The Origins of Fordism: The Introduction of Mass Production and the Five-Dollar Wage

The introduction of moving assembly and the five-dollar wage at the Ford Motor Company are examined to demonstrate that these were not, as is generally claimed, separate responses to two problems — the inability to meet demand and labor turnover — confronting the company at the time. By tracing changes in the organization of production and productivity at Ford, I show that labor turnover and the inability to meet demand were interrelated; the fundamental solution to both was mass production, and the five-dollar wage policy was implemented to prevent a massive increase in labor turnover resulting from mass production. The final section examines the distinctive features of Fordism as a strategy for labor control, as well as the new problems of labor control created by Fordism. © 1991, Sage Publications. All rights reserved

The Japanese World of Work and North American Factories

This paper argues that the Japanese advantage in the world market is not, as is frequently claimed, based on a set of techniques for the organization and management of production. As a result, neither the simple export nor the emulation of these techniques can insure Japanese levels of labor peace, productivity and quality outside of Japan. Instead, the Japanese advantage is based on the aggregate result of these techniques in the context of Japanese society, or the so-called Japanese “world of work.“ The world of work in Japan is then discussed in detail. This paper shows that although Japanese companies strenuously tried to recreate this world of work in North America, they have failed because of important differences between North American and Japanese societies. © 1994, Sage Publications. All rights reserved

The social organization of production, competitive advantage and foreign investment: American automobile companies in the 1920s and Japanese automobile companies in the 1980s

This paper compares the establishment of American assembly plants in Europe during the 1920s and the establishment of Japanese assembly plants in North America during the 1980s. It argues that these were similar in a number of respects, most importantly that the basis of the American advantage of the 1920s and the Japanese advantage of the 1980s was, in fact, the same, namely, a specific social organization of production: Fordism for American companies and ‘lean production’ for Japanese companies. It is also shown that the same factors which obstructed the dissemination of Fordism in Europe during the 1920s, the resistance of management and labor, have obstructed the dissemination of the Japanese system in North America during the 1980s. The concluding section argues that the general trajectory of American automobile companies in Europe during the 1930s may provide insights into the general trajectory of Japanese companies in the US during the 1990s. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

Enterprises and b phases: The Overseas Expansion of U.S. Auto Companies in the 1920s and Japanese Auto Companies in the 1980s

This article addresses a neglected aspect of long wave theory—the increase in certain types of investments during a B phase. Drawing on Arrighi\u27s conceptualization of long waves, a theoretical explanation is developed for increased investments, especially foreign investments, during a B phase. Two examples of foreign investment during a B phase are then examined: American automobile companies in Europe during the 1920s and Japanese automobile companies in the United States during the 1980s. It is demonstrated that there are several parallels between the two which can be explained by the theoretical model developed in the first section. Finally, it is argued that the parallels between the foreign activities of American automobile companies in the 1920s and the foreign activities of Japanese automobile companies in the 1980s will continue and the fate of Japanese companies in the United States during the 1990s will be similar to the fate of American companies in Europe during the 1930s. © 1993, Pacific Sociological Association. All rights reserved

The manifesto and the middle class

This paper examines Marx\u27s claim in the Manifesto that capitalist society would polarize into two classes in light of the current evidence on growing inequality in American society. It argues that the middle class of industrial society is not an anomaly but a product of the incomplete development of capitalism and this middle class is presently being threatened with extinction through technological innovations in the forces of production. © 2001, Sage Publications. All rights reserved