Ulrich Jurgens - Böcker

Recent years have seen intense debates among management and academics on the rise of `lean production' and `Japanization'. Some authors have stressed the `universal' impact of new forms of work organization and `best practice' while others have questioned the limits of convergence, stressed the weight of national contexts or `societal effects', or highlighted the evolutionary effects of unpredictability in the external environment. The international automobile industry has been a focus for much of this debate and this book, written by a team of leading international researchers in the field, uses this industry to examine in detail the actual practice of the transfer and adaptation of productive models and the trajectories of innovation, compromise, and failure that can result. Case studies cover in detail the Japanese transplant experience in North America, and the global experience of hybrid production systems in Europe, Latin America, and Asia. The book contributes to theoretical discussions about the transfer, adaptation, or convergence of productive models. In particular, the authors argue that direct transplantation or imitation of these models is rarely feasible or even desirable. Systems cannot be transferred without being significantly reshaped. Instead, the book focuses on the process of `hybridization', the complex interaction of productive models with national and societal effects. Hybridization, it is argued, is inevitable. But this should be seen not simply as a process of compromise and retreat but also as an important dynamic of innovation and learning. This book is from the French-based international research network GERPISA (Groupe d'étude de récherche permanent sur l'industrie et les salaries de l'automobile). See related titles below.

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 manufacturers that reflect aspirations for a process of industrial upgrading that might foreshadow the future for these countries.The book provides an analysis of work, its context, and the situation of employees in plants in the BRICs focussing on three main questions:What differences and common features can be ascertained in a comparison both of countries and firms in terms of workplace HR management and production systems? What evidence is there for either a 'high road' or 'low road' developmental path in the BRICs? How are corporate standards implemented in these local contexts?The book addresses an academic audience as well as managers and trade unionists. For the former, it offers a systematic comparison of the four countries and the companies under study. For the latter, it offers a vivid account of challenges the companies face in the BRIC countries as well as the solutions adopted by the companies.

Corporate Governance, Employee Voice, and Work Organization explores the dynamic relations between corporate governance, employee voice, and the organization of work in the automotive supply industry. It reports on research undertaken in three countries--Germany, Sweden, and the United States--that has sought to explore and compare historical patterns of the relationships between changing governance regimes, voice, and work at plant level in an era of financialization. It also explores the prospects for high-road, sustainable jobs in the sector. Three detailed case histories from each of the countries are presented which contrast companies facing three different levels of exposure to capital markets: companies relatively sheltered from stock markets; companies that are highly exposed to them; and thirdly companies owned by private equity firms. This design allows for analysis not just across different national contexts but also within them, and questions the usefulness of the 'varieties of capitalism' appraoch in understanding these differences. The cases show that governance compromises matter, that is, that recognising the role of employee voice in corporate governance regimes is essential in any comparative analysis and understanding of corporate governance.

Das Buch behandelt die Entwicklungsperspektiven und Gestaltungsoptionen von Arbeit in der Automobilproduktion vor dem Hintergrund der umfassenden Restrukturierung der Weltautomobilindustrie. Dargestellt wird die Rolle der Konzernstrategien und der nationalen Besonderheiten in den Systemen industrieller Beziehung, insbesondere der Gewerkschaftspolitik fur die Durchsetzung "neuer Produktionskonzepte". Grundlage bilden empirische Erhebungen der Autoren in drei fuhrenden Automobilunternehmen an Produktionsstandorten in den USA, Grossbritannien und der Bundesrepublik sowie in japanischen Automobilbetrieben. Wir erleben heute einen tiefgreifenden Wandel in der Automobilindustrie, der in seiner historischen Tragweite vergleichbar ist mit der Durchsetzung des fordistischen-tayloristischen Regulationsmodells in der ersten Halfte dieses Jahrhunderts. Tayloristische Prinzipien der Arbeitsteilung und fordistische Prinzipien der Massenfertigung stehen heute ihrerseits zur Disposition. Aber was tritt an ihre Stelle? An Strategien und "neuen Produktionskonzepten" fehlt es nicht. Wie steht es aber mit ihrer Umsetzung in der betrieblichen Praxis?Gibt es konzern- und landerspezifische Profile in den Zielen und Schwerpunkten der Restrukturierung? Gibt es Leitbilder fur die Zukunft der Arbeit in der Automobilindustrie und wie setzen sie sich durch? Die Antworten in diesem Buch basieren auf einem umfassenden empirischen Forschungsprojekt des Wissenschaftszentrums Berlin fur Sozialforschung, das in drei fuhrenden Weltautomobilunternehmen in Produktionsstandorten in den USA, Grossbritannien und der Bundesrepublik und in der japanischen Automobilindustrie durchgefuhrt wurde. Die lander- und konzernubergeifende Vergleichsperspektive bildet die besondere Starke dieses Buches. Der Leser erhalt eine ausserordentlich materialreiche, anschauliche Darstellung aktueller Wandlungsprozesse im Charakter der Arbeit und der Gestaltungsoptionen im Hinblick auf die Zukunft der Industriearbeit.

Prof. Dr. U. Jurgens, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, is renown for his scientific work in fields like human resources, work organization and organization of production and development, especially for automotive industries. In this publication the authors from different countries discuss practical models of integration in development and production as realized in practice. Time-to-Market is the key for success, efficient integration of development and production necessary to reach the goal. Jurgens himself acts as a publication editor and creates a book reporting about the state of art in automotive and electronics industry. The publication is directed to scientists and is of interest to those practitioners, who have to develop the benchmarks for their own development and production.

Prof. Dr. U. Jürgens, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin, is renown for his scientific work in fields like human resources, work organization and organization of production and development, especially for automotive industries. In this publication the authors from different countries discuss practical models of integration in development and production as realized in practice. Time-to-Market is the key for success, efficient integration of development and production necessary to reach the goal. Jürgens himself acts as a publication editor and creates a book reporting about the state of art in automotive and electronics industry. The publication is directed to scientists and is of interest to those practitioners, who have to develop the benchmarks for their own development and production.