"Should be requred reading for anyone interested or involved in the evolution of the most dynamic industry in the 20th century...Fransman integrates complex interrelated developments in technology, management, and government policy in a most impressive manner...An outstanding piece of work."--Alfred D. Chandler, Jr., Straus Professor of Business History, Emeritus, Harvard University
"There are few formidably large books that have such a good excuse for being so bulky....The treatment is of the concrete and down-to-earth kind that makes the subject come alive...The analysis of 'controlled competition' is one of the best things in the book. Altogether, a first-rate piece of work."--Ronald Dore, London School of Economics
"A major contribution in our understanding of the evolution of japanese capabilities in computers and telecommunications....It is must-reading for anyone who wants to understand both the success and the weakness of Japan in these key industries."--Richard Nelson, Columbia University
"An excellent book...It provides by far the best account of the evolution of Japanese computer and telecommunications companies...It is also a major contribution to the theoretical and empirical literature on industrial innovation."--Chris Freeman, Emeritus Professor of Science and Technology, SPRU, University of Sussex
"With an observant eye for detail, Professor Fransman brings to life the successes and shortcomings of Japan's efforts in computing and communications. While the largely self-contained case studies offered by this authoritative volume deserve attention by themselves, interested readers will find even greater reward from the composite picture they present of Japan's search for economic advantage from information technologies."--Arno Penzias, AT&T Bell Labs
Product Description
Companies such as Toyota, Nissan, and Sony have a powerful presence in world markets, so much so that their names are household words to Western consumers. But another group of Japanese companies--NTT (Nippon Telephone & Telegraph), NEC, Sumitomo Electric, Fujitsu, Hitachi, Toshiba--are not so well known. Though they are economic powerhouses in Japan and very large by world standards--indeed, NTT was recently identified as the largest company in the entire world by BusinessWeek-- these computer and communications firms have not achieved the same global success as their neighbors in automobiles and consumer electronics. Why should this be so? And what are the implications of the global marketplace for the future competitiveness of these companies?
Japan's Computer and Communications Industry is the most authoritative examination to date of the strengths and weaknesses, past and future of this dynamic sector of the Japanese economy. Based on more than 600 personal interviews with Japanese leaders taken over a period of over eight years, this book provides an unprecedented amount of new empirical material, offering the fullest picture ever of its subject. Its special focus on NTT (Japan's AT&T) will be of particular interest as that company tries to fend off a government move to break it up into smaller companies in 1995. And its clear analyses of complex issues will be essential reading for a broad audience of economists, businesspeople, and investors who study Japan, do business with Japan, or work in the computer and communications industry worldwide.
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