Global manufacturing has been altered by the emergence of a new approach to production which differs radically from the principles of mass production. This approach has been characterised by successful manufacturers in Asia and the West who have engaged in a continuous process to improve quality, process productivity and cost performance. The authors of Beyond Quality argue that many of the methods used by these new firms are equally suitable for manufacturers in developing countries and the transition economies of eastern and Central Europe. Using case study material from Latin America, Africa and Central Europe, the authors demonstrate that it is the skill and organization of people - rather than sophisticated equipment - which determines growth in productivity and product quality. These new forms of improvement are not dependent on economies of scale and so provide small producers with the flexibility to compete effectively against mass producers.

First published in 1983, Collapse and Survival was written as an examination of the position of industry worldwide at the time of publication. The book looks at the post-war growth of output and the policies adopted in advanced countries, socialist countries, and LDCs to bolster and shape this growth. It explores in detail the experience of firms across several of the industries at the forefront of the changes in world industry since 1945, including automobiles, steel, consumer electronics, advanced electronics, and oil refining. Particular attention is paid to the influence that the majority of countries, public agencies, lobbyists and other interests have in shaping the business environment in which firms operate. This analysis provides the basis for a description of the business strategies open to firms in each of these key industries. Collapse and Survival will appeal to those with an interest in the history of industrial and development economics, and international business and economics.

Global patterns of production and trade in manufactures have changed tremendously over the past two decades. The growth of world trade has been accompanied by a rapid increase in the number of products, suppliers and buyers involved in international markets. At the same time, the means by which manufacturers compete and collaborate have been changing. The great challenges that these developments pose for policy makers and practitioners provide the basic motive for this comprehensive assessment of the underlying forces and determinants that are reshaping the world's industrial map. Based upon an empirical approach, the analysis is closely interwoven with key elements of economic theory. the Heckscher-Ohlin model provides the framework for most of the book's interpretation, but less formal models focusing on economies of scale, product differentiation and other aspects of imperfect competition also figure prominently. The extensive research with access to UNIDO's vast body of unpublished information and contributions from specialists, has resulted in a blend of theoretical and empirical material which yields new insights into the way firms and industries compete.