers, how these firms operate remains a puzzle. In this book, the best Japanese scholars in their fields attempt to unravel that puzzle. Avoiding culture-based explanations, they employ a systematic and rigorous economic logic---yet, since they also avoid mathematical notation, the argument remains accessible to generalist readers.

Since the beginning of China's economic reform in 1978, private manufacturing firms have played an indispensable role in, and have made a remarkable contribution to, the country's economic development. This book, based on extensive original research, explores the current development challenges for Chinese private manufacturing firms as China's integration with the global economy deepens. At the heart of the book are rich, nuanced empirical case studies of private manufacturing firms in the footwear and electrical equipment industries based in the city of Wenzhou, which was where private enterprise in China was pioneered in the 1980s. Particular subjects considered include the competition situation, the interaction of foreign and indigenous firms in both domestic and international markets, and the facilitating role of industrial development areas.

This book presents decision support tools that can be used in the early design stage to analyze the feasibility of a product and its components for remanufacturing. It also covers how to design a product specifically for remanufacturing and offers supporting case studies. This is a comprehensive solutions guide for remanufacturing decision-making. The book illustrates an approach that can be used at the product End-of-Life (EOL) stage to generate optimized recovery plans for the returned products. Opportunities for Industry 4.0 to support remanufacturing along with case studies are included to showcase the decision-making tools. Remanufacturing and Remanufacturability Assessment for the Circular Economy: A Solutions Guide will be of interest to practitioners, business professionals, and researchers that work in the industrial and manufacturing sectors. Those involved with supply chain management and advanced technologies associated with Industry 4.0, sustainability, and integrated techniques of circular supply chains will also find this book very useful.

Consolidation activities such as mergers and acquisitions (M&As) have been one of the major strategies adopted by Indian firms to withstand global competition. M&As experienced a substantial increase in value and volume during the post-liberalization era, facilitated by the presence of foreign subsidiaries in the Indian market as well as competitive pressure on domestic firms. The increased foreign investment through M&As brought new dimensions to the fore such as the implications on technological performance, efficiency, and more importantly, competition in the Indian market. The Globalisation of Indian Business: Cross Border Mergers and Acquisitions in Indian Manufacturing provides an in-depth analysis of these issues, specifically aiming to understand whether the M&As strategies helped the firms to achieve their desired objectives in terms of improvement in technology, efficiency and market power in the context of the increase of M&As in India, using appropriate statistical and econometric techniques. The book is of additional importance in the context of the recently implemented Competition Act, replacing the thirty year old MRTP Act in India. The new Act aims to maintain competition and protect consumers' interests without harming that of the producers'. Based on the analysis, broadly, the study cautions the regulators to rethink the efficiency defence argument and become more vigilant on the creation of monopolies. On the other side, it suggests firms should reconsider their post-merger integration strategy since consolidation has not led to a sustainable increase in market share of the surviving firms.

Presents exclusive material on integration of 4D imaging and 4D printing Demonstrates the industrial applications of 4D imaging in 4D printing using multiple case studies Discusses use of open source 4D imaging tools for biomedical applications Includes in-house development of smart materials for 4D printing Reviews low cost, indigenous lab scale solutions for various veterinary applications

Lean is about building and improving stable and predictable systems and processes to deliver to customers high-quality products/services on time by engaging everyone in the organization. Combined with this, organizations need to create an environment of respect for people and continuous learning. It's all about people. People create the product or service, drive innovation, and create systems and processes, and with leadership buy-in and accountability to ensure sustainment with this philosophy, employees will be committed to the organization as they learn and grow personally and professionally. Lean is a term that describes a way of thinking about and managing companies as an enterprise. Becoming Lean requires the following: the continual pursuit to identify and eliminate waste; the establishment of efficient flow of both information and process; and an unwavering top-level commitment. The concept of continuous improvement applies to any process in any industry. Based on the contents of The Lean Practitioners Field Book, the purpose of this series is to show, in detail, how any process can be improved utilizing a combination of tasks and people tools and introduces the BASICS Lean (R) concept. The books are designed for all levels of Lean practitioners and introduces proven tools for analysis and implementation that go beyond the traditional point kaizen event. Each book can be used as a stand-alone volume or used in combination with other titles based on specific needs. Each book is chock-full of case studies and stories from the authors' own experiences in training organizations that have started or are continuing their Lean journey of continuous improvement. Contents include valuable lessons learned and each chapter concludes with questions pertaining to the focus of the chapter. Numerous photographs enrich and illustrate specific tools used in Lean methodology. Implementing Lean: Converting Waste to Profit explores implementation methods, line balancing methods, including baton zone or bumping, and implementing Lean in the office and machine shops. The goal of this book is to introduce the balance of the tools and how to proceed once the analysis is completed. There are many pieces to a Lean implementation and all of them are interconnected. This book walks through the relationships and how the data presented can be leveraged to prepare for the implementation. It also provides suggest solutions for improvements and making recommendations to management to secure their buy-in and approval.

Will the manufacturing industry in east-central Europe survive when the host countries join the European Union? This controversial book challenges the assumption, made by the European Commission, that industries in transitional economies should have little difficulty establishing and maintaining a competitive position after entry into the European Union. The analysis focuses on Hungary, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and the former east Germany. Issues discussed include: * changes in economic structures, the transformation of enterprises and financial restructuring * levels of competitiveness in the countries, the region and internationally * industrial policy in the region * levels and nature of investment * limits and sources of growth * integration into western Europe * dangers of over-hasty harmonization of macroeconomic conditions with the European Union The authors conclude that although the basic structures of a market economy are firmly established, the transition has not encouraged the development of more advanced industrial activities. They strongly suggest that there should be an active policy framework, based on international experience, specifically geared towards improving the international competitiveness of industry in east-central Europe.

Against the backdrop of growing anti-globalisation sentiments and increasing fragmentation of the production process across countries, this book addresses how the Indonesian economy should respond and how Indonesia should shape its trade and industrial policies in this new world trade environment. The book introduces evaluation not on tariffs but on new trade instruments such as non-tariff measures (SPS, TBT, export measures and beyond border measures), and looks at industrial policies from a broader perspective such as investment, accessing inputs, labour, services, research and innovation policies. "The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/10.4324/9781315161976, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license."

This brand new textbook by one of the leading engineering authors covers basic sheet-metal fabrication and welding engineering principles and applications in one volume - an unrivalled comprehensive coverage that reflects current working and teaching practice. It is fully up-to-date with the latest technical information and best practice and also includes chapters on non-technical but equally essential subjects such as health and safety, personal development and communication of technical information.Roger Timings covers these areas of mechanical engineering and workshop practice in a highly practical and accessible style. Hundreds of illustrations demonstrate the practical application of the procedures described. The text includes worked examples for calculations and key points to aid revision. Each chapter starts with learning outcome summaries and ends with exercises which can be set as assignemnts.The coverage is based on the SEMTA National Occupational Standards which makes this book applicable to a wide range of courses and ensures it also acts as a vital ongoing reference source in day-to-day working practice. All students, trainees and apprentices at up to and including Level 3 will find this book essential reading, particularly those taking:Level 2 NVQs in Performing Engineering OperationsLevel 2 and 3 NVQs in Fabrication and Welding EngineeringLevel 2 NVQs in Mechanical Manufacturing EngineeringC&G 2800 Certificate and Level 3 Diplomas in Engineering and TechnologySEMTA Apprenticeships in Engineering

This monograph study of Japan's industrial development focuses on the role of entrepreneurship first in adopting more advanced Western technology and then in innovating new technologies and developing human resources according to its changing organizational needs. Unlike previous studies in English, it covers the whole of the period since the Meiji restoration, refusing to divide up the credit for Japanese growth between technological improvements and investments in human and physical capital. The book investigates the interaction between private entrepreneurial activities and public policy, through a general examination of economic and industrial development, a study of the evolution of management systems, and six industrial case studies.

Surface engineering is considered an important aspect in the reduction of friction and wear. This reference text discusses a wide range of surface engineering technologies along with applications in a comprehensive manner. The book describes various methods in surface engineering technology with a thorough explanation of various aspects of each process that comes under this domain. Apart from an enhanced explanation of the process and its attributes, this book also gives insight into the types of materials, applications, and optimization of surface engineering techniques. It discusses important topics including surface engineering of the functionality of graded materials, materials characterization, processing of biomaterials, design, surface modification technologies and process control, smart manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and machine learning applications. The book: discusses computational and simulation analyses for better selection of process parameters covers optimizations of processes with state-of-the-art technologies discusses applications of surface engineering in medical, agricultural, architecture engineering, and allied sectors covers processing techniques of biomaterials in surface engineering The text is useful for senior undergraduate, graduate students, and academic researchers working in diverse areas such as industrial and production engineering, mechanical engineering, materials science, and manufacturing science. It covers a hybrid process for surface modification, modeling techniques, and issues in surface engineering.

To the surprise of many, regionally embedded clusters of small to medium sized businesses have continued to exist in spite of industrialisation and mass production. While scholars have discovered that the advantages of embeddedness in terms of industrialisation were situated in interfirm cooperation and conflict resolving mechanisms, it is far less clear how changing historical circumstances on the world market, i.e. globalisation, affected such systems. Taking a look inside Leipzig, a capital of the global fur industry between 1870 and 1939 with its numerous highly specialised businesses, both in production as well as trade, World Market Transformation examines the robustness of district firms within the highly volatile international fur business. This book examines how firm embeddedness not only served to overcome challenges related to industrialisation, but also strengthened the abilities of cluster firms to deal with changing world market circumstances. World Market Transformation integrates the "interior-biased" research tradition on local business systems and industrial districts into the "exterior" fields of global and transnational history. It is demonstrated that the local business district not only emerged because of the expansion of international trade, but that district processes of interfirm cooperation also gave shape to the spatial distribution, conventions and structures of the very same world market. The analysis of embedded communities thus offers an important instrument to examine phenomena of economic globalisation, but also how such macro-economic developments have been shaped and actively constructed by local actors.

International production networks in manufacturing, particularly in machinery industries, have rapidly developed over the last two decades, resulting in dramatic increases in intra-regional and intra-industry trade, providing a key source of regional growth, integration and development in East Asia. This book provides a better understanding on how to effectively further increase SME participation in East Asian production networks, and in doing so identifies key challenges and issues that they need to address. This book aims to not only fill the theory-practice gap, but also to lay solid foundations for designing national arrangements and a regional institutional frameworks to further encourage and support SME engagement and participation in regional and global production networks. The book contains several country case studies and by drawing upon individual country experiences, at various stages of economic development, this book demonstrates the varying difficulty faced by SMEs in ASEAN member countries attempting to participate in regional production networks and highlighting differences in needs and policy priorities. This book offers both a more focused theme on the assessment of globalization and a rather unique approach by focusing upon the particular importance of SMEs, and by utilizing micro-level data at the firm or plant level. Its policy insights and the richness and uniqueness of the empirical findings will make the book an invaluable contribution to understanding East Asian production networks.

This book provides an overview of the brand construction process of manufacturing enterprises in Zhejiang province, China. There are now a number of industry-leading enterprises that are trying to build their own brands and manufacture products of higher quality in Zhejiang. The first chapter focuses on the place branding strategy employed by the Zhejiang Provincial Government in launching the "ZhejiangMade" brand to improve the perception of products made by Zhejiang manufacturing firms and promote them in the domestic and international markets. In the following nine chapters, the editors bring together case studies from nine leading enterprises in Zhejiang, including Baoxiniao, Shuanghuan, Feida, ROBAM, Xinhai, Yinlun, Weixing, Deli and Fotile, providing an analysis of their branding process.

This new edition provides an alternative overview of 18th-century British economy. Recent macroeconomic history has discounted many of the achievements of the Industrial Revolution, but this text dissects the characteristics and processes of industry in the 18th century. A male industrial revolution has been presented as the general experience, but new industries, notably in textiles and metal products, were primarily employers of women. This work gives these industries and their workforce due prominence. Technologies, work processes, labour forces and markets shifted in a variety of directions and forms to create a sector of dynamic new initiatives alongside stable and declining crafts. The key to the Industrial Revolution lies in the sources of technological creativity and the structures of industrial communities. The rise of the factory system was one result. This text reasserts the primacy of the industrial experience to Britain's economic history.

How much does regulation matter in shaping corporate behavior? This pathbreaking, in-depth study of fourteen pulp manufacturing mills in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand reveals that steadily tightening regulatory standards have been crucial for raising environmental performance. But while all firms have shown improvement, some have improved more than others, many going substantially beyond compliance. What explains the variation in compliance? It's not necessarily the differences in regulation in each country. Rather, variation is accounted for by the complex interaction between tightening regulations and a social license to operate (especially pressures from community and environmental activists), economic constraints, and differences in corporate environmental management style. Shades of Green provides the most extensive and systematic empirical study to date of why firms achieve the levels of environmental performance that they do.

Basic Manufacturing has already established itself as a core text for manufacturing courses in Further Education. The new edition has been revised to be fully in line with the new Vocational GCSE in Manufacturing from Edexcel, covering the three compulsory units of this scheme, and will continue to act as a core text for Intermediate GNVQ. Coverage of the two schemes is combined throughout the text, yet each chapter clearly illustrates which sections map to which units within the two scheme specifications. The author's approach is student-centred with self-check questions and activities provided throughout. As a result, the book is well suited to independent study. It is also clearly written to appeal to students of all abilities. Review questions are provided at the end of each chapter to consolidate learning and give practice for external assessments. The third edition contains a brand new chapter to cater for the examinable part of the GCSE syllabus (Unit 3), which includes case studies in the six sectors covered in the scheme: food and drink/biological and chemical; printing and publishing/paper and board; textiles and clothing; engineering fabrication; mechanical/automotive engineering; electrical and electronic engineering/computer/process control/telecommunications. The book is an excellent, readable introduction to the technical and business aspects of the manufacturing industry that will be invaluable for students on a wide range of courses, including City and Guilds certificates. It also provides a good grounding for students embarking on higher-level programmes within Manufacturing. Roger Timings is one of the UK's leading authors of textbooks on manufacturing and engineering.

What does excellent manufacturing management mean? Management texts to date have emphasized that it is, above methods such as SPC or TQM, a matter of "intangibles" and "culture". This book takes the myth out of management excellence; it can be learned and practiced: 1. Manage the four core processes, strategy formulation and deployment, product innovation, process development, and the supply chain, and 2. Pay attention to the seven dimensions of management quality, direction setting, integration, delegation, communication, participation, measurement, and employee development. Thus, we argue that an excellent manufacturing manager can move to a plant in a different industry and become, after an appropriate time to learn its specific technologies, an excellent manufacturing manager there as well. This book explains management quality and demonstrates how it is implemented, with nine plant tours through world-class factories from different industries.

Technology is the key factor in global industrial competition, and Japan's national system of technological innovation has been critical to the economic success of the country since the Second World War. This book examines the historical development of the system, innovation in four major manufacturing industries, the career paths of engineers and overseas R&D, and the influence of public sector institutions and regulations.

Spoiled Silk is the story of two immigrants from the Rhineland, William Brueckmann and his wife Katherine, who started a new life in America's first industrial city, Paterson NJ, nourishing a vision of their adopted country that was never to be. Committed to a socialist dream, they struggled to improve the lot of their follow immigrants and, at the same time, to raise a family in the midst of the turbulence that surrounded them. Their efforts contributed in the long run to improved working conditions in American mills, but their dream of a socialist America was never to be realized. It was in 1913 that the workers in the Paterson textile mills, having learned that a new kind of loom would put many of them out of work went on strike against the mill owners. In desperation, they called in Big Bill Haywood and the Wobblies of the I.W.W. to help them. The Paterson authorities moved quickly to crush the strike by forbidding the strikers to hold public meetings. Alone among elected local officials, William Brueckmann, Mayor of the neighboring town of Haledon, defied the Paterson authorities and their police department and upheld the constitutional rights of the strikers by giving them a safe haven in his town. His action marked the beginning of a long and bitter struggle that brought thousands of workers to the open fields of Haledon and forced the city of Paterson to its knees.The strike is an important chapter in the history of the American labor movement. For William and Katherine Brueckmann it did not however, mark the end of their struggles. Spoiled Silk also chronicles the prejudice they had to face during the First World War and the pressures that eventually drove them to compromise with post-war America and its Good Times. It was a compromise that would bring with it a different kind of tragedy and sorrow, the death of an only son and their own drawing apart from one another. The recent interest in immigrants to America has almost overlooked the largest group of immigrants, the German Americans. Spoiled Silk is a moving story about two of them. Vividly told, Spoiled Silk brings to life the experiences of these valiant people in the early decades of the century just past.