Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The mass production ot standardized goods was the source of America's economic strength for generations and became the model for successful industries. Today, that model is a major cause of the nation's declining competitiveness. In the turbulent business environment that characterizes many industries, it no longer works. As Joseph Pine shows in this work, innovative companies are embracing a new paradigm of management - mass customization - that allows them to create greater variety and customization in their products and services at competitive prices, or better.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

• Foreword (p. ix)
• Preface (p. xiii)
• Acknowledgments (p. xix)
• Part I The Shift from Mass Production to Mass Customization
• 1. Once Upon a Time (p. 3)
• 2. The System of Mass Production (p. 9)
• 3. The Emerging System of Mass Customization (p. 33)
• 4. Determining the Shift to Mass Customization (p. 53)
• 5. The Old Competition: How Mass Production Companies Faltered (p. 77)
• 6. The New Competition: How Mass Customization Companies Succeeded (p. 101)
• Part II Exploring the New Frontier in Business Competition
• 7. Developing a Strategy for Mass Customization (p. 131)
• 8. Mass-Customizing Products and Services (p. 171)
• 9. Transforming the Organization for Mass Customization (p. 213)
• 10. Exploring the New Frontier (p. 241)
• Appendix Research on Market Turbulence (p. 265)
• Notes (p. 311)
• Index (p. 323)

Reviews provided by Syndetics

CHOICE Review

Over the last decade, a number of business books were written about Japan's rise and America's decline in many of the mass-production manufacturing sectors. Mass Customization is another work to add to the list. The usual ground is covered. Japan has short development times, a well-trained work force, and pays greater attention to customer needs. Tom Peters's theme of customer satisfaction is essentially the basis of this book as well. However, unlike Peters's Thriving on Chaos (CH, Mar'88), Pine's book is not convincing or particularly clear in developing its central message. Throughout the book Pine claims that "mass customization" is a new management paradigm. But what constitutes "mass customization" is illustrated in a myriad number of ways, and no interesting connecting thread is delineated. The argument is also made that market turbulence leads to product variety and customization. This tautology does little to illuminate methods practicing managers can implement to achieve success. Managers are told to stress incremental over radical process and product improvements; but practical measures are never coherently explained. N. Gersony; Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute