In Inside China's Automobile Factories, Lu Zhang explores the current conditions, subjectivity, and collective actions of autoworkers in the world's largest and fastest-growing automobile manufacturing nation. Based on years of fieldwork and extensive interviews conducted at seven large auto factories in various regions of China, Zhang provides an inside look at the daily factory life of autoworkers and a deeper understanding of the roots of rising labor unrest in the auto industry. Combining original empirical data and sophisticated analysis that moves from the shop floor to national political economy and global industry dynamics, the book develops a multilayered framework for understanding how labor relations in the auto industry and broader social economy can be expected to develop in China in the coming decades.

The application of systems theory to today's businesses is a direct result of the enhancements that stem from globalization. In order to remain competitive in the new global environment, companies must alter their managerial methods and strategies. Systemic Approaches to Strategic Management: Examples from the Automotive Industry addresses the issues that industrial companies face in the current era of globalization and how the application of systems theory has affected their performance. Highlighting issues such as theoretical approaches of systems theory, production strategies, and organizational structure, this book is a pivotal reference source for practitioners, students, engineers, technicians, business managers, and economists interested in systems theory application in the management of industrial companies.

The historical-structural method employed here rejects analyses that are excessively voluntaristic or deterministic. The authors show that while the state was able to mitigate certain adverse consequences of TNC strategies, new forms of dependency continued to limit Mexico's options.

Originally published in 1985.

The Princeton Legacy Library uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These paperback editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905.

This book is about my experiences at a, now closed, General Motors metal casting plant in the Buffalo, New York area. It follows my journey from apprenticeship training in a skilled trade, to becoming a journeyman in the trade, to going back to school for my college degree, and finally being promoted to supervisor of a critical department in the plant.

When most people key the ignition switch or push the start button, they really do not have any idea what is involved in the engineering, technology, equipment, and human labor required to produce a motor vehicle. Heavy manufacturing, especially casting facilities, were and are dangerous places to work. I reluctantly have given the reader examples of several instances of human suffering which took place during my eighteen years of employment as well as many stories from within that GM plant.

For the better part of three decades I carried the material for this book with me and did nothing until our Government decided to bailout GM and Chrysler. At that point I dusted off the attache case and began this journey. You see, GM was not going to go out of business but going into bankruptcy would mean revamping retiree pay and medical benefits for the UAW and that was not going to happen. Six decades of questionable management and union relations at the corporate and plant levels had finally caught up with them.

This book is about my experiences at a, now closed, General Motors metal casting plant in the Buffalo, New York area. It follows my journey from apprenticeship training in a skilled trade, to becoming a journeyman in the trade, to going back to school for my college degree, and finally being promoted to supervisor of a critical department in the plant.

When most people key the ignition switch or push the start button, they really do not have any idea what is involved in the engineering, technology, equipment, and human labor required to produce a motor vehicle. Heavy manufacturing, especially casting facilities, were and are dangerous places to work. I reluctantly have given the reader examples of several instances of human suffering which took place during my eighteen years of employment as well as many stories from within that GM plant.

For the better part of three decades I carried the material for this book with me and did nothing until our Government decided to bailout GM and Chrysler. At that point I dusted off the attache case and began this journey. You see, GM was not going to go out of business but going into bankruptcy would mean revamping retiree pay and medical benefits for the UAW and that was not going to happen. Six decades of questionable management and union relations at the corporate and plant levels had finally caught up with them.

The authors point out the entire business orientated automotive value chain. With regard to the finance perspective these elements of the value chain are scrutinized chapter by chapter. Current trends in new mobility concepts, cross-industry strategic alliances as well as requirements for product launch, especially in the BRIC countries, are highlighted. The book provides the link between science and business practice in the automotive industry.

Velocity 2.0: Paint, Pixels, & Profitability is the second book from retail automotive industry expert, entrepreneur and former dealer, Dale Pollak. The book picks up where Dale's Velocity: From the Front Line to the Bottom Line leaves off, revealing new ROI-based management metrics and processes dealers can use to operate more efficient and profitable used vehicle departments. The book flows from the recognition that today s used vehicle marketplace is more challenging and volatile than it s ever been a tough reality driven by the power of the Internet and a troubled economy. Velocity 2.0 offers a playbook of best practices and processes to help dealers become more successful.

The 1965 Canada-United States Automotive Trade agreement fundamentally reshaped relations between the automotive business and the state in both countries and represented a significant step toward the creation of an integrated North American economy. Breaking from previous conceptions of the agreement as solely a product of intergovernmental negotiation, Dimitry Anastakis's Auto Pact argues that the 'big three' auto companies played a pivotal role - and benefited immensely - in the creation and implementation of this new automotive regime. With the border effectively erased by the agreement, the pact transformed these giant enterprises into truly global corporations. Drawing from newly released archival sources, Anastakis demonstrates that, for Canada's automotive policy makers, continentalism was a form of economic nationalism. Although the deal represented the end of any notion of an indigenous Canadian automotive industry, significant economic gains were achieved for Canadians under the agreement. Anastakis provides a fresh and alternative view of the auto pact that places it firmly within contemporary debates about the nature of free trade as well as North American - and, indeed, global - integration. Far from being a mere artefact of history, the deal was a forebearer to what is now known as 'globalization.'

While we are cognizant that carbon dioxide emissions from cars are having a lasting and negative impact on our climate and human health, we continue to do little to mitigate the harm.It became increasingly clear that the parties contributing to the emissions problem are a set of interacting players. It also became evident that the portrayal of this system and the related environmental and resource issues as described in this work is a unique interdisciplinary synthesis of philosophy, scientific data related to climate change, automotive technology, domestic policy, and socio-historical information. "Mary Gresens makes important contributions to our society's effort to understand the consequences of the continuing degradation of its physical environment caused by some of the very technologies that made modern society possible." - Jay Reuscher, Professor, Georgetown University "This analysis represents a serious and substantive attempt to deal with a pressing economic and ecological concern." -Terrence Reynolds, Chair Department of Theology, Georgetown University "This book addresses a real problem by using information from several disciplines, presenting the scientific evidence clearly and convincingly, and making concrete policy proposals. It points to alarming responsibility for future generations." -Wilfried Ver Eecke, Professor, Georgetown University

Written by former Toyota associates, Toyota By Toyota: Reflections from the Inside Leaders on the Techniques That Revolutionized the Industry focuses on the purpose of Lean methodologies, techniques, and principles. It compiles more than a century of combined experience from management-level employees who supply little-known insights about the Toyota Production System (TPS)-featuring many who worked directly with Taiichi Ohno. The book illustrates experiences at Toyota locations around the world, including the United States, Brazil, Venezuela, Europe, and Japan. Associates from various divisions, including sales, training, logistics, manufacturing, and human resources, provide diverse points of view regarding the application of the Lean principles discussed. In each chapter, TPS experts: Share their story about when and how they learned the specific Lean technique, methodology, or concept Describe the Lean technique, along with its benefits and pitfalls Supply helpful implementation tips A common thread that weaves these stories together is that each contributor had to learn their lessons the hard way. Although there is no magical, painless way to learn Lean, the authors hope that by sharing their experiences and struggles, you can avoid having to struggle through the same lessons. Readers will benefit from seeing the various approaches used to teach, as well as the unique way these authors translate that learning to the reader.

India is witnessing a unique moment in populism, with sentiments divided between economic reforms that promise fast industrialization and protests that thwart such industrialization. This book offers an ethnographic study of divergent local responses to the proposed construction of a Tata Motors factory in eastern India that would have produced the Nano, the so-called people's car. Initial excitement was followed by long protests among the villagers whose agricultural land was being acquired for the project. After these protests secured the relocation of the factory, further demonstrations followed, sometimes involving the same participants, seeking to bring the factory back. People's Car explores this ambivalence concerning industrialization, asking why long drawn resistances against corporate industrialization coexist with political rhetoric and slogans promoting fast-paced industrialization. Majumder argues that such contradictory rhetoric and promises target divided sentiments in rural India where land is incommensurable with money and a site specially marked by desire for middle caste small landowners aspiring to futures beyond agriculture. Previous studies of industrialization have generally focused on either demands for development or populist critiques. Moving beyond romantic cliches about urban/rural divisions, People's Car offers a single analytical and ethnographic framework demonstrating how pro- and anti-industrialization forces feed off each other.

In Outraged, an auto insider provides an inspiring account of what it means to lose your rights, property, and, in essence, the American dream. It begins with roughly two thousand men and women whose companies were destroyed by two automakers, General Motors and Chrysler, during their government-led corporate restructurings in 2009. Authors Tamara Darvish, vice president of DARCARS Automotive in Maryland, and Lillie Guyer, a Detroit area automotive journalist, show the collapse of the American dream from the perspective of an entrepreneur who was affected by the automotive industry bailout. In this featurized business story, Outraged details the founding of the activist group Committee to Restore Dealer Rights and its efforts to regain the economic rights of auto dealerships throughout the United States. It tells how they took their fight to Congress and to the steps of the White House. Outraged candidly examines the battles between dealers and the entities that engineered their demise. It also details the pain and the high points in government as its temporary power brokers ignore the significant role of Congress in lawmaking and the rights of ordinary citizens. This personal, controversial account shows what can happen when people unite in a common cause and stand up for what they believe is right.

In Outraged, an auto insider provides an inspiring account of what it means to lose your rights, property, and, in essence, the American dream. It begins with roughly two thousand men and women whose companies were destroyed by two automakers, General Motors and Chrysler, during their government-led corporate restructurings in 2009. Authors Tamara Darvish, vice president of DARCARS Automotive in Maryland, and Lillie Guyer, a Detroit area automotive journalist, show the collapse of the American dream from the perspective of an entrepreneur who was affected by the automotive industry bailout. In this featurized business story, Outraged details the founding of the activist group Committee to Restore Dealer Rights and its efforts to regain the economic rights of auto dealerships throughout the United States. It tells how they took their fight to Congress and to the steps of the White House. Outraged candidly examines the battles between dealers and the entities that engineered their demise. It also details the pain and the high points in government as its temporary power brokers ignore the significant role of Congress in lawmaking and the rights of ordinary citizens. This personal, controversial account shows what can happen when people unite in a common cause and stand up for what they believe is right.

What really goes on behind those service department garage doors?
Do women really get treated differently at the dealership?
Steve Shaw, author, former service manager and AUTO INDUSTRY INSIDER reveals these TOP SECRETS and more...
What is the secret on saving money on your regular maintenance?
How do mechanics figure the price of your repair bill?
How can you get a free world class inspection?
Can you get a free upgrade on your rental car?
Can you really get free repairs from the dealer?
Can you use competitor coupons at the dealership?
Are extended warranties a rip off? Which ones should you buy, more importantly which ones should you stay away from?
What is the ultimate secret to saving money?
It's all inside. The answers to these and many more questions are just a flip of the book cover away. Many consumers are reporting saving hundreds if not thousands of dollars on their repair bill. Get Cheating The Dealer today for yourself or a friend. It will be the easiest money you ever saved.
Every car owner needs to read Cheating The Dealer. The information is so secret that no one wanted it published. The auto manufacturers should give this to every consumer It is a must read.

Growing the UK auto supply chain is seen as an issue of the highest priority by the Automotive Council. This 'sourcing roadmap' provides and overview of current and prospective patterns in the UK automotive industry. It serves and the empirical grounding for determining and prioritising activities by the Automotive Council to retain and build supply chain capabilities in the UK automotive industry.

James Ruppert explains why German cars from the 1980s were quite simply, wunderbar. Because when it came to build quality, reliability and performance, every other car made anywhere else in the world was rubbish. The 1980s was a time when if you went shopping a VW Polo was the perfect companion. Beating an MG away from the lights was dead easy in a GTI and making a lasting impression meant arriving in an SL, SLC or any enormous Mercedes S-Class. It was a time when BMW M3s were racing certainties and a Quattro Turbo would always stay glued to the road. Getting poolside and on the sun lounger before the Germans only required one of their fine Audi 100 Avants. Proper showing off meant a Porsche 911 Turbo with its wonderful attention seeking tea tray rear spoiler. And the model that every young, upwardly mobile professional wanted parked outside his or her mews flat was a BMW 3 Series. Ruppert details how all these companies progressed to the 1980s and just what they did when they got there. Luckily he was there too, flogging BMWs at the prestigious West End Showroom in Park Lane, to yuppies, film stars and anyone else who could afford the non-refundable 10% deposit. From the author of the critically acclaimed, "The British Car Industry Our Part in its Downfall," here is his unique take on the German one, and why it won.

"This book will enlighten individuals to the experience of purchasing a vehicle. It is a great way to get families started on their auto-buying journey and shows the experience as a relationship and not just a vehicle purchase." ~ Automobile Dealership Owner My Automobile Dealership is an inspirational story which reveals how a young mother benefited from a long-term relationship with her automobile dealership on her road to success. While this story is a joy to read, it represents the major commitment dealerships have to provide quality vehicles, superior service and customer satisfaction. The story, coupled with educational materials in the back of the book, are designed to support individuals and families as they go through the auto-buying experience.

"Kevin Thomas delivers the must read business book of the year for anyone looking to get into the used car business. Kevin combines valuable insight with real how-to techniques that will shorten your learning curve and get you profitable fast. Just executing his Right System concept alone will add thousands to your bottom line."
Cory L. Mosley, Auto Industry Sales & Marketing Expert and Founder of Mosley Automotive
"Kevin has proven time after time his ability to take an auto dealership to the next level and beyond. His understanding of the entire used car operation, from procuring inventory, to reconditioning, sales, and financing is thorough and his business ethics insure him success time after time. I knew Kevin would be successful, and he has surpassed even my ambitious predictions."
Joe Callahan, President Callahan Coachworks
Are you an auto dealer wondering how to manage stagnant growth and low profits? Are you afraid the current economy will force you to close up shop?
Let's face it. Our industry has changed dramatically in recent years. But as a dealer, when I turned to the so called Guru's for answers to my questions, their advice and ideas were stale and out of touch.
I decided to take control. While I couldn't influence gas or stock market prices, I could harness my fifteen years of industry experience and focus on controlling "three vital components" of my business: customers, inventory and processes.
How to make Extreme Profits in Your Used Car Operation is the most valuable resource on the market today, offering you answers to the questions dealers routinely grapple with. It's a simple plan to help you master the "three vital components," get predictable and consistent results, and ensure your dealership's long-term success.
Kevin Thomas knows what it takes to create a successful automotive dealership. The owner and operator of several of Georgia's most successful stores, former President of the Georgia Independent Automobile Dealers Association, and winner of the prestigious Quality Dealer Award; this fifteen year veteran's in depth industry knowledge results from firsthand experience in a wide range of new and used car dealership positions from sales consultant to general manager.
A visionary and a trendsetter, and a graduate of the Professional Business Coaching Alliance's School of Coaching, Kevin masterfully combines his hard earned entrepreneurial expertise with his intimate understanding of the automotive world, sharing his knowledge and ideas with companies and industry professionals around the world.
On the Board of Directors for the local Chamber of Commerce, and President of the local Rotary Club, Kevin is happily married to his wife and business partner Karyn. They have three children; Ann Marie, Morgan and Kevin Jr.

Part of the Government Series, Energy: from TheCapitol.Net

Biofuels have grown significantly in the past few years as a component of U.S. motor fuel supply. Current U.S. biofuels supply relies primarily on ethanol produced from Midwest corn. Today, ethanol is blended in more than half of all U.S. gasoline (at the 10% level or lower in most cases). Federal policy has played a key role in the emergence of the U.S. biofuels industry in general, and the corn ethanol industry in particular. U.S. biofuels production is supported by federal and state policies that include minimum usage requirements, blending and production tax credits, an import tariff to limit importation of foreign-produced ethanol, loans and loan guarantees to facilitate the development of biofuels production and distribution infrastructure, and research grants.

Since the late 1970s, U.S. policy makers at both the federal and state levels have enacted a variety of incentives, regulations, and programs to encourage the production and use of agriculture-based renewable energy. Motivations cited for these legislative initiatives include energy security concerns, reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, and raising domestic demand for U.S.-produced farm products.

Agricultural households and rural communities have responded to these government incentives and have expanded their production of renewable energy, primarily in the form of biofuels and wind power, every year since 1996.

Ethanol and biodiesel, the two most widely used biofuels, receive significant government support under federal law in the form of mandated fuel use, tax incentives, loan and grant programs, and certain regulatory requirements.

Ethanol plays a key role in policy discussions about energy, agriculture, taxes, and the environment. In the United States it is mostly made from corn; in other countries it is often made from cane sugar. Fuel ethanol is generally blended in gasoline to reduce emissions, increase octane, and extend gasoline stock.

U.S. policy to expand the production of biofuel for domestic energy use has significant implications for agriculture and resource use. While ongoing research and development investment may radically alter the way biofuel is produced in the future, for now, corn-based ethanol continues to account for most biofuel production. As corn ethanol production increases, so does the production of corn. The effect on agricultural commodity markets has been national, but commodity production adjustments, and resulting environmental consequences, vary across regions. Changes in the crop sector have also affected the cost of feed for livestock producers.

Complete Table of Contents at www.TCNEthanol.com

Autos and Progress studies the automobile as both a tool and a cultural symbol of Brazil's status as a modern "developed" nation. As such it addresses debates on state-making, the role of multi-national corporations in the region, middle-class consumerism, working-class politics, and sports and leisure in the crafting of national identity, among others. Such a study is key for understanding the twentieth century because auto-based transportation became the central facet of Brazilian attempts to gain control over its massive national space. The most obvious expressions of this include the building of Brasilia to be the new, interior national capital, the extensive road building throughout the Amazon in the 1970s, the nation's development of one of the world's leading alternative fuel industries, Brazilian dominance in world Formula One racing, and the fact that the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, is a former auto worker and trade union leader. This focus on Brazilians' fascination with automobiles and their reliance on auto production and consumption as keys to their economic and social transformation, explains how Brazil - which enshrined its belief in science and technology in its national slogan of Order and Progress - has differentiated itself from other Latin American nations. This embrace of automobility allowed the Brazilian elite to use industrialism and the increased mobility of an auto-based society to attempt to remake the nation's poor into a more homogeneous population. Autos and Progress engages key issues in the Brazil around the meaning and role of race in society and also addresses several classic debates in Brazilian studies about the nature of Brazil's great size and diversity and how they shaped state-making. Autos and Progress unifies Brazilian economics, politics, and culture in the twentieth century. It provides a unique historical context for understanding Brazilian modernism in politics and culture. Moreover, by analyzing the origins of auto-oriented industrialism and consumerism, the book is an economic, cultural and social history of Brazilian attempts to remake the nation into a middle-class democracy. This aspect of the study presents a new interpretation for the rise of Brazil's New Unionism, which was born in Brazil's auto, truck, and bus factories. It also provides important context for understanding the place of the Partido dos Trabalhadores (Workers' Party) in national politics and culture, and the rise of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, a former auto worker.

Trust and Power argues that corporations have faced conflicts with the very consumers whose loyalty they sought. The book provides novel insights into the dialogue between modern corporations and consumers by examining automobiles during the 20th century. In the new market at the turn of the century, automakers produced defective cars, and consumers faced risks of physical injuries as well as financial losses. By the 1920s automobiles were sold in a mass market where state agencies intervened to monitor, however imperfectly, product quality and fair pricing mechanisms. After 1945, the market matured as most U.S. families came to rely on auto transport. Automakers sold a product suited to the unequal distribution of income. Again, the state intervened to regulate relations between buyers and sellers in terms of who had access to credit, and thus the ability to purchase expensive durables like automobiles.

The orthodox view of Mexican history asserts that the political stability and rapid economic growth of the post-war period were due inter alia to state control over the labour movement. On the evidence of his extensive research in Mexico between 1977 and 1982, Ian Roxborough challenges this conventional wisdom, arguing that control over Mexican unions has been more fragile and problematic than appears at first sight. Taking the car industry as a case study, he discusses the upsurge of industrial militancy in the 1970s and explores its possible implications for continued political stability. Focusing on variations in the factory-level organisations of the working class, the account in this book de-emphasises theories which stress class consciousness or which focus on the aristocracy of labour, in favour of a theory that places political and organisational power at the centre of analysis. This study of the grass roots of industrial militancy will have relevance not only for the study of contemporary Mexico but also for general explanations of the politics of labour in the Third World.

Since the mass production of Henry Ford's Model T, car enthusiasts have been redesigning, rebuilding, and reengineering their vehicles for increased speed and technical efficiency. They purchase aftermarket parts, reconstruct engines, and enhance body designs, all in an effort to personalize and improve their vehicles. Why do these car enthusiasts modify their cars and where do they get their aftermarket parts? Here, David N. Lucsko provides the first scholarly history of America's hot rod business.

Lucsko examines the evolution of performance tuning through the lens of the $34-billion speed equipment industry that supports it. As early as 1910, dozens of small shops across the United States designed, manufactured, and sold add-on parts to consumers eager to employ new technologies as they tinkered with their cars. Operating for much of the twentieth century in the shadow of the Big Three automobile manufacturers -- General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler -- these businesses grew at an impressive rate, supplying young and old hot rodders with thousands of performance-boosting gadgets.

Lucsko offers a rich and heretofore untold account of the culture and technology of the high-performance automotive aftermarket in the United States, offering a fresh perspective on the history of the automobile in America.

"Oil is the problem. Cars are the solution."
Those two simple sentences by the authors of Zoom define the scope of their illuminating and important book, an examination of a transformation in business and culture that is occurring before our eyes.
We are living in the midst of a Great Awakening. People are seeking environmentally-sound alternatives to gas guzzlers. Detroit's reign is over. Oil companies, despite their billion-dollar profits, could be on the brink of extinction if they don't adapt. And citizens, all too aware that these industries have lobbied politicians into gridlock over energy policy, are mobilizing to support leaders who advocate new policies.
In Zoom, Iain Carson and Vijay V. Vaitheeswaran, award-winning correspondents for The Economist, show why and how geopolitical and economic forces are compelling the linked industries of oil and autos to change as never before. Drawing on years of industry research-including dozens of interviews with motor and energy executives, top policymakers, and latter-day Fords and Edisons-Carson and Vaitheeswaran explain:
-How Toyota became the world's largest automaker through innovation and superior performance.
-Why American politicians have, for decades failed to address our energy issues and global warming-and how grassroots movements, along with individual entrepreneurs, innovators, and outsiders, are making real reform possible.
-How these Green revolutionaries are creating new products powered by hydrogen, electricity, bio-fuels, and digital technology.
As political leaders debate our energy, environmental and economic future, Zoom offers a lucid and visionary portrait of what that future could be. Anyone planning to vote will find compelling truth in its assertions and conclusions.