Enthusiasm Constrained? British Industrial R&D and the Transition from War to Peace, 1942-51

Sally Horrocks

Business History, 1999, vol. 41, issue 3, 42-63

Abstract: During the second half of World War II and in the years which immediately followed, British firms demonstrated a considerable enthusiasm for expanding their R&D activities. Severe restrictions on the availability of resources limited the extent to which this could be translated into practice, but many firms nonetheless managed to achieve rapid growth in the scale of their R&D facilities. Drawing on a range of archival sources generated by both government and industry, this article examines the nature of this enthusiasm and how it was shaped by the need to conform to controls on building, defence requirements, including the National Service 'call up', and the investment priorities determined in response to the export drive. These constriants not only underprinned the development of industrial R&D during the transition from war to peace, they also helped to ensure that British managers retained their belief that ever more R&D would ensure industrial success.

Date: 1999
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DOI: 10.1080/00076799900000307

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