ABSTRACT
The purpose of this chapter is to analyse the forces in the market environment which have stimulated Japanese manufacturing enterprises to develop an adaptable marketing system (AMS), and to describe the developmental process as an aspect of contemporary history. 1 Throughout the analysis, the focus is on why mass marketing has been replaced. In connection with this, it is important to discuss the recent move in business from mass production to the flexible manufacturing system (FMS), also known as ‘lean production’ (Womack et al. 1990: 48–69).
