LA LETTRE DU GERPISA no 162 (Septembre - Octobre 2002)

 

Editorial

Yannick Lung



NEW OPERATIONAL MODALITIES FOR THE "JOURNÉE D'ÉTUDE" DU GERPISA

The GERPISA's third international research programme, which had focused (working in close collaboration with the European CoCKEAS project) on the coordination of competencies and knowledge in the regional automotive systems, came to a conclusion with our latest conference.

We will be using the coming months to build the foundations of a new research programme that will be based on a three-pronged approach which:
 

  • capitalises upon all of the work that has been done so far during our three international research programmes by coming up with a synthesis capable of providing an alternative to current theses about the future of the automobile; and which reflects upon the diversity of the productive models and institutional configurations at work;
  • will get young doctoral candidates and graduates involved in the GERPISA's core activities, to a much greater extent than has been the case up until now, in order to ensure the longevity of the network above and beyond that of its founder generation;
  • broadens thinking to other sectors of activity, whilst maintaining the automobile as a benchmark.

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    At its upcoming October meeting, GERPISA's International Steering Committee will be defining the modalities of a collective thought process that will enable us to capitalise on our past efforts. As for the integration of young researchers, around 15 took part in discussions at an early July meeting in Paris about the issues at stake in the new approach, and the modalities there of. We have agreed to modify the organisation of our working days for the 2002/03 University academic year along the following lines:
    1. Working days will be broken down into three sessions of one and a half hours apiece: 11:00-12:30 in the morning; 14:00-15:30 and 15:30-17:00 in the afternoon.
    2. Each session will be entirely devoted to discussing a text participants will receive before the meeting.
    3. After a short 10 minute presentation by the text's author, intended not as a summary but as a means of communicating any further questions s/he may have at its conclusion, a panel member (another young researcher) will launch the general discussion by speaking for about 10 minutes as well.
    4. The texts under discussion will be the subject of one or several issues of the Actes du GERPISA or published in other mediums.
    5. A summary of each day's work will be published in La Lettre du GERPISA and highlight the relevant research issues that the discussion will have raised.


    Other initiatives are going to be taken, notably to ensure the integration of young GERPISA researchers at an international level. The first step will be the new modalities of the Paris "journées d'étude" that are generally held on the first Friday of each month at the Maison des Sciences de l'Homme - Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales, Boulevard Raspail, Paris.

    On 4 October 2002, starting at 11:00 AM we will have an opportunity to discuss three contributions relating to productive model issues in the automotive sector (specifically, Japanese transplants in Great Britain) and in two other branches (software and steelworks)..

    Hopefully the enthusiasm that our younger researchers displayed at last July's meeting will be shared by our network's more longstanding members. Of course, all young researchers with an interest in this area are invited to take part.
     
     


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