| Acknowledgements | |
| Themes | 1 |
| 1 | The origins of British pre-eminence in Europe | 3 |
| (i) | The rise of the British motor industry before 1914 | 3 |
| (ii) | War and its aftermath: gains and losses | 9 |
| (iii) | The framework of protection: demand at home and overseas | 13 |
| (iv) | Fordism and the British system of mass production: technology and labour | 23 |
| (v) | The dynamics and limitations of 'personal capitalism' | 29 |
| (vi) | Fordism and the British approach to markets and marketing | 34 |
| (vii) | Debilitating environment: structures and strategies | 42 |
| 2 | The roots of decline | 46 |
| (i) | Post-war pre-eminence: attainment and erosion | 46 |
| (ii) | Private investment and public policies: government and industry | 53 |
| (iii) | Manufacturing systems, management and labour | 63 |
| (iv) | The role of organized labour: strikes and productivity | 69 |
| (v) | Industrial relations: Fordism and post-Fordism | 72 |
| (vi) | Fordist structure and strategy: the managerial organization | 74 |
| (vii) | Industrial structure, organization and corporate culture: the origins and performance of British Motor Corporation | 79 |
| 3 | The vicissitudes and collapse of a 'national champion' | 88 |
| (i) | Anatomy of a merger: the rise of British Leyland | 88 |
| (ii) | The effects of merger | 91 |
| (iii) | British Leyland's productivity dilemma: markets and productivity | 96 |
| (iv) | The nationalized champion: policies and personalities | 104 |
| (v) | From nationalization to privatization | 108 |
| (vi) | Globalization and the role of multinationals | 112 |
| (vii) | Explaining decline | 120 |
| Bibliography | 131 |
| Index | 142 |