ABSTRACT

Changes in the dynamics of economic activities since the last decades of the 20th century have yielded major changes in the composition of industries and the division of labor and production across different regions of the world. Despite these shifts in the global economy, some industries have remained competitive even without relocating their operations overseas.

Industries and Global Competition examines how and why the specificities of certain industries and firms determined their choice of location and competitiveness. This volume identifies the major drivers of this process and explains why some firms and industries moved to other parts of world while others did not. Relocation was not the sole determinant of the success or failure of firms and industries. Indeed some were able to reinvent themselves at their original location and build new competitive advantages. The path that each industry or firm took varied. This book argues that the specific characteristics of each industry defined the conditions of competitiveness and provide a wide range of cases as illustrations.  

Aimed at scholars, researchers and acadmeics in the fields of business history, international business and related disciplines Industries and Global Competition exmaines the unique questions; How and why did the specificities of certain industries and firms determine their choice of location and competitiveness?

Chapter 11 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF at https://www.taylorfrancis.com under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives (CC-BY-NC-ND) 4.0 license. 

chapter |24 pages

Introduction

Industry History: Its Concepts and Methods

part I|85 pages

FDI and Global Competition

chapter 1|20 pages

Advantage of Being a Giant

The Global Cigarette Industry Since the 1980s

chapter 2|21 pages

Access to Markets, Investment, Continentalization and Competitiveness

The Evolution of the Canadian Auto Sector

chapter 3|22 pages

Different Ways to the Global Market

The Dynamics of Japan’s Electrical Equipment Companies

chapter 4|19 pages

Exploring the Rise of Big Pharma

A French-Inspired Model for the Global Vaccine Industry

part II|62 pages

Localized Knowledge as a Lasting Competitive Advantage

chapter 5|17 pages

Longevity in Regional Specialization

The Dutch Water Construction Industry

chapter 6|22 pages

Going Global in Fragmented Markets

The European Publishing Industry Since the Second Postwar Period

chapter 7|20 pages

Small, Hidden and Competitive

The Japanese Chemical Industry Since 1980

part III|93 pages

Shift in Global Value Chains

chapter 8|19 pages

Sourcing Competition across Industries

Japanese Department Stores and Global Fast Fashion

chapter 9|20 pages

“Swiss Made” but Global

From Technology to Fashion in the Watch Industry, 1950–2010

chapter 10|20 pages

How to Sail a Sinking Ship

Adapting to the Declining Competitiveness of the European Shipping Industry

chapter 11|25 pages

Three Markets and Three Types of Competitiveness

Pulp and Paper Industry

chapter |5 pages

Conclusion