and keep the costs down to an afford- able level. We designers need to meet and talk.

See you in Zurich at ICED 91.

G. Hollins W.J. Hollins

R E F E R E N C E S

1 Dudfis, I and Dudas, L, CAD/CAM system for geometrically exact manu- facturing of helicoid surfaces.

2 Eder, W E, Engineering education: needs and recommendations for a design-based curriculum.

3 Pahl, G, Notwendigkeit und Gren- zen der Konstruktionsmethodik

Buur, J, Design methods in Japan - research, education and industrial application from a European view- point

Sheldon, D F, Perks R, Jackson, M, Miles, B and Holland, J, De- signing for whole life costs at the concept stage

MCrch, L and Hein, L, The seven dimensions of a development orga- nisation

Capaldi, B and Jenkins, D G, Com- paring design processes for control systems, process plant and brittle components

Wikstr6m, K and Erichsen, S, De- sign models used in the development

on North Sea oil installations com- pared with theoretical design models

9 Eekels, J, Engineering design and the environmental issue

10 Hongo, K, Ethical aspects of en- gineering design education

11 Hurst, K S and James, R D, The benefits of industrial and educational collaboration

12 Redmond, J, Industrial design for engineers - a masters degree course

All references are in the Proceedings of the 1990 International Conference on Engineering Design WDK 19 (Eds V Hubka and A Kosteli6). Heurista and Yudeko, Zurich (ISBN: 3-85 693- 023X).

BO01C IRBVI[BW$

Innovation and industrial strength; a study in the UK, West Germany, the US and Japan

~. Cox and H. Kriegbaum Policy Studies Institute, London (1989) 168pp £24.95

This book is aimed at policy makers in government and manufacturing industry, but should also be of great value to all those interested in the international industrial scene. It is an extremely thorough statistical study of the performance of five key indus- tries - mechanical engineering, elec- tronics, motor vehicles, chemicals and textiles - in four major industrial economies - the United Kingdom, West Germany, the United States and Japan - and should help put an end to all the arguments about the

reasons for Britain's manufacturing decline. Not surprisingly, the book is no easy bedtime read, but it is absolutely packed with valuable data about the structure and performance of and investment by these industries from the early 1970s to the mid 1980s. The tables and charts show that in these five sectors US industry grew slower and, with the exception of chemicals, fared worse in export performance than in the other three countries studied. The reasons for this are made clear both in the statistics and in the accompanying discussion: British firms have since the early 1970s invested less than their competitors in Germany, the US and Japan in the research, design and development of new products. It is to this ' intangible' investment in R & D to produce high qual i ty, innovat ive products , more than tangible investment in plant and machinery to increase productivity

and lower costs, that Cox and Krieg- baum attribute the competitive suc- cess, especially of West German and Japanese industry.

The authors also discuss the now- familiar historical cultural and poli- tical factors that underlie British, and to a lesser extent American, managements ' tendency to consider shor t - term financial performance rather than long term growth and innovation. These include the de- pendence on the stock market for finance, rather the banks as in Ger- many and Japan, and a general misunders tanding in government and industry of the crucial role of research, design and development to long-term industrial success.

There is a note of hope for Britain, the data shows that R&D investment as a proportion of sales in motor vehicles, chemicals and electronics was beginning to catch up with that in the other three countries by 1985.

60 DESIGN STUDIES

The benefits of this will take some years to appear and in the meantime British industry cannot rely on its competitors to stand still.

Robin Roy

Computer discipline and design practice Aart Bijl, Edinburgh University Press, (1989) 240 pp, £25.00

I found this to be a thoroughly absorbing and fascinating book. As one would expect this author it is lucidly and carefully written, though not so carefully proofed! The title is, however, perhaps a little misleading, and may lead to the disappointment of some readers, since the book is certainly less than comprehensive in its coverage of computer aided de- sign practice. This weakness is most evident in the early chapters on Design theory and intergrated design systems.

Aart's analysis of the nature of the design process aggravated this read- er, perhaps partly because his is based on a philosophical approach and mine on a psychological one. For example, he tells us that design is not problem solving. Well certainly this is true, but design is also neither an homogeneous nor a psychologically atomic activity. There are clearly periods of mental activity carried out by designers which have all the characteristics of problem solving. Thus his analysis has validity at a general philosophical level, but lacks practical reality.

In the chaper on Integrated design systems the author only mentions OXSYS and SSHA, both old sys- tems written for captive users and no longer in common use. More recent attempts at writing such integrated architectural design systems have addressed many of Aart's valid criti- cisms, though not always as success- fully as we might wish, and his analysis of these more powerful sys- tems would have been much more in t e re s t ing , and given greater strength to his basic argument. The

argument remains valid though, since Aart is challenging us to im- agine computer aided design systems which could be freed from the shack- les imposed upon them by the struc- tures defined by their authors.

These may seem like major criti- cisms, but they are not, for I do not believe that this is how the book should be judged. It is certainly not intended to be either a text or guide book, but is in reality more of a tour of the life and mind of its author, Aart Bijl. Those who know Aart or his work will recognise his style throughout. Indeed, one can almost hear his distinctive accent emanating from the pages in which he relent- lessly criticises the unsatisfactory current state of CAD. Problems and issues are introduced, discussed and the argument summarised just as one would expect of a lecture; perhaps the book even comes from his lecture notes.

The further the book progresses, the more fascinating this insight into Aart's mind becomes, and the chap- ters on Designing in words and pictures, and the Future offer mental challenges to all of us who work in CAD research. Of course it is the nature of knowledge, in particular knowledge as used by designers, that really fascinates Aart. Methods of expressing that knowledge in com- puters in such a way that they may be able to manipulate it in a way that seems more intelligent, is the real theme of this book. What Aart shows us here is just how far we have yet to travel before we might realise such a lofty ambition. He also suggests just how valuable the journey is likely to be, for it is by trying to understand how to make computers aid desig- ners in a more intelligent way, that we can approach a better under- standing of the magic we perform when we design.

This book will certainly be on the reading list for my research students, and will probably interest most read- ers of Design Studies. It seems to me unlikely to have a wider appeal, but Edinburgh University Press are to be congratulated on publishing it.

Bryan Lawson

Philips: a study of the corporate management of design

John Heskett Trefoil, (1989) 162pp, £29.95)

Billed as an examination of the de- sign management process in Philips, this book actually covers rather more. For a start, much of the total page area is given over to photo- graphs of Philips products and per- sonalities.

Indeed , some products recur several times - more than a dozen in the case of the quirky 'Roller radio' - and at, first sight, the volume looks more like a coffee table picture book than a serious study of design and management methods.

Similarly, the prominence given to a few individuals and their pro- nouncements, gives rise to fears of a possible lack of objectivity in the compilation of the text. Readers who have attended conference presenta- tions by Bob Blaich, the charismatic head of design at Philips, will already be familiar with the strength and certainty of his design management philosophies, now reproduced here at length. Add to this, apparently irrelevant personal details and photo- graphs - such as the one on page 36 featuring Blaich surrounded by de- sign 'greats' Eames, Nelson and others - and one senses a case of the cult of the hero, to which designers and design writers do seem so sus- ceptible.

Having aired my general reaction to this book, is it of any value to those with a serious interest in design management? My answer would be 'yes'. In part a historical survey, the book does illustrate how different approaches to organising design acti- vies are necessary to cope with new trading conditions. Thus, the Philips response to the challenge of the Japanese and the globalization of product markets makes informative reading.

Also, the eleven product studies which make up the second half of the book, give a good insight into the

Vol 12 No 1 January 1991 61