TY  - JOUR
PY  - 1996//
TI  - Suppliers' associations in the Japanese automobile industry: collective action for technololgy diffusion
JO  - Cambridge journal of economics
A1  - Sako, Mari
SP  - 651
EP  - 671
VL  - 20
IS  - 6
N2  - This paper analyses the structure and functions of suppliers' associations {kyoryokukai) in the automobile industry in Japan. The bilateral assembler-supplier relationship has received much attention recently as a source of Japanese industrial competitiveness. However, this paper argues that the hitherto neglected area of intersupplier co-ordination in technology diffusion is at least as important as the bilateral assembler-supplier relationship in accounting for the overall performance of the Japanese automotive industry. On the basis of company visits and a large-scale survey of first-tier suppliers conducted by the author, the paper analyses the reasons why suppliers' associations were established and why they continue to exist today, and their effects on economic performance.<p /> 
LA  - 
SN  - 0309-166X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -