This title was first published in 2001. With the increasing economic, political and social integration in Europe, there has been a fundamental change in labour and industrial relations. Not only in the Japanese and American challenges in the triad competition under the slogan of ’Lean Management’ but also ecological and democratic challenges are relevant. The directive for the introduction of European works councils is one example of new forms of industrial relations. The question remains since the Hofstede studies on how far will integration go in guarding the cultural specificity’s...