ABSTRACT
The early application of electronics in intra- and intersphere automation was however entirely compatible with the era of machinofacture - they merely substituted electronic control devices for electro-mechanical ones. The transition from handicrafts to manufacture was reflected in the development of the factory system. As in the transition between handicraft production and manufacture, it is important to bear in mind the social determinants of innovation. Whereas the long-wave theorists had put their primary emphasis on the forces of production, relegating the discussion of social relations to the role of fettering production, the flexible specialization schema throws the primary focus on social relations. The labour process reflects one dimension of social relations at the point of production, where the nature of work is a consequence of purposive decisions by plant management. One concept which has been developed to make sense of the wider sphere of social relations which determines the process of aculturation is that of "habituation".
