Sources of Industrial Leadership: Studies of Seven Industries [Paperback]

David C. Mowery (Editor), Richard R. Nelson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 13, 1999 | ISBN-10: 0521645204 | ISBN-13: 978-0521645201 | Edition: 1st

This book describes and analyzes how seven major high-tech industries evolved in the United States, Japan, and Western Europe. The industries covered are machine tools, organic chemical products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, computers, semiconductors, and software. In each of these industries, firms located in one or a very few countries became the clear technological and commercial leaders. In a number of cases, the locus of leadership changed, sometimes more than once, over the course of the histories studied. The focus of the book is on the key factors that supported the emergence of national leadership in each industry, and the reasons behind the shifts when they occurred. Special attention is given to the national policies that helped to create or sustain industrial leadership.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The reader will come away from this volume with a strong appreciation for the complexities inherent in the growth and development of industries." Choice

"The individual case studies are all good short accounts of industrial change that can be recommended to economic historians and their students. In most cases, the provision of extensive references will also help those who want to research more extensively. The book also offers inspiration for further research." EH.NET, Paul L. Robertson, University of Wollongong

Book Description

This book describes and analyzes how seven major high-tech industries evolved in the USA, Japan, and Western Europe. The industries covered are machine tools, organic chemical products, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, computers, semiconductors, and software. In each of these industries, firms located in one or a very few countries became the clear technological and commercial leaders. In number of cases, the locus of leadership changed, sometimes more than once, over the course of the histories studied. The locus of the book is on the key factors that supported the emergence of national leadership in each industry, and the reasons behind the shifts when they occurred. Special attention is given to the national policies which helped to create, or sustain, industrial leadership.

Product Details

• Paperback: 409 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (October 13, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521645204
• ISBN-13: 978-0521645201
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,286,355 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Highly Recommended!, May 7, 2001

By 

Rolf Dobelli "getAbstract" (Switzerland) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sources of Industrial Leadership: Studies of Seven Industries (Paperback)

Scholars from around the world provided seven chapter-length overviews of leadership in seven key industries. Editors David C. Mowery and Richard R. Nelson present these detailed, well-documented and richly written explorations in context by offering an analysis in chapters that follow each industry study. The forces that moved these industries in the U.S., Japan and Western Europe included technological innovation, world politics, changing marketing, product innovation and the advent of mass production. We [...] recommend this book to those interested in the progress of the seven industries covered - computers, computer software, semiconductors, machine tools, organic chemical products, pharmaceutical biotechnology and medical devices - and in global commerce and manufacturing.

0 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dynamic of competitive advantage, September 15, 2002

By 

Suckwoo Lee (Seoul, Seoul South Korea) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sources of Industrial Leadership: Studies of Seven Industries (Paperback)

This book contains chronicles of seven industries of G3 (US, Japan, Europe) like semiconductor, computer, software, machine tool, chemistry, pharmaceuticals, and medical diagnostics. The aim of those chronicle documenting is to examine the effectiveness of existing models of industrial leadership or, in Porter¡¯s term, competitive advantage. There have been several theories like technology life cycle theory, punctuated equilibrium, dynamic comparative advantage, and the like. But authors argue that close examination of seven industries in this book dose not support those theories. Some industry fits into some theory, but not into others. According to authors¡¯ analysis, each industry shows very specific dynamic of competitive advantage. In some industry, for example, competitive advantage lies in firm level, in other, in industry level. They suspect that all-encompassing theory could not be developed. They seems to conclude that all we can do is to identify a set of factors affecting the dynamics of industrial leadership, such as resource endowment, its institutional embodiment, features of local market demand, and local technological condition. The industrial leadership is the function of the system of those factors, not individual factor. In my opinion, what they have in mind is not that different from Porter¡¯s conception of ¡®cluster¡¯. Overall points are reasonable. But it¡¯s far from conclusive enough to suggest some clear-cut picture to reader. And that, case studies of industries are far too cursory. In fact, in-depth study of various industries in a volume is definitely prohibitive task. And that, the aim of this book is at another. But I can¡¯t help thinking that this book is no more than preliminary trial.