"For anyone interested in Keiretsu (Japan's enterprise groups), Gerlach's Alliance Capitalism is a must-read. He offers insightful and comprehensive analyses of their character, behavior, and recent rapid transformation. His knowledgeable discussion of their roles in Japanese economic performance supplements as well as challenges the increasing number of analyses offered by Japanese and American economists of the many aspects of Keiretsu."—Kozo Yamamura, University of Washington

John Dunning is the leading authority in the field of international business. His latest work analyses: * future developments in global business * a comparison of US and Japanese investment in Europe * competitiveness, trade and integration * spatial dimensions of globalization

Business practices in Japan inspire fierce and even acrimonious debate, especially when they are compared to American practices. This book attempts to explain the remarkable economic success of Japan in the postwar period—a success it is crucial for us to understand in a time marked by controversial trade imbalances and concerns over competitive industrial performance. Gerlach focuses on what he calls the intercorporate alliance, the innovative and increasingly pervasive practice of bringing together a cluster of affiliated companies that extends across a broad range of markets. The best known of these alliances are the keiretsu, or enterprise groups, which include both diversified families of firms located around major banks and trading companies and vertical families of suppliers and distributors linked to prominent manufacturers in the automobile, electronics, and other industries. In providing a key link between isolated local firms and extended international markets, the intercorporate alliance has had profound effects on the industrial and social organization of Japanese businesses. Gerlach casts his net widely. He not only provides a rigorous analysis of intercorporate capitalism in Japan, making useful distinctions between Japanese and American practices, but he also develops a broad theoretical context for understanding Japan's business networks. Addressing economists, sociologists, and other social scientists, he argues that the intercorporate alliance is as much a result of overlapping political, economic, and social forces as are such traditional Western economic institutions as the public corporation and the stock market. Most compellingly, Alliance Capitalism raises important questions about the best method of exchange in any economy. It identifies situations where cooperation among companies is an effective way of channeling corporate activities in a world marked by complexity and rapid change, and considers in detail alternatives to hostile takeovers and other characteristic features of American capitalism. The book also points to the broader challenges facing Japan and its trading partners as they seek to coordinate their distinctive forms of economic organization. This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1993. Business practices in Japan inspire fierce and even acrimonious debate, especially when they are compared to American practices. This book attempts to explain the remarkable economic success of Japan in the postwar period—a success it is crucial for us to

Alliance Capitalism for the New American Economyadvocates engagement with the USA's macromanagement problems in a spirit of alliance capitalism, for the development of a more integrated, dynamic economy. Whereas most studies of the USA emphasise the efficiency effects of intense competition between firms, this book stresses that as the new economy becomes more knowledge based, its development necessitates active intercorporate cooperation, especially in high technology sectors. The book focuses on problems of balance between competition and cooperation in the relations between American firms, as well as in political competition and cooperation for the management of US economic policy. Public concern over the dynamics of the US political economy has increased since the dramatic disclosures during 2002 of high-risk speculation and fraud by major American enterprises. The authors argue that these problems reflect fierce competition, insufficiently restrained by monitoring and regulation. Imperatives for the development of a more cooperative, collegial style of capitalism are stressed. The authors also highlight the importance of technocratic contributions to the development of corporate alliances and address the increasing significance of working skill levels. This volume will provide valuable reading and reference material for all students, academics and researchers of business and competition policy. Corporate managers and government agencies involved in technology, trade, financial regulation and infrastructure development will also gain practical insights into the benefits of a more cooperative model of capitalism.

This book analyses how key 'systems integration' technical pressures, and the increasing use of collaborative alliances for market and product development are impacting on the socio technical policy directives of Chinese State leaders and the strategic behaviour of key Chinese high technology firms operating in the global wireless sector.

To help to promote a greater conversation between those interested in the theoretical explanation of IB activities from various different backgrounds or starting points, this book offers a special Collection of JIBS articles which concern the foundations and the application of the eclectic paradigm.

This is the first book to provide a precise description of how companies can put purpose into practice. Based on groundbreaking research undertaken between Oxford University and Mars Catalyst, it offers an accessible account of why corporate purpose is so important and how it can be implemented to address the major challenges the world faces today.