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In September 1963 the Federal Government of Malaysia announced its intention to encourage the establishment of an automobile industry. It was felt that car manufacture would underpin the industrialisation of the country. However, it was not until 1967 that assembly of cars commenced in Malaysia, with the help of Swedish partners. Simultaneously, the government imposed high tariffs on car imports; CBUs or completely built‐up cars in the jargon. Stringent import licensing was enforced to encourage the growth of local assembly of imported packs of CKD (completely knocked down) vehicles. Since then, the Malaysian automobile industry has grown steadily, helped by strong growth of the national economy and relatively low labour costs. Despite this latter advantage, the small scale of the industry (on a global comparison) militates against achieving really competitive production costs. The government's insistence since 1979 in progressively cutting the proportion of imported components in CKD vehicles has not helped in this respect, since the Malaysian component industry is still small‐scale and therefore high cost. Indeed, the government has made clear its intention that all vehicles shall eventually be CML (completely made locally).

The paper describes and analyses the introduction of just‐in‐time (JIT) production at Proton Cars, Malaysia. The paper examines the means of introducing JIT and the present scope of JIT within the company. The relevance of some existing models of JIT to the Malaysian experience is assessed. The apparently transitory nature of JIT at Proton is investigated and found to be developed as a strategic approach. The strategy is to create an indigenous base of suppliers capable of supplying world markets. The methodology involved literature review, observation of the operations at the Proton plant, interviews and discussions with Proton staff at all levels and interviews with suppliers. Secondary data were collected.

Presents a case study, based on semi‐structured interviews and shopfloor observations, of an optical fibre manufacturer in the North of England which has recently been taken over by a German company. The company was a traditional manufacturing organization, hierarchical and functional, characterized by tension between management, supervisors and workforce. Despite a healthy order book and low labour costs management perceived a threat from European competitors who provided faster delivery and higher quality. Management introduced teamworking and empowerment and achieved some success in solving the problems; in effect it changed from a modern to a postmodern organization. Although theory corresponds with practice to some extent, explores some areas in which theory and practice seem mismatched. Casts doubt on the transferability of this company’s expertise to its German parent.

This paper takes an international perspective and reports the results of a trial of the Canadian (Ottawa) shift system within a UK police force. Primary data were collected via group interviews followed by a questionnaire survey. Secondary data were available from internal reports and performance measures. Officer welfare and morale were investigated and found to be greatly improved. Performance indicators, including arrest rates, also improved although it was not possible to establish a direct causal link with the introduction of Ottawa. A number of operational problems associated with the Ottawa system in the UK are identified and reviewed.

Considers the crucial role of private sector social entrepreneurship in the context of a state welfare system stretched beyond its means. Defines social entrepreneurship, recounts a number of key points from relevant research projects, reflects upon current developments and initiatives, describes a number of cases and uses these to draw a set of tentative conclusions about social entrepreneurs and social entrepreneurship in the context of the current government’s aim of fostering rapid growth in the sector. Concludes that while such growth is highly desirable, a number of hurdles have to be overcome.

Education – and especially aspects of reading and writing – have consistently been ideologically and politically linked to the times and spaces in which they occur. Historically, groups or individuals invariably demonstrate some form of “educentricity,” that is, holding to a view of education that is based either on their own experiences or related to the perceived educational needs and experiences of those around them. It is usually based on what “we” (or “they”) think education “is” or “ought to be” and is tied strongly to the value placed upon it. Educentric points of view can be linked to the “way of the world” at almost any given point in history and have frequently been used as a way of positioning learners, including or excluding certain groups, and supporting or constraining educational progress. This chapter looks at educentricity – with a specific focus on literacy – at the beginning of the 21st century and from a primarily European perspective. More specifically it looks at the literacy-related activities and practices of one particular group – prisoners – and seeks to understand the impact of various educentric ideologies on current educational provision in prison. It is written from outside the parameters of educational research, takes an ethnographic and holistic stance towards prison life, and seeks to look at education – and reading and writing in particular – from the perspective of policy-makers, practitioners and prisoners themselves.

Looks at the distinctive Australian background and the features of the national communication culture that may impact on business life as well as those of the traditional executive culture. Brings out the specifics of the Australian management style from a foreign viewpoint, looking at what differences exist compared to New Zealand, the United States and Asian countries. Concludes that Australians need to develop understanding of the global market whilst retaining their easy regard in which they are held.

Since the first Volume of this Bibliography there has been an explosion of literature in all the main areas of business. The researcher and librarian have to be able to uncover specific articles devoted to certain topics. This Bibliography is designed to help. Volume III, in addition to the annotated list of articles as the two previous volumes, contains further features to help the reader. Each entry within has been indexed according to the Fifth Edition of the SCIMP/SCAMP Thesaurus and thus provides a full subject index to facilitate rapid information retrieval. Each article has its own unique number and this is used in both the subject and author index. The first Volume of the Bibliography covered seven journals published by MCB University Press. This Volume now indexes 25 journals, indicating the greater depth, coverage and expansion of the subject areas concerned.