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