At 01:43 PM 4/24/2001 +0100, you wrote:
>Jim Devine writes:
>
>I'm not convinced. The "Fordist" production techniques that prevailed
>before the

I've run across several references to "Fordist" and "Fordism", generally 
with reference to manufacturing in some way. Is this Henry Ford we are 
talking about? Or some other Ford/philosophy?

 >Flexible, yes; small and specialized, no. He tries hard to get them to
 >talk flexible specialization, and they won't go there.

I think flexible specialization may be an oxymoron (though you may mean 
something different from what I understand you to mean).

In these days of "mass customization" (which sounds like an oxymoron but is 
not. Think of Levis being mass produced in custom sizes and styles) 
specialization may be the wrong way to be going.

One example I use is Coke which, when I was a kid, came in a 6oz glass 
bottle in a single flavor. Now, there are over 100 varieties 
(flavors/containers/sizes) of "Coca-Cola". This does not count other 
flavors such as Orange drink, Root Beer, Sprite etc.




Best,

John R Henry CPP

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