New Ways for Indigenous Manufacturing

Many people in the UK, and in other mature economies, are bewildered by the erosion of indigenous manufacturing that has taken place since the 1980s, and before. While a number of economic historians have examined this decline, to reveal the economic causes, little has been made of the underlying national and corporate cultures affecting a single corporation, in this case one comprising all of UK indigenous volume motor manufacturing. John Fenton studied the writings of researchers who have observed manufacturing decline since the Industrial Revolution, to make a case for the redirection of the culture (ways-of-life) of national and industrial leaders in order to help bring about industrial revival. New Ways for Indigenous Manufacturing recognizes the very positive contribution to the UK economy of foreign direct investment (FDI) transplants, but past applications of FDI have also yielded negative effects on native industry. The book reminds politicians of some of these dangers, and hopefully restores public confidence in them, with a promise that some patented technologies could be held by start-up companies, for national rather than overseas exploitation.