Innovation is a key to corporate success, particularly in times of rapid technological change. This book sheds new light on the introduction of technology in the manufacturing sector. The author considers the use of innovative technology in both Britain and Japan by examining nine firms in each country. He focuses on computerized machine tools (CNC) and shows how the various firms have risen to the challenge of implementing the new technology. Particular emphasis is placed on the differing employment relations in the factories, the nature of operator training and workload distribution. Dr....

Long-term, close trading relations based on trust have come to be regarded as a key to the management of buyer-supplier relations in industry, while the arm's length and adversarial commercial bargain has fallen out of favor. This book examines these contrasting approaches, and the link between them and corporate performance, through a study of the electronics industry in Britain and Japan, and offers a unique integration of multi-disciplinary theorizing and original comparative empirical work. It will be of use to those interested in the nature of the firm, and students of comparative...

In this examination of the development of employers' personnel, human resources, and industrial relations policies in Britain in the twentieth century the author focuses on how employers organize the employment relationship, control work relations, and deal with trade unions and industrial relations. He develops an approach that emphasizes the interaction of external market forces, internal management structure and organization, and strategic choices, and argues that British employers' historical adherence to market-based strategies rather than internal strategies has had negative...