The Structure of American Industry [antikvár]

PrefaceA half-century ago, Walter Adams published the inaugural edition of this book. The collection's purpose, he wrote, was to provide "a laboratory for the analysis of industries illustrating various degrees of competition and monopoly." A kaleidoscopic survey of American business enterprise, the objective was to present a comprehensive, up-to-date view of American industry in its myriad forms of market structure and economic conduct. The means for achieving this would be the case study and individual industry approach; A selection of industries would be examined in depth in order to convey the distinctiveness of each while, at the same time, framing all of them within the paradigm of the structure-conduct-performance approach to industrial organization.The book was intended not only for students in economics, business, law, and political science, but also for laypeople interested in learning more about the composition and functioning of American industry To this end. Professor Adams urged the contributors to forsake the abstruse and abstract, the esoteric and scholastic, in order to render the book palatable to the broad audience at which it was aimed. The collection was directed, not at the professional grandstand but, instead, to the body of peoplestudents and laypeople alikeinterested in the key controversial issues of industrial organization and price policy. Methodologically, the chapters, individually and in combination, would constitute an exercise in inductionreasoning from the particular to the generalrather than a deductive process of interpreting facts and meanings, a priori, from abstract theoretical postulates and assumptions.That initial edition featured a variety of industries, from cotton and bituminous coal to residential construction, chemicals, cigarettes, and ocean shipping.Through the ensuing nine editions, the mix of industries was adjusted in line with current issues and major antitrust actions: Newspapers, chemicals, aluminum, aerospace, food distribution, pharmaceuticals, physicians' services, major league sports, conglomerates (a "nonindus-try"), casino gaming, and breakfast cereals variously debuted. Some industries included in earlier editions were subsequently replaced by other industries of greater contemporary interest; yet some of those industries were later re-added when they once again became contentious topics ofix