The Globalisation of Production and Technology

Industrial corporations are increasingly spreading their research and production activities world-wide, and are often withdrawing from their established industrial heartlands to open up new overseas sites. This process is of great concern to national governments, researchers and corporations themselves since it overturns the traditional industrial geography of regions and the policy environment in which it operates. This book is the a broad survey of the process and its implications for corporate strategy and industrial change. It reveals that since the 1980s, a major shift has occurred in the overseas activities of firms, although variable by sector and nationality. Initially production centres shifted but now increasing sales, research and development and management functions have become geographically fluid, literally redrawing the world economic maps. By integrating theoretical perspectives with original case study research, the book outlines the scale, nature and impact of the process and outlines the challenges and implications both for corporate management strategy and government and supra-national industrial and innovation policy.