Explore the vast range of titles available.

First published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company. 'It is fascinating first, because of the nature of the subject matter and second, because some of the chapters are extremely stimulating.' - The Service Industries Journal '... a book worthy of serious reflection from those seeking to derive from it the significant cross-disciplinary insight to which the editors have both aspired and effectively delivered.' - Economic Geography Research Group John Bryson, Peter Daniels, Nick Henry and Jane Pollard all lecture in the School of Geography and Environmental Sciences, at the University of Birmingham

\"Design plays an increasingly important role in the competitiveness of firms. Increasingly price-based competition is being replaced by business models based around design and added value. Given the importance of design in corporate competitiveness, this book explores the importance of industrial design within the contemporary economy\"--Provided by publisher.

As the twenty-first century begins, significant changes are occurring in the way that services and goods are produced and consumed. One of the key drivers of this change is information and communications technology (ICT). It has transformed the role of space and time in patterns of economic development, in the rise of globalization and in the scale and structure of organizations. ICT has therefore accelerated the process of continual change and evolution that is the hallmark of both the capitalist economy and of organizations. Giving a student-friendly account of the diversity of theoretical perspectives, this outstanding book aids understanding the evolving economic geography of advanced capitalist economies. A series of detailed firm and employees' case studies from Europe, North America and the Asia Pacific, are used to inform useful theoretical case studies, which also investigate the significance of increased blurring of the lines between

Design is central to every service or good produced, sold and consumed. Manufacturing and service companies located in high cost locations increasingly find it difficult to compete with producers located in countries such as India and China. Companies in high-cost locations either have to shift production abroad or create competitive advantage through design, innovation, brand and the geographic distribution of tasks rather than price. Design Economies and the Changing World Economy provides the first comprehensive account of the relationship between innovation, design, corporate competitiveness and place. Design economies are explored through an analysis of corporate strategies, the relationship between product and designer, copying and imitation including nefarious learning, design and competitiveness, and design-centred regional policies. The design process plays a critical role in corporate competitiveness as it functions at the intersection between production and consumption and the interface between consumer behaviour and the development and design of products. This book focuses on firms, individuals, as well as national policy, drawing attention to the development of corporate and nation based design strategies that are intended to enhance competitive advantage. Increasingly products are designed in one location and made in another. This separation of design from the place of production highlights the continued development of the international division of labour as tasks are distributed in different places, but blended together to produce design-intensive branded products. This book provides a distinctive analysis of the ways in which companies located in developed market economies compete on the basis of design, brand and the geographic distribution of tasks. The text contains case studies of major manufacturing and service companies and will be of valuable interest to students and researchers interested in Geography, Economics and Planning. John R. Bryson is Professor of Enterprise and Economic Geography and Head of the Society, Economy and Environment Research Group at the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham, UK. Grete Rusten is a Professor at the Department of Geography University of Bergen, Norway, and Honorary Research Fellow, School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Birmingham, UK. 1. Designer Economies 2. Economies of ‘Design’, Signs and Space: Management, Marketing, Design and Production 3. Nefarious Learning: Imitation versus Inimitability and Differentiation by Design 4. Design Histories: Anonymous Design, Hidden Innovation and Professional Design 5. Corporate Strategy and Designing Competitiveness 6. Design, Corporate Competitiveness and Regional Economic Development 7. Varieties of Capitalism – From Global Production Networks to Production Projects and Distributed Tasks 8. Creating and Shaping Things: Placing and Spacing Product Design 9. Designing Capitalism: Distributed Tasks and Divisions of Expertise and Labour

Design is central to every service or good produced, sold and consumed. Manufacturing and service companies located in high cost locations increasingly find it difficult to compete with producers located in countries such as India and China. Companies in high-cost locations either have to shift production abroad or create competitive advantage through design, innovation, brand and the geographic distribution of tasks rather than price. Design Economies and the Changing World Economyprovides the first comprehensive account of the relationship between innovation, design, corporate competitiveness and place. Design economies are explored through an analysis of corporate strategies, the relationship between product and designer, copying and imitation including nefarious learning, design and competitiveness, and design-centred regional policies. The design process plays a critical role in corporate competitiveness as it functions at the intersection between production and consumption and the interface between consumer behaviour and the development and design of products. This book focuses on firms, individuals, as well as national policy, drawing attention to the development of corporate and nation based design strategies that are intended to enhance competitive advantage. Increasingly products are designed in one location and made in another. This separation of design from the place of production highlights the continued development of the international division of labour as tasks are distributed in different places, but blended together to produce design-intensive branded products. This book provides a distinctive analysis of the ways in which companies located in developed market economies compete on the basis of design, brand and the geographic distribution of tasks. The text contains case studies of major manufacturing and service companies and will be of valuable interest to students and researchers interested in Geography, Economics and Planning.