Inventory reduction and productivity growth: linkages in the Japanese automotive industry

Article Abstract:

Researchers once considered work-in-process (WIP) inventories as being essential to the sustainment of a steady production flow. However the widespread adoption of the notion of just-in-time inventory systems has led researchers to believe that WIP inventories may actually prevent the detection of anomalies on the shop floor and can thus hinder productivity. A study therefore applied three different statistical techniques to analyze the nature and degree of the relation between WIP inventory and productivity. Findings suggest that inventory reductions were succeeded by productivity gains for most firms in the sample. Results are in line with an existing and considerably large body of evidence on the introduction of just-in-time production.

Inventory Control, Economic aspects, Business enterprises, Just in time inventory systems, Just in time systems, Logistics, Inventories

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A quantitative analysis of U.S. and Japanese practice and performance in software development

Article Abstract:

An analysis of business literature suggested that there were differences in the performance of US and Japanese firms in terms of software development, and the differences were evaluated by comparing 24 US and 16 Japanese software development projects. The results indicated that the software development practices of Japanese firms were no longer inferior to the practices of US firms. Japanese and US firms developed similar products, and they used similar languages, techniques, and hardware platforms. Japanese projects performed at least as well as US projects in several areas, including productivity, quality, and reuse of software code.

Software, Business literature

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Firm-level productivity and management influence: a comparison of U.S. and Japanese automobile producers

Article Abstract:

The effect of top management on productivity was investigated by comparing US and Japanese automobile manufacturers. The data were obtained from annual reports of three US and three Japanese automobile manufacturing companies between the early 1950s and 1987. The results indicated that more efficient use of labor was primarily responsible for productivity improvements in all six firms. Management effects were the main source of productivity variations among US and Japanese automobile manufacturers.

Motor vehicles and car bodies, Statistics, Automobile industry

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