| La lettre du GERPISA | no 107 (novembre 1996) |
Nouvelles du Programme - Michel Freyssenet
The first two groups "Strategies and trajectories of internationalization of automobile companies" and "The emergence of new automobile spaces" are analyzed historically, from the point of view of their development or profit dynamic. The two other groups "Dynamic of revenues and automobile markets" and "The recomposition of productive organization and work relationships in automobile companies in the current phase of internationalization", are groups of a comparative nature on precise points, which call for specific investigation, due to the absence of sufficient analysis to settle basic controversies.
If we consider research and areas of interest, a number of us could go into several groups. Of course it is possible to be in one group and to contribute papers to others, as was the case in the first programme. Everyone is therefore invited to choose his group in function of his main interests.
Each work group will have a French sub-group. Asian and Latin American groups may be formed. But they will probably be formed to participate in the whole programme. They probably won,t be able to make up as many sub-groups as there are thematic work groups.
The French group will have three coordinators: a coordinator coming from the first programme groups, two other new coordinators who will have actively participated in GERPISA's work. Discussion is ongoing with those interested. They will be named, at the latest, in La Lettre Ndeg.108 at the beginning of December. That is why, at the moment each group has only one person in charge provisionally, whom you can always contact to discuss work envisaged. The coordinators at an international level will be known after the international steering committee meeting.
The "themes to be dealt with" are listed in the table which follows as an illustration. Each group will then have to arrange its programme, taking into account present and potential members.
As regards financing, at present GERPISA is assured of FF300,000 a year , which corresponds to aid given by the Ministry for Higher Education and French Research, by PSA and by Renault. We have put in a request for aid to the European Union in the name of the programme "Training and Mobility of Researchers", so as to finance work groups, international meetings and Annual Encounters for doctorate students and researchers from the European Union. The answer will be known in Spring 1997. For researchers from other countries, solutions are being prepared. A request will be made to the European programme, Alfa, to ensure links between European and Latin American researchers. An equivalent request for Eastern European countries must be examined. The group of researchers from South East Asia, if it is formed, would find its own financing. The North American researchers should be able to do likewise. We will discuss this at the international steering committee meeting in November.
Finally, other car manufacturers could be associated with the programme. La Lettre will give news of headway made on these different dossiers.
| Groups Strategies and trajectories for internationalization |
Emergence of new automobile spaces | Dynamic of revenues and automobile markets | Productive organizations and work relationships |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research questions Convergence or divergence of internationalization trajectories |
Convergence or divergence of subsidiaries in new spaces | Convergence or divergence of markets and wage relations | Convergence or divergence of productive organizations and work relationships |
| Subjects The forms of internationalization followed by automobile companies today, compared with those adopted at different periods and their roles in profit making strategies |
The evolution of subsidiaries and their results, infunction of the chosen strategy for internationalization of the parent company and of the recomposition of the economic and political world environment. | The comparison of the evolution of automobile markets and their determining factors, particularly wage relations in producing countries and in the main consumer countries. | The comparison of productive organizations and companies, work relation-ships, according to their chosen internationalization forms. |
| Fields Manufacturers: those already studied plus BMW,
Mercedes, Daewoo, Kia. | The subsidiaries of
- manufacturers - suppliers - distributors Newspaces: developing countries (China, South East Asia, Latin America, Eastern Europe), regional ensembles (NAFTA, EU, Mercosur, ASEAN). |
Industrialized countries: producers and/or consumers Developing countries: producers |
Manufacturers Suppliers Distributors |
| Themes to be dealt with (for information only) -The periods prior to internationalization (roles, formes) -The problems met at the beginning of the 1990's - The role of the current internationalization in resolving these problems and the profit strategy adopted - The form of internationalization chosen - The organization of the management in the company - Product policy - The productive organization (be there one or several types); suppliers relations - Work relationship(s) - Reactions to these choices: trade union, workers, suppliers (manufacturers), States - Results and difficulties |
Emerging countries: what does their future hold? - market/work - political context/institut. regulations New regional spaces: which ones are really forming? - international exchanges, inter and intra-regional - regulations, regulation - internal convergences Subsidiaries - products - productive organization - work relationship - results The alliances | - Evolution of the needs and practices of mobility, as well as transport policies - Evolution of automobile markets (demand and supply): volume and structure, new and second hand - Analysis of determining factors: form of growth, automobile density, distribution of revenue, salary hierarchy, social structure, structure of ages and households, urbanization, consumer and ecological organizations | - Product-service policies - Development of the product and the process - Organization of the material and immaterial flow between parent company and subsidiaries - Relation between internationalized manufacturers and suppliers - Organization of production and work - Financing of international investments and control of variations of change |
| Persons in charge provisionnally Michel Freyssenet |
Elsie Charron | Yannick Lung | Jean-Pierre Durand |