ABSTRACT
Despite the impressive rise in ownership, criticism has been offered of the industry'S failure to adopt Fordist policies and thereby attain a truly mass market. Adopting a supply-side perspective, Wayne Lewchuk has accused the largest motor manufacturers of conservatism in two respects. Firstly, he alleges short-terrnism in respect of an apparent preference to meet shareholders' demands for dividends rather than in the investment necessary to develop a mass market (Lewchuk, 1986, 147). Thus between 1924 and 1929 Morris Motors retained only 50 per cent of net earnings within the company, a figure that dropped to 25 per cent in the period 1934-38. Secondly, he believes motor manufacturers failed to take full control of the production process, instead following a 'British system of production' allowing trade unions to set production targets through the operation of piece-work (Lewchuk, 1987).
