The U.S. Man-Made Fiber Industry: Its Structure and Organization since 1948

This work should serve as a comprehensive update to Jesse W. Markham’s 1952 industrial organisation study, Competition in the Rayon Industry . It extends Markham’s study to all large volume man-made fibres in a manner that should also be applicable to other industries. David Goldenberg aims to offer new insights into the structure, price and nonprice behaviour and performance of a large and technically advanced industry. This study should provide a practical test of industrial organisation theory and performance, as well as a real-world examination of many of the issues most crucial to the man-made fibres industry. Goldenberg begins his work with an introduction and general summary that outline the study’s major conclusions. Subsequent chapters provide a brief overview of the US man-made fibres industry, and a detailed look at the numerous structural issues. Among the subjects covered are the conditions of supply and demand, the structures of the sub-industries composing the larger fibres industry, and the structural determinants such as costs and econmies of scale, existence and integration. Two chapters focus on the price aspects of the industry’s behaviour, including price trends, cyclical and short-run behaviour, price structures and selling terms, as well as nonprice behaviour. The final chapter examines the industry’s performance in terms of its overall social benefits, productivity and workability. This work should be an important resource for scholars and students in the industrial organisation and industrial economics fields, as well as for public, academic and business libraries.