Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/95188 
Authors: 
Year of Publication: 
1988
Series/Report no.: 
IUI Working Paper No. 203
Publisher: 
The Research Institute of Industrial Economics (IUI), Stockholm
Abstract: 
This paper shows that plant and firm size in manufacturing, and especially in engineering industry, in several Western industrial countries has declined since the early 1970s. Two hypotheses explaining the decline are advanced. One is 'de-glomeration' or specialization: the divestiture of non-core businesses in order to free up scarce resources (particularly management time) to defend and nurture core business activities. The second hypothesis is that the emergence of new computer-based technology has improved the quality and productivity of small and medium scale production relative to standardized mass-production techniques which dominated previously.
Subjects: 
Manufacturing
specialisation
firm scope
technological progress
JEL: 
L25
L60
O33
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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