W. Mark Fruin

Managing innovation : a study of British and Japanese factories

Introduction 1. British factories, Japanese factories and the new technology debate 2. The wider context 3. Employment relations (I) 4. Employment relations (II) 5. Innovation 6. Training 7. Division of labour 8. CNC and skills.

Implications of the Japan model for corporate governance and management for China and other emerging economies in Asia

Purpose – The Chinese economy, among other developing economies in Asia, has experienced extraordinary growth in the last decade. Yet, for China and other newly emerging economies in Asia to grow in a sustainable manner, good corporate governance and management mechanisms must be in place. The authors aim to explore this issue in this paper. The authors also aim to particularly point out that Japan’s experience both before after the Second World War will be relevant as a model for China’s public and business development policy decision-making. Design/methodology/approach – The authors apply well-established theories of economic development and organizational structures of business organizations to Japan’s experience before and after the Second World War and then to contemporary China’s experience. The analysis of Japan uses the substantial research findings on the development of that country available in the business history literature. Findings – The paper’s analysis shows multiple ways in which China and other emerging East Asian economies can take advantage of Japan’s experience (which is called the Japan model here) for their own development policies and achieve sustainable growth in the long run. For example, it is expected that Japan’s experiences may be relevant in areas such as: firm formation and the utility of business groups of various types; development of industrial relations and employment practices; interactions between business and government in the promotion of economic development; and how these factors relate to technology advances on a worldwide basis. Originality/value – The findings reported in this paper also contribute marginally to the literature by considering the recent experience of Chinese private and state-owned corporations, including international joint ventures, in the context of Japan’s experience in its economic and business development history.

Globalization and Alfred D. Chandler's modern (American) firm: an essay

Purpose – Alfred D. Chandler was the most important business historian of the twentieth century, who described and analyzed how large industrial firms are organized and managed in the USA from the late nineteenth to late twentieth centuries.Design/methodology/approach – This paper is a personal memoir and tribute to Dr Chandler and examines his methods, selected writings, and his legacy.Findings – His concepts and models are widely accepted and applied to North America, Western Europe, and most advanced industrial economies, taking on an air of universality. At the close of the twentieth century, however, a rise of high‐tech industries and rapidly growing, non‐western economies challenged many of the universalistic assumptions embedded in Chandlers work. At the beginning of the twenty‐first century, Chandlers writings suggest nothing more than how much time, place, and people matter.Originality/value – This paper adds a more personal touch to Dr Chandler.

Networks, Markets, and the Pacific Rim: Studies in Strategy

This volume explores the wide diversity in the kinds of networks that have been established between firms in Japan and the Pacific Rim. Editor W. Mark Fruin shows how networks in Japan and Korea are more prescribed and standardized than those found in the United States. For example, Toyotas satellite organizational system is more flexible, open-ended, and market-conforming than General Motors divisional organization. But less market-conforming networks can also arise. In China, for example, networks have arisen because of the unpredictable nature of markets. The contributors to this volume utilize new ideas and data to formulate an understanding of the importance of networks to the success of Asian firms. The books postmodern approach--seeking not a single model but rather a variety of models of equally probable validity--makes it a unique resource for scholars and professionals in the field.

Twentieth century models for the twenty‐first century: models of fast growing firms and industries in the twentieth century for fast growing firms and industries in the twenty‐first century

Purpose – This paper aims to present a general review of the circumstances of America and Japan’s rapid corporate, economic and industrial development in the twentieth century. Design/methodology/approach – The approach considered and evaluated how the circumstances of America and Japan’s growth might apply to China and India, two of the fastest growing economies of the twenty-first century. Findings – The findings suggest that both America and Japan might be considered exceptional cases and, as such, neither one might be regarded as a good model for emulation. However, the circumstances of Japan’s rapid growth appear closer to those of contemporary China and India and on that basis the authors suggest that Japan might be a better model for emulation. Originality/value – The American model is too novel and unlikely to be imitated, replicated or repeated whereas Japan’s high population density, agrarian origins, state assisted and administered development, adaptation and hybridization of local and imported methods and technologies, kinship, pseudo-kinship and locality based business groupings, and rapid, come-from-behind charge toward industrialization, urbanization and international emergence, all suggest that Japan offers a more relevant and useful development model.

The Japanese Enterprise System: Competitive Strategies and Cooperative Structures.

This volume merges four streams of inquiry and interpretation in a study of the evolution and emergence of Japans leading industrial firms during the twentieth century. First, it is a historical study of how the industrial institutions of modern Japan appeared and matured. Second, it is an organization study of the basic forms of social and economic interaction in Japan. Third, it is a development study of how circumstances of rapid technical and economic change have shaped the Japanese business system. It is also a strategy study of how Japanese managers have responded to and shaped these circumstances.