Recent years have seen intense debates among management and academics on the rise of "lean production" and "Japanization." This book examines in detail the actual practice of transfer and adaptation of productive models into the auto industry. Case studies cover the Japanese transplant experience in North America, and the global experience of hybrid production systems in Europe, Latin America, and Asia.

Prof. Jurgens is renowned for his scientific work in such fields as human resources, work organization and organization of production and development, especially for automotive industries. In this publication, authors from different countries discuss models of integration in development and production as realized in practice. Of interest to those practitioners who need to develop benchmarks for their own development and production."

The future of one of the world's most important industries is examined from the perspective of work structures and labor relations policies. The authors examine the restructuring of the world automobile industry in the 1980s, and draw data from an in-depth empirical study of three leading car companies in three different countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany. They demonstrate that differences among firms and countries have had a major impact on the way in which change has come about. This book is an important contribution to the study of mass production industries...

Prof. Jurgens is renowned for his scientific work in such fields as human resources, work organization and organization of production and development, especially for automotive industries. In this publication, authors from different countries discuss models of integration in development and production as realized in practice. Of interest to those practitioners who need to develop benchmarks for their own development and production."

New industrial centres are emerging in the so-called BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China), where large numbers of plants have been constructed in recent years, creating many manufacturing jobs. But what does industrial work look like in these locations? Up until now, much of the interest in developing country industrialization has concentrated on the poor working conditions that characterize some export-oriented sectors in emerging economies, most notoriously in the garment industry. In contrast, the concern of this book is with the modern facilities of multinational or local...