CHANGES IN THE FOOD DISTRIBUTION NETWORK IN TOKYO, JAPAN

The Japanese food distribution network is more complex than other developed nations. This not only makes retail food prices more expensive but can make market entry for foreign companies difficult. In part demographic, cultural, economic, and institutional factors have led to the development of the existing system, and are playing a role in its change. U.S. businesses are not passive in the outcome of the future system. Japan relies heavily on food imports yet demands a high quality and stable source of supplies. Businesses that meet that demand will be an effective part of the future distribution system.Agribusiness,

Globalization and the flexibility of labour: a new challenge to human resource management

This paper introduces a general, formal treatment of dynamic constraints, i.e., constraints on the state changes that are allowed in a given state space. Such dynamic constraints can be seen as representations of "real world" constraints in a managerial context. The notions of transition, reversible and irreversible transition, and transition relation will be introduced. The link with Kripke models (for modal logics) is also made explicit. Several (subtle) examples of dynamic constraints will be given. Some important classes of dynamic constraints in a database context will be identified, e.g. various forms of cumulativity, non-decreasing values, constraints on initial and final values, life cycles, changing life cycles, and transition and constant dependencies. Several properties of these dependencies will be treated. For instance, it turns out that functional dependencies can be considered as "degenerated" transition dependencies. Also, the distinction between primary keys and alternate keys is reexamined, from a dynamic point of view.

El trabajo femenino preindustrial a gran escala en la Francia moderna

Durante el siglo XVIII se llevó a cabo en Francia un proceso de tránsito de la manufactura a domicilio al sistema industrial a gran escala. Uno de los protagonistas principales de esta evolución fueron las mujeres, que abandonaron el hogar para acudir a las nuevas concentraciones fabriles. Allí, fueron relegadas al desempeño de tareas auxiliares, como el gobierno de las nuevas máquinas, las cuales, aunque más productivas, no implicaron una alteración del reducido salario que las obreras cobraban respecto al de sus homónimos masculinos.Al llarg del segle XVIII, a França es va produir un procés de trànsit de la manufactura a domicili al sistema industrial a gran escala. Un dels protagonistes principals d'aquesta evolució van ser les dones, que van abandonar la llar per anar a les noves concentracions fabrils, on van ser relegades a fer tasques auxiliars, com la d'ocupar-se de les noves màquines. Aquestes màquines, si bé eren més productives que les anteriors, no van implicar cap alteració del salari reduït que les obreres cobraven respecte dels seus homònims masculins.During the XVIIIth century, some French industries experienced a change from putting out system to a great scale system of production. One of the main actors of that evolution were women that left putting out system to occupy themselves in great buildings made to concentrate all the production process. In the new structure, women made tasks reputated as secondary as taking care of the new machines. These machines were more efficient but women at work continued to perceive minor wages compared with male workers

Language and Cultural Learning Through Student Generated Photography

This paper examines and discusses the unique teaching context and the inherent problems faced by foreign English teachers in the Japanese University System. It contains a personal account of the process the author went through to develop a new and interesting curriculum to overcome these problems. This curriculum is based on student-generated photographs of their lives and is an effective method of both language learning and culture learning. Included in the paper is a step-by-step course description of twenty-four lesson plans based on the photographs

Is Japan Special? Monetary Linkages and Price Stability

Empirical studies of central bank independence and inflation identify Japan as an outlier. By standard measures, the Bank of Japan is one of the least independent central banks in the world, and yet Japan enjoys some of the lowest inflation rates. This paper develops a model of monetary link; ages with implications for the institutional course stability. The model explains why price stability in the "old" Japan-- with its powerful bureaucracy and single-party rule--did not necessarily rely on monetary institutions. It predicts that the "new" Japan, in which power is shifting from the bureaucracy to elected politicians who compete with each other in the political marketplace, must make use of monetary institutions to achieve price stability.

Michel Woronoff, Président de l’Université de Franche-Comté

L'Université a toujours soutenu le Théâtre Universitaire de Franche-Comté depuis sa création en 1986. Ses activités de création et de recherche ont retenu toute mon attention. La diffusion de ses spectacles a permis de confirmer ou de créer des liens avec des universités étrangères comme Neuchâtel et Vilnius. Le projet Cymbeline retient toute mon attention et bénéficie de mon soutien. Il apparaît comme une tentative originale à la fois théorique et pratique de mise en commun de nos différence..

Denis Woronoff, Histoire de l’emballage en France du xviiie siècle à nos jours

Cet ouvrage, attendu depuis longtemps, vient combler une lacune sur un sujet important de l’histoire économique que Denis Woronoff qualifie de « point aveugle de l’histoire des entreprises et du commerce » tant il a été ignoré par l’historiographie. En effet, si notre époque se soucie tant d’emballage – soit que nos sociétés de consommation en regorgent soit qu’il manque cruellement aux pays en voie de développement, renforçant leur précarité alimentaire –, l’auteur rappelle que l’enquête his..

« Avancer par nappes » : de l’histoire de la sidérurgie à l’histoire de l’emballage, en passant par l’archéologie industrielle.

Bonjour Denis Woronoff. C’est un plaisir pour nous de vous interroger sur vos travaux vos recherches. Pouvez-vous nous dire tout d’abord ce qui vous a amené à devenir historien ? J’ai toujours été historien. Si loin que je remonte dans mon enfance, c’était la seule chose qui me mobilisait. Le fait d’avoir un nom russe et un père récent naturalisé m’a sans doute poussé à savoir d’où je venais. Un moment, j’ai rêvé être journaliste, puis j’ai failli être philosophe, impressionné à l’Ecole alsac..

Labor Law as a Base for Firms' Organization

This contribution explores the relation between labor law and organizations in a historical and institutional perspective based on the French case. The adoption of labor law transforms the articulation between commodity exchanges and production activities. Initially, commodity markets were considered as the main test for the capacity of products to find a social utility that conditioned the level of production activities taken in charge by contractors. Labor law has contributed to a renewed conception of production as organized labor, i.e., a specific activity distinct from the other activities of individuals (e.g., family life, leisure). Recruitment and career opportunities become the main test situation for individuals, conditioning their access to occupations and resources for buying the very commodities they make. But, the renewal of corporate governance is undermining this organizational significance of labor law and valuing restructuring, lay-offs, and entrepreneurship, in order to restore market mechanisms