Manufacturing firms that operate at more than one site can use a variety of strategies to respond to changes in their competitive situations. Many strategies entail technological adjustments; others are locational in nature. In the U.S., locational changes have been common mechanisms for reducing operating costs, because factors like connections with other firms and employment costs (including wages and workers compensation payments) vary dramatically from one locale to another. The degree to which these factors influence decision making in other nations is uncertain, however. Preliminary research conducted in the U.S., United Kingdom, and Germany indicate that technological adaptations are more common in other nations. This project will expand research on this topic through analysis of information gathered from executives of U.S.-owned machine tool, computer, and semiconductor manufacturers that operate in Australia. The data will be analyzed using multivariate statistical procedures. This project will provide new information on locational and technological adjustments made by high-technology manufacturers in Australia. Because the data collected during this project parallel those gathered in other nations, they also will establish a sound basis for cross-national comparisons of industrial adjustment.
