Rethinking Global Production

This work is about global restructuring and what it actually means for firms in high-wage economies. Its specific purpose is to analyze and assess how firms in one labour-intensive industry in high-wage econmies have responded to the globalization of production. The increased competitive pressures and lowering of trade barriers have forced many firms to dramatically re-think how they organize production. Some have resorted to offshore manufacturing, some have looked to new technology to automate key factors of the production process, whilst others have exploited local labour market changes and sought a competitive edge through processes of systematic intensification of worth effort. The consequences of these changes for the organization of work and the structure of the firm can be quite dramatic.