Author Description

Once the dominant force in the world semiconductor industry, the United States rapidly lost market share to Japan during the 1980s. Over the last few years, however, such U.S. firms as Intel, Motorola, and Texas Instruments have led the way in a dramatic reversal of the trend. In this fascinating and insightful volume, David P. Angel offers the first examination of how the United States was able to respond successfully to the challenge of global competition by initiating what can be seen as nothing less than a complete restructuring of the semiconductor industry. Beginning with a critical reexamination of the strengths and weaknesses of the U.S. semiconductor industry as it developed during the 1970s, this volume describes the competitive difficulties experienced by U.S. firms over the past decade. In contrast to other studies that have explained the loss of market share in terms of unfair competition from Japan, the author identifies structural weaknesses in U.S. manufacturing practice. The recovery of the U.S. semiconductor industry is based on new manufacturing strategies that overcame a false separation between innovation and production, allowing U.S. firms to improve production performance and reduce the time-to-market for new technologies. Providing important insights into how the United States can compete, not just in the semiconductor industry but also in other high technology sectors of production, the author draws on detailed case studies and survey research to review the steps U.S. firms have taken to enhance manufacturing performance. The work concludes with a discussion of another significant change sweeping the semiconductor industry: the proliferation of technology development, production, and cooperative research agreements among semiconductor firms. Helping to revitalize the competitive advantage of the United States, these agreements are also changing the nature of the semiconductor industry worldwide. A groundbreaking contribution to the debate concerning the foundations of competitive success in the global economy of the 1990s, Restructuring for Innovation will interest all scholars, policy makers, and professionals concerned with the future of U.S. high technology industries. It is also a useful text for students of business economics, geography, and communications.