Author Description

During the twentieth century as a whole, the United States has been a reference point for industrialized economies around the world. This volume examines the American influence on two of the most important and dynamic economies in the post-war period, West German and Japanese, during the so-called boom years (1950-1973). Contributions to this volume analysis five different business sectors which played an important role as engines of economic growth and also in the development of the consumer society in both countries: automobiles, electrical engineering and electronics, synthetic fibres and rubber, consumer chemicals and retail trade. The paired case studies examine the process of introducing new technology and management methods in each company and industry with respect to the American influence. They look at the possible Americanization across a wide variety of functions, including R & D, production, sales and marketing, human resources and finance. The book shows that the American models led to a transformation of existing production and management systems which subsequently became the core of the successful West German and Japanese models in the 1970s and 80s.