World class manufacturing, national accounting and competitiveness

What is it about?

Based on a study of small and medium-sized enterprises that adopted world class management principles from a UK government sponsored course it was found that in practice changes often did not match the WCM principles but were often more traditional solutions. The incorporation of ABC into WCM is examined and it is noted that in both cases their definition varies across different proponents and that their ambiguity renders them as boundary objects whereby they are sufficiently flexible to be tailored to circumstances. The paper then examines how the WCM courses were adopted by Government programmes to improve UK competitiveness. The emphasis on WCM is seen as a new form of national management accounting distinct from previous regimes that stressed national macro-economic factors and then productivity.

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Why is it important?

The paper is ambitious in suggesting that their are, at least conceptually, changing regimes of national management accounting to try and improve the efficiency and competitiveness of UK industry. The latest such attempt based partly on notions of world class manufacturing has become influential. However, based on short case studies the paper suggests that the concept of WCM varies and changes by its proponents and adopters.