'Columbia University Libraries/Information Services'
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Abstract
The paper discusses the transfer of management technology from Japan to the US. Before introducing formal economic analysis, ongoing changes in US management theory and practice are outlined, and then the main theoretical point is illustrated with an example from Japanese business history. Three vignettes of change in American management philosophy and techniques are given, focusing on the automotive industry. An explicit economic model of technical change and diffusion is then introduced, concluding by applying this model to predict whether the reformation is a prelude to a revolution in practice, or will fall prey to a counter-reformation