This book introduces an interdisciplinary approach to the study of Japanese foreign direct investment determinants, the close relations between foreign investment and trade flows in the host country, and the effects and responses by the local economy. It provides an accessible and comprehensive view of the overall macro impacts and local effects associated with the increasing flow of Japanese firms to Mexico’s automotive industry. The research and its outcomes presented here follow extensive fieldwork and use unique statistical datasets to integrate qualitative and quantitative approaches to the analysis. Carefully chosen case studies produce an integrated approach to the subject. As a result, the book fills a vacuum on this topic and provides readers with a clear understanding of the complex interactions among participating actors: Japanese multinationals and Japanese parts-and-components suppliers, Mexican local suppliers, government at the national and local levels, and cooperating Japanese agencies. By critically assessing current theories and empirical methodologies the monograph covers aspects related to the creation of regional production networks and their impact on trade patterns of the recipient country, location determinants of Japanese foreign investment, and spillover externalities in host entities. It presents the reader with a comprehensive view of the different levels of interaction between multinational firms, local recipient economies, and local suppliers and the challenges they face to engage in global chains of production. The book is highly recommended to academics and their students who seek to understand the complex international economic relations in the global economy. This compilation also serves as a valuable guide to policy makers, both at national and local levels, as it provides an informed analysis of how to engage local suppliers in regional and global production chains.

Proceedings from the first U.S.-Japan Automotive Conference, 1981

This book assesses the transferability of Japanese-style management and production systems to 81 factories in North America owned by Japanese companies. All of the book's investigations are based on an original methodology, "hybridization analysis", which quantifies the degree to which features of the Japanese system have been transplanted, using an elaborate checklist and scoring system. With its wealth of data, it should serve as a handy reference volume to anyone interested in the issue of international management and the impact of globalization upon production models.

This is an Open Access book. The primary objective of this book is to seek out insights into the concept of high-quality growth (HQG). It explores the essential attributes of HQG, such as inclusiveness, sustainability, and resilience, as well as its relationship with transformation, by drawing principally on illustrative cases and instances of international cooperation. The United Nations document on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) states that "We resolve to create conditions for sustainable, inclusive and sustained economic growth, shared prosperity and decent work for all." As such, the concept of quality growth is inherent in many aspects of the SDGs. A similar approach can be seen in the Development Cooperation Charter announced by the Japanese government in 2015. According to the Charter, one of the most important challenges of development is quality growth and the reduction of poverty achieved through such growth. The approach in the Charter emphasizes inclusiveness, sustainability, and resilience. This volume is a pioneering study on quality growth as well as its relationship with SDGs and transformation. Comprehensive studies on quality growth are very few. The case study approach distinguishes the present volume from some previous literature that discussed quality growth within the framework of general policy. Instead, in this book, concrete cases and experiences provide insights into hands-on "ingredients". Through the case studies, it can be seen more clearly that transformation and quality growth are phenomena that do not occur automatically but, rather, ones that require specific, properly designed strategies and approaches. Another unique feature of this book is that it aims to make explicit some of the consistent, but implicit, principles of Japan's international cooperation. [Resumen de la editorial]