The second edition of this important book brings practising managers and academics up-to-date on the social and economic impact and presents new survey evidence and summarizes the debate which has emerged on the subject of Japanization since the mid 1980s.

Nick Oliver is a lecturer in Management Studies at the Judge Institute of Management Studies, University of Cambridge. Prior to joining Cambridge, he spent seven years at the Cardiff Business School. His research interests include Japanese Management Systems, both in terms of How they operate in Japan and are being emulated in the West, employee ownership, and processes of commitment and control in organizations.

Barry Wilkinson is Professor in Human Resource Management at the Cardiff Business School. He has published widely in the areas of industrial and organisational sociology. His experience covers human resources development, and management in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as the impact of Japanese direct investment in the UK.