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2003 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary

A Study on the Toyota Production System Under the 35 Hours Work a Week

Research Project

Project/Area Number 12572017
Research Category

Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)

Allocation TypeSingle-year Grants
Section海外学術
Research Field 経済政策(含経済事情)
Research InstitutionOkayama University

Principal Investigator

SHIMIZU Koichi  Okayama University, Faculty of Economics, Professor, 経済学部, 教授 (00235649)

Project Period (FY) 2000 – 2003
KeywordsFrance / 35 Hours Work a Week / Aubry Laws / Management-Union Agreements in Automobile Industry / Toyota Motor Manufacturing France / Annualization of Working Hours / Labor Relations / Flexibility
Research Abstract

The main results of this study are following.
(i)The French 35 Hours Work Laws (Aubry laws) cannot be regarded only as the laws reducing working hours in order to promote work-sharing, because they have marked a turning point in the history of French labor relations in the following two senses. First, the laws give the firms the flexibility in work organization and work force adjustment. Second the laws have established the majority principle about the management-union agreement, because the agreement had to be signed by the union (s), seconded by the majority of employees.
(ii)About putting into action the legal 35 hours work at the French carmakers, important are the followings. First, management-union relationships are ameliorated and stabilized after their obligatory negotiation to fix the conditions of the 35 hours work. Second, because of the annualization of the working hours, overtimes, confirmed only at the end of the year, give often the employees collective and/or individual t … More imes off in lieu, so that the wage is not function of real working hours. Third, the annualization allows the firms to organize the work and adjust their labor force in the flexible manner. Therefore, the increase in the labor cost, caused by the reduction of legal working hours, can be absorbed by the economy of scale, gained by "24 hours and 7 days a week" run of a factory.
(iii)Toyota in France (TMMF) also has concluded the management-union agreement resemble to that of Renault and Peugeot SA, and is able to enjoy the flexibility in work organization and labor force adjustment. In the domain of labor relations, TMMF is ready to do the same things as French carmakers do, and its labor relations are adapted to the French situation. On the contrary, its Toyota Production System is not put into action in its real sense. In fact, the "Just-in-time" and "Jidoka" have been installed, but the kaizen activities are on the way to be introduced. Whether its employees are involved in such activities depend on its human resource management and training of its employees in a Toyota's way. Less

  • Research Products

    (14 results)

All 2004 2003 2002

All Journal Article (10 results) Book (4 results)

  • [Journal Article] Reorienting Kaizen Activities at Toyota : Kaizen, Production Efficiency, and Humanization of Work2004

    • Author(s)
      Koichi Shimizu
    • Journal Title

      岡山大学経済学会雑誌 36.3

      Pages: 1-25

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Coping with Uncertainty : A Toyotaization of the Chinese Carmaker Tianjin Xiali2004

    • Author(s)
      Ji Ren, Koichi Shimizu
    • Journal Title

      北東アジア経済研究(岡山大学) 1

      Pages: 212-234

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Coping with Uncertainty : A Toyotaization of the Chinese Carmaker Tianjin Xiali2004

    • Author(s)
      Ji Ren, Koichi Shimizu
    • Journal Title

      Studies on North-East Asian Economies No.1

      Pages: 212-234

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] フランス35時間労働法の性格と意義2003

    • Author(s)
      清水 耕一
    • Journal Title

      経済学論叢(同志社大学) 54.4

      Pages: 32-66

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Nature and Significance of the French "35 Hours" Laws (in Japanese)2003

    • Author(s)
      Koichi Shimizu
    • Journal Title

      Doshisha University Economic Review Vol.54,No.4

      Pages: 32-66

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 企業システムの進化におけるバイファケーションとイナーシア-自動車産業における事例(I)2002

    • Author(s)
      清水 耕一
    • Journal Title

      岡山大学経済学会雑誌 34.1

      Pages: 1-15

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] 企業システムの進化におけるバイファケーションとイナーシア-自動車産業における事例(II)2002

    • Author(s)
      清水 耕一
    • Journal Title

      岡山大学経済学会雑誌 34.2

      Pages: 19-36

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Bifurcation and Inertia in the Evolution of the Corporate System (I) (in Japanese)2002

    • Author(s)
      Koichi Shimizu
    • Journal Title

      Okayama Economic Review Vol.34,No.1

      Pages: 1-15

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Bifurcation and Inertia in the Evolution of the Corporate System (II) (in Japanese)2002

    • Author(s)
      Koichi Shimizu
    • Journal Title

      Okayama Economic Review Vol.34,No.2

      Pages: 19-36

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Journal Article] Reorienting Kaizen Activities at Toyota : Kaizen, Production efficiency and Humanization of Work2002

    • Author(s)
      Koichi Shimizu
    • Journal Title

      Okayama Economic Review Vol.36,No.3

      Pages: 1-25

    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Book] Globalization or Regionalization of the European Car Industry?2003

    • Author(s)
      M.Freyssenet, K.Shimizu, et al.
    • Total Pages
      275
    • Publisher
      Palgrave/Macmillan
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Book] Globalization or Regionalization of the American and Asian Car Industry?2003

    • Author(s)
      M.Freyssenet, K.Shimizu, et al.
    • Total Pages
      243
    • Publisher
      Palgrave/Macmillan
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(和文)」より
  • [Book] Globalization or Regionalization of the European Car Industry?2003

    • Author(s)
      M.Freyssenet, K.Shimizu, G.Volpato (ed.)
    • Total Pages
      1-275
    • Publisher
      Palgrave/Macmillan
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より
  • [Book] Globalization or Regionalization of the American and Asian Car Industry?2003

    • Author(s)
      M.Freyssenet, K.Shimizu, G.Volpato (ed.)
    • Total Pages
      1-275
    • Publisher
      Palgrave/Macmillan
    • Description
      「研究成果報告書概要(欧文)」より

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Published: 2006-07-11  

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