An Introduction to the Decline: Unfulfilled Promise or Inefficient Path?
An Introduction to the Decline: Unfulfilled Promise or Inefficient Path?
This chapter provides an overview of the decline of British industry over the past five decades. In the late 1970s, scholars began referring to the decline in British industrial competitiveness during the 20th century as the ‘British disease’. As manufacturers of a consumer durable in the post-Second World War era, the British car industry, and particularly the indigenous firms, became high-profile victims of the disease. This study offers a synthesis of histories of the following businesses: Nuffield Organization, Austin, BMC, Standard/Leyland-Triumph, Rover, BMLC (and its nationalized successor, British Leyland), BL, Austin Rover, and Rover. Ford UK, Rootes, and CUK are analysed in lesser detail. This study's examination of individual functions reveals that British-owned firms suffered from pervasive weakness, particularly in engineering, product design, product quality, and distribution. The constancy and interrelated nature of the firms' weaknesses explain the decline of the car industry.
Keywords: British industry, British disease, post-Second World War, British car industry, decline
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