Part I The peculiarities of the British? Employers’ strategies and craft production: the British shipbuilding industry

The central role of employers in the development of industrial relations commands increasing recognition from historians and social scientists alike. A growing body of empirical research has focused on the evolution of managerial strategies at the level of the enterprise and the activities of employers’ associations in the labour market and the political arena. But little consensus has so far emerged on such key issues as the determinants of management strategies, the propensity of employers for collective action, or their contribution to differing national patterns of industrial relations.1