"The book provides a picture of the increasing significance of Central Europe and especially Poland in global production networks, discussing the underlying economic, social, and political factors. The key question it answers is to what extent the growth of production and exports results in industrial upgrading towards the manufacturing of more sophisticated high value-added products, new technologies, and the development of non-production functions, especially design and advanced service capabilities. The book shows that Central European manufacturing no longer exhibits the typical features of production activities in the periphery, in particular low density and diversity, low productivity, narrow specialisation in low value-added activities and poor local linkages, hence limited local value creation and value capture. There is still dependence on foreign-controlled enterprises in several sectors and limited product innovation, which remains a major weakness. Further, the book assesses the social consequences of the ongoing development of manufacturing capabilities in Poland and its impact on employment conditions including the quality of jobs and level of wages. The authors provide insight into relationships between globalisation processes, place-specific attributes, and current economic policies, and as such the book will be of interest to academics, policy makers and other stakeholders interested in both peripheral economies and core countries and representing various international organisations dealing with economic transition and development"--

How well are European firms responding to the new opportunities for growth, and in which global value chains are they developing these new activities? The policy discussion on the future of manufacturing requires an understanding of the changing role of manufacturing in Europe's growth agenda.

The book provides a picture of the increasing significance of Central Europe and especially Poland in global production networks, discussing the underlying economic, social, and political factors. The key question it answers is to what extent the growth of production and exports results in industrial upgrading towards the manufacturing of more sophisticated high value-added products, new technologies, and the development of non-production functions, especially design and advanced service capabilities. The book shows that Central European manufacturing no longer exhibits the typical features of production activities in the periphery, in particular low density and diversity, low productivity, narrow specialisation in low value-added activities and poor local linkages, hence limited local value creation and value capture. There is still dependence on foreign-controlled enterprises in several sectors and limited product innovation, which remains a major weakness. Further, the book assesses the social consequences of the ongoing development of manufacturing capabilities in Poland and its impact on employment conditions including the quality of jobs and level of wages. The authors provide insight into relationships between globalisation processes, place-specific attributes, and current economic policies, and as such the book will be of interest to academics, policy makers and other stakeholders interested in both peripheral economies and core countries and representing various international organisations dealing with economic transition and development.

European manufacturing industries are changing fast. Amid the pressures of globalisation, emerging markets and shifting geographical patterns of consumption and production, competition and collaboration need to be redefined. The book contains roadmaps for survival in the emerging global competitive arena by and for practitioners, as well as concrete examples and theoretical studies across industries. New forms of cooperation are analysed which combine intensive collaboration with high competition in networks of excellence among suppliers, manufacturers and customers. The success factors for such industrial networks are described in detail, as well as their benefits and potential risks. In a multidisciplinary approach, the book draws on parallels from other fields and disciplines in order to explore the many facets of competition and collaboration.

This edited collection, first published in 1991, focuses on the commercial relations, marketing structures and development of consumption that accompanied early industrial expansion. The papers examine aspects of industrial structure and work organisation, including women’s work, and highlight the conflict and compromise between work traditions and the emergence of a market culture. With an overarching introduction providing a background to European manufacturing, this title will be of particular interest to students of social and economic history researching early industrial Europe and the concurrent emergence of a material, consumer culture.

The years since the global financial crisis have seen something of a renaissance in the manufacturing industry. The United States has launched its Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, and China owes much of its spectacular economic boom in the last decades to its being the 'world's factory'. Is there room for the EU in this landscape? This timely new book explores Europe’s role in this evolving environment. It argues that on the one hand, in terms of sheer numbers, the role of the manufacturing industry in the EU is on a par with other major global economies. However, the book also states that Europe falls short of its global competitors (the USA in particular) in terms of its involvement in the most innovative manufacturing sectors. The volume therefore argues that this creates the opportunity for a new European industrial policy. Exploring the development of current EU policy, the book puts forward suggestions as to how the EU can improve in terms of the competitiveness of its technology policy. Placing the EU’s position in the context of the industrial structures of the USA, Japan and the BRICs, the book blends theoretical models and practical examples in order to offer a the state of the art look at the current and future direction of Europe’s industrial policy. This book will be of relevance to all those with an interest in European economics, industrial economics, public policy, European politics and European studies.

The history of the European oil and gas industry reflects local as well as global political events, economic constraints and the personal endeavours of individual petroleum geoscientists as much as it does the development of technologies and the underlying geology of the region. The first commercial oil wells in Europe were drilled in Poland in 1853, Romania in 1857, Germany in 1859 and Italy in 1860. The 23 papers in this volume focus on the history and heritage of the oil and gas industry in the key European oil-producing countries from the earliest onshore drilling to its development into the modern industry that we know today. The contributors chronicle the main events and some of the major players that shaped the industry in Europe. The volume also marks several important anniversaries, including 150 years of oil exploration in Poland and Romania, the centenary of the drilling of the first oil well in the UK and 50 years of oil production from onshore Spain.