This edited volume examines the American influence on West German and Japanese industry from the 1950s to the 1970s, providing a valuable contribution to the debate on 'Americanization' from a historical and comparative perspective. Individual contributions provide an in-depth analysis of the adoption and modification of management and technological issues from the US in West Germany and Japan at the micro-economic level.

Contents:
1. Americanisation: historical and conceptual issues Akira Kudo, Matthias Kipping and Harm G. Schröter
2. 'Importing' American ideas to West Germany, 1940s to 1970s: from associations to private consultancies Matthias Kipping
3. Paths to Americanisation in post-war Japan Satoshi Sasaki
4. Driving the West German consumer society: the introduction of US-style production and marketing at Volkswagen, 1945-70 Christian Kleinschmidt
5. Americanisation with the Japanese supplier system in the Japanese automobile industry, 1950-65 Hiorfumi Ueda
6. The Americanisation of the German electrical industry after 1945: Siemens as a case study Wilfried Feldenkirchen
7. The Americanisation and Japanisation of electronics firms in post-war Japan Shin Hasegawa
8. America and the resurgence of the German chemical and rubber industry after the Second World War: Hüls, Glanzstoff and Continental Christian Kleinschmidt
9. The Americanisation of technologies and management in Japan and its multiple effects: the case of Toray Tsuneo Suzuki
10. Reluctant Americanisation? The reaction of Henkel to the influences and competition from the United States Susanne Hilger
11. Emerging post-war-type managers and their learning of American technology and management: the consumer chemicals industry and the case of Kao Akira Judo and Motoi Ihara
12. 'Revolution in trade': the Americanisation of distribution in Germany during the boom years, 1949-75 Harm G. Schröter
13. American influences and Japanese innovation in the distribution industry: changes of supermarket system from the 1950s until the 1970s Mika Takaoka and Takeo Kikkawa

This volume approaches the history of Japanese-German relations from a business history perspective. Starting with an overview of Japanese-German relations which focuses on the environment, strategies and forms of inter-firm relations, Akira Kudo then uses case studies to provide a broader picture, before finally considering strategy, organizational strategy and technology and management transfer in the light of problems identified earlier. All the case studies are chosen to meet specific criteria which allow the author to move from individual details towards a broader picture and thus provide a history of Japanese-German business relations during the Inter-war years.