Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book provides the internationalisation of high technology industries – electronics generally and semiconductors, respectively – from their original, core areas. It discourses the international division of labour in the electronics field, covering three independent but converging sectors – semiconductors, computer systems and telecommunications. The book also provides the growth of high technology industry – in this instance the American semiconductor industry, a paradigmatic case – within a broader consideration of changing spatial divisions of labour. It also presents the internationalisation theme again in this case focusing on the Information Technology (IT) industries in the less favoured regions of Europe. The book discusses a rare insight for English-reading researchers into the internal structure and location of Japanese high technology industry.