Greenfields and 'wildebeest': management strategies and labor turnover in Japanese firms in Telford

The industrialization program of Telford in the West Midlands, is an interesting case study in the transplantation of management and technology. The investments of Japan in Telford found an early environment receptive to their technology and management practices, but was soon awakened to the social realities that confront UK workers, especially in their upbringing in terms of labor relations. The resulting high turnover and abseenteeism forced many of the Japanese firms to adopt some form of management leniency to rationalize the investments.