THE ADOPTION OF JAPANESE MANAGEMENT-TECHNIQUES IN BRAZILIAN INDUSTRY

Changing competitive conditions in Brazilian industry are leading comp anies to seek Japanese management techniques as a means of rapidly rai sing productivity and quality. Macroeconomic instability, low levels o f educational achievement and poor labour relations would seem to pres ent barriers to the use of these techniques. Case studies of firms in the motor components industry show that firms in Brazil can make radic al changes to their production systems, overcome educational deficienc ies and also secure reverse past employment relations practices in ord er to obtain some degree of acceptance of change by labour. However, t here are reasons for supposing that these successes may be difficult t o sustain in a difficult and turbulent macroeconomic environment.