Flexibility at Work Development of the International Automobile Industry

by Pulignano, Valeria; Stewart, Paul; Danford, Andy; Richardson, Mike

• ISBN13: 9781403900418
• ISBN10: 1403900418
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-10-15
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan

Summary

This book examines the most recent transformations in the automobile industry. In particular it analyzes the impact of the new forms of industrial restructuring on production organization and the organization of labor and employee relations within Fiat in Italy, Volkswagen in Brazil and Renault and MCC/Smart in France. These case studies illustrate the most recent radical changes in the industry (outsourcing and modular organisation) and show how they have affected lean production.

Author Biography

VALERIA PUGLINANO is a lecturer in industrial relations at Warwick Business School. She is a research fellow in the project "Outsourcing and Modular Organisation in the Automobile Industry: An International perspective."

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. vii
List of Tables	p. ix
Notes on the Contributors	p. xi
Introduction: 'Flexibility' at Work. Critical Developments in the International Automobile Industry	p. 1
Developments in the International Car Industry: The Comparative Perspective	p. 15
Bureaucracy Transcended? New Patterns of Employment Regulation and Labour Control in the International Automotive Industry	p. 17
Lean Production and Quality of Working Life on the Shop Floor: The Experience of British and Italian Car Workers	p. 45
Lean Production: The Original Myth Reconsidered	p. 83
Developments in the International Car Industry: The National-based Perspective	p. 105
Scope for Policymaking in a Globalised Economy: The Case of Car Assembly in Belgium	p. 107
From Lean Production to Mass Customisation: Recent Developments in the Australian Automotive Industry	p. 127
Labour Relations in the Modular System: Ten Years of the VW Experience at Resende, Brazil	p. 151
The Quest for Flexibility in the Mexican Auto Parts Industry: Three Tales from a Multinational Company	p. 173
Index	p. 195
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