Sincethelate1970’sinthefaceofaseverelossofmarketshareindozensofindustries,manufacturersintheUnitedStateshavebeentryingtoimproveproductivity—andthereforeenhancetheirinternationalcompetitiveness—throughcost-cuttingprograms.(Cost-cuttinghereisdefinedasraisinglaboroutputwhileholdingtheamountoflaborconstant.)However,from1978through1982,productivity—thevalueofgoodsmanufactureddividedbytheamountoflaborinput—didnotimprove;andwhiletheresultswerebetterinthebusinessupturnofthethreeyearsfollowing,theyran25percentlowerthanproductivityimprovementsduringearlier,post-1945upturns.Atthesametime,itbecameclearthatthehardermanufacturesworkedtoimplementcost-cutting,themoretheylosttheircompetitiveedge. Withthisparadoxinmind,Irecentlyvisited25companies;itbecamecleartomethatthecost-cuttingapproachtoincreasingproductivityisfundamentallyflawed.Manufacturingregularlyobservesa“40,40,20”rule.Roughly40percentofanymanufacturing-basedcompetitiveadvantagederivesfromlong-termchangesinmanufacturingstructure(decisionsaboutthenumber,size,location,andcapacityoffacilities)andinapproachestomaterials.Another40percentcomesfrommajorchangesinequipmentandprocesstechnology.Thefinal20percentrestsonimplementingconventionalcost-cutting.Thisruledoesnotimplythatcost-cuttingshouldnotbetried.Thewell-knowntoolsofthisapproach—includingsimplifyingjobsandretrainingemployeestoworksmarter,notharder—doproduceresults.Butthetoolsquicklyreachthelimitsofwhattheycancontribute. Anotherproblemisthatthecost-cuttingapproachhindersinnovationanddiscouragescreativepeople.AsAbernathy’sstudyofautomobilemanufacturershasshown,anindustrycaneasilybecomeprisonerofitsowninvestmentsincost-cuttingtechniques,reducingitsabilitytodevelopnewproducts.Andmanagersunderpressuretomaximizecost-cuttingwillresistinnovationbecausetheyknowthatmorefundamentalchangesinprocessesorsystemswillwreakhavocwiththeresultsonwhichtheyaremeasured.Productionmanagershavealwaysseentheirjobasoneofminimizingcostsandmaximizingoutput.Thisdimensionofperformancehasuntilrecentlysufficedasabasisofevaluation,butithascreatedapenny-pinching,mechanisticcultureinmostfactoriesthathaskeptawaycreativemanagers. EverycompanyIknowthathasfreeditselffromtheparadoxhasdoneso,inpart,bydevelopingandimplementingamanufacturingstrategy.Suchastrategyfocusesonthemanufacturingstructureandonequipmentandprocesstechnology.Inonecompanyamanufacturingstrategythatalloweddifferentareasofthefactorytospecializeindifferentmarketsreplacedtheconventionalcost-cuttingapproach;withinthreeyearsthecompanyregaineditscompetitiveadvantage.Togetherwithsuchstrategies,successfulcompaniesarealsoencouragingmanagerstofocusonawidersetofobjectivesbesidescuttingcosts.Thereishopeformanufacturing,butitdearlyrestsoiladifferentwayofmanaging. TheauthorreferstoAbernathy’sstudymostprobablyinorderto_____.
A.qualify an observation about one rule governing manufacturing
B.address possible objections to a recommendation about improving manufacturing competitiveness
C.support an earlier assertion about method of increasing productivity
D.suggest the centrality in the Unit States economy of a particular manufacturing industry
正确答案是C