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  • Open Access
  • © 2020

Workers, Managers, Productivity

Kaizen in Developing Countries

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Explores how Japanese management techniques might be exported
  • Offers insights into non-Western developmental aid to developing countries
  • Provides unique insights into how governments, entrepreneurs, and foreign aid can effectively come together in the developing world

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Softcover Book USD 54.99
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Hardcover Book USD 59.99
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Table of contents (13 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xxvi
  2. Overview

    • Akio Hosono, John Page, Go Shimada
    Pages 1-27Open Access
  3. Industrial Policy, Firm Capabilities, and Kaizen

    • John Page
    Pages 29-44Open Access
  4. The Effectiveness of Kaizen in Large Companies

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 169-169
    2. Impact of Kaizen-like Practices in the Brazilian Manufacturing Sector

      • Filipe Lage de Sousa, Mauricio Canêdo-Pinheiro, Bernardo Pereira Cabral, Glaucia Estefânia de Sousa Ferreira
      Pages 221-243Open Access
  5. Effectiveness of Kaizen for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 245-245
    2. Kaizen for Small- and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Vietnam

      • Vu Hoang Nam, Nguyen Thi Tuong Anh, Doan Quang Hung
      Pages 247-267Open Access
    3. Management Practices and Performance Improvement in Manufacturing Enterprises: The Case of Kaizen Adoption in Ghana

      • Charles Godfred Ackah, Richmond Atta-Ankomah, Johnson Appiah Kubi
      Pages 269-292Open Access
    4. Consequences of Kaizen Practices in MSMEs in the Philippines: The Case of the Manufacturing Productivity Extension Program (MPEX)

      • Nestor O. Raneses, Nelson G. Cainghog, Mili-Ann M. Tamayao, Kristine Mae C. Gotera
      Pages 293-316Open Access
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 317-327

About this book

This open access book provides a glimpse into the Japanese management technique known as “Kaizen,” and the ways it has been disseminated around the developing world. The novelty of this book is three-fold: it provides a contextualized view of the mechanisms of initiatives implementing Kaizen in developing countries; compared with productivity studies, it places the relationship between workers and managers at the center of inquiry, reflecting the intent of SDG8 concerning decent work and economic growth; and it provides an overview of the heterogeneity of Kaizen in terms of geography and firm size. 


This book explores how improving management techniques can support firms’ productivity and quality. Given its wide range of case studies from across Africa, Asia and Latin America, this book will be of value to scholars, policymakers and advocates of sustainable development alike.


Editors and Affiliations

  • JICA Research Institute, Tokyo, Japan

    Akio Hosono

  • The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC, USA

    John Page

  • School of Information and Communication, Meiji University, Tokyo, Japan

    Go Shimada

About the editors

Akio Hosono is senior research adviser to the JICA Research Institute. Holding a doctorate in economics from the University of Tokyo, he has held a variety of academic posts, including a period as Director of the JICA Research Institute from 2011 to 2013.


John Page is a Senior Fellow in the Global Economy and Development Program at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC and has held positions at Princeton University, USA, the World Bank, Oxford University, UK, and the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies, Tokyo, Japan.
 
Go Shimada is an Associate Professor of Meiji University and a visiting scholar at the JICA Research Institute. He holds a PhD from Waseda University.


Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: Workers, Managers, Productivity

  • Book Subtitle: Kaizen in Developing Countries

  • Editors: Akio Hosono, John Page, Go Shimada

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-0364-1

  • Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan Singapore

  • eBook Packages: Economics and Finance, Economics and Finance (R0)

  • Copyright Information: The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2020

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-981-15-0363-4Published: 15 February 2020

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-981-15-0366-5Published: 07 September 2021

  • eBook ISBN: 978-981-15-0364-1Published: 14 February 2020

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: XXVI, 327

  • Number of Illustrations: 29 b/w illustrations

  • Topics: Asian Economics, Development and Sustainability, Labor Economics

Buy it now

Buying options

Softcover Book USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 59.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access