Making tracks : Caterpillar's crawl from Scotland
Haworth, Nigel and Walker, Jim (1987) Making tracks : Caterpillar's crawl from Scotland. Quarterly Economic Commentary, 12 (4). pp. 67-71. ISSN 0306-7866
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Abstract
Caterpillar's decision to close its Uddingston plant highlights the contradiction at the heart of Scotland's commitment to industrial growth on the back of foreign manufacturing investment. The contradiction has two dimensions. Firstly, in order to attract foreign capital, a complex benefits package must be offered to potential investors. Secondly, regional industrial policy has not concerned itself with the issue at the heart of the Caterpillar case - what do you do when decisions which do not reflect the industrial efficiency of the regional subsidiary lead to run-down or closure of that facility? How do you respond when what appears to most commentators to be a profitable plant is closed on the basis of criteria which have little or nothing to do with the plant itself. This economic perspective considers the impact of this contradiction on the Scottish economy and explores what, if anything, can be done. The approaches adopted by other leading industrialised countries are also considered.
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Item type: Article ID code: 51555 Dates: DateEventMay 1987PublishedSubjects: Social Sciences > Industries. Land use. Labor
Social Sciences > Economic TheoryDepartment: Strathclyde Business School > Economics
Strathclyde Business School > Fraser of Allander InstituteDepositing user: Pure Administrator Date deposited: 10 Feb 2015 14:25 Last modified: 12 Jun 2024 00:59 Related URLs: URI: https://strathprints.strath.ac.uk/id/eprint/51555