The thesis is aimed at discussing the principles of the Toyota Way, philosophy and system of management guidelines, by way of elaborating and evaluating upon its fourteen core principles that are followed by companies worldwide. Further, the discussion will throw light on why the systemic root cause of the multiple recalls of 2009 and 2010 was not due to their concepts of lean manufacturing but can be attributed to the inability of the management of Toyota Motor Corporation to thoroughly apply their core principles. / text

Thesis (PhD) - Australian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Business and Enterprise, Swinburne University of Technology, 2009. / A thesis is submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Philosophy, Faculty of Business and Enterprise, Swinburne University of Technology - 2009. Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (p. 225-238)